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!

Cybils!

Awesome.

I was selected to participate in the 3rd annual Cybils awards selection process as a panelist for middle grade fiction!  I am feeling very humble after browsing the brilliant weblogs of my fellow panelists:

Sarah Mulhern (the Reading Zone)
Alysa Stewart (Everead)
Mary R. Voors (ACPL Mock Newbery)
Sherry Early (Semicolon)
Kim Baccellia (Si, se puede! Yes we can)
Melissa Fox (Book Nut)

Together, we will sift through the nominated titles (last year's MG list was 70+?) and narrow them down to a more manageable list, from which the winner will be chosen by the second-round judges.  Rereading the list of nominees from last year was like looking at a list of some of my favorite books!  I am really looking forward to the process.  If you know of a great book, nominations open October 1st!

Sea Queens: Women Pirates Around the World

Author: Jane Yolen
Lexile Score: 1040
Genre: History/ Historical Fiction/ Mythology
Maturity level: 6th grade
Pages: 120   Chapters: 12 (basically each chapter is a different pirate) Average Chapter Length: 10 pages
Theme: Piracy!
Project ideas: This book could be used as a tool, researching FOR a project
First Line:  A Pirate is a robber who roams the oceans of the world.
Main Character: Several Women Pirates - perhaps the main character is danger!
Review in 25 words or less: Accessible introduction to a curious subject: the woman pirate.  Interesting, well-written, and full of beautiful woodcuts.  Yolen keeps careful track of the truth, the myth and the embellishment; spares no detail no matter how gory.
Grade: A-
Sea Queens by Jane Yolen is a retro-looking, fact-filled voyage through the history of women who terrorized the seas as pirates.  Not exactly common subject matter!  Yolen breaks the book down by chapters - each taking on a specific story of a legendary pirate.  She is careful to keep you aware of the facts and exxagerations - much of what we can read about pirates has been fictionalized and obscured the truth.  But true or not, the stories of these women are astounding!  They are vengeful theives, liars and murderers.  Ranging from 500BC to Colonial times, the stories are told concisely enough to take you right into the meaty parts: so-and-so was born in France, and one day she dressed up as a man and stole a gun to sneak aboard a dreaded pirate vessel.
The book is wonderfully arranged - the page spreads are filled with sidebars of poems, lyircs, and little-known facts; a perfectly suited non-typical format for readers who like to have their eyes jump around the page.  The book is also filled with important details about weapons and ships used specific to each pirate's story.  The woodcuts are beautiful, full of symbolism and simple enough to still allow your imagination to create the images of these great, terrible pirates.  The book includes an extensive bibliography, as well as helpful websites on specific pirates.
For book club, this actually would make a good nonfiction choice.  Students would definitely need each other to process the stories, and extra research and map reading to fully grasp the stories.  And the organization of each chapter focusing on one pirate makes good sense.  Personally, I struggle with reading nonfiction books stright through - it took me a few sittings to get through all the pirates.  However, I know many students love nonfiction, and reading this one with a book club would help keep everyone focused and entrenched in the learning.

The Underneath

Author: Kathi Appelt
Lexile Score: 830
Genre: fantasy/ suspense
Maturity level: 5th/6th grade (the man, Gar Face, is incredibly violent and regularly drinks - even to the point of passing out)
Pages: 311   Chapters: 124  Average Chapter Length: 1-3 pages
Theme: destiny, nature, karma, love, time
Project ideas: hmmm
First Line: THERE IS NOTHING lonelier than a cat who has been loved, at least for a while, and then abandoned on the side of the road.
Main Character: Tho kittens, Sabine and Puck, and an old hound, Ranger
Review in 25 words or less: Reads more like a poem; bizarre, complex, and wonderful.
Grade: A-
I finally finished this book after having started it at the beginning of summer.  Why did it take me three months to read?  I can't ignore the fact that it was a struggle to maintain energy in the middle.  This isn't to say it wasn't a wonderful book, and I will note that the last 200 pages took me one night.
It is tricky to summarize this book.  There are several key players, all within seemingly divergent story lines.  There is the cat, who has kittens, and moves in with a dog under the house of an outcast drunk.  There are the trees, who play a role in almost every chapter - more in thought than in deed.  There are the shape shifters, the birdpeople, the snakewoman, and others.  There is One Enormous Alligator of Legendary Size.  There is also Gar Face, the drunk hermit hunter.  All of these characters had me very confused near the beginning.  The stories take place across a thousand years, which also had me thrown for a while.  All of these factors would have had me putting the book away early, were it not for the language.  Appelt has poured her soul into the words of this book, and they hold you.  There is a song the hound sings to the kittens near the beginning of the book that literally had me in tears when I read it aloud to a friend.  (I'm going to email the publisher and see if I can reprint it here)  She names the trees and rivers, describing them physically, emotionally, and, often, metaphysically too.  It is simply gorgeous language, one of the most beautiful books I've read.
Obviously, the array of stories begin to come together near the end and the story becomes a suspenseful, heart pounding race to the finish. 
It is, at times, very depressing.  On the whole, it is a heavy, saddening tale of love and loss.  A book club would have a lot to pore over.  Personally, I didn't make a lot of connections to the story, mostly due to the fantastic nature of it and and other worldly-ness I didn't fully grasp.  Then again, the hound and the kittens did have me thinking of my daughter several times.  This story is delicate, and would be an appropriate book club choice for some advanced 5/6th grade readers looking for a challenge.  I would want to have them be sure they were ready for a very serious read.

Judy Moody Goes to College

Author: Megan McDonald
Lexile Score: n/a, maybe around 500
Genre: realistic fiction
Maturity level: 2nd grade (I wondered, being one who survived "Naked Lady Class" myself, how I would explain nude figure drawing if asked by a student - Judy walks past such an art class and worries about having to go there)
Pages: 133   Chapters: 13  Average Chapter Length: 10 pages
Theme: College, language, slang, math
Project ideas: Field trip to college!  College pen pals
First Line: When Judy Moody got to school on Monday, she had a new teacher. (I put a lot of stock in first lines - probably too much.  This one is not exactly on my top ten list.)
Main Character: Judy Moody and her college tutor, Chloe
Review in 25 words or less: Judy Moody is literary candy for third graders, and the book reads a mile-a-minute.
Grade: A

I have had sets of Judy Moody in my classroom for years.  I have to confess I haven't more than skimmed them until I recently read Judy Moody Goes to College.  I absolutely loved it!  Judy is quirky, flawed, daring, emotional and (her words) sick-awesome.
Judy Moody has a substitute teacher because her regular teacher broke a leg or something overseas.  (Come to think of it, kudos to Ms. McDonald for making that particular back story more than just a passing thought - who the heck IS this teacher?)  Her sub determines that Judy is deficient in math, and recommends tutoring to her parents.  This puts Judy in a bad mood until she meets Chloe, her uber-tutor: a college student!  Judy learns about math the hip college way and also gets a hands-on experience in college life.  Soon she is dressing, eating and TALKING like a real college student - to the envy/disgust of all her peers.
I recently read a discussion online about series books - specifically, how series books are about all you can find at this middle-grade level.  A point I hadn't considered was given: series books are perfect for readers at this level.  They have only recently mastered reading but are not yet sophisticated enough to explore diverse genres.  The comfort of going to a familiar genre - or in this case a familiar character and writing style - is perfect for them.  I can imagine a third grader who enjoys one Judy Moody munching her way through every title in the series and still wanting more.
A few thoughts I had while reading JMGTC:
1.  The chapters are all some play on the word attitude.  Bad-itude, Math-itude, flunk-itude; it is such a fun exercise in the richness of language - perfect discussion material for a book club.
2.  Judy adopts Chloe's college slang and uses it throughout the book.  Some words are defined, some are not.  I think students would have fun with the terms, possibly even incorporating them into their own language.  This book continues the popular trend of glossaries in the back of the book.  The inclusion of this kind of non-traditional reading, along with the "Who's Who" page at the beginning, add to the enjoyment of the book for younger readers.
3.  Judy has a lot of inner monologue, and uses conventions such as Stink (her brother) = NCP (nincompoop).  Students would pick up on this no problem, but it would be a good thing to point out in discussion.  I had to pay close attention to quotation marks to keep up with her thinking!

Julia Gillian (and the Art of Knowing)

Author: Alison McGhee

Lexile Score: n/a

Genre: Fiction

Maturity level: 3rd grade 

Pages: 281 Chapters: 24 Average Chapter Length: 10 pages

Theme: fear, family, friendship

Project ideas: paper mache!

First Line: Julia Gillian, her parents, and her dog Bigfoot, all lived together in a third-floor apartment in south Minneapolis.

Main Character: Julia Gillian

Review in 25 words or less: A sweet story covering a few summer weeks in the life of a 10 year old, her loving parents and quirky neighbors.

Grade: B

I wanted this book to be great, I loved the premise – Julia Gillian has a book she is afraid to finish because her heightened “art of knowing” senses that something bad is going to happen in the book.  Unfortunately, I found the pace too slow, the side stories slightly distracting and forced, and the end of the book (ironically) sort of a boring let-down.  Sweet, yes, but not one I’m coveting.

Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam

Author: Cynthia Kadohata

Lexile Score: 730

Genre: Historical Fiction

Maturity level: Middle School 

Pages: 308 Chapters: 31 Average Chapter Length: 10 pages

Theme: relationships, war, tenacity

Project ideas: collect dog stories, other examples of working dogs

First Line: Grrrr!  For I am the all-powerful Cracker!

Main Character: Rick Hanski, Cracker

Review in 25 words or less: Wonderful book, many opportunities for rich discussion, a Call of the Wild for a new generation?

Grade: A+

This story, set during the Vietnam war, is partially told from the viewpoint of the German shepherd bomb-sniffing dog of the title, as well as the two young men that love her – briefly, the boy who had to give her up, and mainly, the soldier assigned as her handler.  I found this piece of history intriguing, and it gave me a new understanding of many new impacts of war.  The story itself is lovingly and carefully written, and while there is some violence, I believe a book club could discuss the author’s purpose in including some of the darker aspects in the novel. 

Phineas L. MacGuire Gets Slimed!

Author: Frances O’Roark Dowell

Lexile Score: n/a

Genre: Fiction

Maturity level: third grade 

Pages: 190 Chapters: 15 Average Chapter Length: 15 pages

Theme: friendship, facing challenges, goals,

Project ideas: Science tie-in:  mold experiments listed in back of book

First Line: My name is Phineas Listerman MacGuire.

Main Character: Phineas

Review in 25 words or less: Kid-friendly writing style, with lots of humor, “gross” science stuff, likeable characters and fun plot will find many happy readers.

Grade: A

I can’t wait to use this book in a fourth grade classroom.  It is an easy read, and I think the students will relate to the character (also a fourth grader) and his situations.  In addition to the great science embedded in the story are many other discussion topics, such as personal strengths and motivation.