Book Review Set 1

I believe that the primary audience for these reviews consists of young adults. These are patrons of libraries in North Central Georgia who are in the seventh through twelfth grades. The secondary audience consists of teachers, librarians or others who pick books for reading lists, programs, etc. for the primary audience. The remaining audience consists of others, of any age, who find these reviews on the internet and might be interested in reading these books.

Since the primary audience would likely be put off by the usage of any academic style, and the material is in format intended for a web database, none is used. I did include somewhat of a bibliography, at the end, for material I thought useful enough. The code system used for genre is:

* If a book is multicultural, all or the first four cultures are given. On the other hand, I have given no code for "Regional Materials," as, for instance, a book about New England would likely fit some other genre(s)/categories.

** "Traditional Literature," from Dr. O’Neal’s class, could fit anywhere but is most likely covered by Fantasy.

*** Separation and Belonging may fit in this Romance or elsewhere. I have not given it a code.

[[Note inserted after the course:  All reviews were input to http://www.yalit.org .  They used a different code system and due to the end of the library school, as well as the course, that site was not finished and eventually went down, which was a shame.]] The thirteen reviews (including three extras) follow.

YEAR OF IMPOSSIBLE GOODBYES, Sook Nyul Choi, 1991, ASIA HIST COMI, Grades 5-8+, [Sookan is obviously a fictionalized Sook Nyul Choi and she has more than enough problems already, living under Japanese occupation, in the depth of World War II. Then they take her friends and neighbors to be prostitutes, though that word is never used in the book. Next, the Russians, and what will later become the North Korean Government, take over, making things still worse yet. The goodbyes may be impossible but they follow in short order.

If you like this, more books by this author are at http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/choibib.htm. Checking elsewhere, that appears to be the complete, most updated, list. See http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/authors/results.pperl?authorid=4875 for more about the author’s experiences behind this book, other books, and herself. According to the http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/choi.html site, this book has won a long list of awards with some of the top ones being: Best Books for Young Adults listing by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the state book awards or master reading list of Georgia (and several other states), and School Library Journal 1998 List of One Hundred Books Too Good to Miss.

This is an, easy, page turner, read. It shows how the adventure helps the heroine grow up as well as depicts history which might otherwise be ignored. It could be read by advanced readers in lower grades as well as people in the "+" range who simply like the adventure aspects, which are not lacking. I did.] ###

SCORPIONS, Walter Dean Myers, 1988, CONT AFRA COMI HISP?, Grades 6-10, [Gangs, drugs, and winos populate the background. Many of them seem to exist just to mess with, or beat up, Jamal. If he doesn’t fight he’s a punk. Only his buddy, Tito, will stand with him. His older brother, Randy, was and may still be, the leader of the Scorpions. If Jamal can take over that gang, maybe he can get enough money from running drugs to get Randy out of jail before someone cuts up the older brother so bad that he dies. Then Randy’s old Warlord, Mack, shows up, to give Jamal a gun. Whose blood will end up in the streets?

If you like this, the author has written very many other books. The most updated list that I could find was http://www.alibris.com/search/search.cfm (advanced search on Walter Dean Myers & Reverse Publication Date). This book only won one award, but that was selection as a Newbery Honor Book, which is often considered as next to the top award.

It is no surprise that a good part of Myers life was growing up in the Harlem he writes about. On the other hand, he says:

From my foster parents, the Deans, I received the love that was ultimately to strengthen me, even when I had forgotten its source. It was my foster mother, a half-Indian, half-German woman, who taught me to read, though she herself was barely literate.

Look at http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-myers-walterdean.asp for a good biography and interview site on this author.

At first I thought this book was a sequel or prequel to Jacqueline Woodson’ MIRACLE BOYS. Jamal and his best friend, Tito, are not the character and his older brother from Woodson’s book, but they are all in the ghetto of New York City along with the Puerto Ricans. Single mothers and/or grandmothers, the lone downtrodden boy with his one friend, gangs, and the gritty urban background seem to be the rule in both books. Myers may have been the first, and this a classic of its kind, but it now appears to be a standard background and set of themes.

The language is in keeping with the setting. The reading is easy and fast. Boys, grades 6-10, give or take some, will like this. Their smart mouth younger sisters will not.] ###

SHABANU: DAUGHTER OF THE WIND, Suzanne Fisher Staples, 1989, ASIA COMI HIST?, Grades 6-12, [This is the first book of what is usually called "The Border Trilogy." The second is HAVELI, but the author says, at http://www.suzannefisherstaples.com/qanda.asp, that there is no third, at least for now. Her web site has the complete list of her books. I was also surprised to learn that she has moved to Chattanooga, TN, just across the border from Georgia.

The story itself is fairly simple. Shabanu loves animals, especially the camels their family raises for a living, and her dog, Sher Dil. They live in the desert of Cholistan, in Pakistan not far from the border with Afghanistan. Yes, that means sandstorms and adventures ... and blood feuds. The young man that her older sister is supposed to marry, is killed. From there, her problems become more serious.

Beyond that, some (like http://www.ing.org/speakers/subpage.asp?num=3&pagenum=1 and other Islamic groups) believe that this is a narrow minded stereotypical book. Others see it as an accurate portrayal of a harsh society. The author states she based the book on real characters she met in the area while a United Press International (UPI) correspondent, and later on assignment for the United States Agency for International Development. In any case, the book has won many awards, with Newbery Honor Book and New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year being two of the highest. The author’s website has a complete list.

This is not the world’s fastest book to read but is not difficult. Girls will read this for the brave girl main character. Boys, like me, will enjoy this too, but likely for the adventure.] ###

WHAT WOULD JOEY DO?, Jack Gantos, 2002, CONT? HUMR COMI?, Grades 4-8, [Joey Pigza is on medication to control his hyperactivity but everyone around him is much crazier than he is, even without the med’s, except maybe his grandmother, who is busy dieing. She only wants him to make one friend before she dies. Both happen, but that is not all that happens.

This author has written many other books, some of them like this, and some not. His own list of them is at http://www.jackgantos.com but a more complete, updated, list is Amazon Books: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/ref=s_b_rs/103-5828404-1860605. This book has a long list of awards, etc. per http://www.jackgantos.com/whatwouldjoeydo.html with the highest being listed in "School Library Journal Best Books of the Year."

One of the problems with the book is that it is funny. Mostly, when you say that someone on medication for hyperactivity is funny, you will get worse than funny looks from the parents and champions of those with Attention Deficit Syndrome (ADD) or something like that. Despite that, this one seems to be popular with ADD support groups. I could not tell if the author has ADD or not, but he wrote a biography, Hole In My Life, that tells a lot more about himself than the one on his web site, which skips his term in prison for drug running.

Do not be put off by this book being rated for younger kids. Older people, both boys and girls, will like this book as well, even if they do not read it for the jokes. You just have to like the ending. I did.] ###

TAR BEACH, Faith Ringgold, 1991, AFRA BIOG HIST, Grades 4-12-, [This is a picture book but http://www.library.gatech.edu/about_us/news/banned/local_challenges_youngadult.htm says it is a banned book! Well, they tried to ban it in Georgia in 1993. That is why it made a Young Adult list. It may take you 5 or 10 minutes to look, and read, through this to see what a tar beach is, or was, in Brooklyn, when the author was growing up in the 1930’s and 40’s. It may take you another 10 minutes to read the "about the author" section at the back of the book.

The author not only also illustrated this book, she makes quilts as art. If you like this, you can find a list of other books by her at http://www.faithringgold.com/ringgold/books.htm and other information, somewhat out of date, at http://www.faithringgold.com/. Some of the awards and praise for this book are Caldecott Honor Book (for illustration), Coretta Scott King Award, New York Times Best Illustrated Book, and the Parent’s Choice Gold Award.

This book is worth looking at by anyone interested in 8 year old girls who fly. Try it. It won’t bite.] ###

WALK TWO MOONS, Sharon Creech, 1994, HUMR NATV MYST?, Grades 4-8+, [It might have been a good idea to call this book "A tale of two families." Both have teen age girls with more imagination than anyone knows what to do with. Both have mothers who have mysteriously gone away.

There are also some very strange grandparents. There may or may not be a lunatic boy and a at least a couple boys who want to be boyfriends. The Native American Heritage material is worked into the background rather than how it is usually handled. On the other hand, there is the peculiar matter of the lone chicken.

The author’s site, http://www.sharoncreech.com, has both a biography and complete list of books written under her name. Several use the same characters and background as this book. On this book’s inside back cover, the author says that she is like the teacher who is one of the characters. This book has won a fairly long list of awards which include the Newbery Medal and School Library Journal Best Book of 1994.

This is a good book for teenagers who like books with at least two puzzles that are solved. The odd adventures that happen along the way are interesting enough to hold your attention. Some of how it turns out is quite sad, but, overall, anyone who starts will be happy to finish.] ###

BASKETBALL DIARIES, Jim Carroll, 1987, BIOG, HUMR SEXR, Grades 11-12+?, [This book is a movie tie-in. The author is a three bit hood who can write well. He managed to get a few books of poetry published and some record albums recorded. Since he was heavily into drugs and sex, they made a movie of the book, staring a famous teen age heart throb.

One of his fans, at http://www.catholicboy.com/catholicboy.com-asp/jcbio.asp, has more information about the author, including a list of his books. It notes that parts of this one earned a Random House Young Writers Award. On the other hand, it is on a Young Adult list only because http://www.library.gatech.edu/about_us/news/banned/local_challenges_youngadult.htm notes that it:

was reviewed by the Gwinnett County Public Library Board in 1998. The autobiography includes the author's teenage experiences with sex and drugs on the streets of New York. The Board voted to retain the book, placing it in Adult Nonfiction in November of 1998.

I too could make a case that it should be in that section. Young adults who want to read about sex and drugs will find this a fast, easy, read. Those who are bored by disgusting material, will avoid it. I personally rate it a coin flip.] ###

19 VARIETIES OF GAZELLE, Naomi Shihab Nye, ASIA POEM, Grades 9-10+, [This is not one of the infamous "slim books of poetry." There is quite a bit of meat to it including the nineteen varieties of gazelle from which the title is taken. The poems are graceful as the gazelles and run, mostly bittersweet, between America and Palestine.

The most complete list I could find of this author’s work, including books that just contain one or more of her poems, is http://www.developingmind.com/author/Naomi+Shihab+Nye/1.html. Material about her is at http://www.harperchildrens.com/catalog/author_xml.asp?authorID=15255. If nothing else, she travels as much as a gazelle and lives in Texas, where she and her Palestinian-American family have plenty of room to run. This book won at least the following awards: ALA (American Library Association) Best Books for Young Adults, ALA Ten Best Books for Young Adults, and ALA Notable Book for Children.

You do not have to be a young adult to like this book. If you are one, and are required to read a book of poetry or multicultural material, but normally do not like that, this is a good choice. I rarely read poetry but liked this.] ###

SPEAK, Laurie Halse Anderson, 1999, CONT, SEXR, BODY HUMR?, Grades 9-10+, [The main character has a major problem. The author waits until four fifths of the way through the book to write it out so that you are sure what it is. In any case, she is now an outcast whom almost no one in her school will talk to, and an only child with not so good parents. This is especially bad since there is a strict caste system in her school. Therefore she quits talking to most people and exhibits signs of mental illness. You, the reader, will "know better."

This book won much praise and many awards, topped by the Michael L. Printz Honor and ALA Best Book for Young Adults. You will find a short biography of her, by her childhood school district, at http://www.fm.cnyric.org/Hall/Inductees/2004/Laurie%20Halse%20Anderson.htm. Her own website, including a list of all her books, is at http://www.writerlady.com.

Girls and women will keep turning the pages of this book until finished so should not plan on sleeping once they start this book. Some males, well above high school, may read this by accident and will like it. Males of high school age are unlikely to read this book unless given it as an assignment. If I were the teacher, I would do that.] ###

THE FIRST PART LAST, Angela Johnson, 2003, AFRA COMI CONT, Grades 7-8+, [Bobby is a 16 year old, single parent, father, of a newly born infant. His own parents have split. The grandparents are ... something. This is modern Brooklyn. There is a great deal more going on here than just the two kids’ problems. You will have to think about that.

This book is a prequel to Heaven. Awards it has won include the 2004 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Literature for Young Adults and the 2004 Coretta Scott King Award for Best African-American Children's Writer. A complete list of this author’s books is at http://julie-hoy.tripod.com/Author%20Study.htm. Most "about the author" articles on this lady mention her razor blade necklace. See http://authors.aalbc.com/angela.htm for a good biography.

Despite the age rating for this book by most raters, and the male main character, I think it is more likely to be read by girls, both younger and older. I do not want to run the guys off, because if I could get through it, it is worth it for them to look at. Beyond that, my main, strong, suggestion is to not, no matter what, read this before you read Heaven, but do read it next, if you do read that.] ###

EVERY TIME A RAINBOW DIES, Rita Williams-Garcia, 2001, AFRA CONT COMI SEXR, Grades 11-12+, [The rainbow of the title is the dress style of the rape victim. The main character lives in a seriously bad situation himself, along with his pigeon flock. The book is about what happens between him and the girl after he interrupts the rape.

A good biography of the author is at http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/williamsgarcia.html and a complete list of her books and stories is on her own site, http://www.ritawg.com/mywork.html. Her slogan is "writing stories for young people is my passion and my mission." As this was written, she was running a contest for short stories by her readers; maybe she will do another one after 2005. Among other awards won by this book are 2002 ALA Best Books and 2002 ALA Top 10 Best Books for Young Adults.
I almost did not make it past the first half of this book but, after that, it became much easier to read as well as more interesting. Both boys and girls, as well as anyone old enough to be a teacher, will have to actually look through this book before deciding to read it or not. The subject matter is handled extraordinarily well but the description, "intense," is an understatement. Many others will simply not be able to identify with the situation.] ###

HATCHET, Gary Paulsen, 1987, ADVT COMI, Grades 5-8+, [Brian Robeson has enough problems already. His parents have divorced. His knowing the secret reason why they divorced is a great pain. Then he is the only survivor of an airplane crash in the middle of the Canadian wilderness, with nothing to help him but a gift hatchet. Even that is useless against multitudes of maddening mosquitoes, the berry eating bear, a run amok moose, and some wandering wolves. It does help, indirectly, catch a few fleeing fish. He also uses it to make spears, arrows, and a shelter. That’s pretty good for a thirteen year old. He may even be grow enough to able to survive the divorce.

If you like this, the author wrote another book, on a "what if" basis, using this same hero, titled BRIAN’S WINTER, but BRIAN’S HUNT and THE RIVER are actual sequels. If you look at http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/paulsen.html it will tell you about the author’s experience in cold woods and why he writes adventures in those areas so well. According to the inside back jacket of the book, Paulsen was a participant in at least one of the 1,049 mile Iditatrod, Alaska, dog sled races. He lived with his family in Minnesota. The only official personal homepage I could find for him was http://www.randomhouse.com/features/garypaulsen/ and the most complete list of his books was http://www.booksnbytes.com/authors/paulsen_gary.html. According to the http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/paulsen.html site, this book has won a long list of awards with some of the top ones being: Newbery Honor Book - 1988, ALA Notable Book - 1987, Booklist Editor's Choice citation - 1988, and the 1991 Georgia Children's Book Award.

This is a fast, easy, read. It shows how the adventure helps the hero grow up. Younger readers who just want the adventure will not be bothered by that. Older readers or teachers may like that and can still just read this for fun. I did.] ###

DICEY’S SONG, Cynthia Voigt, 1982, COMI BODY AFRA, Grades 7-8+, [Dicey is the thirteen year old sister of three younger children whose mother abruptly abandoned them. In a previous book Dicey managed to get them to their mother’s mother’s farm. In this book they live not so happily after, but vengeful readers can read about the mother’s miserable death. That is not funny nor is virtually anything else in this book. The heroine certainly takes everything seriously and, sometimes, is rewarded for her efforts. One example is a new set of clothes for her new body as a woman instead of a girl. At least one of the friends she makes in this book, a brilliant, realistically depicted, African American classmate is much better at knowing when to not take things so seriously.

If you like this, the author wrote other books in the series. The most updated list of her books that I could find is http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~cbarnard/Voigt.html but you should also look at http://www.simonsays.com/content/content.cfm?pt_id=4&sid=183&pid=350826&app=related&sort=2&sw=50. This only won one award, the Newbery Medal, but, for books like this, that is often considered the top honor. She is (or was) a teacher, married to a teacher, and simply decided she would write books for young adults. Her backgrounds set in Maryland and Maine are likely realistic since that is where she has lived. A biography is at http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/voigt.html .

This may have been contemporary realistic fiction when written, sometime before 1982, for parts of Maryland and North to Maine, but to someone in Georgia in 2004+, it is "just a story." No one is likely to call this a fast or easy book to read. High school girls who enjoy reading about, or dealing with, serious problems, will like it a lot. So will people who like reading about teen age girls with serious problems and who beat them. I am sure that most boys and older versions of boys will avoid this book as they would avoid a troublesome older sister.] ###

Bibliography

Anderson, L. (1999). Speak. New York. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. A review for a different audience would discuss the joke on page 61, discuss page 112 as being before the current "security scene" of most American schools, and dissect the rape scene on page 135.

Carroll, J. (1987) Basketball Diaries. New York. Penguin. An examination of the noir humor of this book would take a deeper look at pages 8-9 and 48-49.

Choi, S. (1991) Year of Impossible Goodbyes. Boston. Hougton Mifflin.

Creech, S. (1994) Walk Two Moons. New York. Harper-Collins. A review of this book for a different audience might discuss the issues of "belonging," "coming of age," and Indian heritage, or lack of any of these three themes, using material on pages 16, 33, and 49.

Gantos, J. (2002) What Would Joey Do? New York. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. A review of this book for other audiences would concentrate on why it is, or is not, "coming of age" vs. "belonging" or the like. The punch line "what would Joey do?" is on page 172. One would also need to look at pages 130 - 134 and 210 - 220.

Huck, C. & Kiefer, B. et al. (2004) Children’s Literature in the Elementary School, 8th ed. New York. McGraw-Hill. This is Dr. O’Neal’s favorite textbook, well and often used by her students on the job, afterwards.

Johnson, A. (2003) The First Part Last. New York. Simon and Schuster. A review for a different audience might start with discussion of why the brain death of the mother is not shown until page 121.

McGraw-Hill (2004) Children’s Literature in the Elementary School, 8/e.. Retrieved September 3, 2004 from http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072562811/information_center_view0/supplements.html. This is the online supplement that is a "must" to go with the book of the same title.

Myers, W. (1988) Scorpions. New York. Harper & Row. A more in depth analysis would look at material on page 64, 154 (use of metaphor), and consider possible stereotyping on pages 170 - 175.

Nye, N. (2002) 19 Varieties of Gazelle. New York. Greenwillow HarperCollins. Additional discussion of this book could focus on page 13.

Paulsen, G. (1987) Hatchet. New York. Bradbury Press affiliate of Macmillan. Note page 105 re hearing and seeing things differently as well as maturing in general.

             Ringold, F. (1991) Tar Beach. New York. Dragonfly Crown Random House.

Staples, S. (1989) Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind. New York. Alfred A. Knopf. Something beyond a cursory review might more closely examine the material on 128, 133 - 136, 140, and 190 - 200.

Voigt, C. (1982) Dicey’s Song. New York. Atheneum Macmillan. A more in depth analysis would look at the themes shown on pages, 23, 75, 85, and 193 of this edition.

Williams-Garcia, R. (2001) Every Time a Rainbow Dies. New York. Amistad Harpercollins. Reviewing this for a different audience might note page 52, where the protagonist’s mother’s death is described, and page 39. The later is one of the many mentions that the protagonist, not his sister-in-law, is the cook of the household.

Woodson, J. (2001) Miracle’s Boys. New York. Putnam.

[[IN THE ABOVE TEXT, MOST LINKS ARE NOT "LIVE" BUT YOU CAN CUT AND PAST THEM INTO YOUR BROWSER WINDOW.   Also note that most of the formatting was lost during the copy from the paper to the web site.  Otherwise this would not be indented.]]