Current Reads & Reviews: Graphic Novel EL DEAFO

Bell, Cece, and David Lasky. El Deafo. New York, NY: Amulet Books, 2014. ISBN: 1419710206

Summary: Jump into these colorful cute little illustrations that go along beautifully with the story of a courageous little girl who has lost her hearing and feels out of place pretty much everywhere, sometimes even in her own home.

Analysis: Finding a good friend is hard to do and being different is a challenge a lot of young kids have to face. Cece Bell's personal experience is a perfect example of this. Everyone can relate to Cece and her struggle to fit in. This story takes you on Cece's journey from the beginning when she loses her hearing to her triumphs along the way, by dealing with not really knowing what is going on around you and the alienation that comes with that. Every child goes through the insecurities of fitting in somewhere with someone at school. This memoir is a great example of how to overcome these insecurities and be brave.
                Bell's inner thoughts are played out in the vibrant bold colors of this graphic novel. The reader sees how Cece had do learn to use visual clues to understand context, feels her struggle with self-confidence and how she feels like she is on her own planet. All she wants is a commonality with those around her. She feels at odds especially in PE, where a lot of students feels at odd whether they have a disability or not.
                Cece does not seem to accept herself as she is until the time when her microphone is broken ands she truly sees the importance of it and how not having it is even worse. After this obstacle, the reader sees a transformation within Cece. With her mic in working order again, she has more confidence, so much so that she starts letting her classmates in on her little secret... that "El Deafo" can hear things others cannot. This gives her "superhero" status in the eyes of her peers. She even hears their exclamations about wanting and wishing for their very own hearing aid devices.
               A great story about acceptance, acceptance of your self and of others, and how being different can and should be embraced. Cece Bell sharing her experience will help young students in similar situations learn to cope with their own. "I was a deaf kid surrounded by kids who could hear. I felt different, and in my mind, being different was not a good thing." A Note from the Author is worth reading as Bell shares her thoughts about writing and sharing this memoir as well as gives the reader more insight to the Deaf Community. "And being different? That turned out to be the best part of all. I found that with a little creativity, and a lot of dedication, any difference can be turned into something amazing. Our differences are our superpowers."

Accolades/Scholarly Reviews: Newbery Honor (2015); Pennsylvania Young Readers' Chopice Award for Grades 3-6 (2016); Dorthoy Confield Fisher Children's Book Award (2016); Will Eisner Comic Indusrty Awards for Best Publication for Kids (ages 8-12) and nominated for Best Reality-Based Work (2015); Bluestem Book Award Nominee (2017); Kirkus Prize Nominee for Young Readers' Literature (2014 Finalist); Charlotte Huch Honor Book (2015) and many more.

From Publisher's Weekly 07/07/2014: "Bell’s earnest rabbit/human characters, her ability to capture her own sonic universe (“eh sounz lah yur unnah wawah!”), and her invention of an alter ego—the cape-wearing El Deafo, who gets her through stressful encounters (“How can El Deafo free herself from the shackles of this weekly humiliation?” she asks as her mother drags her to another excruciating sign language class)—all combine to make this a standout autobiography. Cece’s predilection for bursting into tears at the wrong time belies a gift for resilience that makes her someone readers will enjoy getting to know."

Connections: When teaching about autobiographies, this is an excellent book to use for the younger grades. Pair it with Raina Telgemeier's Smile and Liz Prince's Tomboy. After students read these, have them write their own illustrated memoir about a time in their life they felt out of place or not accepted.

Current Reads & Reviews: Michael L. Printz Award Winner I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN

Nelson, Jandy. I'll Give You the Sun. Bergenfield, NJ: Penguin Group USA, 2014. ISBN: 0803734964

Summary: Told from two different perspectives, siblings, twins, brother and sister, seeking and failing to find themselves within each other, and then on their own. Noah and Jude are always competing for the love and acceptance they seek from others and their parents, but the secrets they carry bury their true selves down deep where they are struggling to survive and find their way to who they really are. Tragic yet hopeful, ugly yet beautiful, this story is a piece art. Colorfully written, you see two young adults portrayed in a different light with every page you turn.

Analysis: This story of transformation will have young adults relating to the two complex and flawed protagonists, Noah and Jude, and their struggles to find who they are while dealing with the obstacles that life throws at them along the way. Noah and Jude are so relatable the reader feels like they know them and wants them to finds themselves so they can feel whole yet once again. "In every set of twins, there is one angel, one devil." Noah is a young man trying to come to terms with being gay in a world that is not ready to embrace this. "I can unzip the air and disappear inside it, and that's what I do until I'm far away from them and what happened." "It was so much easier just to blend in than to be me." Jude is a young lady trying to live up to her mother's standards yet struggling to find and be who she is. She hears the ghost of her grandmother and cherishes her grandmother's "Bible" that has all sorts of tidbits to deal with the hard-balls life throws at you.
                Nelson does a beautiful job interweaving two perspectives, Noah telling his story from the age of thirteen, Jude telling hers at the age of sixteen. The plot keeps you turning the pages hoping these two will soon find each other again. It is awesome the way it weaves through their lives unraveling here and there then coming together to make a beautiful story as one. Nelson writes like she is painting her characters lives. Noah and Jude are at the age when each decision can change the course of their lives transforming from adolescents to adulthood, freedoms to responsibilities. These two learn there are consequences to their actions, but they also learn from their mistakes and work to redeem those.
                Nelson has her very own unique style. She incorporates color throughout the story along with tons of imagery, similes, and metaphors that "paint the picture" for the reader. "... his eyes have turned cloudy and dim. And it's like he's melting into a puddle of himself." Nelson's words are lyrical at times... "Reality is crushing. The world is a wrong-sized shoe. How can anyone stand it?" The colors change with the emotions the characters feel affecting the mood of the story as it progresses. The reader learns a lot about art and the different techniques and how one can express themselves through it. Noah's character is always painting in his mind and throughout the novel he gives titles to these paintings... "This time because I am sad. And scared. And because my skin has never fit this badly before. (SELF-PORTRAIT: Boy in a Blender)." Nelson is an expert in incorporating the arts, even poetry..."The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom. -William Blake" and "Winston Churchill: 'If you're going through hell, keep going."
                This is a story about connecting... the twins connection, connecting with other people when they feel so different, so unconnected. A story of finding one's own self and place in this harsh world. "Or maybe a person is just made up of a lot of people. Maybe we're accumulating these new selves all the time." So true!

Accolades/Scholarly Reviews: Michael L. Printz Award (2015); Georgia Peach Book Award Nominee for Honor Book (2015); Josette Frank Award for Younger Readers (2015); Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award Nominee for Young Adults (2016) and many more accolades.

From School Library Journal 09/01/2014: "Vibrant imagery and lyrical prose propel readers forward as the twins experience first love, loss, betrayal, acceptance, and forgiveness. Art and wonder fill each page, and threads of magical realism lend whimsy to the narrative. Readers will forgive convenient coincidences because of the characters' in-depth development and the swoon-worthy romances. The novel's evocative exploration of sexuality, grief, and sibling relationships will ring true with teens."

From Booklist 11/01/2014: "Nelson structures her sophomore novel brilliantly, alternating between Noah’s first-person narrative in the years before the accident and Jude’s in the years following, slowly revealing the secrets the siblings hide from each other and the ways they each throw their hearts into their artwork. In an electric style evoking the highly visual imaginations of the young narrators, Nelson captures the fraught, antagonistic, yet deeply loving relationship Jude and Noah share."

Connections: This would be a great opportunity for students to learn about different artists and their different techniques. The students could view and research Jackson Pollock, Edvard Munch, Pablo Picasso, Gustav Klimt, Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, Freda Kahlo, and Diego Riveria. They could also pull the poems that were mentioned from William Blake, Winston Churchill to Elizabeth B. Browning.

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.