Module 10 - Amulet

Book Cover

Book Summary
Emily and her brother and mother move from their home in town to a family home in a very small town in the country.  The house belonged to Emily's great-grandfather who disappeared until very mysterious circumstances and the people in town believe the house to be haunted.  Emily quickly discovers why when she acquires an unusual amulet and her mother and brother are captured by a very strange beast.  Emily must learn how to use the power of the amulet to get her family back, and along the way she discovers some very strange things about her family and the amulet.

APA Reference of Book
Kibuishi, K. (2008). Amulet. New York, NY: Graphix.

Impressions
I enjoy fantasy and this book has all the best elements of a good fantasy.  The young protagonist must use newly discovered powers to save herself, her family, and a newly discovered (by her) world with the help of just a few new friends.  This book will appeal to older elementary readers who like fantasy and would be a good introduction to the genre for reluctant readers or anyone who is not sure if they will enjoy the genre.  There are monsters and robots and magic, some of which might be a problem for younger readers.  The strong female main character will likely appeal to girls, but the strong adventure plot and the presence of her brother as a sidekick will appeal to boys.

Professional Review
"With many a SZZT! SZRAK! FWOOM! and SKREE!, young Emily learns to use an energy-bolt-shooting amulet against an array of menaces to rescue her captured Mom in this graphic-novel series opener. When a scuttling "arachnopod" sucks down their widowed parent, Emily and younger sib Navin pursue through a door in the basement and into the alternate-Earth land of Alledia. Finding unexpected allies in rabbit-like Miskit, grumpy Cogsley and other robots created by their mysterious greatgrandfather, the children weather attacks from huge, tentacled Rakers, a pointy-eared elf prince with shark-like teeth and other adversaries to get her back--only to discover that she's in a coma, poisoned. Off to Episode Two, and the distant city of Kanalis, for a cure. The mid-sized, squared-off panels are sometimes a little small to portray action sequences clearly, but the quickly paced plot is easy enough to follow, and Kibuishi is a dab hand at portraying freaky monsters. Fans of Jeff Smith's Bone will happily fret with the good guys and hiss at the baddies."

[Review of Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi]. (2007). Kirkus Reviews, 75(22), 1201. Retrieved from: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/

Library Uses
This would be a great book to book talk as part of an anime/manga group, especially for younger readers.  The book is the first of a series so if readers are hooked they can read more of the story.

Module 10 - Draw Me a Star

Book Cover

Book Summary
The artist in this book begins by drawing a star.  The star asks for a sun, and the sun asks for a tree.  Each new drawing asks for another until the artist has drawn an entire world.  After drawing a final star, the now old artist holds on to the star to be flown across the sky.

APA Reference of Book
Carle, E. (1992). Draw me a star. New York, NY: Philomel Books.

Impressions
Typical of Eric Carle books, this book has beautiful illustrations and a simple, but sweet story.  The main character uses his artistic skill to shape the world around him.  This book encourages budding artists to keep drawing and shape their world as well.  I find the controversy that often follows this book to be undeserved.  Yes, there is a naked couple in the book, but they are general outlines and not graphically depicted at all.  The claims that the book forces creationism on the reader I feel are unfounded.  The artist in the book draws a world for himself, but I find no indication that this drawn world is supposed to represent the world in general or that the artist is supposed to represent God as the creator.  In fact, in the author's note, Carle describes a dream he had which ended with him flying across the night sky with a star.  Clearly, that part of the book, at least, was inspired by his dream.

Professional Review
"A young boy is told (readers are not sure by whom) to "Draw me a star."  The star then requests that the boy it a sun; the sun asks for a "lovely tree," and throughout his life the boy/man/artist continues to create images that fill the world with beauty.  The moon bids the now-elderly artist to draw another star, and as the story ends, the artist travels "across the night sky" hand-in-hand with the star.  This book will appeal to readers of all ages; its stunning illustrations, spare text, and simple story line make it a good choice for story-hour; but older children will also find it uplifting and meaningful.  Especially pleasing is a diagram within the story, accompanied by rhyming instructions on how to draw a star: "Down/ over/ left/ and right/ draw/ a star/ oh so bright."  An inspired book in every sense of the word."

Larkin, E. (1992). [Review of  Draw me a star by Eric Carle]. School Library Journal, 38(10), 80. Retrieved from: http://www.slj.com/

Library Uses
This would be a good book for an early elementary aged art program.  The book provides simple instructions for drawing a star, but there are many other suggestions in the book of things that children can draw just like the artist in the book.

Module 9 - Mirror, Mirror

Book Cover

Book Summary
The poems in this book show different sides of popular fairy tales.  For each fairy tale, the poem reads both top to bottom and bottom to top to tell two sides of each tale.  The punctuation does differ on some lines, but the words themselves stay the same.  For instance, in "Have Another Chocolate", the first poem is the witch telling Hansel to eat more so he will fatten up, but the second poem is Gretel telling Hansel not to eat so much so he won't get fatter.

APA Reference of Book
Singer, M. (2010). Mirror, mirror. New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books.

Impressions
I really like this book. The poems are clever on their own, but the way they tell two sides of a story just by reversing the order of the lines is amazing.  The mood of several of the poems also shifts dramatically with the line reversal.  In "In the Hood", Red Riding Hood's poem is light and happy as you would expect from a girl skipping through the woods to visit her grandmother.  The wolf's poem is more sinister as he stalks Red Riding Hood through the woods.

Professional Review
"Talented poet Singer here creates her own poetic form, dubbed by her "reversos": a verse that reveals a different poem when the lines are reversed bottom to top, with changes only in punctuation, capitalization, and line breaks. Fourteen such top-to-bottom/bottom-to-top pairings are featured, all focusing on folklore, most on particular tales, and the result is neatly, astonishingly clever. "In the Hood" follows Red Riding Hood in one direction ("picking berries to eat—/ juicy and sweet/ what a treat!"), the waiting wolf in the other ("But a girl!/ What a treat—/ juicy and sweet"); "Have Another Chocolate" provides in turn the witch's ("Fatten up./ Don't/ keep her waiting … ") and Gretel's ("Keep her waiting/ Don't/ fatten up") views of Hansel; the genuinely reflective "Do You Know My Name?" gives voice to both Rumpelstiltskin ("I am/ famous/ but not/ liked") and the girl he saves ("I am liked/ but not/ famous"). The art, full page 'tale-scapes facing each page of poetry, reflects the duality in the verses, with each painting possessing a vertical axis that operates variously as scene divider, pivot point, or boundary between the two concepts; though the draftsmanship is a little cartoonish at times, the vivid, cheerful colors and humorous tone add accessibility to the already open and inviting pages. Kids will want to try the form out, if only to find out how tough it really is, and the poems will make a worthy addition to discussions of viewpoint and folklore."

Stevenson, D. (2010). [Review of Mirror, mirror: A book of reversible verse by Marilyn Singer]. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 63(8), 353. Retrieved from: http://bccb.lis.illinois.edu/

Library Uses
This book is perfect to use as part of writing program during National Poetry Month.  Read students selections from the book as examples and then have them write their own reversible poems.

Module 9 - Inside Out & Back Again

Book Cover

Book Summary
Ha and her family live in Saigon during the Vietnam War.  Her father has been listed as missing for a year and they are surviving the best they can when they are forced to flee before the city falls.  They are sponsored by an American and move to Alabama.  The neighbors do not like them and the other kids at school pick on her and mock her inability to speak English well.  The physical journey described in this book is overshadowed by the mental and emotional journey of adjusting to a new home in such a different place.

APA Reference of Book
Lai, T. (2011). Inside out & back again. New York, NY: Harper Collins Children's Books.

Impressions
This is a powerful book about a family's journey physically, mentally, and emotionally to a new home that is almost completely alien to what they once knew.  The book is written in verse which I feel makes it more accessible in some ways.  The readers gets to know Ha more intimately this way than might be possible in a narrative book.  The verses feel more reflective and provide only the view from inside Ha's mind.  The verse format also flows quickly leading the reader from one moment to the next smoothly.

Professional Review
"An enlightening, poignant and unexpectedly funny novel in verse is rooted in the author's childhood experiences. In Saigon in 1975, 10-year-old Kim Hà celebrates Tet (New Year) with her mother and three older brothers; none of them guesses at the changes the Year of the Cat will bring. (Hà's father's been MIA from the South Vietnamese Navy for nine years.) On the eve of the fall of Saigon, they finally decide they must escape. Free verse poems of, usually, just two to three pages tell the story. With the help of a friend, the family leaves, and they find themselves trapped at sea awaiting rescue. Only one of her brothers speaks English, but they, pick America as their destination and eventually find a sponsor in Alabama. Even amid the heartbreak, the narrative is shot through with humor. Ha misunderstands much about her new home: Surely their sponsor, who always wears his cowboy hat, must have a horse somewhere. In a school flail of strangers and bullies, she struggles to learn a language full of snake's hissing and must accept that she can no longer be at the head of her class…for now. In her not-to-be-missed debut, Lai evokes a distinct time and place and presents a complex, realistic heroine whom readers will recognize, even if they haven't found themselves in a strange new country (Historical fiction/verse. 9-12)"

[Review of Inside out & back again by Thanhha Lai]. (2011). Kirkus Reviews, 79(2), 129. Retrieved from: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/
 
Library Uses
This book would be a good way to introduce free verse in a poetry writing program.  Many students assume that all poetry must rhyme and the poems in this books are excellent examples of verses that do not rhyme and that are about a personal event.