Module 13 - Calamity Jack

Summary  Calamity Jack thinks of himself as a criminal mastermind, but he keeps running into bad luck.  To save his mother’s bakery he targets Blunderboar.  Blunderboar is a giant, creepy, businessman beast who is rich.  His plan goes haywire and Jack flees town.  Eventually Jack and his friends decide to return to town.  Things have gotten worse. Jack has to save his mother and the town from the bad guys. 

Impressions The illustrations where wonderful, but I found the text hard to follow.  I spent a lot of time look and finding information in the graphics.  I am not a graphic novel reader and for me the book was hard to follow.  However, my 12 year old nephew loved it.  He reads a lot of graphic novels and really liked the book.

Reviews

The stars of the graphic novel Rapunzel's Revenge (2008) move from the Old West to the big city, and this time the spotlight shines on Jack. After his success during his time on the run with Rapunzel, Jack returns to the city determined to prove to his mother (and to Rapunzel) that he is not the scheming delinquent she believes him to be. Instead, he finds the city controlled by an evil giant and under attack by a mysterious enemy. Jack must come up with his best scheme yet to defeat the enemy, save the city, and prove his worth to the women he cares about most. The urban setting suits this retelling of the familiar beanstalk tale; Nathan Hale's art gives it a steampunk twist, and the addition of fairy-tale creatures like giants and pixies is natural and convincing. Shannon and Dean Hale have done an excellent job stretching the bones of the traditional fable into a high-action coming-of-age story that will keep young teen readers excited and engaged. -Eva Volin

Volin, E. (2009). Calamity jack. The Booklist, 106(3), 41-41. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/235665449?accountid=7113

Jack (of Beanstalk fame) is back in this companion to Rapunzel's Revenge (2008). Moving away from the Wild West that Rapunzel called home, the Hales make readers privy to Jack's point of view, giving them a glimpse of his life back in the city. After a little mishap with a burgeoning bean, Jack must set things right in urban Shyport and rescue his mother from a menacing giant named Blunderboar. With braid-whipping Rapunzel at his side, he sets out to take care of this business, although he is fearful that she will learn about his previous life and his less-than-legal indiscretions. When another potential beau joins the mix, Jack must confront his past if he wants to include Rapunzel in his future. Populated with ant people, giants, pixies and even a Jabberwock, this fantastic yarn has something for everyone. Rapunzel's fans should not fear: This volume, though told from a male perspective, has all the pluck and verve of its predecessor. Readers will relish this gleeful mix of fairy tale, adventure and romance. (Graphic fiction. 9 & up)

Calamity jack. (2009). Kirkus Reviews, (23) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/917316936?accountid=7113

Suggestions This is a take-off on the classic tale of Jack and the beanstalk and includes other fairy tale elements.  The students could write their own augmented fairy tale.  They could pick a character and story and change it.

You could also discuss what other stories are included besides Jack and the beanstalk.

References

Hale, S., Hale, D., & Hale, N. (2010). Calamity Jack. New York: Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books.

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Module 12 - Fabulous! A portrait of Andy Warhol

Summary Fabulous! A portrait of Andy Warhol is the bibliography about artist Andy Warhol.  As a young child he was sickly and labeled a sissy.  He was teased and picked on at school.  He lost himself in his artwork.  He eventually moved to New York and started his own painting studio.  He became famous for his artwork and his unconventionalities.  Through it all he was a devoted son and eccentric.  

ImpressionsI liked this book, but was expecting more details on his life.  The author Bonnie Christensen does not go in depth on Andy Warhol.  This book is good for young children, but young adults need more details.  The illustrations were excellent and added a lot to the story.  The illustrations are big and bright.  However, they have their own style so as not to get confused with Andy Warhol’s work.  

Reviews Andy Warhol was an unlikely fellow to ever be tagged fabulous. Shy, sickly, and labeled a "sissy," Warhol could only imagine a life of glamour. But imagine he did, with pictures of celebrities on the wall to inspire him and his own artistic talents to push him to New York City after graduating college. There, Warhol was able to find success as an illustrator, but he hungered for more. He found fame and fortune as a chronicler of pop culture, using everyday objects as his subjects, as in his famous series of paintings featuring Campbell's soup cans. Christensen-who once performed with Warhol's "superstars" at the Actors Studio-does a masterful job of capturing her subject in just a few words. Readers will sympathize with the boy so unattractive he was called "Rudolph the red-nosed Warhola" and admire the perseverance that landed him in the limelight. The bursts of text are set against striking illustrations-collaged photo transfers on canvas, which were then painted in oil-that are a fitting homage to Warhol's art. In an author's note, Christensen shows another side of Warhol, who lived with his mother, attended church, and served dinners to the homeless. By making readers care about the young Andy, kids will be moved to explore his art, which is precisely the sort of relationship between biography and the real world that authors strive for. Christensen succeeds. -Ilene Cooper

 

Cooper, I. (2011). Fabulous! A portrait of andy warhol. The Booklist, 107(19), 78-78. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/871665905?accountid=7113

 

This biography of Warhol focuses on his youth and uses very little of his art, relying instead on mixed media to show Andy's surroundings. It begins in New York City in 1966, where Andy was a star, then flashes back to his beginnings in Pittsburgh, PA. Andy is portrayed as quiet and different, a good observer and very much true to himself. Once he left Pittsburgh, he found work as a commercial artist and then evolved into the well-known Andy Warhol. The book contains a lengthy author's note, bibliography and timeline and complements other Warhol biographies. Betsy Russell, Media Specialist, Bradley Elementary School, Columbia, South Carolina

Russell B. Fabulous!: A Portrait of Andy Warhol. Library Media Connection [serial online]. October 2011;30(2):83. Available from: Library & Information Science Source, Ipswich, MA. Accessed April 9, 2013.

Suggestions

Andy Warhol created art from everyday objects.  The students could use some of the online Web 2.0 tools such as Piccasa or Photobucket to “Warhol” some photographs they took of everyday images they see at school. Andy Warhol was also picked on as a child. Student could write a journal entry about a time they were picked on and how Andy was picked on.

References

Christensen, B. (2011). Fabulous! a portrait of andy warhol. New York: Henry Hold and Company.

http://jacketupload.macmillanusa.com/jackets/high_res/jpgs/9780805087536.jpg

Module 11 - How they croaked: the awful ends of the awfully famous

Summary
How they croaked: the awful ends of the awfully famous is a collection of stories about the deaths of historical people.  Famous characters include Edgar Allen Poe, King Tut, Albert Einstein, and Marie Antoinette.  Many of the fine details of their death and diseases are explained along with medical procedures of their time.

Impressions
Love this book.  The author has a great sense of humor and a large dose of sarcasm.  The material, which is not new information, is presented in an entertaining yet informational format.  I was surprised at how much I learned about the deaths and medical care of the historical characters presented in this book.  To learn and laugh at the same time read this book!

 Reviews

The most reluctant of readers will find it difficult to resist this consistently disgusting chronicle of the gruesome deaths of 19 will famous people. Bragg opens with King Tut, discussing in gory details the embalming and mummification processes of the ancient Egyptians. Among the many macabre details is an explanation for why mummy eye sockets look empty: "Eyeballs shrink to almost nothing during the drying process" (the author notes that if mummy eyeballs are rehydrated, they return to almost normal size). Among the other famous figures profiled are Henry VIII, whose corpse exploded in its coffin while lying in state; George Washington, who was drained of 80 ounces of his blood by doctors before dying; and Marie Curie, who did herself in with constant radiation exposure. The accounts of how ill or injured people were treated by doctors through the 19th century reveal that medical practices were usually more lethal than the maladies. Between each chapter, there is a page or two of related and gleefully gross facts. Bragg's informal, conversational style and O'Malley's cartoon illustrations complement the flippant approach to the subject; the energetically icky design includes little skulls and crossbones to contain page numbers. Engaging, informative and downright disgusting. (sources, further reading, websites, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

 How they croaked. (2011). Kirkus Reviews, LXXIX(3) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/915736316?accountid=7113

YA Illustrated by Kevin O'Malley. The demises of nineteen famous people, beginning with King Tut and ending with Albert Einstein, are recounted in gory detail. Attempts to lighten the accounts through use of a jokey tone and conversational slang can tiptoe into tastelessness; nevertheless, readers are warned in an introduction, and reluctant ones may snap this up. Crosshatched black-and-white spot art appears throughout the text. Reading list, websites. Ind. DJF

Ford, D. J. (2011, Fall). Bragg, Georgia: How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous. The Horn Book Guide, 22(2), 471. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA271052981&v=2.1&u=txshracd2679&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w

Suggestions 
This would be a great and fun way to do a know and need to know chart.  Students could create a chart about what they know about the death of one of the historical characters in the book and then read the passage that discusses what actually happened.

For ELA you could also introduce humor in a passage. 

References

Bragg, G., & O, K. (2012). How they croaked, the awful ends of the awfully famous. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

https://www.perma-bound.com/ws/image/cover/49510/m?ref=vd

Module 10 - Amelia and Eleanor go for a Ride

Summary 
Amelia and Eleanor go for a Ride is about a dinner in which Eleanor Roosevelt’s guest at the White House was Amelia Earhart.  Both the women are adventurous and outspoken and have become friends.  Amelia takes Eleanor for a plane ride during a clear night.  The look at the twinkling lights of Washing D.C.  After returning to the White House, Eleanor takes Amelia for a fast ride in her new car.  Both the women are characterized by their love of exploration and desire to feel independent.

 

Impressions The cover of the book initially caught my attention.  Brian Selznick did the illustrations which are a great addition to the story.  In the author’s note it is mentioned that the dinner, meeting, and flight was a real event.  However, some aspects were fictionalized. At the end of the book there is a picture of the two women together. Also, through the story, the reader also gains insight into the time period and the norms at the White House.

Reviews

In this sparkling picture book based on true incident, Ryan (Riding Freedom, with Selznick) proves that Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt truly were "birds of a feather." Friends in real life, America's First Lady invited the "First Lady of the Air" to dinner at the White House in 1933. Eleanor, inspired by Amelia's descriptions of Washington viewed from her plane at night, accepts the pilot's offer of an after dinner flight over the capital. Before dessert can be served, and over the protests of the Secret Service agents, the two are off to the airport and up in the sky, thrilling to the brilliance of the city below. Hewing closely to documented accounts, Ryan's inviting text adds drama and draws parallels between the two protagonists with fictional touches: she places them alone together in the plane (an author's note explains that in fact they were accompanied by two male pilots) and adds a final scene in which Eleanor takes Amelia for a zippy ride around the city in her brand-new car. Selznick's illustrations, black-and-white graphite accented with touches of purple pencil, both capture the vibrancy of his subjects and evoke the feel of a more glamorous era. A brief but compelling slice from the lives of two determined, outspoken and passionate women. Ages 5-9. (Oct.)

Roback, D., Brown, J. M., & Di Marzo, C. (1999). Amelia and eleanor go for a ride. Publishers Weekly, 246(39), 105-105. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/197026982?accountid=7113

Gr 14-Ryan imaginatively expands on a true historical event in this intriguing picture book. While dining at the White House in 1933, Amelia Earhart convinces Eleanor Roosevelt to join her on a night flight to Baltimore. The two women marvel at the sights and the excitement from the air. After landing, they sneak away for one more adventure, as this time, the First Lady treats her friend to a fast ride in her new car. The fictionalized tale is lively and compelling, and the courage and sense of adventure that these individuals shared will be evident even to children who know nothing about their lives. Without belaboring the message, the author clearly conveys how the "feeling of independence" that both women treasured was a crucial part of their personalities. Selznick's larger-than-life pencil drawings add considerably to the spirit of the tale. He captures the glorious beauty of the night flight and the beauty of the city below. Varied perspectives and background details consistently draw readers' eyes. An author's note clearly defines which elements of the story are factual. The women were actually accompanied by two male pilots, but the author decided that it made it "much more exciting" to imagine that they were alone. "Almost all" of the dialogue comes from historical accounts. The title stands well on its own, but will also work as an excellent inspiration for further reading about the lives of Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart.-Steven Engelfried, Deschutes County Library, Bend, OR

Engelfried, S. (1999). Amelia and eleanor go for a ride. School Library Journal, 45(9), 202-203. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/211696454?accountid=7113

Suggestions
This book would be good for a women in history unit for elementary students.  Even though the book is fiction, there are many historically correct facts that the student could use. 

The students could also discuss some historical figure they would like to meet.  They could plan the dinner and events they would do together.

References

Ryan, P. M. (1999). Amelia and eleanor go for a ride. New York: Scholastic Press.

http://lookingglassreview.com/assets/images/Amelia_and_Eleanor_go_for_a_ride.jpg

Module 9 - The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity: The Brixton Brothers, Book 1

Summary  
For one of his classes at school, Steve Brixton, is assigned a research paper on needle work.  After going to the public library to research, Steve finds himself the main suspect in a case of national security.  Librarians as secret service agents and teachers under suspicion keep Steve on his toes.  Young Steve’s dream of becoming a detective becomes reality while trying to clear his name and solve the mystery of the missing quilt before librarians and police find him.

ImpressionsMy nephew insisted I read this.  In understand why he likes this story.  It is full of action and the character, Steve, is tenacious, funny, and smart.  I think the part he like best about the story is the teacher is the bad guy and the librarians are the secret service agent.  It is a good mystery for young mystery readers.

Reviews
Twelve-year-old Steve Brixton loves all 58 mysteries featuring the intrepid, smart and sporty Bailey Brothers, but his favorite book is The Bailey Brothers' Detective Handbook because Steve would like to be a detective when he grows up (or so he thinks). When his best friend Dana draws detectives out of the hat as a topic for a social studies paper while he draws early American needlework, Steve's depressed. When he's checking out his library's only book on historical quilts and ninjas descend upon him from the skylights, he's terrified and perplexed. Good thing he knows what a detective should do. He escapes, only to be captured by Librarian Secret Agents (who communicate using Library of Congress numbers). Suddenly everyone (including Mom's cop boyfriend) is treating Steve like a criminal, and if he can't find a cryptographic quilt before the bad guys, he'll be tried for treason! Barnett's coolly hysterical sendup of the Hardy Boys is peppered with excerpts from Bailey Brothers books and (too few of) Rex's tongue-in-cheek black-and-white illustrations and will entertain all who have outgrown the originals. Pray for sequels. (Fiction. 8-12)

The case of the case of mistaken identity. (2009). Kirkus Reviews, (17) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/917294049?accountid=7113

Meet Steve Brixton, who lists The Bailey Brothers' Detective Handbook at the top of "the Fifty-nine Greatest Books of All Time," closely followed by the 58 volumes of the Bailey Brothers Mysteries, a Hardy Boysstyle series. Steve, an aspiring boy detective, stumbles into a mystery involving the Maguffin quilt, a priceless artifact hidden by its last guardian before his death and still missing. Playing with the tropes of the Stratemeyer mystery series, the book provides all their action and adventure but adds a level of humor that will sometimes have readers laughing out loud. Similarly, Rex's illustrations have a m id- twentieth-century look, and in an accomplished, deadpan manner, offer one of the book's funniest moments. And though librarians usually roll their eyes when a good-guy librarian character appears in a novel, they may find it hard to resist Barnett's over-the-top portrayal of the profession as an elite undercover force "expert in intelligence, counterintelligence, Boolean searching, and hand-to-hand combat." A smart, amusing mystery, this promising first novel is a fine start for the Brixton Brothers series. -Carolyn Phelan

Phelan, C. (2009). The case of the case of mistaken identity. The Booklist, 106(4), 63-63. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/235575910?accountid=7113

Suggestions

In the book the super-secret item was a homemade quilt with symbols and hidden meanings in the design.  Have the students draw a quilt with their own secret symbols and discuss what they mean.

References

Barnett, M. (2009). The case of the case of mistaken identity . New York: Simon & Shuster Books for Young Readers.

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Module 8 - Divergent

Summary
Beatrice lives in a world, were society is divided into 5 factions.  At the age of 16, each person must choose which faction to join. This means leaving the faction where one grew up. They are separated from their parents, family, and everything that they love. Before the choice is made a test is given to determine which faction would be best for them or ideal for them based on their aptitude. During her test Beatrice, gets unusual results that confuse the person giving the test. The person tells Beatrice not to talk about the results to anyone. The day has come where the factions are announced, and Beatrice chooses to leave her family for the chance of adventure. Beatrice new lifestyle is tough. She changes her name in the new faction to Tris. Her new faction has a tough initiation which includes fist fighting.  Fist fighting is in opposition to how she grew up.  As she learns more about her new faction, she also experiences new dangers. 

Impressions The plot twists were creative.  I was more interested in this book than the last two books in the Hunger Games series.  There characters had lots of depth and the writing was engaging. The pace and action of the book kept me interested.

Reviews  Cliques writ large take over in the first of a projected dystopian trilogy. The remnant population of post-apocalyptic Chicago intended to cure civilization's failures by structuring society into five "factions," each dedicated to inculcating a specific virtue. When Tris, secretly a forbidden "Divergent," has to choose her official faction in her 16th year, she rejects her selfless Abnegation upbringing for the Dauntless, admiring their reckless bravery. But the vicious initiation process reveals that her new tribe has fallen from its original ideals, and that same rot seems to be spreading... Aside from the preposterous premise, this gritty, paranoid world is built with careful details and intriguing scope. The plot clips along at an addictive pace, with steady jolts of brutal violence and swoony romance. Despite the constant assurance that Tris is courageous, clever and kind, her own first-person narration displays a blank personality. No matter; all the "good" characters adore her and the "bad" are spiteful and jealous. Fans snared by the ratcheting suspense will be unable to resist speculating on their own factional allegiance; a few may go on to ponder the questions of loyalty and identity beneath the façade of thrilling adventure. Guaranteed to fly off the shelves. (Science fiction. 14 & up)

Divergent. (2011). Kirkus Reviews, LXXIX(8) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/915751557?accountid=7113

Set in the future, this is a book that will keep readers reading. Chicago has been divided into five factions. When students are 16, they can choose to move to another faction that they feel is more suited to their personalities. Tris is alarmed to learn that it isn't really clear which faction she is best suited for, and she is told that she might be a "divergent," which is bad and dangerous. Most of the book's action is focused on Tris's initiation exercises which are brutal and full of rancor and danger. To fail the initiation is to be condemned to the underclass and have no future at all. The action centers around a dystopian city that has lost its path to good, and the tasks and fears that must be overcome are creative and believable. This is one of the better books of its type.

Foraker, B. (2011). Divergent. Library Media Connection, 30(3), 78.

Suggestions
Divergent would be a good book to compare the different cultures to the various factions in the book.  How the beliefs of one race, culture, or religion affect the mentality of the members of the population within that group. 

Students could also create their own faction with their own rules.  What is the primary belief and why?  What rules would they set up?

References

Roth, V. (2011). Divergent. New York: Katherine Tegen Books.

http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/22000000/New-Wallpaper-divergent-22065559-1680-1050.jpg

Module 7 - Dope Sick

Summary
Lil J is always running away from his troubles.  He uses drugs for his escape. He has an alcoholic mother, dropped out of school, and cannot find a job. After a drug deal goes terrible wrong, he is on the run from the cops.  He runs into an abandoned crack house and finds an unexpected friend.  Kelly, a mysterious young man with a dreamlike TV remote, plays segments of Lil J’s life on the screen. Kelly keeps asking Lil J if he could an event in his life what event would he change.

Impressions
This is a nitty-gritty book that deals with the drug abuse, lack of education and employment.  The story of Lil J is one that is seen in newspapers and TV and is a reality for many young adults.  Kelly is a character that kept me interested in the story.  The author, Walter Dean Meyer, keeps you guessing as the true nature of this character.  Is Kelly a hallucination that Lil J is having?  Is he an angel?  What exactly is he and how is he going to help Lil J. 

Reviews
Street life on DVR. After a botched drug deal leaves a cop fighting for his life, Jeremy Dance (aka Lil J) knows that's he made some bad decisions. Seeking refuge in an abandoned building, Jeremy runs into Kelly, a mysterious man who has a remote control that allows Jeremy to review his life and change one critical decision. Together they view key moments and discuss what Jeremy did or did not do to end up where he is now. Lil J's blend of street bravado and uncertainty never really comes through effectively, leaving readers with a whining narrator. The supporting characters have vivid page presence, however, in stark contrast to the main character's dull personality. The disjuncture between Jeremy's language when he is reminiscing about his untroubled home situations and his discussion of street life does show genuine character development, but it is not enough to compensate for the thin premise. An ambiguous ending coupled with the fantastical slant further diminish the message. In his most recent urban young adult title since Street Love (2007), Myers delivers a solid tale, but misses the nuances. (Fiction. YA)

Dope sick. (2009). Kirkus Reviews, (1) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/917279020?accountid=7113

 

Pursued by police after a drug deal goes disastrously wrong, 17-year-old Lil J hides out in an abandoned building where he encounters a strange, solitary man named Kelly, who is watching television. Stranger still is what Kelly is watching: scenes from Lil J's past and his prospective future! How can this be? And how to answer the question that Kelly then asks: "If you could do it all over again and change something, what would it be?" As Lil J ponders his answer, Kelly screens more scenes from the teen's unfortunate life, including his growing heroin habit. Is this a drug-induced hallucination? A ghostly visitation à la Dickens' Scrooge? A metaphysical fantasy? A cautionary tale? All of the above? Wisely, Myers provides no easy answers to these difficult questions, trusting his readers to find their own truths and lessons in Lil J's life. Yes, "lessons," for there is definitely a didactic element here. But, happily, Myers' narrative strategy is so inherently dramatic that it captures his readers' attentions and imaginations, inviting not only empathy but also thoughtful discussion. -Michael Cart

Cart, M. (2008). Dope sick. The Booklist, 105(6), 37-37. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/235556622?accountid=7113

Suggestions
This book is definitely for high school students.  If you could change one event in your life, what would it be?  At the high school level, students can reflect on major life events and contemplate how their life could be if a different decision was made.  One recurring scene in the story is the news anchor giving updates on the police search for Lil J and status of the cop that was shot.  The students could create a news segment about one event in their life and how they would change a choice that was made.

 

References

Meyer, W. (2009). Dope sick. New York: NY: Harper Collins Publishing.

http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/harperchildrensImages/isbn/large/6/9780061214776.jpg