Historical Fiction

Nory Ryan's Song

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Giff, Patricia Reilly. 2000. NORY RYAN'S SONG. Scholastic: New York. ISBN: 0439329493.

PLOT SUMMARY: Irish preteen Nory Ryan, whose family struggles to pay rent to their English landlord, finds one day that the potato crop in her home country is vanishing at the beginning of the Irish Potato Famine. She and her brother, sisters, and grandfather await her father's return, but when it becomes apparent that matters will need to be taken into her own hands, friends are made and adventures are had.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS: You cannot help but feel sorry for the sufferers of the Irish Potato Famine as you read this book. The characters that Giff created make the devastation all the more real, and the realization of how brave these people were begins to hit home. Nory is like any other preteen, quarreling with her sister and trying to help take care of her brother in the absence of her father. Her courage leads her to do many things, such as scale cliffs for food and speak to a strange woman who is thought to be a witch. In the course of reading this book, one cannot help but ask herself if she would be as brave as these characters are. The evolution of Nory from a carefree youth to a caretaker of many is gripping, and the happy ending leaves the reader satisfied, yet tearful. As she leaves a neighbor who has become family, Nory says. "I will never forget you." That's how the audience feels about Nory and this book as well.

EXCERPT REVIEWS: "Newbery Honor Winner Giff weaves wisps of history into this wrenching tale of an Irish family sundered by the Great Potato Famine... Riveting." -- Kirkus Reviews "A beautiful heart-warming novel that makes a devastating event understandable." --Booklist

CONNECTIONS: The Irish Potato Famine is a subject that is required to be taught in many grade levels. This book may be read in conjunction with the lessons on the famine or along with a unit on immigration to the United States. Other books by Patricia Reilly Griff include: All the Way Home, Lily's Crossing, Maggie's Door, and A House of Trailers.

Historical Fiction

Penny From Heaven

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Holm, Jennifer L. 2006. PENNY FROM HEAVEN. Random House: New York. ISBN: 0375836874. PLOT SUMMARY: This book takes the heroine, Penny, through the trials and tribulations that any young girl in 1953 faced: her mother's fear of getting polio via swimming in public pools and sitting in moview theater seats, the hazards of washing machine wringers, and even a blossoming romance. Penny also has to deal with situations that are not common, though, such as having a dead father that she knows little about and a lifetime's worth of secrets.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS: This enjoyable read is one that is hard to put down. From the first chapter, in which the character introduces herself and gives hints of the mystery of her father, you can hear the voice on a young woman with a love for baseball and a humorous personality. You begin to feel like one of the family (of which there are two) as Penny's adventures take her down some rough trails. From her mischevious cousin Frankie to her secretive mother and her car-dwelling uncle, these are all characters that we can relate to, and the reader begins to feel truly connected to these people. When the secrets are reveald at the end of the book, the audience will definitely get goose bumps. This one is worth reading!

EXCERPT REVIEW:

2007 Newbery Winner

New York Times Best Seller

ALA Notable Children's Book

New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing Books

"Penny's present-tense narration is both earthy and observant, and her commentary on her families' eccentricities sparkle." --Kirkus Reviews

"Penny and her world are clearly drawn and eminently believable, made up of seamlessly interwoven details of everyday life." -- School Library Journal

CONNECTIONS: As someone who was unaware of the injustices the Italian people faced during this era, I think this book would make a wonderful introduction into that subject. As a read aloud, I believe this would capture the attention of all who heard it. I also think that it would make a good addition to a unit on civil rights in order to show that inequality happens all over the world to everyone.

Other books by Jennifer L. Holm include: Our Only May Amelia, the Babymouse Series, Turtle in Paradise, and Boston Jane.

Informational Text

WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Kerley, Barbara. 2008. WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE. Ill. by Edwin Fotheringham. Scholastic: New York. ISBN: 9780545123259.

PLOT SUMMARY:
This biography tells the story of Alice Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt's oldest daughter. Alice's escapades would not be given a second glance in today's society, but in her own time she was considered rambunctious and unruly. This book highlights her most flamboyant acts and tells of her adventurous life.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Barbara Kerley uses the extraordinary life of an extraordinary woman to make this book relatable to not only children, but anyone who loves to have fun. The reader will smile continuously as each page relates another interesting moment in Alice's life, including details on how her father was unable to handle her unruliness and some of his own thoughts on her behavior. Each page is covered with Edwin Fotheringham's bright vintage-inspired illustrations, which help to convey to the reader what a vibrant young woman Alice truly was. The anecdotes are humorous, and the quotes bring these people, who we only know in a political sense, to life. The book is personable and will keep the reader engaged, from the beginning of Alice's life to the Author's Note, which states that 84-year-old Alice would often host dinner parties and sat people with differing opinions next to each other in order to spark an argument. Alice's life can be summed up with her famous father's quote, "I can be president of the United States, or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both."


EXCERPT REVIEW:
Sibert Honor Book
Boston Globe-Horn Honor Book
Parents Choice
Irma Black Honor Award Book
Washington State Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award
California Collections
Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
ALA Notable Book
Capital Choices
New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
Nominated for young reader awards in Texas, Utah, Tennessee, and Illinois
"Superb." -- Kirkus Review
"It's hard to imagine a picture book biography that could better suit its subject than this high-energy volume serves young Alice Roosevelt." --Publishers Weekly

CONNECTIONS:
This book is a great way to get students interested in biographies. It may be used as an example of how a biography can be an interesting piece of literature as opposed to a dry, fact-only piece of text. Read and compare to other biographies (text-to-text connections). Obviously, this could also serve as an introduction to a unit on the Roosevelts.
Other books by Barbara Kerley include: The Extraordinary Mark Twain (according to Susy), Greetings from Planet Earth, A Little Peace, and Songs of Papa's Island.

Informational Text

Down, Down, Down

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Jenkins, Steve. 2008. DOWN, DOWN, DOWN. Harcourt Mifflin Harcourt: Massachusetts. ISBN: 9780618966363.

PLOT SUMMARY:
This book takes the reader on a journey to the deepest depths of the ocean, from the water's edge to the middle of the earth. The underwater creatures grow more and more curious as the drawings and explanations become more and more bizarre.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Steve Jenkins knows how to capture an audience, and proves it once again with DOWN, DOWN, DOWN. This book about the ocean gives detailed descriptions of the world's most insane-looking ocean-dwellers. It begins in the waters just off the coast with animals with which most readers will be somewhat familiar. With each page a deeper look into the sea is revealed (literally!), and by the third page one cannot wait to turn the page to discover the next outrageous living thing that abides in an area that is not likely to be visited by most. The illustrations, which are composed of paper that is cut and torn to create artful impressions of sea creatures, are full of vivid colors, sure to draw even the most cynical eye. The text is small and made to accompany the pictures as opposed to most books, in which the pictures are drawn to go with the text. On the side of each illustration is a scale that alerts the reader to which depth of the sea the page is demonstrating. The journey is as amazing and unbelievable as the introduction promises, delivering the "jellyfish that flash like a neon sign, creatures with teeth so big, they can't close their mouths, and even a squid as long as a bus, which battles to the death with a sperm whale, the largest predator on earth!"


REVIEW EXCERPTS:
ALA Notable Book, 2010
2009 Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book
One of Eight Most Notable Children's Books of 2009 List, New York Times
2011 Beehive Book Award Nominee
"Once again, Jenkins provides an almost irresistible entry into our natural world for the youngest readers." --Kirkus Reviews
"Depicted in Jenkins's signature handsome collages, the denizens of each level swim against ever-darkening backgrounds ranging from sunny blue to deepest black." --School Library Journal

CONNECTIONS:
Text-to-world connections can be made be easily made by using this book as a read aloud prior to an aquarium visit or a unit on the ocean. Students may find text-to-self connections if they have ever been to the coast and seen or heard of any of the animals described in this book. Text-to-text connections may be discovered by reading other books on the oceans or any of Steve Jenkins' other works, such as BONES, WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A TAIL LIKE THIS?, or HOW TO CLEAN A HIPPOPOTAMUS, among others.

Informational Text

We Are the Ship

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Nelson, Kadir. 2008. WE ARE THE SHIP. Ill. by Kadir Nelson. Hyperian Books for Children: New York. ISBN: 9780786808328.

PLOT SUMMARY:
"We are the ship, all else are the sea." This quote by Rube Foster, creator of the Negro National League, epitomizes this book. From the original teams before the league was created to the organization of some of the sport's greatest players, this book tells the story of the struggle for equality in America's favorite pastime.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Written with the title quote in mind, Kadir Nelson tells the story of the Negro League Baseball as if he was in the dugouts, meetings, and on the busses with the players. Not only are several of the players described in short but meaningful paragraphs, the reader is also given the visual treat of Kadir Nelson's amazing artwork. The drawings truly look like photographs taken of these key players of the game and of the struggle for equality. The most striking aspect of the drawings is perhaps the ability of the illustrator to capture the look of sunlight glinting off of a player's dark skin and the look of determination captured in the eyes of these brave men. The story itself is one that even a rookie to the pastime can appreciate. Thrown into the mix are funny quotations and stories that make the characters and situations relatable to the reader. One such story tells of Satchel Paige's visit to a judge after speeding through a small town. The judge fined the player $25 for his violation, but Satchel paid him $50 because he would be "coming back through tomorrow." Upon envisioning this, the reader cannot help but smile and wish Mr. Paige was still around.

REVIEW EXCERPTS:
Coretta Scott King Award
The Robert Siebert Medal
CASEY Award
"Nelson's soulful work about this long-neglected brand of our national pastime deserves- nay, demands - an all-ages audience." --David Davis, LA Times Book Review

CONNECTIONS:
This story is an excellent read aloud on its own, but would make a very interesting addition to a unit on the struggle for equality (possibly during Black History Month). It may be read in conjunction with "The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963", "Birmingham, 1963", "My Brother Martin", or any other book that relates stories of people fighting for freedom (text-to-text connections). Many students will find text-to-self connections (if they are players of baseball) and text-to-world connections (if they are watchers of the sport).

Poetry

Come Sunday

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Grimes, Nikki. 1997. COME SUNDAY. Ill. by Michael Bryant. Wm. B. Eerdmans: Michigan. ISBN: 0802851088.

PLOT SUMMARY:
The poetic free verse in this book begins on Sunday morning, where the main character's mother is waking her up to get ready for church that day. The story is told through the eyes of this character, a young girl, who loves everything about Sundays (with the exception of the blue-haired women at church pinching her cheeks). She loves the balcony and looking down onto the various hats being worn by women in the congregation, the way her mother's gloves look on her hands, and the music. This book takes the reader through LaTasha's baptism, her inner conflict with how much she should give in the offering, Sunday School, and the lunch at church after the service. It ends with her tummy growling (for the second time at church that day) and her father leading her out the door to start another week.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Anyone who attended church regularly as a child can relate to this book. The excitement of seeing what everyone was wearing, the jubilation of getting baptized, and the growling stomach at lunch time are all great connections to which many people will be able to relate. The illustrations are water color, and the development of shadows and lighting is very indicative of the fluorescent church lighting that the reader can envision overhead. The choir robes and clothes worn by parishioners reminds one of a childhood spent in the sanctuary of her own church. LaTasha's anticipation of the meal and her attitude about every event that takes place that day can only be described as sweet and delicate. Her attitude and this book can be summed up by her description of why she keeps an eye open while praying at the altar (which can invoke goose bumps in some readers!). She says she keeps her eyes open in order to "catch a miracle". She describes these miracles as, "the exact second God's Spirit touches" the person to whom the miracle is happening. She doesn't realize that the blessing may just be the fact that she is so dedicated to God's miracles in life.

REVIEW:
ALA Notable Book
California ReadersCalifornia Collection - elementary reading list
"Whatever their religious backgrounds, readers will smile at the jubilation." - Kirkus Reviews
"This is a wonderful book for introducing children to church life." - Publisher's Weekly

CONNECTIONS:
This book would really touch the young readers that have attended church at any point in their lives as text-to-self connections.
Text-to-text Connections:
"Because of Winn Dixie" (the church aspect of the book, the main characters)

Poetry

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies


by Sonya Sones

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Sones, Sonya. 2004. ONE OF THOSE HIDEOUS BOOKS WHERE THE MOTHER DIES. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 1416907882.

PLOT SUMMARY:


This poetic novel uses free verse to tell the story of Ruby, daughter of the famous actor Whip Logan and his ex-wife. While most kids would be much more interested in the famous parent, Ruby is more concerned with her mother, who recently died. The 15-year-old is now forced to move to L.A. to live with her father, who she has not seen in 13 years. This book takes the reader on a ride that many teens would love to be on, but not in the same situation as Ruby Milliken, who just misses her mother, her friends, and her home. Ruby eventually finds her way in this strange new place, but not without a few more heart-wrenching events take place in her life.



CRITICAL ANALYSIS:



She is not the classic bitter teenager, though. Ruby has deep thoughts about her mother (who she still emails though the messages keep getting sent back to her with "fatal errors"). She befriends her father's assistant, Max (who she lovingly refers to as Aunt Max given his sexual orientation). She has trouble fitting in at her new school, and she misses her best friend and boyfriend back east. Then Ruby stumbles into some even more troubling times, times filled with the death of a classmate who she has never met and the knowledge that her best friend and boyfriend share an ugly secret. Her world comes crashing down, almost literally, and she finds the father she didn't realize she had always had, along with the comfort of new friends and the prospect of a new love. It ends just the way every girl reading it will want her own life to end. The poetry in this novel is beautiful, and even heartbreaking at times. At one low point in the book, the main character describes her pain as "as if my heart's been Novocained." The reader cannot help but tear up as the word choice and even the spacing reflects pain as she tells of the moment her mother died with

"I was holding her hand


when it finally happened."





REVIEW EXCERPTS:

Arizona Young Reader's Award

Garden State Teen Book Award

Iowa Teen Award

Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award

SCASL Book Award

Volunteer State Book Award



"A winning portrayal of a teenage girl's loves and losses." - Publisher's Weekly



CONNECTIONS:

Excerpts from this book would be beneficial in teaching the trait of Sentence Fluency in students' own writing.

WHAT MY GIRLFRIEND DOESN'T KNOW by Sonya Sones

WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW by Sonya Sones

STOP PRETENDING- WHAT HAPPENED WHEN MY BIG SISTER WENT CRAZY by Sonya Sones

Poetry

Birmingham, 1963
by Carole Boston Weatherford

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Weatherford, Carole Boston. 2007. BIRMINGHAM, 1963. Pennsylvania: Wordsong. ISBN 9781590784402.

PLOT SUMMARY:
This historical fiction free verse tells the touching story of a fictional narrator who turns ten the day that the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama. The story is told from the narration of a young girl who turns ten on the day this tragic event takes place. The book starts off talking about the year the girl turned ten as a year of major events in the Civil Rights Movement. It then transitions into an account of how these events are seen through the eyes of an innocent young girl. After discussing the tragedy itself, a description of the aftermath is told. It paints a picture of chaos and fear in this girl's world. This was a day of devastation, and it is evident in the way this story is told.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
The word choice allows the reader to step into the shoes of this young girl and be a member of this church. One can almost hear the screams of the other parishioners as a short description of the event unfolds. The author spends quite a bit of the short book building up to the event. She describes not only the events that led to the bombing, such as water hoses and dogs being turned lose on pedestrians, but also what the narrator has for breakfast and how excited she is to be performing a solo in church that day. It really sets the tone of the unrest that had become so commonplace at this moment in history. The horrifying occurrence itself is mentioned without great detail, as if the child doesn't want to get too far into what she saw. The rest of the day is described, and there is a sadness beyond her years as she speaks not of the birthday party that she will no longer have that day, but of the four girls who will have no more birthdays and of the mayhem in the streets of her town on the heels of this tragedy. The point of view in this book makes it all the more evident how terrible this day really was, and that very young children were witnesses to the atrocities that took place on that infamous day. The book's pictures are real photos taken that day. They show families crying out in the streets and utter confusion on the faces of the residents of Birmingham that awful day, a day that will stand out in the history of that city and of our nation forever.

REVIEW EXCERPTS:

Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award

Jane Addams Children's Literature Honor

Jefferson Cup

Best Book, Librarian's Choices
"Exquisitely understated design lends visual potency to a searing poetic evocation of the Birmingham church bombing of 1963." Kirkus Reviews

CONNECTIONS:

This book would be excellent to read as an introduction to THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis. It would also be an beneficial addition to a unit on Civil Rights (maybe during Black History Month or on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day).

BECOMING BILLIE HOLIDAY by Carole Boston Weatherford

MOSES by Carole Boston Weatherford

I, MATTHEW HENSON by Carole Boston Weatherford