Genre 5--Book Review 2

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Speare, Elizabeth George. 1958. THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
ISBN: 0-670-06134-4

Audiobook published by Listening Library and read by Mary Beth Hurt.


PLOT SUMMARY

After her grandfather’s death, sixteen-year-old Katherine Tyler leaves her beloved home in Barbados and buys passage on a ship destined for Connecticut. On the voyage, Katherine-known to her family as Kit-quickly discovers that her independence and loyalist upbringing invites suspicion among the Puritans in the colonies. During an episode on the journey, Kit jumps overboard to rescue a little girl’s doll and competently swims back to the ship. The little girl, Prudence, is delighted, but her mother is outraged. She suggests that Kit’s swimming prowess reveals that she may be a witch since “No respectable woman could stay afloat like that.” During the voyage Kit also captures the attention of the captain’s son Nat and a young minister, John Holbrook.

After Kit reaches her aunt and uncle’s home, she begins to discover the severe lifestyle of the Puritans. Although she chafes against the religious fanaticism of the culture, she finds a tenuous friendship with her cousin Judith and a deep fondness for her cousin Mercy.

Suitors soon come to call and the handsome, successful William Ashby sets his sights for Kit while Judith becomes determined to marry John Holbrook. Kit begins to teach school with Mercy and befriends a Quaker woman named Hannah who, although permitted to live at the edge of the community, is ostracized and condemned as a witch. Kit also befriends Prudence and introduces her to Hannah. She teaches the little girl to read and write. After an outbreak of fever ravages the town, several people blame Hannah for the disease and determine to bring her to trial. Kit intervenes and, with Nat’s assistance, helps her escape.

In the middle of the night, the townsfolk come to her aunt and uncle's home and accuse Kit of witchcraft. Her hornbook was found in Hannah’s house and serves as the “proof” of her association with the old witch. At the questioning, Nat saves her by bringing Prudence to testify to her innocence.

Judith ends up marrying William and Mercy marries John Holbrook. Kit determines to go back to her beloved Barbados and become a governess. Before she leaves, however, Nat comes up the river on his new ship “The Witch” which he named in her honor. He proposes marriage and Kit happily accepts.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Elizabeth George Speare’s young adult novel THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND, published in 1958,is a historical novel that paints an accurate picture of life in the new American colonies. The characters are complex and well-developed. Written in the third person, the book is told from Kit’s point of view and the people and events are filtered by her perspective.

Speare, through straightforward description and narration, clearly show the hardships of living in the rawness of the new world. The narrow minds and prejudices of the Puritans are reflected while also showing their humanity and commitment to their ideals.

Speare also captures the political conflicts of the period and the impending Revolution. Kit is torn between her loyalties to the King—after all her grandfather was a loyal subject—and her new relationships with her uncle and Nat.

Although perhaps a bit predictable, the “witch hunt” at the end of the novel provides a dramatic climax. The ending was also a bit predictable, but would probably satisfy young readers.

The audiobook is read by Mary Beth Hurt. Her characterizations are most effective when she portrays the adult characters. Her tone reflects the formality of the period. Her portrayal of Kit, however, seemed too mature.

REVIEW EXCERPTS AND HONORS

Newbery Medal 1959

Review from PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, October 23, 2006
Details about the era-popular music, pastimes and products-add authenticity to the story as do brief appearances of some historic figures including Robert Oppenheimer, who breaks the news to Dewey that her father has been killed in a car accident.

Starred Review from BOOKLIST, November 15, 2006
The novel occasionally gets mired down in detail, but the characters are exceptionally well drawn, and the compelling, unusual setting makes a great tie-in for history classes. -John Green

Review from VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES, February 1, 2007
The book is well written, with intelligent characters and understandable descriptions of the place and the work being accomplished. Its well-researched information, including the debate that occurred when the scientists realized what they had created, will appeal to readers of historical fiction.-Cindy Faughnan

Review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, 2003
Hurt's use of vocal inflection and expression make this an excellent choice for listening whether as an enrichment to the social studies curriculum or purely for pleasure.-Maureen Cash Moffet

CONNECTIONS

Use as part of a study on the Salem Witch Trials.

This is great website with extensive ideas for teaching early American studies and the novel. It includes great webquests.
http://eduscapes.com/newbery/59a.html

Read one of Elizabeth Speare's other books: THE BRONZE BOW or THE SIGN OF THE BEAVER.

Hold a mock trial as part of a reader’s theater project.

Genre 5--Book Review 1

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Schlitz, Laura Amy. 2007. GOOD MASTERS! SWEET LADIES! VOICES FROM A MEDIEVAL VILLAGE. Ill. by Robert Byrd. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.
ISBN: 978-0-7636-1578-9

PLOT SUMMARY

Well, it’s an interesting place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there! If you’re not dealing with lice and fleas, it’s wild boars and drunken fathers. The 2008 Newbery Medal recipient, GOOD MASTERS! SWEET LADIES! by school librarian Laura Amy Schlitz creates a lively, historically accurate version of an English village in 1255.

As her students immersed themselves in the study of the Middle Ages, “going at it hammer and tongs,” Schlitz wanted to offer them something to perform; her solution was to write twenty-two monologues—so each child could be a “star” for three minutes. The characters come from all ranks of society and include Nelly who catches eels for her family’s livelihood and Giles a beggar who declares “…sometimes I manage real tears. (It’s an art.)”

Interspersed between the monologues, Schlitz presents short history lessons that provide background for the characters. Pen and ink illustrations by Robert Byrd are inspired by the Munich Nuremberg manuscript, an illuminated 13th century German manuscript.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Reminiscent of Chaucer’s CANTERBURY TALES, GOOD MASTERS! SWEET LADIES! by Laura Amy Schlitz offers the reader (and aspiring actors) twenty-two authentic portraits of Medieval characters. Subtitled VOICES FROM A MEDIEVAL VILLAGE, the book is written as a series of monologues that each present a well-developed individual. The language and syntax reads like a simplified version of Middle English and she uses both poetic and prose forms. Vocabulary unique to Medieval England lends a sense of authenticity. Schlitz teaches as she entertains; she includes notes throughout the book explaining religious beliefs, remedies for diseases, and other trivia about life during the period that young readers will find at times revolting and fascinating. “Friants are boar droppings.”

Illustrations by Robert Byrd provide a perfect complement to the tales. The volume opens with the artist’s rendering of a map--“A Medieval Manor, England, 1255.” The map places each character in their proper place. The monologues are illustrated like a medieval manuscript.

Schlitz and Byrd have created a beautiful book that deserves a place on school library shelves.

REVIEW EXCERPTS AND HONORS

NEWBERY MEDAL 2008

Review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, August 1, 2007
Designed for performance and excellent for use in interdisciplinary history classrooms, the book offers students an incredibly approachable format for learning about the Middle Ages that makes the period both realistic and relevant.-Alana Abbott

Starred Review from BOOKLIST, August 1, 2007
Reminiscent of medieval art, Byrd's lively ink drawings, tinted with watercolors, are a handsome addition to this well-designed book. This unusually fine collection of related monologues and dialogues promises to be a rewarding choice for performance or for reading aloud in the classroom.-Carolyn Phelan

Review from PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, August 27, 2007
Schlitz wrote these 22 brief monologues to be performed by students at the school where she is a librarian; here, bolstered by lively asides and unobtrusive notes, and illuminated by stunningly atmospheric watercolors, they bring to life a prototypical English village in 1255.

CONNECTIONS

Of course the monologues (and duets) beg to be performed as reader’s theater.

The book and monologues grew out of a school’s Renaissance faire and would be a valuable contribution to any study of Medieval England.

A website from the publisher offers a teacher’s guide featuring character analysis, casting advice, discussion questions, and costuming ideas. More ideas include a project for creating a travel guide for a Medieval building researched by students.
http://www.candlewick.com/book_files/0763615781.btg.1.pdf

Have students create illuminated manuscripts.
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/high/ken-illumination.htm

Genre 4--Book Review 3

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Murphy, Jim. 2003. AN AMERICAN PLAGUE: THE TRUE AND TERRIFYING STORY OF THE YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMIC OF 1793. New York: Clarion Books.
ISBN: 0-395-77608-2

SUMMARY

In the late, hot summer, the open sewers in the streets of Philadelphia poured over--teeming with vermin. Ships docked at the wharf and spewed forth rotten coffee and human waste. Noxious, oppressive fumes permeated the air. Then the death bells began to knoll incessantly. A plague had taken root. In his book AN AMERICAN PLAGUE: THE TRUE AND TERRIFYING STORY OF THE YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMIC OF 1793, award-winning author Jim Murphy recounts the compelling story of an illness that threatened to destroy a fledgling United States. Philadelphia, the nation’s first capital, was a bustling, crowded seaport and in August 1793, “this destroying scourge, this malignant fever, crept in among us.” Suspense builds as the disease spreads. Several subplots add layers to the story: controversy among doctors over various forms of treatment, President Washington’s retreat and the threats to the government, and the relationships between those who died, those who lived, and those who carried the burden of it all.

Illustrations include replicas of period maps, newspapers, images of fever victims, and portraits of prominent figures in the history.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The compelling social history AN AMERICAN PLAGUE: THE TRUE AND TERRIFYING STORY OF THE YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMIC OF 1793 reads like a horror story; however, the most horrifying aspect of the history is its truth and the warning that modern science has yet to find a cure. Thoroughly researched and balanced, Jim Murphy’s account is fascinating. By using extracts from journals, newspapers, and firsthand accounts, Murphy gives an authenticity to his narrative. Medical details are given directly—horrible and intriguing.

Murphy arranges the facts chronologically; each chapter begins with a date as if an omnipotent narrator were reporting a story or keeping a journal. Each chapter also begins with a full-page replica of a newspaper account or, most descriptive, a directory of those who died. Lists and lists of names: men, women, and children of all ages and from all walks of life.

The characters in the history are well-developed as individuals. Dr. Benjamin Rush is a hero and a demon—stubbornly convinced his bleeding and poison cure will save them all. The doctors bickered among themselves and the desperate patients grasped at hope. The Free African Society, risking their own lives, answered a call to help their white neighbors only to be disparaged when an accounting of the events were later retold.

Sources used by the author are annotated in a reference section at the end of the book. A note detailing the illustrations and a complete index add to the book’s credibility and use as a reference for all libraries.

REVIEW EXCERPTS AND AWARDS

BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK AWARD
ROBERT F. SIBERT INFORMATIONAL BOOK AWARD
JAMES MADISON BOOK AWARD
A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST
ORBIS PICTUS AWARD
A NEWBERY HONOR BOOK

Review from VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES, December 1, 2003
This book represents nonfiction at its best. -Sarah Dornback.

Review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, October 1, 2004
Black-and-white reproductions of period paintings, maps, and news articles enhance this absorbing title.

Review from BOOKLIST, June 1, 2003
Murphy re-creates the fear and panic in the infected city, the social conditions that caused the disease to spread, and the arguments about causes and cures.

CONNECTIONS

History Connection: Research the lives of various characters (Dr. Walter Reed, Dr. Benjamin Rush, Elizabeth Drinker, or Absalom Jones) from the book and present biographies.

Math Connection: Calculate the number of deaths in percentages. What percentage of Philadelphians died? Americans?

Science Connection: Investigate various types of contagious diseases, their causes and cures, and present.

Language Connection: In groups, have students create a replica newspaper from Philadelphia 1793. Include obituaries, advertisements for cures, and governmental announcements.

Genre 4--Book Review 2

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Freedman, Russell. 2002. CONFUCIUS: THE GOLDEN RULE. Ill. by Frédéric Clément. New York: Scholastic.
ISBN: 0-439-13957-0

SUMMARY

Popular culture presents Confucius as a comic figure offering his witty sayings with the opening “Confucius say…”. In CONFUCIUS: THE GOLDEN RULE, Newbery Medal winner Russell Freedman contradicts that image with a biography of Kongfuzi, better known by Confucius, the Latin name given to him by Jesuit missionaries. Freedman’s research is dependent upon THE ANALECTS, a volume of the sayings of Confucius. Since there are no works directly attributed to the teacher-philosopher, all that is known of his life and teachings has been gathered by followers and disciples in that one anthology.

Born into poverty more than 2500 years ago, Confucius evolved as a respected sage, teacher, and revolutionary in a turbulent feudal era in China’s history. Throughout his life he studies, teaches, and travels throughout Asia seeking an enlightened ruler willing to implement his reforms for government. After the death of Confucius, his followers continued to espouse the ideals of his philosophy known as Confucianism.

The biography is presented in an attractive book illustrated by Frédéric Clément.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Russell Freedman’s detailed biography presents Confucius as a true revolutionary who risked his life by teaching radical reforms for government. Through the use of historically researched dialogue between Confucius and his students, Freedman creates a well-developed personality—a man of great intellect, wit, humanity, and humor. The relationships between the “master” and his students speak the most about the character of the man. He accepted students from all walks of life and believed that, “When people are educated, distinctions between classes disappear.”

Freedman clearly outlines the complexity of Chinese history and gives young readers an important context for studying the life of Confucius. Chinese words are written in both pinyin and Chinese characters.

Frédéric Clément’s illustrations evoke pages from ancient manuscripts and add tremendously to the overall design of the book. His Asian-inspired paintings, framed by colorful borders, are layered with fresh fruits and flowers. The collage-like results are an apt metaphor for the works of Confucius—the ancient brought forward into the present.

The biography reveals a man who is a model of all those who desire to learn and all those aspire to teach. As Confucius say: “To study quietly, to remain always hungry for knowledge, to teach others without growing weary—all this comes to me naturally.”

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, September 1, 2002

Clement's illustrations are superb. His "portrait" of Confucius is unidealized, based on written descriptions of him.-Patricia D. Lothrop

Review from PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY, August 5, 2002

For today's students, this portrait is a comprehensible introduction to Eastern thought. Just as Confucius "prodded [his students] to think in new ways," it will open new doors for young readers.

Review from KIRKUS REVIEW, July 15, 2002

Clement's ancient-looking paintings are a beautiful match for the text in this handsome volume. A must for all collections.

CONNECTIONS

Use book as part of a study of Asian culture.

A great website for lesson plans: http://k12east.mrdonn.org/China.html

Have students create banners or posters with Confucius quotes.

Discuss the meaning of Confucian sayings.

Some good discussion starters: “An exemplary person should be slow to speak yet quick to act.”

“Don’t worry when people fail to recognize your merits. Worry when you fail to recognize theirs.”

“A promise easily made is hard to keep.”

For older students, watch BIOGRAPHY-CONFUCIUS: WORDS OF WISDOM (2005)

Genre 4--Book Review 1

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Simon, Seymour. 1989. STORMS. New York: Morrow Junior Books.
ISBN: 0-688-07413-8

SUMMARY

No need to hide under the bed any longer. After reading STORMS by award winning science writer Seymour Simon, young readers will understand how storms form, the catastrophic results from major storms, and how to protect themselves during a major weather event. The photo essay also describes various types of storms including thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Simon also includes a short mention of storm myths and forecasting. Vivid photographs from several sources including the National Center for Atmospheric Research provide illustrations.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In his book, STORMS, writer Seymour Simon uses vivid language to effectively capture the nervous excitement associated with storms. His straightforward description such as “In twenty minutes, a single thunderstorm can drop 125 gallons of water and give off more electrical energy than is used in a large city during an entire week” helps young readers put storms in an understandable perspective. Simon uses appropriate scientific language such as “cumulonimbus,” “cells,” and “squall” while keeping the book simple enough for young children to understand. Because the book is a general survey and does not go into great detail about each particular type of storm, it would be best used as an introduction to the subject.

The exciting photographs on each page reveal storms as nature’s art. Full page images of lightning flashes charge across dark glossy pages are especially thrilling.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, April 1, 1989
The type is large and clear, and the information is sufficient for basic reports. --Rosanne Cerny

Review from BOOKLIST, March 1, 1989
The book's design is handsome; stark black backgrounds highlight dramatic weather photos, including a series of tornado shots that show the twister's growth and decline. An attractive, readable, and highly useful discussion. - Denise Wilms

Review from KIRKUS REVIEWS, February 15, 1989
A dramatic look at the formation of thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes, with spectacular, full-color photos on every page.

CONNECTIONS

Use as part of a unit study on weather. Include other books on weather by Simon including WEATHER and TORNADOES.

Make lightening artwork by drawing with white or silver crayons on black paper.

Use as part of a study on weather and extend the study with a webquest. A great example: http://davidson.k12.nc.us/webquests/weather/weather.htm

Use the instructions provided in the book to practice judging the distance of lightening by timing how long it takes to hear the thunder. Have students simulate lightening by flashing lights and thunder by using cymbals.

Make your own tornado with a vortex experiment. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids/trythis/try4.html

Genre 3--Book Review 3

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sones, Sonya. 1999. STOP PRETENDING: WHAT HAPPENED WHEN MY BIG SISTER WENT CRAZY. New York: Harper Collins.
ISBN: 0-06-028387-4

PLOT SUMMARY
Written as a series of short poems, Sonya Sones’s novel, STOP PRETENDING: WHAT HAPPENED WHEN MY BIG SISTER WENT CRAZY, describes the thoughts, emotions, and conflicts of a young girl as she struggles with her sister’s mental illness. Told in first person by the thirteen-year-old Cookie, the free-verse novel, begins with a poem titled, “My Whole Family,” “I can/remember what / things were like before she / got sick; my whole family climbed / into / the big / hammock on the / moondappled beach, wove / ourselves together, and swayed / as one.” The “whole family” is fragmented by the heart-wrenching breakdown of Cookie’s older sister and her subsequent hospitalization.

Throughout the novel, Cookie navigates conflicting emotions, the reactions of her peers, and her parents’ struggling relationship. As the days and weeks progress the everyday events in life altered beyond any normalcy. In the midst of it all, Cookie finds love with an earnest boy and discovers herself in the art of photography.

As Sister begin to emerge from the depths of her illness, a glimmer of hope and reconciliation emerges in the form of humor as the family plays Scrabble in the visiting room. At the end, the letters come together to make things “BETTER.”

In an author’s note at the end of the book, Sones reveals that the poems were inspired by events that took place in her own life and the journals that she kept during that time.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
STOP PRETENDING: WHAT HAPPENED WHEN BY BIG SISTER WENT CRAZY, a novel-in-verse by Sonya Sones, has received more than a dozen awards and honors including the Claudia Lewis award for poetry. The debut novel captures an autobiographical episode in the author’s life.

The verse-in-novel form allows the writer to connect closely with the emotion of the narrator. The poetry possesses a compression in language that allows a story to be told at its barest level and, at times, it seems raw. Sones successfully taps into the elements of poetry that allow her to capture an almost visceral reaction. Most readers can complete the novel in one sitting, and probably do. The story has an immediacy that urges the reader forward, becoming fully absorbed.

Individually the poems the poems cannot stand alone; they find strength in context. The book is intended for young adult readers and the subject matter may be too mature for middle school.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Review from KIRKUS REVIEWS, October 1, 1999
… a compelling tale and presenting a painful passage through young adolescence.

Review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, October 1, 1999
An unpretentious, accessible book that could provide entry points for a discussion about mental illness-its stigma, its realities, and its affect on family members.-Sharon Korbeck

Review from BOOKLIST, November 15, 1999
… this debut novel shows the capacity of poetry to record the personal and translate it into the universal.
-Michael Cart

CONNECTIONS
The author’s website discusses the novel and gives several links (the book does as well) to mental health sites.
http://www.sonyasones.com/

The cover of the first edition shows a self-portrait of the author’s sister. The photograph is taken in a mirror and is out-of-focus. Have students take their own self-portraits, one where they are not immediately recognizable.

Play Scrabble with invented words like the characters do in the last poem in the book.

Have a mental health professional talk with students.

Read other books about characters with mental health issues like CUT by Patricia McCormick andSPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson.

Genre 3--Book Review 2

BIBLIOGRAPHY

George, Kristine O’Connell. 1998. OLD ELM SPEAKS: TREE POEMS. Ill. by Kate Kiesler. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
ISBN: 0-395-87611-7

PLOT SUMMARY

Kristine O’Connell George, one of the primary voices in children’s poetry, offers a volume of thirty shorts poems about the life of trees, the life in trees, and the life surrounding trees. As a whole, OLD ELM SPEAKS: TREE POEMS, is a metaphor for the world. In one poem, “Bridge,” a tree is literally a bridge but figuratively a difficult crossing in growing up, “This tree across the stream / is a trickier bridge / than it might seem. / Quick quickly skipping / or slow slip tiptoe, / it’s a wet and mossy, / often soggy / crossing.” In others the trees offer advice, food, or hiding places.

Kate Kiesler illustrates the book with images of trees and children—one lovely painting for each poem.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

OLD ELM SPEAKS: TREE POEMS by Kristine O’Connell George speaks to the reader in a calm, steady voice. The quiet tone of the thirty poems asks the reader to slow down and notice. The collection opens with exactly that comment in “Oak’s Introduction,” “I’ve been wondering / when you’d notice.” The personification of the mighty oak responding to a child who had stopped for a moment sets the mood for the poems that follow.

George uses a variety of poetic forms including haiku, concrete poetry, and free verse and although the book is marketed to children, the poetry is sophisticated and brings to mind the work of Williams Carlos Williams. Her language includes intelligent metaphors as in “Bud,” “Snap open the clasp-- / and you will find, / inside this tiny valise, / one rolled and folded / neatly packed / leaf.”George’s playfulness with language—especially alliteration—pleases the reader’s ear and the unconventional use of rhyme (not in a specific pattern) sometimes surprises and sometimes nudges.

Kate Kiesler’s oil paintings reflect the poetry in exactly the right way. The colors are subdued and the images seem slightly out of focus—in an impressionist style. One of the most beautiful, the illustration for “Broken String,” evokes a winter day with the remnants of summer still a memory.
George and Kiesler together have created an exquisite, dreamy book about one of nature’s greatest gifts—trees.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

ALA Booklist Editor's Choice

Starred Review from BOOKLIST, September 1, 1998
Kiesler's warm oil paintings beautifully complement the poems, making for a totally satisfying experience that is sure to be a favorite of anyone who's ever stopped to notice trees. -Helen Rosenberg

Starred Review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, September 1, 1998
A celebration of these mighty living things and the people who love them.-Pamela K. Bomboy

Review from PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, September 14, 1998
Dedicated to "the saplings," this leaf-filled collection would make just the right gift for nature lovers.

CONNECTIONS
There are many websites that include wonderful activities that correspond to the book.
The author’s website offers lesson plans for teachers, an author’s biography, and audios of the poet.
http://www.kristinegeorge.com/

A library blog lists some great activities and further study ideas including making a salad from things that grow on trees .
http://k8talksbooks.blogspot.com/2008/03/old-elm-speaks-by-kristine-oconnell.html

A study of trees for Arbor Day seems a great time to read the book along with a version of Johnny Appleseed.

Create a classroom “tree” where students write their poems (copied or created) on large leaves and attach them to a tree trunk on a bulletin board.