tween-quake

Saturday, May 14, 2011

The Bad Beginning

In the very beginning of the story, the narrator warns that this is not a good story, but a sad, miserable story and if the reader is faint of heart it would be best to quit reading. This is perhaps the best beginning to any story- talk about engaging adolescent readers! What better way to pique their interest than tell them, yeah, I bet you wouldn’t like this story and imply that if they stop reading, then they’re not adventurous.

The Bad Beginning: A Series of Unfortunate Events No. 1 has just about everything a young reader could ask for- a wicked villain to despise, three fabulous protagonists to fall in love with, so that any reader will find one that they identify with, and a solid story full of mystery, adventure, injustice, and a small glimmer of hope. The Baudelaire children, Violet- a 14 year old budding inventor/engineer, Klaus- a 12 year old avid reader/researcher, and Sunny- a noisy & orally fixated toddler, are orphaned when their parents are killed in a fire that consumes their home and all of their worldly possessions. As dictated by their parents will, they go to live with their nearest relative within their city- Count Olaf. From the moment they set foot in his old, run-down mansion, something is not quite right. The Count treats the children horribly, exploiting them for their ability to do menial labor, and scarcely feeding or clothing them. They know that something is not quite right and after they learn of his plans to steal their inheritance, they leap into action. One of the main themes of the story is that when you face problems, there is always a solution- be tenacious and do research.

The series consists of 13 volumes enough to keep an avid reader engaged for at least a summer, at most an entire year. The story is engaging and fast paced enough to keep reluctant readers turning the pages. The author also explains larger, more nuanced words to readers within the text, simply stating after the word that in this context it means, xyz. I would recommend this selection to tween readers in search of mystery and mischief from ages 9 and up.

Snickett, L. (1999). The Bad Beginning. New York: HarperCollins. 162 pages. ISBN: 978-0-064-40766-3.
Ages 9+

Further reading in the Series of Unfortunate Events:

1. The Bad Beginning

2. The Reptile Room

3. The Wide Window

4. The Miserable Mill

5. The Austere Academy

6. The Ersatz Elevator

7. The Vile Village

8. The Hostile Hospital

9. The Carnivorous Carnival

10. The Slippery Slope

11. The Grim Grotto

12. The Penultimate Peril

13. The End

My name is Maria Isabel

Maria Isabel Salazar Lopez starts her first day at a new school, in a new city, where they speak a different language. After introducing herself to her new teacher, the teacher off-handedly says that they’ll have to call her Mary because they already have two Marias in the classroom. Not knowing what to say, Maria complies, but has trouble responding to a name that isn’t hers. She is chided for not responding when called, and when she fails to respond to her teacher’s words when being assigned parts in a pageant, she is left out. Instead of being honest with her family, she leads them to believe that she is participating and when the deception is revealed she is humiliated. Her story is one of a Puerto Rican family struggling in a new world in search of a better life, while maintaining a sense of their Latin American heritage. All is not lost for Maria, for she is able to redeem herself through writing a persuasive essay where she reveals her desire and reasons for wanting to be called by her full and proper name. The story is written in short chapters with accompanying black and white illustrations and will serve to engage younger tween readers up to 10 years old. The story is an exploration of the themes of love and honor as well as an introduction to Latin American culture. I would recommend this selection to young tweens who are interested in reading realistic fiction as well as youth struggling with their own cultural identities.

Ada, A.F. (1993). My name is Maria Isabel. New York: Atheneum. 57 pages. ISBN: 9780689315176.

Ages 8-10

Camille McPhee fell under the bus

Camille McPhee is eleven years old and unlucky. Her best friend moved to Japan, her cat is lost, she is tormented by bullies, and as the title suggests- she slips and falls under her school bus. Although she’s not badly hurt, Camille slinks back home and takes a day off of school. Middle school is not as much fun without her best friend. So, she worries- about not getting hearing anything from her best friend, about her parents not getting along, and about lost cat Checkers. At school, Camille decides to be a loner despite friendship attempts from her neighbor Polly. Even though she has determined that her life is not very fun, and quite unfair she trudges on enduring her parents trial separation, being called ‘soccerball head’ by school bullies, and toting her cooler full of food to stave off hypoglycemic attacks. Her mother calls her hopeful, but Camille is merely biding her time. The story is full of humor, mostly at Camille’s expense, but sometimes at the expense of others leading Camille to the conclusion that life is not as easy for everyone else as she thinks. Even though some of the events experienced by Camille are quite heavy for the middle school set, they are dealt with straight forward in an unflinchingly honest way relieving them of their weight. I would highly recommend this selection to a tween who is having a bad day- reading about other people’s problems always makes me feel ten times better.

Tracy, K. (2009). Camille McPhee fell under the bus. New York: Delacorte Press. 293 pages. ISBN: 978-0-385-73687-9.

Ages 9-12.

Al Capone Shines My Shoes (Book Trailer)

I’m pleased that the Newberry Award-Winning author Gennifer Choldenko continued the story of Matthew ‘Moose’ Flanagan, his friends, and his family on Alcatraz. The story picks just where Al Capone Does My Shirts ended, and now the favor Moose asked of Al Capone has to be repaid. Thoroughly frustrated and fearing for his family’s sanity, Moose had asked Al Capone to help get his sister Natalie into a special school for children with disabilities. “Your turn,” the note attached to his shirt simply said. So, Moose struggles to do as Capone asks, angering guards, the warden, and finally getting his friends and their father into trouble. As he puts his father’s job in jeopardy by doing as Capone asks, Moose becomes wiser and grows to understand the effect he has on people- particularly girls. From the tense beginning to the chilling conclusion, the themes of honesty, loyalty, and friendship reverberate instilling moral lessons without begin overly preachy. Overall, it is the trust and honesty of friends that prevails when individuals make mistakes.

If readers haven’t been entertained by the previous story in the series, I would suggest reading Al Capone Does My Shirt first and rushing to your nearest library to put a copy of Choldenko’s newest books, No Passengers Beyond This Point, on hold. This work of historical fiction can stand on it’s own, but definitely holds more meaning as a sequel to the first book where familiar characters continue to develop and change.

Choldenko, G. (2009). Al Capone Shines my Shoes. New York: Puffin Books . 304 pages. ISBN: 978-0-142-41718-8.

Ages 9-12.

Dragonwings

Prolific writer and Newberry Honor winner, Laurence Yep created this classic tale in the early 1970’s. Moon Shadow Lee is an 8 year old by who travels from his native China to live with his father in San Francisco’s Chinatown district in the early 1900’s. He loves and respects his father, believes him to be clever and brave. When he moves to San Francisco, he and his father live with family as his father works for the family laundry business, but soon they branch out on their own so his father, Windrider, can start a repair business. As he endures the mockery of others, and the hardships of being an impoverished immigrant, Moon Shadow stands by his father in his pursuit to build a machine that can fly. At the heart of the story lies the love and respect of a child for his father, the rich traditions of Chinese culture, and how tenacity and perseverance pay off. This is a story for dreamers, who yearn to read about different cultures or perhaps hear about their own culture from another perspective. I would recommend this selection to older tweens 10 and up who are fans of the historical fiction. Although this selection is part of the Golden Mountain Chronicles it stands strongly as a story on its own.

Yep, L. (1975). Dragonwings. New York: Harper & Row. 248 pages. ISBN: 978-0-064-40085-5.

Ages 9-12

Darkwood

Although the story has many of the hallmarks of traditional fairytales and children’s stories- the orphan, an eerie prophecy, and a very dark and spooky woods, this is a highly original, engaging story. The orphan in question is one Annie Trewitt and she lives with her aunt and uncle in Howland- a place where darkness falls fast, one minute it’s light out, the next it’s pitch black. The residents of Howland live in constant fear of the kinderstalk, which are described as large black creatures that prey on townsfolk, their children, and livestock. When she over hears her aunt and uncle discussing a plot to turn her over to the kinderstalk as a sacrifice, she devises her escape. Accompanied by her cats Isadore and Prue, Annie makes her way into the woods, away from her evil aunt and uncle, and toward something more dangerous than she could ever imagine. This coming of age story is about bravery and looking inside oneself for the answers we should all rely on- our instincts. I would highly recommend this selection to fans of Avi and Allie Condie’s Matched. This is Ms. Breen’s first and only novel for adolescent audiences- a sequel is in the works.

www.mebreen.com

Breen, M.E. (2009). Darkwood. New York: Bloomsbury. 273 pages. ISBN: 978-1-599-90259-3.

Ages 11+

Gender Blender [Book Trailer]

When Ms. Andre asks her Health Class what the gender traits of girls and boys are, the responses are the typical stereotypical sexist fare. This is middle school, after all and one can’t expect much more. So, she assigns a project that she hopes will remedy the situation and allow the opposite gender a deeper understanding of what it takes to be them. When the girl/boy pairs are announced Emma and Tom are less than elated to be stuck with each other. They used to be best friends, before middle school and before they started being interested in the opposite sex. During an argument after school, the two collide and are knocked unconscious. When she wakes up, Emma hears screaming from the boy’s locker room and she runs in to find Tom, no herself, staring into a mirror, screaming in horror. When she looks into the mirror herself, she sees Tom. This humorous, laugh out loud comedic twist on Freaky Friday will keep readers engaged well past their bedtime. Tom and Emma each struggle with different body issues, challenging experiences of the opposite sex that bring all of their assumptions into question, and different social hierarchies. Each gets a new outlook on the opposite gender as they hang out with one another’s friends and get to hear the secret back room talk they’ve always been curious about. The end result is a funny story that will challenge the reader’s assumptions about the opposite sex, and hopefully engage thoughtful discussion of gender stereotypes. This is a story that both male and female readers will be entertained by and I would recommend it both.

Nelson, B. (2006). Gender Blender. New York: Delacorte Press. 182 pages. ISBN: 978-0-385-90937-2.

Ages 9-12.