Classics Review: The Birchbark House

Title: The Birchbark House
Author: Louise Erdrich
Length: 239 pages
Genre: Historical fiction
Stand alone or series: Stand alone
Content appropriate for: Grades 3-7

Three adjectives that describe this book: slow, memorable, interesting

A book designed to transport you into the daily life of an Ojibwa family in the mid 1800s. Not only does The Birchbark House meet this goal, but it does so quite vividly. This is not a plot-driven novel, but instead all about the characters and setting. It follows a family over the course of one year, so we experience all that it takes to survive in the Great Lakes region. The characters hunt, fish, and farm. They create clothing, spend time with friends, and celebrate with their neighbors. They build homes suited to each season, and must survive a challenging winter. They encounter changes brought by the white men, and make decisions about how to deal with these changes. This is a quiet story, but would be great for any middle grade reader who is interested in the lives of native peoples.

On a side note - As an adult reader, I kept sensing the clock ticking in the background, knowing that the story is set in 1847, and that the characters in this story would not continue the rhythms of life, as established by their ancestors, for much longer. It was a strange feeling to be the observer who knows more than the characters about their futures.

3.5 stars

Big Top Burning: A Solid Nonfiction Historical Mystery

Premise: This is "the true story of an arsonist, a missing girl, and the greatest show on Earth." The story centers around the 1944 Ringling Brothers fire in Hartford, CT that killed over 100 people. Readers experience the fire itself, the events immediately afterward, and investigations into the cause of the fire.

Title: Big Top Burning
Author: Laura A. Woollett
Length: 176 pages
Genre: Nonfiction
Content appropriate for: Grades 6-9
Format: Digital ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley

Three adjectives that describe this book: captivating, tragic, memorable

Big Top Burning is not for the faint-of-heart. This nonfiction book reads as part crime-scene investigation, part tragic documentary. Laura Woollett doesn't beat around the bush here. Over the course of this book people, including children, are burned to death, trampled, and suffocated. They die trying to escape. They die saving others. Their burned bodies are identified in makeshift morgues.

This material could have been ruined by either too light a touch - let's just ignore the dead kids over here - or by being too graphic. Big Top Burning threads the middle ground perfectly, never pretending that this event wasn't horrible, but also never indulging in gore for the sake of gore. The primary-source photos were especially intriguing and really added to the tale's impact.

I had never heard of the Hartford circus fire of 1944, and I found the circumstances that led to this tragedy completely appalling. I learned so much about how this event led to better regulations for safety and emergency management, and I just can't believe how much negligence was prevalent at the time. They actually covered the canvas in gasoline and wax to waterproof it. The tent was covered in gasoline! No wonder it burned so well!

Laura Woollett's narrative nonfiction follows several different people who were at the circus that day, similar to Jim Murphy's account of the Great Chicago Fire. This approach really humanized the tragedy, but it also made the narrative confusing at times since it was hard to keep track of so many different people.

Unfortunately, the last section, which chronicles the arson investigation and identification of one missing victim, felt rushed. Although interesting, there weren't as many details here to give this part of the story the same emotional impact as the first part of the book, so it fell a bit flat.

Overall, I recommend this book for those who are interested in fascinating historical events. It's great for readers who have already read and enjoyed books like The Great Chicago Fire and Chasing Lincoln's Killer, but because of some confusing elements, I don't recommend it as a reader's first foray into narrative nonfiction.

3.5 stars

Classics Review: The Watsons Go to Birmingham

Premise: Kenny's older brother, Byron, is getting into trouble. Whether it's picking on Kenny, or starting fires, his parents don't know what to do with him. So the Watsons decide a trip south from Flint, Michigan to Birmingham, Alabama is in order, so that Byron can spend the summer with his grandmother.

Title: The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963

Author: Christopher Paul Curtis

Length: 210 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Content appropriate for: Grades 4-6

Format: Audiobook narrated by LeVar Burton

Three adjectives that describe this book: amusing, engaging, memorable

I read this book as part of the Classics Club challenge to read 50 classics books in 5 years. My list is comprised entirely of children's books.

I first read The Watsons Go to Birmingham in 2001, just a year after its publication. At the time, I wasn't paying much attention to middle grade literature. *Hanging my head in shame*  Now, after inundating myself in middle grade and YA lit for the last 3 years, I see this book in a whole new way.

Let me first say that I listened to the audio version of The Watsons, narrated by the amazing LeVar Burton. I will always think of him first as Geordi (Star Trek) and next as the Reading Rainbow host. I wondered if this familiarity with Mr. Burton would interfere with my ability to believe in the character voices. But, LeVar Burton rocked this narration. His character voices are distinct, but they are also infused with the personality of each character. From lighthearted Dad, to cool-daddio Byron, and self-conscious Kenny, Mr. Burton gave us a real sense of who these people are.

Although the cover and premise may make you think, "Oh no! Not another serious book about Civil Rights," The Watsons Go to Birmingham is super fun. Curtis works in lots of funny moments. To get a good sense of the feel of the story, check out this book trailer, produced by the Lexington, KY library system:

I think what makes The Watsons so special is that it's NOT a book about the Civil Rights movement or about being black in America. 

So many books about this era put The Struggle front-and-center. And that's great. But it has led my rural, white students to think of black history only as either slavery or Civil Rights, without all of the other elements or seeing black people as simply people.

This book spends the first 150 pages or so establishing that this is just a normal family. They are regular people. We don't really discuss or experience racism until the last section of the book. This works because it eases us into the terror felt by regular Birmingham families around the church bombings. We care about these characters as people, and feel truly horrified that such violence could be visited upon them.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham is truly deserving of all its recognitions.

Side Note: I haven't seen the Hallmark movie version of this book (2013), but when I was searching for a video to include in this post, I was irritated at how they added in so many Civil Rights elements that weren't in the book - protests and sit-ins and so on. That really undermines my point, that a great book about the Civil Rights era doesn't actually have to be about the Civil Rights Movement.

Classics Review: Maniac Magee

Premise: Jeffrey Lionel Magee, called Maniac, is on his own in a town that's divided. Along the way, Maniacs gain epic status as a master knot-untangler, baseball hitter, and football catcher. He also discovers caring families of all shapes and colors.

Title: Maniac Magee
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Length: 184 pages
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content appropriate for: Grades 4-7
Format: Audiobook narrated by S. Epatha Merkerson

Three adjectives that describe this book: complex, fun, memorable

I read this book as part of the Classics Club challenge to read 50 classics books in 5 years. My list is comprised entirely of children's books.

Even though Maniac Magee is a school classic, required reading in 4th and 5th grades, I had not read it until now. I chose to read Maniac Magee as an audiobook, and S. Epatha Merkerson's narration was exceptional.

Much of the novel was written as a tall tale. For instance, at one point he faces a pitcher who has struck out every single batter. Yet Maniac hits the first pitch, and continues to hit every single one afterward - even when the pitcher hurls a frog instead of a baseball.

This narrative style makes the story fun, but it also raises the complexity of the text. When my 5th grade students discuss Maniac Magee, it's clear that they see these events as actual, rather than exaggerated. I wish Spinelli had made the tall tale aspect more explicit.

As the story progresses, some great things emerge. Maniac spends time with wonderful families, and some that are struggling. I love that Jerry Spinelli explored both ends of this spectrum.

Some other things I loved:
* Explicit discussion of racial issues
* Both positive and negative figures that are both black and white
* A fascinating father-figure who is homeless
* Learning is highly valued both in and out of school

Overall, I can see why Maniac Magee is loved by teachers everywhere. Many students love it too, but others find it lacking in action.

4.5 stars

Spirit's Key is Magically Haunting

Premise: Twelve year old Spirit is starting to wonder if something is wrong with her. First, she can't seeing the future like her father can. And secondly, she has started seeing the ghost of her dead dog. When her neighbors start getting sick, everyone blames the wild dogs on the island. But Spirit is convinced that they are not to blame. Together with her ghost dog, she seeks to find the truth.

Title: Spirit's Key
Author: Edith Cohn
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery
Series or Stand Alone: Stand alone
Content Appropriate for: Grades 4-7
Format: Digital ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley


Three adjectives that describe this book: mysterious, captivating, memorable 

Hooray for a well-crafted, haunting, dog book that doesn't make you cry! This book is for every dreamer and wonder-er. For kids who love dogs or a good mystery or interesting magic - or all three!

It's full of magical moments set firmly in the fascinating world of Bald Island - populated by wild dogs and superstitious islanders. The relationship between Spirit and her dog, Sky, is spot-on. Clearly influenced by Ingrid Law's terrific book, Savvy, Spirit's Key is part magic, part mystery, part homage to dogs.

I loved the haunting setting. Edith Cohn's world-building is outstanding. This tight-knit community reminds me of the wonderful Twilight Zone episode, "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street." Both stories ring of McCarthyism and group-think. It's amazing to me how carefully Cohn built the community's paranoia so that it seems somehow superstitious and outrageous, but also totally plausible. And she keeps all of this completely accessible to young readers.

My only beef is that the Big Reveal is a bit too ta-da for me. Everything wraps up quickly in a neat little package. More tension in the ending would have fit better with the tone of the rest of the book.

Be sure to check out Edith Cohn's fascinating discussion of her inspirations for Spirit's Key.

Book Review: Code Name Verity

Premise: A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a shot at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun. When "Verity" is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. (from Goodreads)

Title: Code Name Verity
Author: Elizabeth Wein
Length: 447 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series or Stand Alone: Book 1 with a companion
Content appropriate for: Grades 7-12
Format: Audiobook (free download via Bolinda Publishing and the summer YA program from SYNC)

Three adjectives that describe this book: gripping, memorable, complex

This is the story of two British women during World War 2, one a spy and the other a pilot. I read this as an auidiobook and MAN that is the best format for this one. The publishers chose to use two readers since Part One is narrated by one character who is Scottish, and Part Two by another who is English. The women (Morven Christie and Lucy Gaskell) who read this book were simply incredible. The emotion in their voices added so much color to the story, especially since it's not very action-packed. They also used an array of authentic accents and even sang some sections.

Code Name Verity is a powerful story. It starts with the premise that one character has been captured by the Gestapo, and then tells her story up to that point. How did she get captured? How did she end up in the war at all? Interspersed with this narrative we hear about the treatment of the prisoners, how she and others are being tortured. But the author also humanizes the Nazi agents, as we get a glimpse into their inner struggles with their jobs and who they were before being drafted.

My favorite thing is that the second part of the book sheds completely new light on the first half. I'm planning to listen to it again with all this new information/perspective in mind. Sweet!

I enjoyed Code Name Verity. If you can get the audiobook, that's the way to go!

The Most Magnificent Thing is Pretty Magnificent

Premise: A young girl loves to tinker. When she has an idea for a MAGNIFICENT THING she builds and rebuilds it, never satisfied with the results. Eventually, the girl gets angry and begins to doubt herself. Now what?

Title and Author: The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires
Length: 32 pages
Genre: Picture book, realistic fiction
Series or Stand Alone: Stand alone
Content appropriate for: Ages 4-11
Format: Digital ARC provided by Kids Can Press via Netgalley
Publication Date: April 1, 2014


Three adjectives that describe this book: believable, fun, memorable

The Most Magnificent Thing is a story for people who tinker. I absolutely love that the tinkerer in question is a girl. However, at first I wasn't sure how to feel about the main character's response to frustration. After several failed builds, she throws up her hands and says, "I quit."

NO!!! 

After a walk around the block with pretty balloons and cupcakes, she calms down and has another go at it.

Hmm... balloons and cupcakes?

But then I realized that the message to take a break and come back to your work is a good one. Just because you aren't successful on the first, second, third, fifth, or tenth try, it doesn't mean you are incapable. But realistically, there won't always be balloons and cupcakes followed by a big AHA!

I was first drawn to The Most Magnificent Thing by its fun illustration style. Ashley Spires uses a pseudo-monochrome approach with lots of white and pale blue.

I also loved how Ashley Spires used the girl's dog for comic relief. This book has the potential to be annoyingly preachy, but the dog keeps it light and fun instead.

Keeping away the distractions

I would love to do this book as a read aloud in my classroom before having my students take on a complicated problem or project. I often find myself suggesting that they start a task over, try a different approach, etc... this book would be a more lighthearted and less threatening way to get across the the same message.

4.5 stars

Freak Show and a Murder Mystery - Wild Boy is a Winning Combination

Premise: Wild Boy is a freak. Born fully covered in long brown hair, he has no future except as a freak show oddity in the circus. When he and a fellow circus star are accused of murder, they must find the real killer to clear their names.

Title: Wild Boy
Author: Rob Lloyd Jones
Length: 304 pages
Genre: Historical Mystery
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content Appropriate For: Grades 4-7

Three adjectives that describe this book: gritty, exciting, memorable

Wild Boy Book Review:
Rob Lloyd Jones has combined some seriously interesting elements in this terrific novel. The main characters of Wild Boy and Clarissa are wonderfully crafted and deliciously complex. The struggles of both will stick with me for a long time - Wild Boy is mocked and abused, relegated to life as an outsider just because of how he looks. How can you view yourself as anything but worthless when people can pay a penny to kick you, and even your guardians call you Monster?

Abbreviated Review: Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen

Abbreviated Reviews are just shorter and use a more simple format. Here we go:

I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but Woods Runner made me want to read more. Set during the Revolutionary War, Woods Runner follows 13 year old Samuel. While living on the frontier, his parents are captured by Redcoats and Samuel uses his tracking skills in his attempt to find and rescue them. Along the way he has heart-stopping encounters with Iroquois Indians, volunteer militiamen, Hessians, Patriots spies, and civilians just trying to stay alive.

The format of this book is rather unique. It places a page or so of nonfiction between each chapter. At first I thought I would find these interruptions distracting, but Gary Paulsen has crafted them so that they give brief, interesting information that is directly related to the surrounding chapters.

I really enjoyed the pace and story of Woods Runner. I read it in one sitting. My only complaint is that some elements of the plot were just a bit too convenient. I know lots of my rural 5th graders will love this book, so I plan to read it as a read-aloud.

4 stars

The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi

Premise: Eva Nine is a human being raised underground by a motherly robot. She has lived her entire life alone with the robot and she's desperate to get out and find all the other humans. When she makes it above ground, things are not how she imagined. There are giant, dangerous creatures set on capturing her! And trees that walk! WHAT?!

Title: The Search for WondLa
Author: Tony DiTerlizzi
Length: 466 pages
Genre: Science Fiction
Series or Stand-Alone: Book one in the WondLa trilogy
Content appropriate for: Grades 4-10

5 stars

3 adjectives that describe this book: memorable, breathtaking, futuristic

WOW! After holding this book in my hands and seeing the incredible illustrations, I just knew I would love The Search for WondLa. I just didn't know how much I would love it. Tony DiTerlizzi has absolutely blown my mind! Each chapter opens with a gorgeous full page illustration in in only 2 colors. Each one could stand alone as a work of art.

Wonder by RJ Palacio

Premise: August feels like an ordinary kid. The trouble is that no one else sees him as ordinary. That's because Auggie has a severe facial anomaly. Wonder chronicles Auggie's fifth grade year, his first in a school. How will others treat him? Will he be bullied? How can his peers learn to see past his appearance?

Title: Wonder
Author: R.J. Palacio
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Realistic fiction
Series or Stand-Alone: Stand-alone
Content appropriate for: Grades 4-8

4 stars

3 adjectives to describe this book: memorable, engaging, complex

I had read so many positive reviews of Wonder from teachers I respect, that I knew that I had to read this book. Frankly, though, I didn't expect to love it as much as they did. Heartwarming realistic fiction just isn't my thing these days. I was wrong.

Nothing could have prepared me for the simple and powerful story in these pages. As a fifth grade teacher, reading about fifth graders, from the first-person perspective of fifth graders, I am simply amazed by how RJ Palacio knows children.

Initially I rated Wonder 5 stars, but on further reflection I reduced it to 4. The ending of Wonder is just a bit too Mighty Ducks for me - "And everyone lived happily ever after." That's nice and feels good, but it's just not very real.

I really want to share this book with my class. I love how it illustrates the complexities surrounding motivations and impacts of our actions. I also found her portrayal of social dynamics at this age to be both accurate and instructive. I only hesitate to read this aloud because of a few references to boobs and kissing.