Genre 6 - Fantasy- Book 1

Fantasy Book Review

The Spiderwick Chronicles:The Field Guide

By: Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Black, Holly and Tony DiTerlizzi. 2003. THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES: THE FIELD GUIDE. New York: Simon & Schuster Books. ISBN 0689859368

PLOT SUMMARY

Everything is changing for the Grace children. First their parents divorce, then they have to leave their New York home and move into their great-aunt Lucinda’s house. The only problem was that it was old, huge and dilapidated. Jared Grace “looked up at it and squinted. Maybe it would look better blurry.” He tried to keep his chin up because this was going to be a fresh start for the family. But, the looks of this old house was not the only problem….the kids believe that they are not alone and there are noises in the walls. That first night at the Spiderwick Estates strange things start to happen to the Grace children, Jared, Simon and Mallory. The children explore the Victorian house where they uncover an odd book which takes them into a secret world of fairies and brownies.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black take their readers into the fantasy world of the Spiderwick Estates. Before readers start their journey they are greeted with a letter from the authors and one from the Grace children stoking the flames of what lies within the invisible world. The readers are drawn to a whimsical map of the Spiderwick Estates where their minds can race with what excitement might live among the vast estate. DiTerlizzi and Black do a nice job presenting characters that children can connect too. Whether it is Simons collecting “Tadpoles” or having pet mice “Lemondrop and Jeffrey”, to Mallory having a hobby of fencing and sympathizing with Jared’s personal struggles to overcome his parent’s divorce. By having such normal, relatable children as characters makes the reader just wonder if there could be a secret world. There are ink drawings scattered through out the book that only leave the reader wanting more glimpses into the secret world. This fast paced novel leaves the readers with a cliff hanger, with this warning from a befriended “Bogart”- “Be it through violence or through charm. Throw the book away, toss it in a fire. If you do not heed, you will draw their ire.” Willl the Grace children return the field journal as warned? This will have all readers in search of the next Spiderwick Chronicle book.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus- Readers who are too young to read Harry Potter independently will find these have just the right amount of menace laced with appealing humor and are blessed with crisp pacing and, of course, DiTerlizzi's enticingly Gothic illustrations

Library Media Connection- This novel is written with imagery and interesting vocabulary, allowing the young reader to love the story while building reading skills

CONNECTIONS
Have your class make a field guide about your school.
Have the students create their own imaginary world that lives in their school walls.
Other Books In the Spiderwick Chronicles Series

DiTerlizzi, Tonny and Holly Black. The Seeing Stone. ISBN 0689859376.
DiTerlizzi, Tonny and Holly Black. Lucinda’s Stone . ISBN 0689859384.

Genre 6 - Realistic Fiction- Book 2

Realistic Fiction Book Review

Joey Pigza Loses Control

By: Jack Gantos

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gantos, Jack. 2000. Joey Pigza Loses Control. New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0374399891

PLOT SUMMARY
In this sequel to Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key- Joey and his sidekick "Pablo" (his Chihuahua) goes to spend the summer with his estranged father and his grandmother. Joey approached his summer visit with anticipation because the last time he had seen his Grandmother she had put him in the “refrigerator” and his mother’s words of caution about his father kept ringing in his head “He can be, you know, wired like you, only he’s bigger.” Joey Pigza is a child that suffers from ADHD, but lately his life has been in more control since he had been wearing a patch with his medication. His somewhat since of normalcy abruptly changes once his visit with his dad begins. His dad’s reckless behavior puts Joey’s new found normalcy in danger by flushing his patches down the toilet. Joey struggles to win his father’s love without medication and by trying to be a winner by winning the baseball championship for him. Joey soon learns that winning the love of some of the dearest people is not worth putting yourself in jeopardy.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Jack Gantos’ protagonist Joey Pigza is character that adults and children alike can easily connect with. His portrayal of a child that suffers from ADHD is remarkable. “I saw Dad’s foamy shaving cream on the counter and suddenly thought it was a great time to something I have wanted to try.” There are many children today that are dealing with feeling normal, let alone with disabilities, divorced parents, alcohol problems and illnesses. This book offers a place where children can come to age with connections to their own problems. Gantos depiction of Joey’s life is plausible and will grab the reader’s attention from the first page. His gentle humor has the readers laughing out loud and cheering for Joey Pigza, even when he loses control.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Starred review Booklist- Ganto's skillful pacing, sly humor, and in-depth characterization make it a truly memorable read.

Horn Book- Readers will be drawn into Joey's drama by his ability to feel compassion as he struggles to maintain balance in an out-of-control world

CONNECTIONS
This book presents a great book to explore in a literature circle so dialogue can develop of how young people deal with problems.

Other Books By Jack Gantos:
Gantos, Jack. Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key. ISBN 9780786229123.
Gantos, Jack. What Would Joey Do? . ISBN 9780060544034.

Genre 6 - Realistic Fiction- Book 3

Realistic Fiction Book Review

Monster

By: Walter Dean Myers

Illustrated By: Christopher Myers

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Myers, Walter Dean. 1999. Monster. Ill. by Christopher Myers. ISBN 0060280786

PLOT SUMMARY
A sixteen year old, young black male, Steve Harmon sits in his jail cell charged with felony murder. Steve thought he knew who he was, “When I look into the small rectangle, I see a face looking back at me but I don’t recognize it. It doesn’t look like me; I couldn’t have changed that much in a few months. I wonder if I will look like myself when the trail is over.” To escape the nightmares of the jailhouse and unfamiliarity of the legal world Steve uses his talent as a film maker and personal journals to help him cope with reality. Is Steve an innocent victim of being at the wrong place at the wrong time? Did he get caught in the pressure of the neighborhood and serve as a “lookout” or worse is he being framed by neighborhood thugs? This novel takes the reader inside all the scenarios for you to decide if Steve really is the “Monster” the prosecutor calls him.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Walter Dean Myers’ cleverly unfolds the life of Steve Harmon and captivates readers with a fresh style that will instantly grab his young adult audience. He accomplishes this fresh style by narrating through his protagonist using a mixed screenplay/journal format. Myers’ distinguishes the different storytelling formats by using both typewriter font and hand scripting font. This helps make the internal struggle of the character all the more real to the readers. “I couldn’t sleep most of the night after the dream. The dream took place in the courtroom. I was trying to ask questions and nobody could hear me. I was shouting and shouting but everyone went about their business as if I wasn’t there. I hope I didn’t shout out in my sleep.” The setting of this book Walter Myers’ is realistic portraying the struggle of inner city African-American youth trying to make it out all the while navigating the world’s prejudices but also the hope for justice.

Christopher Myers, son of Walter Dean Myers does an excellent job specifically placing black and white photos that have been cropped and digitally modified. This artistic approach brings the reader in to the personal side of Steve Harmon.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist- Booklist (Vol. 95, No. 17 (May 1, 1999))
Gr. 9-12. Myers combines an innovative format, complex moral issues, and an intriguingly sympathetic but flawed protagonist in this cautionary tale of a 16-year-old on trial for felony murder.

Starred Review Horn Book- Myers adeptly allows each character to speak for him or herself, leaving readers to judge for themselves the truthfulness of the defendants, witnesses, lawyers, and, most compellingly, Steve himself.

CONNECTIONS
This novel presents itself to be a natural Readers Theater for older students.
Students can take on the role of a court room reporter and interview Steve Harmon after his acquittal.

Other Books By Walter Dean Myers:
Myers, Walter Dean. Bad Boy: A Memoir. ISBN 9780060295240.
Myers, Walter Dean. The Greatest: Muhammad Ali. ISBN 9780590543422.

Genre 5- Historical Fiction- Book 3

Historical Fiction Book Review

The Midwife's Apprentice

By: Karen Cushman

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cushman, Karen. 1995. THE MIDWIFE’S APPRENTICE. New York: Clarion. ISBN 0395692296

Plot Summary
Karen Cushman’s novel The Midwifes Apprentice is set in Medieval England and opens with a "nameless" and "homeless" girl sleeping in a “dung heap”. The waif is all of thirteen and goes by the name Brat. She is awoken and taken in by a hot tempered woman by the name of Jane Sharp. She is the town’s midwife and Brat is quickly renamed “Beetle”, for she was considered a beetle living in the dung. Beetle worked hard for the midwife all the while learning the midwife’s “skills and spells”. Along the journey she gains courage and renames herself “Alyce”. With Alyce’s new bestowed confidence she tries her hand at midwifery skills but fails. Humiliated she runs away where she rebuilds her inner strength and returns to her village with her head held high and achieves the three things she most wants:" a full belly, a contented heart, and a place in this world. "

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Cushman’s portrayal of life during the medieval times is easily conveyed to readers. She describes to the reader a typical morning preparing the cottage’s floor, “she swept the cottage’s dirt floor, sprinkled it with water, and stamped it to keep it hard packed”. She explains the pay for a midwife’s assistance with a place to sleep (on the floor), two meals a day that consisted of “onions, turnips, dried apples, cheese, bread, and occasional bits of bacon.” This helps the reader understand the stark life of this time period.

Her careful, character development is easily identifiable with young readers. She connects with the reader with concepts children can understand. For example, hunger- with dialect Cushman helps the reader infer “the kick of a boot in Brat’s belly. Hunger. Brat hated the hunger the most.”
Readers will not only laugh out loud with Brat/Beetle/Alyce as she grows into herself but they will cheer her on as she proclaims “ I be a fine midwife’s apprentice now. I know about babies and birthing, singing songs and cooking chickens, crying and laughing and reading.” ……“Are these not excellent things for a midwife’s apprentice to know?”

Cushman leaves the readers with an informative Author’s Note about the history of the midwife profession.

Awards
Newbery Award Medal

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Starred Review Booklist- . Kids will like this short, fast-paced narrative about a hero who discovers that she's not ugly or stupid or alone.
Horn Book Review- The graphic and convincing portrayals afford a fascinating view of a far distant time.

CONNECTIONS

This novel would be a great read aloud for middle school students.
It would be interesting to ask students to journal about when they have to keep their cool and to talk about how we treat people who different than us.

Other Books By Karen Cushman:
Cushman, Karen. Matilda Bone. ISBN 9780786232123.
Cushman, Karen. Catherine Called Birdy. ISBN 9780395681862.

Genre 5- Historical Fiction- Book 2

Historical Fiction Book Review

The Art of Keeping Cool

By: Janet Taylor Lisle

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lisle, Janet Taylor. 2000. The Art of Keeping Cool. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689837879

Plot Summary
Robert Saunders life as he knew it was changing quickly. His father was a pilot for the Royal Canadian Guard and had left for a mission during World War II. This story is set in 1942, and opens as his mother moves Robert and his sister to his father’s hometown to ride out the duration of the war. The story unfolds in a small coastal Rhode Island town and is told through the eyes of an excited thirteen year old boy who gets to know his grandparents, befriends his shy cousin Elliot (who also is talented artist), how the townspeople react differently to war, and even the sentiment people feel for “A German”. Robert starts to wonder why his grandparents “never mention his father’s name” and “Why does his cousin Elliot hide his artistic talent? Robert comes of age and learns the true “ art of keeping cool”
CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Lisle’s portrayal of a teenager’s life back at home during World War II is page turning. She provides just the right amount of fact and fiction to keep the readers involved. Her authenticity is bolstered by presenting facts about this wartime period by providing the reader with information about the impressionist artists of this time period, women working in factories, gasoline rations, drawing their curtains after dark, blacking out half of their car headlights and even divulges our country’s own secret sentiment toward Germans in our country during wartime.

Her careful, character development is easily identifiable with young readers. She shows her readers each character’s ability to keep their cool with their own personal struggles. For example, with Robert whose father is away on a flight mission during wartime is stressful to a young child, to make matters worse his plane is shot down and he is missing. She shows her readers his struggle with his own emotions wanting to reach out to his dad who is not there, and he can only reach out to him in his dreams. “I guess I finally dozed off while I was waiting because suddenly a little silver plane was flying toward me.”- “Inside the cockpit, the shadowy form of the pilot was there, but I couldn’t see his face again.” Robert also struggles with empathizing with his mother’s emotion of missing her husband and controlling his anger at toward his bullying grandfather that keeps his family walking on eggs shells.

Readers will not only uncover the mysteries of wartime in the small Rhode Island town but will unwrap family secrets and personal prejudices that will set their souls free.

Awards
Scott O’Dell Award Winner

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Horn Book- Outstanding, noteworthy in style, content, and/or illustration.
VOYA- The novel should attract a diverse readership, from mystery and art lovers to fans of World War II fiction. All libraries will want this book on their shelves.

CONNECTIONS
This novel would be a great read aloud for middle school students.
It would be interesting to ask students to journal about when they have to keep their cool and to talk about how we treat people who different than us.

Other Books By Janet Taylor Lisle:
Lisle, Janet Taylor. Afternoon of the Elves. ISBN 9780531084373.
Lisle, Janet Taylor. The Gold Dust Letters. ISBN 9780531068304.

Genr 5- Historical Fiction- Book 1

Historical Fiction Book Review

Number the Stars

By: Lois Lowry

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lowry, Lois. 1989. Number the Stars. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0440403278

Plot Summary
Lois Lowry’s novel Number the Stars tells the story of a young Danish girl, Annemarie Johansen living during World War II. This story opens in the year 1943; three years after Germany had moved in to occupy Denmark. Annemarie and her Jewish friend Ellen become accustomed to the difficult life with soldiers on every corner. But now their innocent childhood friendship is disrupted when the Germans decide to start “relocating” all of Copenhagen’s Jewish citizens. Annemarie’s family takes in Ellen and presents her as one of their daughters to the snooping soldiers. Sensing alarm Mrs. Johansen then takes the girls on a journey to visit her uncle, a fisherman who lives the countryside besides the shores of Denmark. Little did Annemarie know that her family and many others were assisting the Danish Resistance by helping smuggle Jews to safety in Sweden. Even at the young age of 10, Annemarie finds courage and maturity to save her best friend’s family.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Lowry’s backdrop correctly recreates the time and place of Number the Stars. She simply blends her facts throughout her novel. Lois Lowry brings the harsh times of food rationing, shoes made from fish skins, as well as, small triumphs such as the underground newspaper “De Frie Danske”, the bombing of the entire Danish navy fleet, tireless work by scientists and the patriotic King Christian that rode the streets alone to greet his people.

Lois Lowry tells the story through the eyes of a ten year old girl named Annemarie. She creates a character that young readers can connect to. When hard times come to children they escape and remember the good times. Lowry understanding of this is evident by having Annemarie remarks that she can remember family trips to “Tivoli Gardens” where she remembers the “music and the brightly colored lights, the carousel and the ice cream” but she is coming of age and is struggling with adult ideas. “Now that she was ten, with long legs “and “now she – and all the Danes- were to be bodyguards”. She pulls the reader in by examining big thoughts like “Would she die to protect them?” Lowry cleverly grows her character right along with the reader reaching deep inside making Annemarie brave, even if she didn’t know all the facts. Her character is not only thrilling but believable as her courage blooms even in the face of danger.

Readers will enjoy Lois Lowry’s afterword where she speaks frankly with to the readers about what is fact and where fiction begins with her story. This book will grab the reader’s interest and comfort them to know that even the young people can be heroes.

Awards
Newbery Medal

REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal- Readers are taken to the very heart of Annemarie's experience, and, through her eyes, come to understand the true meaning of bravery.

CONNECTIONS

This novel would provide a great opportunity to write a letter to Annemarie from Ellen after she has been in Sweden in two weeks. Tell her about her boat ride and what her life is like.

Other Books By Lois Lowery:
Lowery, Lois. Gathering Blue. ISBN 9780786230488.

Lowery, Lois. Anatasia Krupnik. ISBN

Genre 4 - Informational Text Book 3

Informational Text-Book Review

Biggest, Strongest, Fastest

By: Steve Jenkins

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jenkins, Steve. 1995. Biggest, Strongest, Fastest Ill. By Steve Jenkins. New York: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0395697018.

PLOT SUMMARY

Did you know that an Etruscan shrew is the world’s smallest animal? “He can even sleep in a teaspoon” In the book “Biggest, Strongest, Fastest,” Steve Jenkins explores the animal kingdom by looking at fourteen different animals and how they standout in our world. In this concept book he looks at remarkable animals facts such as the longest, smallest, fastest, tallest or even strongest animals on record. Kids will enjoy learning and comparing each animal’s special feature with factual graphics.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Steve Jenkins' kid friendly, amazing fact book presents information in just the right dosage for young readers. He has the ability to reach a variety of readers. He appeals to the youngest readers with his simple one sentence descriptions which are easy to understand like "the sun jelly fish is the world’s longest animal.” He gives the older children something to think about by offering inset comparisons in each corner the page for example, “Sun jellyfish have tentacles over 200 hundred feet long. They drag these poisonous filaments through the water to stun fish, which they then catch and eat.”

Jenkins accurate information is backed with an extensive bibliography list. He shows that he understands a child’s mind by offering an appended chart with further details of where these animals can be found or what their diets include.

Steve Jenkins has created visually appealing illustrations by offering the reader two page spreads of cut-paper collages. These large page displays brings home the powerful characteristic the animal has to offer. The most meaningful, educational experience Jenkins offers the reader is the bold, black graphics inset on each page. These graphics take into count the presented textual fact and makes meaningful, authentic and concrete connections for the reader.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

-Children’s Literature-“Cleverly done and sure to appeal to both the littlest and biggest of readers.”
-BookList Review-“Here’s proof that power isn't just about size and that science can be a lot of fun.”

CONNECTIONS
This is great story to connect to a math lesson in authentic form by calculating the facts give (An ant can lift 5x his weight) and posed with a new probe(If you weigh 70 lbs. if you had an ant’s strength what could you lift?

Other Books By The Author:

-Jenkins, Steve. Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest. ISBN 0395899990.

-Jenkins, Steve. What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? ISBN 0618256288

Genre 4 - Informational Text Book 2

Informational Text- Book Review

Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Krull, Kathleen. 2003. Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez. Ill. By Yuyi Morales. San Diego: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 0152014373

PLOT SUMMARY

This inspiring biography examines the life of Cesar Chavez. The picture book biography starts with his birth on the family farm in Arizona where he thought “that the whole world belonged to his family” to at the age of ten losing the family farm as a result a drought. This drought forever changed the life of Cesar Chavez and many others. Cesar traveled with his family to the lush green valleys of California where he soon found his new home. This new home was not what he was used to; this new home was “overcrowded and dirty”. He worked by the side of his family in the fields of misery, where fierce work was required. It was in these fields of California that Cesar Chavez developed his strong belief that all people should be treated fairly. It was with his peaceful strength that he took a stand for the well being of the some of the “poorest as human beings” the migrant farmers of America.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Katherine Krull’s picture book biography is kid friendly and coveys an authentic look a Cesar Chavez’s cause to better the life of migrant workers discrimination and poor working conditions. She gives the readers real life examples that they can understand and connect to like “ A teacher hung a sign on him that read , I am a clown, I speak Spanish.” And “The grapevines sprayed with bug-killing chemicals made his eyes sting and his lungs wheeze”. These connections with the reader keep them engaged to Cesar Chavez’s cause “Huelga”.

Krull’s attention to the importance of accurate information is noted by including a two page Author’s Note which follows more of a birth to death account of Cesar Chavez. She leaves the reader with these parting words- “that many see him as a hero for his utter sincerity, his belief that peaceful dedication to a cause is more effective than force, and his self-sacrifice in the face of overwhelming odds.”

Morales’ mixed media acrylic paintings are full of vibrant, southwestern flavors that submerse the reader into the Hispanic culture. Each page offers support to the reader explaining the spirit that gave support to this historical movement. Morales’ pictures show the bonds of family by actually superimposing a real photograph that hangs on the wall of one of her illustrations, sprinkling in religious images and her illuminating images that signify hope such as: in the doorways of supporter’s homes or the spell bounding illustration of Cesar gazing at the night sky.

Readers will be inspired that they too can make a difference in the world.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

-Starred Review School Library Journal- A fine addition to any collection
-Horn Books- A powerfully moving tribute to an important person in U.S. history

CONNECTIONS
This powerful story of remarkable character would be a great story through a Readers Theater. Let the children create the roles and lines as an extension.

Other Books By The Author:

Krull, Kathleen. The Other Side: How Kids Line in a California Latino Neighborhood. ISBN 0525674381.

Krull, Kathleen. Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World’s Fastest Woman. ISBN 0152012672

Genre 4 - Informational Text Book 1

Informational Text- Book Review

Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon

By: Catherine Thimmesh

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Thimmesh, Catherine. 2006. TEAM MOON: HOW 400,000 PEOPLE LANDED APOLLO 11 ON THE MOON. New York: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0618507574

PLOT SUMMARY
Have you ever wondered how many people it took to make the first moon landing possible? Catherine Thimmesh has put that question to an end in “Team Moon : How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon” where she chronicles the Apollo 11 spaceflight of 1969. “Yes, three heroic men went to the moon; but it was a team of four hundred thousand people that put them there.” Thimmesh shares with the readers the stories of the “non-astronauts” with pictures and quotes of their triumphs, setbacks and brilliant efforts that put the first men on the moon!

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Catherine Thimmesh’s look at the moon’s landing is a refreshing approach. Through a photo essay she unfolds the story of Apollo 11 from behind the scenes. Through narratives and personal accounts she provides many page turning facts like “Moon Germs. Bugs. Deadly killer bugs that would come back from the moon, spread-unstoppable-over planet Earth and Do in Humanity.” She does an excellent job presenting the feelings, ambitions and the uncertainty the world was experiencing. Thimmesh reminds her readers "That the stories herein are but snapshots -Just a handful of players pulled from the bench of the greatest team ever.”

Thimmesh organizes her story with easy to understand subtitles like “The Dream” and “Onward and Upward” allowing the reader to mark their place in time. She provides extensive back matter that reinforces her well conducted research but allows for further exploration by readers. Catherine Thimmesh includes: an author’s note, cites her extensive source lists, provides chapter notes, a glossary of terms and allows for browsing by a lengthy index, gives many online resources for any reader to enjoy. Catherine Thimmesh's passion for space is evident with her striking white on black presentation. She has selected beautiful, nostalgic photos that launch the reader back in time. Thimmesh includes captions for the reading to understand each photo along with how it was taken. This book will be enjoyed by young and old as we pay tribute to this large step for mankind.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Library Media Connection -Those students who are interested in anything space-related will want to read it for pleasure also.”

Publishers Weekly starred review: "This behind-the-scenes look at the first Apollo moon landing has the feel of a public television documentary in its breadth and detail."

CONNECTIONS
This would allow for a great lesson to create a timeline of the mission. Encourage children to create their own picture timeline with captions.

Other Books By The Author:
Thimmesh, Catherine. The Sky’s the Limit:Stories of Discovery by Woman and Girls. ISBN 0618076980.Thimmesh, Catherine. Madame President. ISBN 0618396667

Genre 3 - Poetry -Book Review 3

Poetry Book Review

Toasting Marshmallows:Camping Poems

By: Kristine O'connell George

Illustrated by Kate Kiesler

BIBLIOGRAPHY
George, Kristine O’Connell. 2001. TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS: CAMPING POEMS. Ill. By Kate Kiesier. New York: Hougton Mufflin Company. ISBN 061804597

PLOT SUMMARY-
Toasting Marshmallows celebrates the experiences of camping through a child’s eyes. Kristine O’Connell George has put together a collection of poems that depicts the adventures of camping from sharing the warm feelings of a campfire to long forest walks. She allows readers to get up close and personal with nature and get in touch with their senses while encouraging readers to explore their inner feelings and imagination.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Kristine O’Connell George shows a range of poetic styles when presenting her collection of camping poems. She gives the readers a sensory field trip experiencing clever word play in the poem Two Voices in a Tent at Night where she has the words aligned on opposites of the page to depict a conversation.

“Shhhhh…./”
Something is scratching/
On our tent./ Is not.”

She brings to life the sound of nature using a onomatopoeia in the Mosquito Song “It’s meeeeeeeeee!/ Mosqueeeeeeeto!/ Is that you, Dinner? Greeeeeeeeeeeeeetings!/ and keeps the readers interested by shaping her poems in Eavesdropping depicting the shape of the moon listening in to all of our conversations.

George uses imagery to help acclimate the readers to nature using deliberate word choice. This is shown in the Rain Dance “It was dry/ under these trees, until a confetti of birds/in wet leaves/ danced/another/rain shower. / With these careful word choices helps put a picture in the readers brain.

Kiesler’s acrylic paintings help set tone of each poem offering the perfect match to Goerge’s sensory building ambience. Her touch of illuminating artwork gives just the right amount of light to the twinkling stars, the glow of the campfire embers, or showing the beauty of a doe surrounded by a glowing sunset and even spotlighting the feeling of solitude itself. She uses full pages of imagery to show the pure power of nature in the illustration of the poem Storm. Kiesler does a remarkable job pulling the reader into the experiences of the campers.

Readers will enjoy the warm feeling they will get by unfolding each poem to see what nature has in store for them.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal- A terrific idyll for summertime sharing, even for confirmed couch potatoes
Horn Books- The pleasure and surprises of going camping are conveyed in eighteen brief poems

CONNECTIONS

This would be a great book to read aloud before Spring Break or Summer Vacation and encourage readers to keep their on memento of their encounters with nature.

Other Books By The Author:
George, Kristine O’Connell. Little Dog Poems. ISBN 0395822661.
George, Kristine O’Connell. Old Elm Speaks: Tree Poems. ISBN 0395876117.

Genre 3 - Poetry -Book Review 2

Poetry Book Review

Insectlopedia

Authored and Illustrated by: Douglas Florian

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Florian, Douglas. 1998. Insectlopedia. San Diego: Harcourt Brace. ISBN 0152013067

PLOT SUMMARY-
Twenty- one cleverly, crafted poems along with paintings offer the reader interesting facts about insects. This collection of poems offers humor spun facts like what hornets eat “Spiders, flies, and if she’s able, /Pudding from your picnic table.” These imaginative poems can stand-alone but are unified by their theme : Insects.


CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Douglas Florian author and illustrator has created short lively poems that take a fun look at insects through scientific facts, rhymes and art. Florian has carefully selected the language that rhymes and calls for the book to be shared aloud with word emphasis like in the poem The Daddy Longlegs “O Daddy/ Daddy O/ How’d you get/ Those legs to grow/”. With his careful word placement he creates life like movement when he shaped the poem in an arch to signify the “Inchworms” stride. This author blends in humor with word connotations in “The Praying Mantis” where he shares “Upon a twig/ I sit and pray/" but spins this clever poem into the praying mantis meal into something “religious”.


Florian has organized his book with a table of contents with each of the titles that accompany the twenty-one insect poems. He has chosen to originally place the page number on the side of each page to help reader locate their desired poem. Douglas Florian’s poems stand out with the surrounding white space as he presents his poetry on one side of the page while showcasing his art on the opposite side.

Douglas Florian invites the reader to have more discoveries about the featured insect with his beautifully water colored artwork on primed brown paper with collage. His illustrations are thought provoking, drawing the reader in to see what unique association he has made with each insect. For example, in the poem titled Mosquitos he informs the readers that “Mosquitoes are thin./ Mosquitos are rude./They feast on your skin/ For take-out food./ He cleverly connects his collage with water colored mosquitoes sucking on a scientific drawing of the human venous system with super imposed pictures of blood types. These creative pictures only add to the experience of this book.


When reading this book aloud one must share the pictures to get the full affect of this special book of poems. The children will be lined up to take a closer look at how his poetry linked with science, rhythm and art are celebrated.


REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal- There are other books of poetry about insects and lots of collections of humorous verses about animals but none match Insectlopedia
Publishers Weekly- The silly, imaginative verses about whirligig beetles and waterbugs (almost) match the exquisite pictures in playfulness and wit. The result is downright stunning.

CONNECTIONS
The children would be thrilled to create there own addition to the insectlopedia. Have children work in groups to select their own insect, research facts, create their own illustrations and unique poem.


Other Books By The Author:
Florian, Douglas. Beast Feast. ISBN 0152951784.
Florian, Douglas. On the Wing. ISBN 0152004971.

Genre 3 - Poetry -Book Review 1

Poetry Book Review:

What My Mother Doesn't Know

By: Sonja Sones

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sones, Sonya. 2001. WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN’T KNOW. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689841140


PLOT SUMMARY-
Sones cleverly captures the struggles of a girl coming of age through a series of free verse poems. The story unfolds through first person narratives by a love fickle, fourteen year old girl named Sophie. Sophie first thinks she has a crush on a boy named Dylan because their “bodies seemed to be carrying on a conversation of their own”. She has been so busy with love that she has been forgetting about her best friends Rachel and Grace who are there for her through thick and thin. The girls quickly remind her of their friendship and want to know “Is he a good kisser?” But, Sophie’s mind starts to daydream about kissing the class geek and wonders what else the world might have to offer, but would her friends understand? The readers are taken along for a ride with Sophie as she tries to make sense of the highs and lows of new love, balancing family drama, how the world views religion and the joy of friendship.


CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Sonya Sones’ portrayal of teenager’s life and loves is uniquely conveyed in this page turning book of poems. She cleverly pulls the reader in by connecting with their innermost thoughts about the thrill of new love. She reaches young readers by using authentic dictation like “How can I concentrate on Ancient Babylonia when Dylan’s note is burning in my pocket?” Sones shows that she understands the roller coaster of emotions that adolescence brings in a poem titled Tears where she describes them “ Usually I can feel them coming/ feel them swirling in my chest/ like a swarm of angry bees/ buzzing up my neck….” With all these emotions also comes joy, readers will laugh out loud of the pure reckless abandon teens exhibit. Sones shares the story of The Naked Truth where we find Sophie, Rachel and Grace enjoying ice cream in raincoats all the while giggling because before they put on their raincoats they took everything “off”!

The author keeps the readers engaged by randomly changing the shape of her poems to illustrate the point of her words. She cleverly shrinks down the shape of the words as Sophie is wishing that she could shrink down and fit inside of her boyfriends pocket to “hear his heart beating”. With Sones’ careful font decisions she conveys the feeling of journal entries while changing fonts styles to convey different moods and characters. She understands the audience’s romantic “girlish” ambitions of doodling about their loves and sketches corner illustrations of a couple closely embracing. She playfully entices the reader to turn the pages quickly to see her doodles come to life in a romantic flip book.

Sonja Sonnes successfully captures the pure, fun and thrilling adventures of young love and leaves the readers wanting more.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
-Starred Review Booklist- A natural for reluctant readers, this will also attract young people who love to read.

-Starred Review Kirkus- Sones has crafted a verse experience that will leave teenage readers sighing with recognition and satisfaction.

CONNECTIONS
This verse novel would be a great read aloud for middle school students, especially reluctant readers.

It would be interesting to ask students to find music that matches the feelings that Sophie has.

Other Books By Sonja Sones:
Sones, Sonja. What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know. ISBN 0689876025.
Sones, Sonja. One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies. ISBN 0689858205.