MODULE 6 - POETRY, DRAMA, FILM, & GRAPHIC NOVELS

Yang, Gene Luen. 2006. AMERICAN BORN CHINESE. New York: ISBN: 9781596432086

In American Born Chinese, clear colorful pictures and comic book format tell three stories. First, Jin Wang's parents are Taiwanese, but he is American. The kids at school pick on him because of his heritage. He has no friends until Wei-Chen Sun moves to town. Meanwhile, the fabled Monkey King is trying to be accepted into heaven. He runs away from his most revered position to try to become something he is not, a god. In the third story-line Danny, the all-American popular, blonde haired, blue-eyed boy is humiliated each year when his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee comes to visit. American and Chinese cultures, and the three stories, are woven together masterfully in this award-winning graphic novel. The messages are that longing to belong is universal; and coming to terms with ones own identity can be terribly painful.






Wolff, Virginia Euwer. 1993. MAKE LEMONADE. New York: Henry Holt. ISBN: 0805022287

Make Lemonade by Virginia Wolff is a coming of age story written in free verse about 14 year old LaVaughn who lives in the projects with her mother. They are poor, hard-working and the two of them make a strong family. LaVaughn barely remembers her father, who was never in a gang, but was killed in the crossfire of a gang shootout. LaVaughn decides at a very early age that she will be the first person in her family and even in her entire building to go to college and have a better life. To do this she needs to work. She takes a job as babysitter for the two young children of Jolly, a seventeen year old single mother, whose life is a mess. The children and their apartment are filthy. There is never enough money. When Jolly gets fired, LaVaughn still helps her. LaVaughn takes Jolly along to her self esteem class as a guest and then helps Jolly get back into highschool.

The first person narrative told in LaVaughn's voice is believable and full of hope, for herself, Jolly, and the two children, Jeremy and Jilly. In the story, LaVaughn and Jeremy plant lemon seeds together. Jeremy keeps watch, but the seeds will not grow. Jolly even argues that planting the seeds is bad for Jeremy, only disappointing him. But they keep planting and watching for signs of life. They never give up. None of the characters ever give up, even though their lives are very difficult and they experience many hardships and injustices. In the end, after LaVaughn and Jolly go their separate ways, one day they pass in the hall at school. Jolly pokes LaVaughn and says, "Hey, you wouldn't guess what come up out of that dirt....We got a little lemon thing comin' up." LaVaughn planted the seeds. It seemed they would never grow and survive, but somehow they did. Maybe Jolly and the kids would, too.




Mecum, Ryan. 2008. ZOMBIE HAIKU. Cincinnati, OH: How Books. ISBN: 9781600610707

Zombie Haiku is the story (cleverly written mostly in haiku) of a poet turned zombie on a murderous, flesh-eating rampage. Let the blood-stained cover be a warning. There is plenty more where that comes from; blood and guts, that is, and violent zombie canibalism. With each page the photographs and poetry become more disturbing, right to the finish. Near the end...

"She tugs at my face,
and somehow gets my eyeball
stuck on her necklace."

...and that is one of the milder passages. Readers beware!

Module 5 - History, Biography & Nonfiction

Sandler, Martin W. 2008. LINCOLN THROUGH THE LENS: HOW PHOTOGRAPHY REVEALED AND SHAPED AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE. Walker and Company. ISBN: 0806796672

Lincoln Through the Lens documents Abraham Lincoln’s life using the some of the earliest photographs ever taken. Lincoln realized the power of the technology and used it to further his legal and political career. “In addition to chronicling Lincoln's political career, the book illustrates the rise of photography as a documentary resource.” Voya. It not only includes many photographs of Lincoln, but also images of the times in which he lived. “Part history of early photography, part Lincoln biography, and part documentation of the period, this slim book speaks volumes in both words and pictures.” School Library Journal. There are quotes from Lincoln throughout the book, giving the reader insight into Lincoln’s persona, his thoughts, hopes, fears, and frustrations. Comparing the pictures of Lincoln as a young man and those of him near the end of his life, one can see the toll the Civil War and his personal tragedies took on him. “This well-researched, interesting book should be available for all school children to read when they are studying Abraham Lincoln.” Children’s Literature


Crutcher, Chris. 2005. KING OF THE MILD FRONTIER: AN ILL-ADVISED AUTOBIOGRAPHY. New York: Random House Audio ISBN: 0307282546

In a Starred Review, Publishers Weekly calls King of the Mild Frontier “ funny, bittersweet and brutally honest”. This is the story of how Chris Crutcher, grew from a pimply face, insecure “bawlbaby", to become the popular and award-winning young adult writer he is today. “Crutcher entertains readers, challenges them, and touches their hearts…hard to imagine it being written any better.” Voya. The audiobook, in which Crutcher himself reads, is most enjoyable. It is like listening to a brother or uncle share old stories about family and school from days gone by. Crutcher shares where many of his books characters come from. Boys especially will be entertained by the book. The female characters, his sister and mother, are as well developed as the male characters. All in all, though, “this is a good read… and it tells a strong story to get at strong truths.” Kirkus Reviews

Schmidt, Gary D. 2009. WEDNESDAY WARS. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN: 054723760X.


Wednesday Wars takes the reader month by month through the 1967-68 seventh grade school year of Holling Hoodhood. Every other kid in the class is either Catholic or Jewish and goes to religious instruction on Wednesday afternoons; but Holling who is Presbyterian stays in the classroom with his teacher Mrs. Baker each Wednesday. Holling is convinced Mrs. Baker hates him. She makes him read and study Shakespeare, which lands Holling in an embarrassing role as a fairy in the community theatre production of The Tempest. Holling’s homelife is perfect, except that his parents ignore him and his flower child sister has no use for him. The turmoil of the 70’s is a backdrop to the typical traumas of seventh grade. Holling deals with bullies, a runaway sister, Mrs. Baker’s MIA husband, misunderstandings with the girl he likes, and the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy. Schmidt creates a realistic and memorable character in Holling, and a story that rings true for a seventh grader and the turbulent 70’s. “This story interweaves the issues of the period with grace and power, resulting in historical fiction both entertaining and endearing.” Children’s Literature.

Module 4 - Fantasy and Sci Fi

Bray, Libba. 2010. GOING BOVINE. New York: Random House. ISBN 0385733984



GOING BOVINE won the 2010 Michael J. Printz Award for excellent young adult literature. Author Libba Bray creates a realistic character in Cameron, who is coasting through school and life. There is not much he cares about until he finds out he has mad cow disease. As his health deteriorates and he drifts in and out of consciousness, he dreams he undertakes a Don Xiote-like cross country quest to save the world and find a cure for his illness. Along for the ride is his hospital roomate, who he knows from high school and who happens to be a dwarf. A Norse God cursed to exist as a garden gnome and a pink haired punk rock angel teach Cameron to care about others, appreciate his family and even find romance.
　
　
Collins, Suzanne. 2008. HUNGER GAMES. New York: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN 0439023483




In the futuristic dystopia of Panem, society is controlled by a Capitol that conducts a brutal and deadly television reality game each year. Each of the nation's territories sends two children, selected by lottery, to compete in the Hunger Games. They must hide, hunt and fight, killing each other until only one participant is left standing. Katniss takes the place of her little sister, who was selected to go to the games. The capitol creates many torturous scenarios that pit the participants against one another. Katniss is a good hunter and a formidable foe. The book is fast-paced. There is one adventure after another and romance adds another interesting element to the plot.
　
　
　
Shan, Darren. 2001. CIRQUE DU FREAK. Boston: Little, Brown. ISBN 0316648523



Life suddenly changes for Darren when he and his friend Steve go to a freak show, Cirque Du Freak. They see all kinds of weird things and beings. After the show, Steve approaches one of the performers, a vampire named Mr. Crepsley and begs him to take him as his assistant. But Mr. Crepsley refuses. "You are an evil person", he tells Steve. "Your blood is bad...Vampires are not the evil monsters of lore...We respect life. You have a killer's instincts, but we are not killers." Darren, meanwhile, is hiding and sees the whole scene between Steve and Mr. Crepsley.

Darren, for his part, cannot stop thinking about Mr. Crepsley's exotic spider, Madam Octa. A few days later, Darren sneaks back into the dilapidated building where the show took place to steal the spider. From here things go from bad to worse. Events get twisted and Darren finds himself in a place he never wished to be, and can never escape. Readers who enjoy horror, will want to read this book and work their way through the whole series.

Module 3 - Adventure, Sports, Mystery

Trueman, Terry. 2008. HURRICANE. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 9780060000189

Thirteen year old Jose and his family live in the tiny village of La Rupa, Honduras when a category 5 hurricane comes through and destroys most of the town. Only two houses are left standing, Jose's and one other. Many people in the village are killed; those who survive gather at Jose's house for food and shelter and to organize search parties. Jose's father, older brother, Victor and sister, Ruby are away when the storm hits. Jose must find the courage to be the man of the house in order to find food, survivors and medicine for his sick brother. Over and over he asks himself, "If Dad and Victor were here, what would they do?" (p. 64) Jose grows from a fun-loving boy into a respected leader of his community and family. "I've spent my whole life looking up to Victor and my dad, but they aren't here. Dad and Victor can't help us. It's up to me now. I know what I have to do and I can-I will-somehow do it." (p.57)

The description of the village in Honduras where Jose's family lives gives readers a real sense of how small and close-knit the community is, making the tragedy of the storm that much more devastating. "From our town of fifty-six, thirty-three are ...dead...It feels like we all have died." (p.48-49)

This first person account of a terrifying storm is a powerful story. "José is an admirable character, and his story moves along at a quick pace that will sustain the attention of even reluctant readers." (School Library Journal)







Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. 2006. DAIRY QUEEN. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0618683070

D.J. Schwenk is only fifteen and she practically runs the Wisconsin family farm. She has little time for anything else. After her Dad broke his hip and her older brothers went away to college, there was no one else to do the chores. Her younger brother wasn’t much help, nor was her mother who was always at work. D.J.’s brothers had been stars of the high school football team. She was a gifted athlete in her own right, but had to quit the basketball team because of her responsibilities at home. During the summer, an old family friend, who happened to be the coach of the rival high school’s football team, asked D.J. to train his quarterback, Brian Nelson. The process transformed D.J., and everyone around her.

D.J. and Brian did not get off to a very good start. They came from two different worlds. One night they meet up in town, both surrounded by their own friends. Brian's popular friends laughed and pointed at D.J., making mooing sounds. "There's Dairy Queen, Nelson! Go say hi to Dairy Queen!" (p.32) D.J. started thinking, "maybe...everyone in the whole world was just like a cow, and we all go along doing what we are supposed to without complaining or even really noticing, until we die...and maybe that's all there is to life." (p.116-117) Soon after, D.J. decides she doesn't want to be a cow. She wants to do something different with her life. D.J. and Brian eventually learn to get along and learn from one another. "D.J.'s tongue-tied nature and self-deprecating inner monologues contribute to the novel's many belly laughs. At the end, though, it is the protagonist's heart that will win readers over." (School Library Journal)









Paulsen, Gary. 2009. Notes from the Dog. New York: Random House. 038573845500

In Gary Paulsen’s Notes from the Dog, Finn starts his summer pledging to talk to as few people as possible. He would much rather be hanging out with his dog Dylan and reading, than mixing it up with people. Then twenty-something Johanna moves into the neighborhood and everything changes. Johanna has cancer, but she doesn’t let that slow her down. She makes friends with Finn, Dylan and Matthew, another neighborhood kid. She wants a garden, so she talks Finn into planting one in his yard. She is training for a triathalon to raise money for cancer research. She persuades the boys to help her. She sets Finn up with a girl that he has been too shy to talk to. With Johanna around, anything is possible.

Module 2 - Realism, Romance & Censorship

Limb, Sue. 2004. GIRL, 15, CHARMING BUT INSANE. New York: Random House. ISBN 0385732155

Jess is convinced she is unattractive and undesirable. She is, however, quite clever. Her self-deprecating humor and funny critical analysis of self, friends, teachers, and parents follows her from home, to school, to hanging with her chums. Will her goddess-like friend Flora win the affection of every boy in school, even the ones Jess fancies? Will everyone in school find out what she did to make her boobs look bigger? Will Jess’s Dad, who lives on the coast hours away, come to see her, instead of sending daily text messages? GIRL, 15, CHARMING BUT INSANE, is quirky and unpredictable. Author, Sue Limb ties things up nicely in the end, but not too tidily. Questions are answered and problems solved, but one thing always leads to another with Jess. A few strands are left dangling, enough to entice the reader back for more.




Bauer, Joan. 2000. HOPE WAS HERE. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN 0399231420

HOPE WAS HERE is a book full of, well, hope; and Hope. Hope is a teen-age girl being raised by her aunt, Addie. The story starts with the two of them moving from New York to Wisconsin after Addie’s business partner in the diner they owned ran off with all the money. This isn’t the first move they have had to make. Addie is a cook, a very good one; and Hope is a waitress, also quite experienced, especially for her age. Wherever they go, they work together, Hope and Addie. Wherever they go, there is the hope that this will be the place they settle. Too many times, things hadn’t worked out and they had had to move on. Hope keeps a scrapbook of all the places she’s lived and worked. If she ever meets her father, she’ll use the book to tell him all about herself. When they wind up at Welcome Stairways Cafe, they discover the owner, GT has cancer; and that’s not the only battle he’s fighting. To fight corruption and help the community, he challenges the mayor in the upcoming election. A cast of characters gets behind him, including Hope and Addie. The food they cook is as comforting as the story itself. Throw in a little romance and political intrigue and what comes out is a very satisfying story.




Reinhardt, Dana. 2006. A BRIEF CHAPTER IN MY IMPOSSIBLE LIFE. New York: Random House, Inc. ISBN 0385909403

Sixteen year old Simone has known she was adopted all of her life. Her parents are open and loving. They, along with her younger brother Jack, are a happy family. Simone’s life is going along just fine when her parents let her know that her birth mother Rivka, whom she has never known, wants to meet her. As much as Simone wants to resist, she just can’t. After Rivka is invited to spend Thanksgiving with the family, Simone begins to spend time with her. She learns about her Jewish heritage, and she also learns that her biological mother is dying of cancer. Ironically, Simone, the self-professed atheist, asks Rivka, who has doubts about her own faith, "Do you ever think God is punishing you? Do you ever think that maybe if you hadn't turned your back on your faith this wouldn't be happening?" Simone has much to work through in this story, including the issues surrounding her family, faith, and loss. There are happy moments, too. In fact, she goes back and forth between joy and sorrow, anger and guilt. In the end she finally finds peace. The end of the story, though, is really a beginning for Simone. She has found a wonderful boyfriend, has aced the college entrance exam, has her choice of colleges, and has a promising high school senior year ahead of her. She also has the memory of her birth mother, who in the short time they were together, taught one another so much.

Module 1 - YA Classics & Awards

Smith, Betty. 1943. A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN. New York: Perennial Classics, 2005, c1943. ISBN 0060736267.

"One of the books of the century" is how the New York Public library describes A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The story of Francie Nolan and her family who live in a poor neighborhood in Brooklyn at the turn of the century is an American classic. The reader gets a feel for what life was really like for the family as the events of their everyday life play out. Growing up is hard for the children as they struggle with hunger and poverty, an alcoholic father, and one hardship after another. A host of characters including their steely strong mother, a loyal extended family, and neighbors around every corner help them along the way. There are some joyful and tender moments as the family continues to live life and move forward, in spite of all the adversity. "One of my favorite parts in the book is when Francie finally gets kissed," says one teenage girl after reading the book.

When Francie and Neely venture out to get a Christmas tree, it is as if the reader is on the street with them.

"...the air was cold and still, and full of the pine smell and the smell of tangerines which appeared in stores only at Christmas time and the mean street was truly wonderful for a little while." (p.201)

The tree that grows in Brooklyn, is a scrappy old tree that only grows in poor neighborhoods. It survives no matter what, just like the people around it, in spite of everything they have to endure.







Engle, Margarita. 2009. THE SURRENDER TREE. New York: Random House/Listening Library. ISBN 9780307582997.

The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle is a collection of free verse poems that tells the story of war-torn Cuba in the struggle for independence from Spain. The recorded version is read by Cabrero, Vane Millon, Chris Rodriguez, and Roberto Santana. The story spans the years from 1851 to 1898, during which time three separate wars were fought between Cuba and Spain. It is told from the point of view of several characters. There is Rosa, a slave who eventually is freed, but still hunted, and who is also a healer; Lieutenant Death, a slave hunter who tracks down escaped slaves; Jose, another freed slave who Rosa eventually marries, and Silvia, an orphan and refugee who learns to be a healer. Rosa spends her entire life caring for slaves, refugees and soldiers who are injured in Cuba's violent fighting. She even nurses Lieutenant Death when he is injured trying to hunt her down.

The poet goes back and forth between describing the violence of the fighting and the beauty of the jungle. Rosa explains the slave hunting:

"When the slavehunter brings back
runaways he captures,
he receives seventeen silver pesos
per cimarron,
unless the cimarron is dead.
Four pesos is the price of an ear,
shown as proof that the runaway slave
died fighting, resisting capture.
(p.5)

Jose describes a forest scene:

Dark wings, a dim moonglow,
the darting bats,
not the big ones that suck blood
and eat insects,
but tiny ones, butterfly-sized,
the kind of bat that whisks out of caves to sip nectar
from night-blooming blossoms,
the fragrant white flowers my Rosa calls
Cinderella,
because they last only half a night.
Rosa leads the bats away from our hut.
They follow her light as she holds up a gourd
filled with fireflies, blinking.
I laugh, because our lives, here in the forest,
feel reversed--
we build a balm-thatched house to use a a hospital,
but everything wild that belongs outdoors
keeps moving inside,
and our patients, the wounded, feverish mambe rebels,
who should stay in their hammocks resting--
they keep getting up,
to go outside,
to watch Rosa, with her hands of light,
leading the bats far away.
(p.35-36)

It seems as if there will never be peace in Cuba. When the United States finally gets involved, Spain surrenders, but the Cuban rebel general is not even invited to the ceremonial surrender.

Jose watches from a distance.

They choose a majestic tree,
a ceiba, the kapok tree
revered by the Cubans,
a sturdy tree with powerful roots.

The choose the shade of spreading branches.
We have to watch from far away.
Even General Gomez,
after thirty years of leading our rebels,
even he is not invited
to the ceremonial surrender.

Spain cedes power before our eyes.
We can only watch from far away
as the Spanish flag is lowered
and the American flag glides upward.

Our Cuban flag
is still forbidden.

Booklist gave The Surrender Tree a starred review and said "the switching perspectives personalize the dramatic political history." The audio version creates more drama and makes the story come alive. The voice of Rosa is soft and weary; while Lieutenant Death's is filled with hate. The Surrender Tree also received a Newbery Honor and the Pura Belpre Award.

Nelson, Marilyn. 2005. A WREATH FOR EMMETT TILL. Ill. by Philippe Lardy. New York: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 139780618397525.

Emmett Till was a fourteen year old African-American boy from Chicago who was murdered by lynching in Mississippi in the summer of 1955, when he was there visiting relatives. The men who committed the horrendous crime were identified by witnesses, but a jury found them not guilty at trial. Marilyn Nelson wrote A Wreath for Emmett Till in honor of the martyr. The book is a collection of sonnets connected and arranged to create a heroic crown of sonnets. The last line of each poem becomes the first line of the next. The final poem, below, is a combination of the first lines of all the poems. According to the author, "the strict form became a kind of insulation, a way of protecting myself from the pain of the subject matter...."

Rosemary for remembrance, Shakespeare wrote.
If I could forget, believe me, I would.
Pierced by the screams of a shortened childhood,

Emmett Till's name still catches in my throat.
Mamie's one child, a body thrown to bloat,
Mutilated boy martyr. If I could
Erase the memory of Emmett's victimhood,
The memory of monsters...That bleak thought
Tears through the patchwork drapery of dreams.
Let me gather spring flowers for a wreath:

Trillium, apple blossoms, Queen Anne's lace,
Indian pipe bloodroot, white as moonbeams,
Like the full moon, which smiled calmly on his death,
Like his gouged eye, which watched boots kick his face.

A particularly painful passage in the fifth sonnet addresses Emmett’s mother:

Your only child, a body thrown to bloat,
Mother of sorrows, of justice denied.
Surely you must have thought of suicide,
seeing his gray flesh, chains around his throat.

At the end of the book is a “Who was Emmett Till?” section that further explains the events that led to his death; “Sonnet Notes” in which symbolism and literary references throughout the book are explained; “Artist’s Note” with information behind the illustrations in the book; and finally “References” directing readers to the website, The Murder of Emmett Till: www.pbs.org/wgbj/amex/till for more information.