Current Reads & Reviews: Fantasy FLORA & ULYSSES: THE ILLUMINATED ADVENTURES

DiCamillo, Kate, and K. G. Campbell. Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2013. ISBN: 076366040X

Summary: Ten-year-old Flora's cynical life takes an adventurous turn when she meets a squirrel who has just endured being sucked up into a vacuum cleaner, changing him into a "superhero." Flora struggles to keep him safe from the arch-nemesis while she struggles with her own TERRIBLE THINGS CAN HAPPEN TO YOU. Flora's motto "Do not hope; instead, observe" keeps her from dealing with her family going through a divorce and a mother that seems to be in her own world, but the little squirrel, Ulysses, comes in and teaches them all about hope.

Analysis: Humorous! I found myself laughing out loud here and there throughout this quirky story with its peculiar little characters. It seems each character has some sort of flaw they are dealing with and it's a "superhero" squirrel that brings them all together to deal with them. Campbell provides black and white comic strip illustrations done in pencil that bring the story alive for the reader, and they will have you laughing with the action they provide.
                DiCamillo provides great teaching moments for younger readers with advanced vocabulary, such as, malfeasance; bestirred; jest; treacle; redolent. I think the younger students will have difficulty at times with the big words DiCamillo uses quite often though, but could be a great learning experience. Great examples of hyperbole and euphemisms are provided through her spunky cynical protagonist, Flora, and a great introduction to poetry as well bringing the reader into the thoughts of a special squirrel.
               Told in 3rd person point of view, this story shows us all that the impossible happens all the time. The chapter titles lead the reader to infer what is about to happen next. The short chapters make this a quick easy read. Excellent life lessons are taught during this adventurous fantasy, touching on life issues young children face daily... single parent working household, new family members, divorce, and just not being understood. This is a story of a hero's journey vanquishing villains on the quest to be loved and accepted. This is a fantasy within a realistic setting, one that we can all connect to.

Accolades/Scholarly Review: John Newbery Medal; National Ambassador for Young People's Literature; Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award Nominee for Grades 3-6 (2015), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (2015),  Alabama Library Association Children's Book of Year  Nominee for 4-5 (2014) and many more.

From Booklist 06/01/2013: "Newbery winner DiCamillo is a master storyteller, and not just because she creates characters who dance off the pages and plots, whether epic or small, that never fail to engage and delight readers. Her biggest strength is exposing the truths that open and heal the human heart. She believes in possibilities and forgiveness and teaches her audience that the salt of life can be cut with the right measure of love."

From Publisher's Weekly 06/24/2013: "Newbery Medalist DiCamillo and illustrator Campbell meld prose with comics sequences in a broad comedy tinged with sadness."

Connections: After reading this novel,  like the Epilogue, students could write their own poems regarding what they have learned from the story. The students could make a figurative language flipbook with examples of hyperbole, metaphors, and euphemisms, or a Words Learned book that they add words they don't recognize or find interesting, then define and come up with an illustration.

Current Reads & Reviews: Historical Fiction LILY'S CROSSING

Giff, Patricia Reilly. Lily's Crossing. New York, NY: Yearling, 1997. ISBN: 0440414539

Summary: With her promise to not tell lies, and make new friends, Lily embarks on a summer vacation away from school to the family's getaway by the beach in Rockaway, New York. World World II has impacted the lives of everyone around them. Lily worries about her father while avoiding her grandmother when she meets Albert, an Hungarian war refugee and struggles to come to terms with things.

Analysis: This is a sweet little story of a young girl living during World War II coming to terms with the hardships life hands out... loss, loneliness, separation, love, forgiveness, friendship, and honesty with one's own self. Like the title implies, the reader witnesses young Lily transform from a little girl to a young lady during one summer by the Atlantic Ocean in Rockaway.
                Dealing with the anger of "people going away" this is a story of Lily's transformation from a scared little girl that lies and embellishes to hide her anger and uncertainty to being completely honest for the first time to a newfound friend who is dealing with similar loses. The reader sees a friendship form, the two find a commonality within a stranger, one who has lost so much as well. A story of facing the hard truth and reality. Lily learns that lies can only get you so far.
                Authentic to the ages of Lily and Albert, this story could truly be during anytime or at any place seeing as there is constantly war going on somewhere and people deal with lose and separation. An excellent read for elementary through intermediate grades. A little young for secondary, but would be great for ESL students. It is historically accurate but not very informative as to why there was a war going on or who was fighting who, but the effects of the war being felt by young children. Not a lot learned here as far as the historical information goes except for the loss and uncertainty that comes along with it.

Accolades/Scholarly Reviews: Newbery Honor (1998); Audie Award Children's Titles (1999); Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award Nominee (2000); Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (1999) and much more.

From Publisher's Weekly 01/21/1997: "Exceptional characterizations and a robust story line turn this WWII homefront novel into far more than a period piece."

From School Library Journal 02/01/1997: "The developing friendship between Lily and Albert, and Albert's plan to swim to Europe to find Ruth, will grab readers' attention and sustain it to book's end. Despite convenient plot twists to reach a happy ending, Giff's well-drawn, believable characters and vivid prose style make this an excellent choice."

Connections: Another story of friendship with an unlikely person and coming to terms with what is truly happening around you would be The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. As an extension, students could research and read the books Lily reads and has checks out at the library, such as, Madeline a book written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans.

Current Reads & Reviews: Historical Fiction BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY

Sepetys, Ruta. Between Shades of Gray. New York: Philomel Books, 2011. ISBN: 0399254129

Summary: Between Shades of Gray takes you along on a journey of survival full of people holding on to their lives by remembering their past, grasping on to what is still good, hoping to one day return to their homes and their loved ones. These unfortunate folks were dealt a horrible hand by Josef Stalin during early 1940s, enduring hardships no human being should be subject to. 

Analysis: This is a painful read at every turn of the page, but that being said, it is true to the time, place, and situation. The characters you meet along the way are everyday people. Ones you would meet in your everyday life. Some you hate, others you love. Sepetys does a fantastic job bringing the reader into the lives of the Lithuanian people during the 1940s and their tragic encounter with Stalin's reign. You fight along side them, wanting them to survive this horrid time. You find yourself hating the Soviet soldiers, aching for the main character, Lina, her family, and all the others that surround them to persevere.
                The story opens up in the summer of 1941, with a lovely family going about their daily routines when suddenly there is banging on the door. From that moment forward Sepetys take you on the long miserable trek for over 440 days from Lithuania through the prison labor camps of Russia to Siberia. At the front of the book is a map depicting "The Journey" and another one that shows the "Timeline" for each new stop along the way. Septeys did her research thoroughly basing much of what was written on survivors accounts. It is brutal as she does not gloss over anything. You will cringe, feel disgusted, appalled. You will hope and you will cry for you know millions of people endured this hardship, this inhuman act. You feel it build inside Lina... "I hated them, the NKVD and the Soviets. I planted a seed of hatred in my heart. I swore it would grow to be a massive tree whose roots would strangle them all."
                Sepetys story is told from fifteen year old Lina's perspective. You see everything through her eyes and you visualize it all vividly with the imagery provided for each new encounter at every setting along their treacherous travels. "We made our way through the crowd, like a small boat cutting through a storm, unsure if we'd be sucked in or stay afloat." The use of figurative language by way of similes and metaphors paint the picture in the mind of the reader. The font change from normal to italics throughout the novel clue the reader into Lina's memories of her family that help us get to know the people they once were while also giving insight of how things led up to where they are now in the story. You "see" Lina making connections along the way with conversations she overheard in the past to the nightmare she is currently living.
                Through Lina's voice and her drawings the reader is drawn into her world and what they endure. You feel the thread of hope that all the characters have. You wonder how they held onto it with all that they went through. "Mother quickly wiped off the slime, as if it didn't bother her at all. It bothered me. I wanted to roll the hate up into my mouth and spit it back in his face." Between all the shades of gray that consumes them they always could find something to hold on to, something dear to their hearts that kept them going through each horrific day. "They didn't ask for anything. They were happy to help someone, to succeed at something, even if they weren't to benefit. We'd been trying to touch the sky from the bottom of the ocean. I realized that if we boosted one another, maybe we'd get a little closer." I, personally, never knew about this time in Russian history. I  have been educated quite a bit about Hitler during this same time, but not a lot about the Baltic states and the transition of power to communist Soviet Union. Found in the "Author's Note" located in the back Sepetys explains her journey and research for this book leaving us with... "They chose hope over hate and showed the world that even through the darkest night, there is light. Please research it. Tell someone. These three tiny nations have taught us that love is the most powerful army. Whether love of friend, love of country, love of God, or even love of enemy - love reveals to us the truly miraculous nature of the human spirit."
               While there are not many happy times in this novel, you truly come away learning a great deal. Those happy times are too few and far between, but those are the times that keep the victims of this horrific time fighting to live another day, fighting to get back to their home and the people they once were. This book will spark emotions in you that you haven't felt while reading in a long time.

Accolades/Scholarly Reviews: Georgia Peach Book Award Nominee for Honor book; Golden Kite Award for Fiction; William C. Morris Debut Award Nominee; Milwaukee County Teen Book Award Nominee; Indies Choice Award Nominee; Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Nominee; Cybils Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction; Carnegie Medal Nominee; Missouri Gateway Readers Award Nominee and many more.

From Publisher's Weekly 01/03/2011: Through the pained yet resilient narration of 15-year-old Lina, a gifted artist, this taut first novel tells the story of Lithuanians deported and sent to Siberian work camps by Stalin during WWII.

From School Library Journal 03/01/2011: "This novel is based on extensive research and inspired by the author's family background. Told by 15-year-old Lina, a Lithuanian teen with penetrating insight and vast artistic ability, it is a gruesome tale of the deportation of Lithuanians to Siberia starting in 1939. Unrelenting sadness permeates this novel, but there are uplifting moments when the resilience of the human spirit and the capacity for compassion take over. This is a gripping story that gives young people a window into a shameful, but likely unfamiliar history."

Connections: After reading or even before, the students could research  the artist Edvard Munch and his works, seeing as they were very dear to Lina. The students could research and read the synopsis of the books that Lina would read and cherish, such as Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens. Compare stories with Eli Wiesel's memoir Night, a memoir based on a personal experience of survival in Nazi Germany where one "never forgets man's capacity for inhumanity to man" or read a companion historical-fiction novel Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin.

Current Reads & Reviews: Historical Fiction Scott O'Dell Award Winner THE HIRED GIRL

Schlitz, Laura Amy. The Hired Girl. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2015. ISBN: 076367818X

Summary: A story of a courageous fourteen year-old young lady struggling to become an educated free woman in search of a better life, independence, and love around the turn of the century, a time when the women were supposed to stay at home, work the farm along with the men, and not seek an education. The reader gets the insight of women living in a "man's world."

Analysis: Laura Amy Schlitz does an excellent job bringing the reader back to 1911 through the strong voice of Joan. She brings Joan's voice to life in diary form where we hear her daily thoughts and struggles. Written so as to give the reader insight into Joan's conscience mind, giving the reader a window into her thinking processes, hearing her voice of reason as well as her voice of doubt. Enter into the life of women in the early 1900s, their struggles, their loses, and their triumphs. The setting opens up to a hot summer in rural Pennsylvania on a farm where Joan works her fingers raw to appease her angry, ungrateful, and unforgiving father along with her three brothers. Women were to work the homestead seeking only a limited education. You see a division between the rich and the poor through through the eyes of a servant. "I sometimes wonder if every living thing doesn't need kind words as much as sunshine and water."
              The plot is captivating as Joan struggles to make her place after losing her mother, the only one that understood what was to come for her daughter. She wanted something better for Joan and instilled a passion for learning in her at an early age. "She must have known that one day I would need to escape from him. Even after her death, she provided for me." The characterization is so well done you wish you had this novel at fourteen so you could see how courage truly can get you far. This is a story of hope and brevity. "I'm going to fight my way forward, though I don't know how and I don't know where I'll end up." This quote shows Joan's optimism, that she is a fighter, one who strives for better things in a time when women were put in their place by the men.
               Schlitz shows us how women were treated, how divided people were due to their social status and/or religious views and what it meant to be devout and virtuous. The readers get a taste of the clash between Catholic views/laws and Jewish views/laws.The times are terrifically portrayed by the descriptions of their clothing, their values and morals, their language, and the setting around them. The theme of transformation within Joan is apparent as the setting changes to a more metropolitan society in Baltimore. We first experience this when Joan's views the art sculpture of The Spirit of Transportation at the train station, a metaphor for her transformation. The change from horses to automobiles, the clothing changing from rugged to stylish, the rights of women even seem different in the city. the novel is divided into parts, each depicting a piece of art. The art seems to introduce the stages in Joan's life representing a new transformation based on her life experiences throughout the story.
               Schlitz's voice brought me to the 1900s. The language has such a flow that the words and phrases wrap around you. You feel Joan's courage to reach her goals while also feeling the apprehensiveness of a fourteen year old young lady struggling to find her place in the world. The reader experiences Joan feeling as if she was not fitting in with society due to not having the right clothing. Girls today will relate with this... "I felt very plain when I got to church and saw all the well-dressed people getting out of their carriages and automobiles I had to remind myself that the church was God's house and He would want me to come to Mass; He wouldn't mind that Ma's old hat is a disgrace."
              I love the mosaic of characters we meet throughout the novel. All seem true to the time and place from the servant to the artist, the scholar to the housewife, the entrepreneur to the priest... all so well developed. At the back of the book, Schlitz provides Art Acknowledgements giving the reader information about each art piece. Then you find the Author's Note explaining her use of language and how it was true to the time.
              All young ladies should read this novel! "When I behold the ocean, I know that the world isn't just the grind of small tasks and small thoughts. The world is wide and wild and grand. Someday I will sail my little bark into the great ocean of life, braving the winds and the tide. And while the waves may dwarf me, they will not belittle me, because I will be the master of my fate and the captain of my soul."

Accolades/Scholarly Reviews: National Jewish Book Awards Winner; Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction; Association of Jewish Libraries; Sydney Taylor Book Award for Teen Readers; Keystone to Reading Book Award Nominee for High School; ALA Notable Books; CATS Awards; Bulletin Of The Center For Children's Books-Recommended Titles; Horn Book/Boston Globe Book Awards, and much more.

From Publisher's Weekly 07/15/2015: "Schlitz (Splendors & Glooms) has crafted another exquisite literary gem, one told entirely via Joan’s vivid, humorous, and emotionally resonant diary entries over a year and a half. Through Joan’s naïve perspective, Schlitz frankly discusses class, religion, women’s education, art, literature, and romance."

From Booklist 07/01/2015: "The distinctive household setting and the many secondary characters are well developed, while Joan comes alive on the page as a vulnerable, good-hearted, and sometimes painfully self-aware character struggling to find her place in the world. A memorable novel from a captivating storyteller."

Connections: Have the students do a character study of Joan, then read the children's picture book Joan of Arc by Josephine Poole and then compare the two heroines. Also, if students like this read and want to learn about the early 1900s, they will love Hattie Ever After by Kirby Larson, about another courageous young girl. Students could also read the books that Joan cherishes or they could research them and read the synopsis'. These could become books they add to their to-read list.

Current Reads & Reviews: Biography THE LINCOLNS: A SCRAPBOOK LOOK AT ABRAHAM AND MARY

Fleming, Candace. The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2008. ISBN: 0375836187

Summary: A museum in a book! Walk your eyes through the lives of Abraham and Mary, how they came to be, met, and survived the ups and downs of life together, culminating in their deaths. Chalked full of illustrations of items that visually guide you. The reader is taken on an in-depth journey into two intellectual lives who were both very strong willed, bold people, who shared political interests as well as a love for one another resulting in a true partnership.

Analysis: This biography is an in-depth look into the life of Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary laid out in scrapbook form leaving the reader feeling as if they have visited a museum dedicated to these two interesting lives. This biography gives the reader a look into Lincolns' 19th century America and its people. This is an excellent resource to be used in Social Studies! It is quite lengthy but the timeline near the front itself will lend as a great research tool for middle school to college level students.
                As you read this awesome informative book you "hear" the accent of the folks back then as there is inflection within the text. You find yourself a bit disappointed when you have to turn the page because once you begin reading one thing you're hooked, then you turn the page and it is all new information, you lose the disappointment quickly though because the new story is just as enthralling. The illustrations are photos, newspaper clippings, personal letters, personal items/trinkets, invitations, drawings, maps, poems, and much more. Visually stimulating as almost each entry comes with an illustration that complements the text well. This book reads like a well done documentary.
               One feature that was pretty cool is the use of the font type called "Old Times American" which was the very typeface that was used in the 1800s. There is A Note on the Type at the very beginning that teaches the reader how "typing" was done back then with metal or wood and ink. Then there is a Table of Contents that is divided by key themes so the reader does not necessarily need to read this book in any particular order. After that, there is a lengthy Introduction written to the reader by Candice Fleming herself notifying us that this book is written by her, and she grew up in the "land of Lincoln" even knowing a distant cousin of his. Here the reader learns that Abraham detested the being called "Abe." Following the informative Introduction one will find a detailed timeline called The Lincoln Years listing the main points in Abraham and Mary's life. The timeline is written in different fonts Abraham's being Roman Text and Mary's being italicized.
               In the back, the reader will find resources for extended reading or research, other young adult books and web links with little blurbs on what one will find at each site.

Accolades/Scholarly Reviews: Norman A Sugarman Award (2010); Flora Stieglitz Straus Award (2009); Society of Midland Authors Award for Children’s Nonfiction (2009), and a plethora of scholarly reviews.

From Booklist 09/15/2008: "Fleming’s writing, filled with quotes and personal details, is just as lively as the assortment of images, and an extensive time line, suggested resources, and source notes round out the text. Starting with her personal introduction, this exemplary resource will prompt readers to consider how an individual’s life story, and a country’s history, are constructed."

From Kirkus Review 09/01/2008: "Fleming's five-year immersion in letters, diaries, newspapers, speeches and other primary documents yields a monumental visual chronicle of Abraham and Mary Lincoln and their times. The visuals range from the essential to the mundane—portraits, maps, battlefield scenes, political cartoons, dress patterns, a stovepipe hat and measurements for a pair of boots—and, along with clear writing and thematic organization, leave readers 'feeling as if you have just visited old friends.'"

Connections: Students could skim/read this extensive biography then follow up by watching the documentary Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided which "weaves together the lives of the two Lincolns, drawing us into their long-vanished world." Read other highly acclaimed biographies written by Fleming such as Ben Franklin's Almanac: Being a True Account of the Good Gentleman's Life (2003); Our Eleanor: A Scrapbook Look at Eleanor Roosevelt's Remarkable Life (2005).