"Guys Write for Guys Read: Boys’ Favorite Authors Write About Being Boys" by Jon Scieszka

Scieszka, Jon. Guys Write for Guys Read: Boys’ Favorite Authors Write About Being Boys. New York: Viking, 2005. 272 pp. Print. ISBN 10: 0670011444

Summary:

More than 80 male writers and illustrators (many from the Young Adult literature world) contributed stories of their boyhoods to this collection of stories of what it means (in their eyes) to be male. Stories range from the emotionally moving to the humorous. Contributors include, among others, Walter Dean Myers, Dan Gutman, Chris Crutcher, Avi, Brian Jacques, Dav Pilkey, Stephen King, Daniel Pinkwater, Jerry Spinelli, Will Hobbs, Chris Van Allsburg, Laurence Yep, Jack Gantos, Eoin Colfer and Neil Gaiman. Each entry is very short, many are only one or two pages long, and each ends with a selected bibliography to help readers find more of the particular authors’ works (or favorites by other authors).

Review:

Although there are so many authors, illustrators and editors contributing to this collection, each vignette is short enough that this was a very quick read. The stories were enjoyable and seem to be just what most late middle school and high school boys would like to read – stories of nasty high school sports initiations, getting the best of a school bully or teacher by using one’s intelligence, how farting and burping is just a guy’s way of communicating, or how one finally made a connection with a parent he thought disapproved of him, among others. The brevity of the entries will encourage even the most reluctant of readers to persevere, while the sheer number and variety of stories will keep the most advanced readers entertained.

Despite its title, many girls will also enjoy the stories contained in the book. As the mother of a boy (and a female who isn’t always so feminine), I was able to relate to many of the situations the authors experienced and relate to their statements of what it means to be a guy. I’m sure many other females will, too.

Awards:

Junior Library Guild selection

Teaching Extensions:

Have students in lower level literature circles use this book for their group book, stopping after each short vignette to discuss.

Have students in class read this collection of stories as well as “Chicken Soup for the Girl's Soul: Real Stories by Real Girls About Real Stuff (Chicken Soup for the Soul)” edited by Jack Canfield. Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Hansen and Irene Dunlap. Have students compare and contrast what the stories seem to be saying about “maleness” and “femaleness”.  Are there similarities? Are there differences? Lead students in a discussion about societal norms ascribed to gender and how these two books (if at all) contribute to those norms.

References:

Canfield, Jack, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Hansen, and Irene Dunlap. Chicken Soup for the Girl's Soul: Real Stories by Real Girls About Real Stuff. Deerfield Beach, Fla.: Health Communications, 2005. 350 pp. Print.

Scieszka, Jon. Guys Write for Guys Read: Boys’ Favorite Authors Write About Being Boys. New York: Viking, 2005. 272 pp. Print.

"Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys

Sepetys, Ruta. Between shades of gray. New York: Philomel Books, 2011. Print. 344 pp. ISBN-10: 0399254129

Summary:

It’s 1941. Fifteen year-old Lina lives in Lithuania. Stalin’s Soviet Army has recently invaded her country and several other Baltic states – claiming them as part of Russia virtually overnight. In an effort to keep civil unrest to a minimum, Stalin deported to Siberia anyone critical of Russia. In the night, Lina, her mother and her brother are forced from their homes with only 20 minutes to pack – 20 minutes to decide what to keep out of several lifetimes’ worth of memories and possessions.

Lina’s father is deported separately to a prison camp. How can Lina stay strong for her family? How can she document and let the world know what is happening to her people and family if everything she writes is examined and censored by the Soviet Police?

Lina uses her budding talent as an artist to document in detailed drawings the indignities and horrors suffered by her countrymen – actions the Soviets will do anything to keep quiet so as not to offend their WWII allies. Lina uses her drawings to spread hope among the people as she passes her drawn messages along, hoping her father will receive them and know his family is still alive. Will her drawings reach him? Is he even still alive? Can her family survive its forced deportation? Will the world ever know what happened when the Soviets invaded the Baltic states?

Review:

This novel is very powerful and moving. There were several occasions during reading this book when I wept. In her debut novel, Ruta Sepetys has created a memorial for all those who lived in the Baltic states who were forced to their deaths in Siberian work camps. Prior to reading her novel, I had never heard about Stalin’s occupation of the Baltic countries. Many history books have no mention of it. As Sepetys states in her afterword, those who survived the ordeal to return to their homes were forced to live like criminals in restricted areas – their homes, possessions and jobs gone forever; if they dared speak of what had been done to them, they were either sent back to Siberia or killed, so they stayed silent (339-341). History has forgotten what was done here. Sepetys does an excellent job of painting pictures with her words to help those of us who have no understanding of such events to see Stalin’s actions and the resulting tragedies in vivid Technicolor in our minds.

The book is riveting. It is definitely one I will keep in my classroom library and will try to incorporate into my lesson plans. However, I do have a few small criticisms. The end of the book is rather abrupt, almost as though there was a rush to “wrap it up” and get to the epilogue. Also, while many of the passages are moving and extraordinary, there are a few where Lina’s voice seems to be preaching at the reader, rather than drawing the reader in to make his or her own conclusions. There are a few other small problems, but I suspect they are a matter of one’s individual taste, instead of a weakness in the book itself.

That being said, in a world where much of the people who even bother to read anything more challenging than a magazine are devouring poorly written fluff about vampires, werewolves and the girls who obsess over them (and the even more poorly written popular adult spin-offs inspired by such stories), this novel should be considered downright extraordinary. It made me not only want to know more about the fictional characters inside its pages, but also more about the forgotten (perhaps hidden) history that inspired it.

Awards:

William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist - 2012

YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults - 2012

YALSA Readers' Choice Nomination - 2012

Realistic Fiction; ALA Notable Children's Book - 2012

Booklist Top 10 First Novels for Youth - 2011

Booklist Editors' Choice - 2011

Top 10 Books for Youth, Historical Fiction - 2011

Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books of 2011

Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books (Fiction) of 2011

School Library Journal Best Books (Fiction) of 2011

Amazon.com Best Books (Young Adult) of 2011

The New York Times Notable Children's Books (Young Adult) of 2011

Teaching Extensions:

Assign different groups of students to read Between Shades of Gray and Sarah’s Key, both novels that deal with almost forgotten aspects of WWII. Have the students do research on these two time periods to see what historical facts they can find to support the history presented in the books. Have the different groups create digital displays (using Prezi or some other Web 2.0 tool) to present to the class, then upload to a class website. As a further extension, use a website “hit” tracking tool to monitor the nationalities of the people who examine the page. Research to see if the countries that produce the most “hits” were countries where the events depicted in the presentations occurred. Relate this to how history may be “misplaced” for a time, but it is never completely forgotten. Hold a class discussion regarding what they want to be remembered for 70 years later. (Related content areas – English/Language Arts/Reading, Social Studies, History, Civics)

References:

de Rosnay, Tatiana. Sarah's key. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2007. Print. 320 pp. ISBN-10: 0312370849

Sepetys, Ruta. Between shades of gray. New York: Philomel Books, 2011. Print. 344 pp. ISBN-10: 0399254129.

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Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Blake, Kendare. Anna Dressed in Blood. New York: Tor, 2011. Print. 320 pp. ISBN 10: 0765328674.

Summary:

      Like his father before him, Theseus Cassio Lowood (call him Cas) is a ghost hunter. Nevermind the fact that he’s only 17, Cas has used the athame, or ceremonial knife, he inherited from his father to send violent ghosts off into eternal peace – a veritable “ghost whisperer” with a more violent means of setting the ghosts to rest. Cas and his mother travel all over in search of spirits, acting on hints and clues from newspaper articles, witnesses, and contacts Cas and his deceased father made over the years.

      The most interesting clue Cas has received in quite a while is about a ghost in Thunder Bay, Toronto. The ghost is known as “Anna Dressed in Blood” because she is seen wearing a dress that has been so drenched in her own blood that it literally drips with gore. Anyone who enters her home is murdered, torn to shreds then sucked down into the basement, never to be seen again.
      Cas agrees to take on the case of putting her to rest and moves to Thunder Bay determined to do so. Then something strange happens one night; Cas is forced into the house by a local bully – and lives to tell about it. For some reason, Anna does not kill him. What is so special about him that she is able to resist killing Cas? What forces of which Cas is not yet aware are playing behind the scenes? Why is Anna forced to kill over and over again? What is the connection to the unknown creature that murdered Cas’ father ten years ago?

Review:

      In a word, this book is fantastic! Creepy, snarky, spine-tingling, tender – there are not enough adjectives to describe this book properly. Kendare Blake masterfully weaves a thrilling mystery with elements of horror and the supernatural. The story is highly original; I am usually the kind of person who can correctly predict major plot shifts, yet this one caught me by surprise. Additionally, the dialogue feels very true to real life teenagers.  I already have the sequel to this book on pre-order.

      Some of the reviews I read of this book complained about the gore and profanity in the book. I was going to comment on it, but then remembered that the gore and language are no worse than that found in books by the Master of Horror, Stephen King, and his books have been a staple in public and school libraries for decades. Furthermore, the book itself is tame compared to what any teenager playing Call of Duty or Modern Warfare on his or her game console would see. Indeed, the only complaint I have is that more attention should have been paid to the cat, Tybalt, and his role in one of the major plot shifts. Other than that, I have nothing negative to say about his book.

Awards:

     Neither this book nor this author has yet won any awards; I do not expect this to be the case for long.

Teaching Extensions:

     Have students read this book and Stephen King’s “Carrie.” Have students write in their journals about how important imagery (in the case of both girls in bloody dresses, scenes where people are killed, etc.) is in the horror genre. Then have students go back in the passages and look at how the adjectives are used to fully describe those scenes. What do they notice about the language? How many different adjectives are used? How would the books be different had the authors used less descriptive terms? Have students rewrite key scenes using less adjectives and sensory language to see how important word choice can be.

"White Cat" by Holly Black

Black, Holly. White Cat. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2011. Print (Reprint edition). 336 pp. ISBN 10: 1416963979

Summary:

Imagine you live in a world where certain people have the genetic ability to do magic. It’s called “curse work” for several reasons. First, because a person with the ability can come up to you and, with a single touch, change what you remember about your life, manipulate your emotions, or even kill you. The second reason it’s called curse work is because the person casting the spell gets a metaphysical “blow back” from working the curse; depending on the type of curse being performed, it can be temporary or permanent. Lastly, it got its name because it’s highly illegal to practice it – anyone caught doing so is “cursed” to spend some time in prison.

This ability runs in families. Now imagine that you are a teenage boy in a family consisting of generations of powerful curse workers, and you are the only one who doesn’t have any magic at all. This is Cassel’s story, the only non-curse worker in a family so powerful that it ranks highly among the country’s curse worker mafia. Cassel is an outcast, but not only because he can’t do magic. Several years ago, he killed his best friend, Lila, but he doesn’t remember how. His family banishes him to a series of boarding schools where he can be tucked away out of sight with “normal” students. Except now Cassel is sleepwalking and plagued by nightmares about a white cat stalking him. When he wakes up, he finds himself teetering on the edge of a precipice.

Cassel’s family starts acting strangely, keeping secrets and only telling him half-truths. He begins to suspect his brothers of something sinister, but he can’t quite put his finger on it. He knows they are members of the curse workers mafia, and suspects that they are using him somehow to pull off an elaborate con. But what good would a non-magical brother do them in this game? How does he fit in? And why is he being plagued by visions of a white cat?

Review:

I have long been a fan of Holly Black’s work, having read The Spiderwick Chronicles, Tithe, Ironside, and Valiant. When I saw her name on the list for this group of books, I immediately knew that was the one I wanted to read. In the past I have found her books engaging, clever and often with unexpected twists and turns. This book did not disappoint!

White Cat is, at its heart, a mystery. However, it is a mystery that incorporates fantasy and spy thriller elements. As I was reading, the movie in my head played out much like the best of film noir. The mythology and history of this alternate world is fully realized and fleshed out without taking away from the immediacy of the main story line. Black also incorporates a coming of age story as Cassel grows up and realizes he can no longer cling to his childhood as a blind defense against becoming a responsible adult.

From start to finish, I could not put this book down. I read it in less than three hours, then immediately got on Amazon.com to order the next two books in the Curse Workers series. The book is witty, intelligent and leaves the reader wondering at times who is on who’s side. The only complaint I have about the book is that one of the key mysteries in the book was fairly obvious to me fairly early on in the book; however, other mysteries related to it were well concealed and left me guessing up to nearly the last page. It could be that Black wanted readers to figure out that first mystery early so that they could wonder just “how” that mystery came to be. Overall, this book will be a pleasure for anyone who enjoys the fantasy genre.

Awards:

 While this particular book has not (yet) won any awards, Holly Black has been the recipient of several awards and honors for her writing. Awards won for each book are listed below:

Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale

ALA Top Ten Book for Teens

Valiant

ALA Best Book for Young Adults
Locus Magazine Recommended Read
Andre Norton Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America

Ironside (sequel to Tithe)

New York Times bestseller

Teaching Extensions:

Before having students read the book, show them the book trailer at http://videos.simonandschuster.com/The-Curse-Workers/1431765717001. Have the students predict what they think the book will have in store for them. Explore the rest of the Holly Black page on Simon and Schuster’s website to get an idea of her body of work. http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Holly-Black/17038352.

After students have finished the book, have them reflect on their earlier predictions. What surprised them most? Was the book at all what they expected?

The world Holly Black has created for this series is very rich and diverse. As part of their follow up and reflection on this book, schedule time in the school’s computer lab to explore one of several websites devoted to this world.

The official Curse Workers website is http://thecurseworkers.com/author.php. Here, one can read more about Holly Black, read excerpts from the sequels to White Cat, even copy and paste promotional banners for the books for one to use on his/her own blogs or websites.

Holly Black’s official website is http://blackholly.com/. Here students can read more about her other works, upcoming events, author appearances and read her livejournal (blog). Black has included an extensive list of online resources for writers. This would be a good list for any teacher to bookmark for future use!

"The First Part Last" by Angela Johnson

Johnson, Angela. The First Part Last. New York: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, 2003. Print (Paperback edition). 131 pp. ISBN 13: 978-1-4424-0343-7

Summary:

     Bobby is a typical teenager growing up in New York City. His family isn’t rich – he and his mom live in the city in a walk-up apartment. His dad owns a restaurant and lives in Brooklyn. Bobby doesn’t know what he wants out of life – his time is spent shooting hoops, hanging with his friends and spending time with his girlfriend, Nia. On the day of his 16^th birthday, Nia tells him something that could change his life forever – she’s pregnant and he’s the father.

     Both their parents want them to give the baby up for adoption. Their parents say they’re too young to raise a child because they are only children themselves. Together, they decide to do what they think is the right thing and give the baby up for adoption. A couple has already been chosen to adopt her. Then tragedy strikes, and suddenly Bobby isn’t sure if the “right thing” is so right anymore. Can he handle being a father, or would it be better for adults to raise the baby? What does one do when the lines between wrong and right get so blurred?

Review:

     While short, as far as novels go, at only 131 pages, this book is very powerful and sucks the reader into Bobby’s world from the very beginning. The novel is written in first person from Bobby’s point of view. The chapters tell his story by alternating between “then” and “now” sequences that serve to illustrate the drastic changes that have happened in his life in a short time. This format works very well in this novel because it serves to give the reader short glimpses without telling the whole story all at once. Where usually I can predict within a few dozen pages the entire plot line of a story and exact details of what is going to happen, this book kept me guessing right up to the end without making me lose interest in the story.

     The dialogue and perspectives of the main character and his friends are very true to most of the teens I have had in class, as are their thought processes. Johnson does an excellent job of climbing inside the heads of teenaged boys. I imagine she must spend a lot of time around teenagers either in a professional or a personal capacity. Peripheral characters that could so easily have been “flat” or undeveloped are fully fleshed without having a lot of time words being spent doing so. Johnson is very good at using vivid words to quickly bring a full picture to the readers’ minds.

     The story itself is gripping, heartbreaking and yet hopeful all at once. I am not ashamed to say I teared up while I was reading several different passages. The reader is clearly able to identify with the protagonist.

     There is only one weakness I perceive in this novel, and not everyone will see it as such. When I was reading the novel, it was easy for me to keep straight what happened and when it happened as I bounced back and forth from “now” to “then” chapters. However, I imagine readers who are struggling readers or who have little patience may find themselves confused from time to time trying to keep the storyline straight. This format may lead some readers to put the book down before finishing it. This is the only weakness I see, and it would not be a weakness for all readers.

Awards:

(All awarded in 2004)

ALA Michael L. Printz Award

Abraham Lincoln Book Award Master List (IL)

ALA Best Books For Young Adults

ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

Alabama Author's Award

Booklist Editors' Choice

CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book

Charlotte Award Suggested Reading List (NY)

Coretta Scott King Award (ALA) - 2004

Florida Teens Read Master List

Garden State Teen Book Award Nominee (NJ)

Gateway Readers Award Nominee (MO)

Georgia Peach Book Award Master List

Green Mountain Book Award Master List (VT)

Gryphon Award for Children's Literature

Iowa Teen Award Master List

IRA Young Adults' Choices

Rosie Award Nominee (IN)

Sequoyah Young Adult Master List (OK)

South Carolina Book Award Nominee

Volunteer State Book Award Master List (TN)

YARP Award Master List (SD)

Teaching Extensions:

     This extension could be adapted to Family Consumer Sciences, Health or even English classes. Students would read this book, discussing Bobby’s struggles as a parent as they read. After students have finished the book, the teacher could assign the students an exercise whereby they get a more true sense of what he is facing. For schools with higher budgets and existing Family Consumer Sciences or parenting classes, students would be assigned the mechanical dolls often used in such classes. These dolls are programmed to cry, wet and demand food at irregular hours of the day and night, much like real babies. Students would be required to take the “babies” with them everywhere they went and keep them at home with them all night for a period of no less than one full school week. Additionally, students must also keep a journal during the time when they are parents to convey what challenges they faced and how they coped with their new responsibilities. The students’ parents are forbidden to assist in the care of the “babies” in any way. For schools with lower budgets, bags of flour and raw eggs in shell have been substituted with some success to illustrate the fragility of new life. After students have completed their turns as “parents,” they will reexamine key passages in the book and discuss them in light of their newfound experiences with their “babies.”