Module 5- Book 3 Classic Historical Fiction

1.Bibliography
Paulsen,Gary.1993.Nightjohn.New York,NY: Delacorte Press.ISBN 0385308388

2.Plot Summary
As a child slave in the 1850's,12 year old Sarny knows few joys and comforts.Rather,she, and all the slaves around her,live in a state of constant fear and degradation. Her situation becomes even more dangerous when the defiant slave Nightjohn arrives and promises to teach her to read.

3.Critical Analysis

This is a powerfully written historical novel about the brutalizing effects of the institution of slavery. Paulsen uses short sentences, stark descriptions, some non-standard punctuation, dialect and the less sophisticated , limited point-of-view of a 12 year-old girl to effectively portray the stunting effect of slave life.

The narrative is driving,simple, yet breathtakingly focused.The sheer brutality of slave life is documented in sparse language that still contains a rough poetry because of its honesty.The plot is gripping,disturbing and unforgettable in its relentless grimness.


The fact that Sarny's ability to describe things is limited because of her circumscribed and imprisoned experience adds to the visceral impact of the book.
Sarny's curiosity,Mammy's subjection, and Nighjohn's defiance all come accross as realistic and understandable reactions to their subhuman environment.

Nightjohn also succeeds as a haunting portrayal of the search for human dignity and the unquenchable thirst for knowledge, as well as the innate curiosity of chidhood, even in the face of the most twisted cruelty. It is a story about the connections between literacy and freedom.Sarny explicitly states this in the last sentence of the books as she describes Nightjohn's return,"Late he come walking and it be Nightjohn bringing us the way to know."


4.Review Excerpts

Publisher's Weekly-
"Among the most powerful of Paulsen's works ( Hatchet ; The Winter Room ; Dogsong ), this impeccably researched novel sheds light on cruel truths in American history as it traces the experiences of a 12-year-old slave girl in the 1850s."

Booklist-
What gives the story transcendence is the character Nightjohn, who fires Sarny with hope. He once escaped north to freedom, and now he's come back to teach slaves what is fiercely forbidden them--reading

5.Connections

Gather other books with slave narratives such as Landau,Elaine. In Their Own Voices:The Journey to Freedom.ISBN:053111743X

Readers will want to seek out Paulsen's sequel to Nightjohn, called Sarny: A Life Remembered. ISBN:0385321953

Use this young adult novel as a springboard to discuss modern-day slavery.

Research ways to stop modern slavery.
Sites such as www.restavekfreedom.org or www.freetheslaves.net have suggestions for helping children trapped into slavery.

Gather other books about today's child slavery such as:
Bok,Francis. Escape from Slavery: the True Story of my Ten Years in Captivity and My Journey to Freedom in America. ISBN:0312306237
This autobiography of a former child slave is very accessible and discusses the author's childhood in a way that will interest young adults.

Module 5-Book 2- Historical Novel by Linda Sue Park

Bibliography
Park,Linda Sue.2001.A Single Shard.New York,NY:Clarion Books.ISBN:0395978270

2.Plot Summary
As an orphan living under a bridge with his father figure Crane Man in Twelfth- century Korea,Tree Ear must be resourceful,resolute and full of curiosity in order to survive. Crane Man adopted him as a little boy and has taught him how to be an exemplary human being, as well as the basics of survival in the potter's village where they live. But, Tree Ear longs to learn how to do more:he wants to create the luminous celadon ware that the village is famous for,even though this opportunity is only open to potter's sons.


3.Critical Analysis

Although the story is slow moving at times and the characters are somewhat flat,A Single Shard remains a very memorable and involving story.
Modern day readers may have difficulty relating to the almost saintly Tree-ear.Living according to the Korean ideals of filial duty and self-sacrifice,Tree-ear ,the ultimate goody two-shoes, always puts the needs of Crane Man first and seldom thinks of himself or has an unkind thought. Still,Tree-Ear's resourcefulness and determination will win over many young readers.

Ch'ulp'o, a potter's village famous for its Celadon ware,is vividly brought to life as a place full of cold,hunger, competition and uncertainty. The poor are so desperate that they eagerly scrabble for discarded rice grains in the fields.
Meanwhile,the potters compete with each other and take delight in the misfortune of their fellow craftsmen.

The cold of the Korean winter and the villages of the landscape of the Korean countryside are also well-described and seem very real. The reader becomes well aware of the fact that the landscape seems forbidding and scary to a village boy.

However the truly captivating aspect of A Single Shard is is the detailed and very focused portrayal of the coming of age of a crafstman. This novel succeeds because it is a fascinating portrayal of curiosity and creativity. Tree-ear's restless and insatiable curiosity leads him on the path to mastery of his chosen craft as an apprentice to the taciturn and crochety master potter Min.

Park's style successfully conveys the cadences, and saying of the Korean language while being written in English. The language flows well and never sounds stilted or false.

4.Review Excerpts

Starred Review Publisher's Weekly
"The author molds a moving tribute to perseverance and creativity in this finely etched novel set in mid- to late-12th-century Korea. Readers will not soon forget these characters or their sacrifices."

School Library Journal
"This quiet story is rich in the details of life in Korea during this period. In addition it gives a full picture of the painstaking process needed to produce celadon pottery. However, what truly stands out are the characters: the grumpy perfectionist, Min; his kind wife; wise Crane-man; and most of all, Tree-ear, whose determination and lively intelligence result in good fortune."


5.Connections
This book could lead to a discussion about the different attitudes towards authority and parents in Korean and American culture.

An exploration of Korean life and culture can be found in Simon Winchester's Korea: A Walk Through the Land of Miracles. ISBN:0135166268

Readers who enjoyed A Single Shard will want to seek out other books of historical fiction by Linda Sue Park.
Seesaw Girl ISBN:0395915147
The Kite Fighters ISBN:0395940419

Module 5- Book 1 Scott O'Dell Award Winner

1.Bibliography
Anderson,Laurie Halse Anderson.2008. Chains: Seeds of America.
New York,NY:Simon and Schuster Books for Young Reader's.ISBN:9781416905851


2.Plot Summary

Setting: Revolutionary New York.
Young slave Isabel and her sister Ruth are sold to the cruel Locktons during the American Revolution. Isabel spies for the revolutionaries because she believes they will grant her and her afflicted little sister Ruth, a chance at freedom.

3.Critical Analysis

"This country is going to be free and you and me with it",brash Curzon promises fellow-slave Isabel when he persuades her to spy for the rebels. His statement sums up the hope of all slaves during this time period. America's slaves, as well as the American patriots of the 1700's long for freedom. Alas,neither Colonel Regan,one of the leaders of the rebel forces, nor the other revolutionaries have any intention of granting universal freedom.

This novel is set during the American Revolution in the city of New York. Anderson skillfully portrays the turmoil brought about by the almost daily changing in fortunes during this era. The citizens never know who to welcome:one day Washington's rebellious forces appear poised for victory,the next day the British army seems sure to win. The tumultoous times are skillfully portrayed,as the plot never bogs down in details and intrigue that are overly convoluted.

In the book's most graphic chapter,the horror of fire is vividly brought to life by Anderson's description of flames,panic and burning houses during a conflagration in revolutionary New York.

Isabel's character is very believable and very real: She is by turns resourceful,naive,brave and fearful. She is mentally affected by the violence and the losses that she has suffered, yet at times she remains clearheaded.

The author writes this first person narrative using the voice of the intelligent,observant and even at times humorous and sarcastic young slave Isabel, who must look after her beloved sister Ruth after suffering devastating losses.

Isabel's surroundings and her interactions are effectively portrayed through the use of convincing dialogue and Anderson's sharp eye for detail. The banter between Curzon, a more sophisticated fellow slave, and Isabel,just new from the country, but with a good head on her shoulders ,is especially lively and engaging and captures the speech patterns of the era.

In additon to being entertaining,this book is also well-researched. The quotes that begin each chapter provide the reader with a historical context,while the useful appendix includes an interview where Andersen discusses her sources and inspirations for the novel. A careful reading of the Appendix and the acknowledgements would allow an interested and very committed researcher to seek out Andersen's sources and verify the facts presented in the novel.

4. Review Excerpts

School Library Journal
With short chapters, each beginning with a historical quote, this fast-paced novel reveals the heartache and struggles of a country and slave fighting for freedom. The characters are well developed, and the situations are realistic.

Horn Book
Anderson's novel is remarkable for its strong sense of time and place and for its nuanced portrait of slavery and of New York City during the Revolutionary War.

5.Connections
This book may start a class discussion on the definitions and responsibilities of freedom.

Gather other books about African-Americans during colonial America including:
Anderson, M. T. 2006. The Astonishing Life Of Octavian Nothing, Traitor To The Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick. ISBN 0763624020

and for slightly younger readers,

Berleth,Richard J. Samuel's Choice.ill by James Watling.Niles,Ill:Whitman.
ISBN:0807572187. In Samuel's Choice two African-Americans participate in the battle of Long Island and win their freedom.

Module 4- Book 3-Biography by Kathleen Krull.

1.Bibliography
Krull,Katherine.2004.The Boy on Fairfield Street:How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss.ill.by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher.New York,NY:Random House.ISBN:0375922989

2.Plot Summary
Krull chronicles how the animal loving,whimsical and artistically inclined boy named Ted Geisel developed into the talented author Dr. Seuss.


3.Critical Analysis
Pictures follow Ted Geisel's development as an artist and show how the same traits that were a hindrance when he did not know what to do with them were a bonus when properly chanelled. His character,temperament,propensities stayed the same and served him well so that he could create as Dr. Seuss.

Each episode in the life of Ted Geisel is presented as a vignette that illustrates a characteristic that would later help make Dr. Seuss who he was.

The spot art featuring favorite Seuss characters complement and echo the emotions expressed in the nostalgic,evocative paintings. For example,in a scene where he is derided for being German-American and unathletic, two tiny sneetch-like creatures look sad and crestfallen.

The beautifically crafted text is filled with vivid descriptions of Ted Geisel's childhood joys such as mention of "chin-up" or "ear-waggling" contests.

There is a complete bibliography in the back of Great Works Written and Illustrated by Dr. Seuss. The concluding essay On Beyond Fairfield Street provides a complete biography of Seuss and puts his early life in context. In this essay,we learn about his happier later years. There are also suggestions for further reading and a list of Seuss related websites. These resources would allow an interested reader to verify the facts presented in this Seuss biography.

A photograph of an older avuncular Dr. Seuss,satisyingly enough, shows him looking content after a life of happiness and achievement.

4.Review Excerpts

School Library Journal
" Krull's work is a terrific look at the boyhood of one of the most beloved author/illustrators of the 20th century."
Horn Book
"Four additional pages summarize the high points and pivotal moments of his entire life in somewhat more detail, but the real story here is of a boy who couldn't stop doodling, who ""feasted on books and was wild about animals,"" and who ""excelled at fooling around."" Krull does a good job of linking such early propensities with what turned up later, visually and thematically, in Geisel's books. Johnson and Fancher provide nostalgic full-page paintings that nicely recall illustrations of the period; a wealth of adroitly chosen vignettes from Seuss's own books (listed at the end) illuminate points made in the text"

5.Connections
Children who enjoyed learning about an author's life might like:
De Paola,Tomie. 26 Fairmount Avenue. ISBN:9780399232466
An autobiography by noted children's author Tomie De Paola.

They might also enjoy:
Potter,Giselle.The Year I Didn't Go to School. ISBN:9780689847301
An account of one author's unconventional childhood.

or
The Journey that Saved Curious George.ISBN-13: 978-0618339242
About the lives and creations of two other famous children's authors, Margret and H.A.Rey

Boy on Fairfield Street is a book that should prompt a discussion about character traits and goals. Maybe we don't need to completely change who we are to succeed. We just need to find a place where our strengths are appreciated. Students could talk about researching little-known careers that might suit them.

Module 4-Book 2 Non Fiction book by Seymour Simon

1.Bibliography
Simon,Seymour.2005.Amazing Bats.San Francisco,CA:Chronicle Books.ISBN:1587172623

2.Plot Summary
Debunks myths about bats and replaces them with fascinating and relevant facts in order to provide readers in grades 1-3 with a general overview about bats. Seymour Simon explains complex subjects such as echolocation and hibernation in an easy to understand style.

3.Critical Analysis
Seymour Simon shares many telling details about bats in order to put the bat's importance in perspective, such as "A little brown bat can eat about 600 bugs an hour. That's like you eating 20 pizzas a night."

The facts in this photo-essay book,which begins with some generalizations that apply to all bats and then zeroes in on species-specific details, are laid out in a direct and uncomplicated style. They are coupled with many dramatic close-up pictures of bat faces and large easy-to read white print against dark background or black print against an appealing light background. Simon illustrates the range of bat sizes with a memorable "actual size" photo of the tiny pipistrelle and an impressive shot of the gigantic flying fox, whose wingspan of six feet "is wider than you are tall."


This book is the right size for small hands and features a likeable picture of ordinary,everyday children watching for bats. This should make the book extremely accessible to young readers.

However,the only resources for verifying the facts in this book are the well-documented picture credits. Many of the pictures are from the respected organization,Bat Conservation International.This book lacks a simple bibliography and afterword that would aid teachers and others in searching for more information about bats.

4.Review Excerpts
School Library Journal
"Gorgeous photographs distinguish these two books from similar titles. The first one begins with an introduction to the topic, followed by facts about where bats live, what they eat, and how they handle the cold weather. Simon does a good job dispelling myths, adding trivia, and drawing readers in."

The Horn Book
"The text does a good job of introducing some rather sophisticated scientific concepts (e.g., sonar, hibernation). The organization is random, but the pictures are eye-catching and surprising. A spacious page design helps focus to the eye."


5.Connections

If you live in South/Central Texas,invite a speaker from Austin's Bat Conservation International,to come speak to the children.

In San Antonio,give parents and children directions to the Newell Street Bridge, the newest urban bat colony in Texas inadvertently created by the grouping of a public sculpture hanging from the bridge.

Students located too far from a bat colony might consider adopting a bat at the Bat World rehabilitation Center in Mineral Wells,Texas. More information is available at:
www.batworld.org.

Other books about bats:
Ackerman,Diane.Bats:Shadows in the Night. ISBN:0517709201
This book follows Merlin Tuttle,founder of Bat Conservation International as he studies and explains bats.

Cole,Joanna. The Truth about Bats. ISBN:0439107989
Miss Frizzle, from the Magic School Bus, explains echolocation and other bat mysteries. ISBN:0439107989

Module 4- Book 1 Orbis Award Winner

1. Bibliography
Bartoletti,Susan Campbell.2005.
Hitler Youth:Growing up in Hitler's Shadow.New York:NY
Scholastic.ISBN:0439353793

2.Plot Summary
I begin with the young.
We older ones are used up...
But my magnificent youngsters!
Look at these men and boys!
What material! With them, I can create a new world."
-Adolf Hitler

Author Campbell Bartoletti chronicles the rise of the Hitler Youth and the role they played in World War II through photographs,personal recollections, and eyewitness accounts.

Susan Campbell Bartoletti explains how Hitler could have risen to power by twisting the natural idealism and enthusiasm of the German youth. Many children joined for the excitment, cameraderie and adventure that the Nazi youth promised and simply accepted the Nazi view on subjects such as Jews and the war. Hitler Youth attempts to make the decisions of these ordinary German children comprehensible to readers.

The author provides a full portrait of life for young people in Hitler's Germany by also focusing on Jewish children who became the target of the Hitler youth as well as young resisters like Sophie,Hans and Inge Scholl who opposed Hitler and his ideas.

Jewish young people like Bert Loewen and Hanns Peter Herz also recount the hardships that they suffered under the Nazi regime,while the quotes and personal recollections of children such as Hitler Youth,Lothar Loewe give us a unique insight into the minds of children under Hitler's sway.

3.Critical Analysis
The organization of this compelling book, the story of the youths who helped Hitler achieve power, makes the history accessible.

A preliminary section entitled The Young People in this Book introduces each person discussed in the book with a clear photograph and a short explanation of the role that each one played in Nazi history.

An extensive bibliography, a list of quote sources, a foreward, an author's note and a description of the sources of the visually arresting photographs allow the reader to verify the author's research and follow up with further study.

The striking use of the unforgettable photographs arranged on the facing page of each chapter, coupled with clear explanatory captions in italics, as well as the powerfully effective use of quotes as chapter titles, such as Chapter 1's quote "For the Flag, We are Ready to Die:Hitler's Rise to Power" and the division of the text into logically and chronologically ordered chapters that are clearly numbered in what looks like Fraktur typeface lead the reader through the rise and fall of the Hitler Youth.

The very personal eyewitness accounts of the manipulated young people in this book, along with a look at the denazification process conducted by the post-war allies offer a fresh perspective on life in Nazi Germany.The discussion of the aftermath of the war and a timeline as well as an Epilogue that answers the question "What became of the young people in this book?" places the lives of the Nazi Youths in historical context.

The last chapter of the book ends with the chilling questions,"Could another despot like Hitler rise to power on the shoulders of young people ?" and "What are you willing to do to prevent such a shadow from falling over you and others?"

Ending with such powerful questions forces readers to see themselves as part of history and ponder their role in it.



4.Review Excerpts
School Library Journal
"Bartoletti lets many of the subjects' words, emotions, and deeds speak for themselves, bringing them together clearly to tell this story unlike anyone else has."
Hornbook
"With clarity and apt quotation (scrupulously sourced), Bartoletti takes readers from the prewar beginnings of Hitler Youth, through its significant role in gaining Hitler the government, to its ultimate position as a feeder for the German war machine."


5.Connections
Other books about young people caught up in history during the Nazi period:
Opdyke,Irene Gut.In my hands:Memories of a Holocaust rescuer.ISBN 0679891811 This fascinating autobiography,specifically aimed at young people, tells the story of one teen who decided to follow the dictates of her conscience and rescue Jews in Poland.

Frank,Anne.The Diary of a young girl. This classic diary of a young girl hiding from the Nazis is available in many editions. Though it is very familiar,it remains a powerful testament to the human spirit, and a moving account of one young person's experience.

Gottfried,Ted.Children of the slaughter:young people of the holocaust.Ill.by Stephen Alcorn. ISBN:0761317163.
Another well-written book about Jewish children in the Holocaust.

Have young adults read news stories of other genocides happening today, such as the one in Darfur. Discuss what can be done to stop these modern day atrocities.