The Book Club Shelf

Clementine's Letter

Author: Sara Pennypacker
Lexile Score: 600
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Maturity level: 2nd grade
Pages: 150   Chapters: 11   Average Chapter length: 14 pages (with illustrations)
Theme: Making people happy, Think before you act
Project ideas: Random acts of kindness
First Line:  "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of...ouch!"
Main Character: Clementine
Review in 25 words or less: As strong or stronger than the other titles in the series.  Unexpected in every way, an absolute delight!
Grade: A

I went into this expecting to enjoy it - as I had the original Clementine - but found out it was truly exceptional.  Yes, Sara Pennypacker has hit on a winning formula.  The magic now is, she has perfected it and used it to her advantage to truly transcend storytelling and actually create some meaning.  I don't remember the original book all that well, other than to say I remember my 3rd graders highly enjoyed it and so did I.  (I also remember the University instructor who happened to observe me reading it aloud and gave me some harsh feedback afterwards regarding the futility of read-alouds - that's another story for another post)  This latest Clementine installment sets out to accomplish more than a cute story.  There is a lesson here: our actions have consequences, and we should think that through before acting!

Clementine has a substitute teacher for a week, because her regular one is attending preperation for a possible Egypt trip - a trip Clementine can make or break with a letter of recommendation on his behalf.  (I think I remember this plot, WHEN IT WAS CALLED JUDY MOODY GOES TO COLLEGE.  OK that was harsh, but I couldn't resist.  They're actually not all that similar, other than the regular teacher is off on a teachers-only adventure) She can't figure out the rules of the sub, and gets into some mischief - this much we expect from Clementine.  Along the way, there are a few subplots involving doing nice things for her parents that go awry.  Her dad teaches her to think before she acts, and consider the consequences of what she does.  It's not as preachy as I'm making it sound, in fact, the moral sort of sneaks up on you.  I actually completely mis-guessed the ending, which was refreshing.  I should have guessed my wrong guess.  A rightful, wrongful prediction.  RIGHTFUL WRONGFUL SPOILER: I thought she would write the letter all mean, saying how he was a crummy teacher and had bad breath, and the judges would see through it, and award him the trip based on how obviously the students DIDN'T want him to go.  That would have been the cute ending Mr. W would have written.  the spoiler is that THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN.

I should write reviews on Very Little Sleep more often.  This was fun - but not as fun as reading Clementine's Letter - it is a treat.  (and thus, this post gets some special graphic treatment!)

*Nominated for a 2008 Cybils Award in Middle Grade Fiction!

Ringside 1925: Views from the Scopes Trial

Author: Jen Bryant
Lexile Score: n/a
Genre: Historical Fiction - Verse Novel
Maturity level: 5th grade (nothing risky here, just a bit more intellectual)
Pages: 223   Chapters: not really chapters - seven "parts"
Theme: religion vs. science
Project ideas: Draw pictures of the people telling the story (I found myself wishing these were included)
First Line:  Several quotes, and each character has his/her first poem, but it starts with Peter Sykes, who says: That morning, Jimmy and me had hiked clear to Connor's pond, halfway up the mountain, and back again.
Main Character: J.T. Scopes, William Jennings Bryan, and Clarence Darrow.  But the story is told by nince fictional characters, who really play the main roles.
Review in 25 words or less: Not since Out of the Dust have I learned so much and been so delighted with a verse novel.  Bryant teaches and entertains creatively & completely in Ringside: 1925.
Grade: A
Told in verse form, this is the story of nine fictional residents of Dayton, Tennessee who lived through the famous Scopes Monkey trial.  Each person takes turns telling his or her story as they piece together the actual events of the arrest, trial, and verdict.  We get to listen to their thoughts as they work out their own uncertainties regarding evolution and faith.  As hey dialogue with  both each other and with the historical characters of the trial, we read a more complete recounting of the event - not just of facts, but of emotions, too.
I absolutely loved this book.  It was amazingly well-thought-out, with intriguing story lines developed for each character.  It tells the historical details of the trial completely, even including (I assume) accurate quotes from the various players.  It also presents all sides of the arguments by pitting the fictional characters of Dayton against each other in thoughts and actions.  The writing is very strong, not a single poem is unnecessary or off-task.  And even though the purpose is to tell the story of the trial, the stories of the characters are also fully developed, interesting, and fun.  One example: There are two younger boys who earn money running errands for tourists, judges, and others.  Their friendship begins to erode as they rehearse their biblical and scientific beliefs with each other.  Jen Bryant has done such a wonderful job imagining how these conversations might sound at all levels of intellect and wisdom.  She has taken the scholarly rants of Bryan and Darrow, and then reconstructed them for the mouths of her characters.  The arguments were emotional then, and still get plenty of airtime today - making this book highly significant. 
It would be a wonderful book for a book club.  It would also be perfect paired with a study of evolution, or a discussion (at higher academic levels or church settings) of religion and evolution.  I wonder: there has been much debate on this topic of teaching evolution in schools.  Would there be similar debate over the teaching of the history of this trial?

Jeremy Cabbage and the Living Museum of Human Oddballs and Quadruped Delights

Author: David Elliott
Lexile Score: 830 (how are made-up words scored?)
Genre: Fantasy, Surrealism, Allegory,
Maturity level: 3rd grade
Pages: 307   Chapters: 50 Average Chapter Length: 6 pages
Theme: Redemption, Happiness, Family
Project ideas:
First Line:  "He'll do," the woman said, pointing to Jeremy.
Main Character: Jeremy Cabbage - also, to a lesser extent, the Baron's daughter's nanny
Review in 25 words or less: A real curiosity, this.  Set in a fully developed alternate world of unusual occurrences and strange names, I cheer for Jeremy as I struggled through it.
Grade: B
Jeremy Cabbage lives in an alternate world, run by a dictatorial Baron.  He is adopted bought by three succeeding families, the third being a group of clowns Cloons that finally have the capacity to love him and care for him.  The Baron tried to press his authority by sending cars through town blaring moral soundbites and ridding the city of groups he (or his wife) deem unfit - especially the Cloons.

Although orphan-beats-the-system stories are a bit cliche, This one started out strong.  You know all along that Jeremy only gets three chances for adoption, so you are really excited when, on his third try, he is brought home by two cloons.  The story of the Baron's daughter's nanny is woven throughout, helping to clearly define the line between the outcasts vs. the ruling class.  The main concept of the story is great, and works well.  There are many ideas here, making this book very complex, and discussion-rich.  While I would not put this at the top of my list, I do think it would make a good book club choice for students to help each other decipher.

*Note:  Unfortunately Read Roger brought my attention to this chart when I was about a third of the way through Jeremy Cabbage: (click to link to the original source)

 

I had trouble shaking this thought as I plowed through the many invented spellings and names throughout this book. 

*Nominated for a 2008 Cybils Award in Middle Grade Fiction!