Module 9 - Wolf Rider

Wolf Rider by Avi

Summary

Andy is fifteen years old.  He and his dad have just moved into a new home when he receives a "prank call" in which the caller tried to convince Andy that he had killed a young woman.  Andy tries to persuade the authorities that there is a real threat; however, everyone believes that he is "crying wolf."  Ultimately, it is up to him to prove that a crime is about to be committed.

My Impression

Wow! This book was so suspenseful I had to put it down several times.  I caught myself trying to talk the main character out of doing something that he might regret.  This book is an edge-of-your-seat ride.  I started reading it and I did not want to put it down until I found out if everything was okay.  I think that both middle school and high school students will love this book.

Reviews
With a riveting beginning and a captivating follow-through, this book has a wide appeal to the YA audience. In this page turner, 15-year-old Andy innocently picks up the ringing phone, not realizing that his life is about to change dramatically. The caller confesses to having stabbed a student at the college where Andy's father works. No one believes Andy, who dutifully relates the details of this disturbing call to his father and the police. Even Andy is unsure when he discovers that the supposed victim is remarkably well and unharmed. He realizes that the caller has not yet completed his dastardly deed, and it is up to Andy alone to prevent the murder from taking place.

Lesesne, T. S., Beers, G. K., & Buckman, L. (1996). Wolf rider: A tale of terror. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 40(4), 317-317. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/216924222?accountid=7113

Suggestions for Use in Library

• Book talk - include in suspense books.

Module 8 - Divergent

Divergent by Virginia Roth

Summary

This story takes place in a future dystopian Chicago. Society is divided into five factions: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). When a child reaches their sixteenth birthday, they must choose which faction fits them. They will belong to this faction for the rest of their lives and if they choose a faction that is different from their family it is possible that they will never see them again.  Beatrice completes the testing to show which faction she favors and finds that she has an unusual characteristic, she does not fit into one faction, but several.  In fact, the tester warns her to tell no one that she is Divergent, it could be very dangerous.  Beatrice surprises everyone, including herself, when she selects Dauntless.  She begins the initiation process and finds that she has enemies in her own faction.  She survives initiation only to find that she must somehow help the society foil an insurgency without anyone knowing that she is Divergent.

Roth , V. (2011). Divergent . (Vol. 1). New York : Kathrine Tegon Books

My Impression

I loved this book.  It took a little time to really get into it; however, when I finished it I wanted to immediately start reading the second book in the series.  Roth has done an impressive job creating a dystopian society.  This society works on the surface; however, there is trouble brewing.  The author develops the characters in such a way that we enter into Tris's world as her cheerleader.  We want her to succeed, and we want her detractors to suffer consequences.

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, April 5). Kirkus Reviews, Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/veronica-roth/divergent/

Suggestions for Use in Libraries

• Compare/contrast to other dystopian novels (i.e. Hunger Games)
• Book talk - novels with strong female characters
• Book talk - dystopian novels

Module 7 - The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

The Pinderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy, by Jeanne Birdsall

Summary

The four Penderwick daughters and their absent-minded professor father are spending the summer at the Arundel.  The cottage they are renting is on Mrs. Tifton's estate.  She is a very pretentious woman that does not enjoy the girls' escapades.  Her son, Jeffrey, joins the girls in adventures.  The girls spend a lot of time trying to stay out of trouble.   The girls must also try to help Jeffrey avoid military school.  This story has it all: adventures, disobedience, running away, first loves, bunnies, and a hound dog.  

Birdsall, J. (2005). The Pinderwicks:a summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits, and a very interesting boy. New York, NY: Knopf : Distributed by Random House.

Impressions

I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did!  The Penderwicks was a pleasant surprise.  Even though the book was published in 2005, when viewing the book jacket, I thought it felt like a much older publication.  Once I began reading, it was hard to put the book down.  I wanted to see just what adventure, or mishap, might be awaiting the girls.  This book will definitely be easy to recommend to my students.

Reviews

This timeless tale from a first-time author introduces the thoroughly likable Penderwicks, on vacation in a rental cottage on Arundel, a sprawling Massachusetts estate. Their spirited family dynamics and repartee call to mind those in Hilary McKay's novels, and the sisters' delightfully diverse personalities propel the plot. For instance, when they pull up to the estate's mansion, 10-year-old Jane feels certain she has spied a "lonely boy" in a window and promptly begins a novel about him once they reach their cottage. Skye, 11, elated to have her own room with two beds (she plans to use both), immediately "wrote the bed schedule next to her favorite word problem about trains traveling in different directions." Batty, a shy four-year-old, faithfully wears her butterfly wings and is devoted to her dog, Hound (who "insisted on licking faces in the middle of the night"). The girls' loving, amusingly distracted father is a botany professor with a fondness for spouting Latin phrases. Rosalind, the oldest at 12, has looked after the others since their mother's death (shortly after Batty's birth), and when she meets gentle Cagney, the estate's teenage gardener, he captures her heart. The "lonely boy" turns out to be sensitive, sincere Jeffrey, a talented musician. Tension arises when Jeffrey's pretentious mother and her fiancé decide to send the boy to military school. Certain to be as sorry as the sisters are when it's time to leave Arundel, readers will hope for a return visit from this memorable cast. 

The Penderwicks: A summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits, and a very interesting boy. (2005, July 25). Publisher's weekly, Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-375-83143-0

Suggestions for Use in Library

• Book talk - unexpected pleasures
• Display - summer vacations

Module 7 - 13 Little Blue Envelopes

13 Little Blue Envelopes, by Maureen Johnson

Summary

Ginny is a shy, introverted seventeen year old. She lives a very sheltered life, but thanks to her Aunt Peg, she has little adventures.  When Aunt Peg dies she leaves Ginny a series of letters that take her through Europe on a discovery adventure.  With each new letter, Ginny must step more and more outside of her comfort zone.  She begins to understand her aunt more as she experiences Europe through Aunt Peg's eyes.  

Johnson, M. (2005). 13 little blue envelopes. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

My Impression

This is an enjoyable novel that is a very fast read.  The letters and adventures keep you involved in the story.  It is a bit unrealistic, not many parents would allow their seventeen year old daughter to travel alone to Europe, without a phone or contact with anyone from home.  
Reviews

Aunt Peg was full of wonder, and 17-year-old Ginny always felt more interesting around her. When Ginny receives a letter from Aunt Peg containing $1,000 and instructions for a mysterious journey, she is propelled into a series of experiences that will change her life. She receives a package containing 13 little blue envelopes, to be opened one at a time and only when she’s completed the task in each letter. She goes to London, Scotland, Italy, Rome, Paris and elsewhere, ultimately realizing that she can be interesting by herself; she doesn’t have to be with Peg to feel interesting. The envelopes draw Ginny around the world and the reader along with her, the letters providing a nice change of pace to the third-person narrative. Johnson’s writing is sophisticated and humorous, her characterizations pitch perfect. Aunt Peg seems as real as Ginny, though we find early on that she has died and exists for Ginny only through her letters and memory. A sure hit with fans of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. (Fiction. 12+)

(2010). 13 little blue envelopes. Kirkus Reviews, Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/maureen-johnson/13-little-blue-envelopes/

Suggestions for Use in Library

• Read the novel and tie it into geography lessons 
• Book talk books that have sequels
• Display with adventure books

Module 6 - Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, by Mo Willems

Summary

Pigeon really, really wants to drive the bus.  He tries many different ways to convince the bus driver to let him drive.  He is not successful, but he does not give up easily.

Willems, M. (2003). Don't let the pigeon drive the bus. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.


Impressions

Mo Willems does an excellent job of imitating how small children go about trying to get what they want.  I read this to my students and they loved it. They can relate to wanting to do something so badly that they resort to bargaining, begging, and pleading.  Though simple, illustrations thoroughly show Pigeon's personality. 

Reviews
The premise of this cheeky debut is charmingly absurd. When a bus driver goes on break, he asks the audience to keep an eye on his vehicle and the daft, bug-eyed pigeon who desperately wants to drive it. The pigeon then relentlessly begs readers for some time behind the wheel: "I tell you what: I'll just steer. My cousin Herb drives a bus almost every day! True story." Willems hooks his audience quickly with the pigeon-to-reader approach and minimalist cartoons. The bluish-gray bird, outlined in black crayon, expresses countless, amusing emotions through tiny shifts in eye movement or wing position. The plucky star peeks in from the left side of a page, and exhibits an array of pleading strategies against window-pane panels in mauve, salmon and willow ("I'll be your best friend," he says wide-eyed in one, and whispers behind a wing, "How 'bout I give you five bucks?"). Finally he erupts in a full-spread tantrum on an orange background, the text outlined in electric yellow ("Let me drive the bus!!!"). When the driver returns and takes off, the bird slumps dejectedly until a big red truck inspires a new round of motoring fantasies. Readers will likely find satisfaction in this whimsical show of emotions and, perhaps, a bit of self-recognition. Ages 2-6. 

Don't let the pigeon drive the bus. (2003, February 10).Publisher's weekly, Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-7868-1988-1

Suggestions for Use in Library

• Read the book then sing "The Wheels on the Bus"
• Discuss why the pigeon shouldn't drive the bus
• Have the students act out the story
• Have students write and illustrate a sequel

Module 5 - Goin' Someplace Special

Goin' Someplace Special, by Patricia McKissack

Summary

'Trisha Ann is excited to be going Someplace Special.  She convinces her grandmother to let her go alone for the first time.  'Trisha Ann travels through racially segregated Nashville and experiences racism without her grandmother to help her.  She is saddened, but Blooming Mary helps her believe that her grandmother is with her and gives her the confidence to continue on to Someplace Special.  She finally arrives at the Public Library, where there is no segregation and everyone is welcome.

McKissack, P., & Pinkney, J. (2001). Goin' someplace special. New York: Antheneum Books for Young Readers.

My Impression

This is an excellent book for younger students to experience what it must have been like for a young black girl to live with racism and segregation.  With each experience she has with segregation and racist attitudes, her joy is dimmed just a bit.  When she is at her lowest and wants to give up she is reminded of the strength that her grandmother gives her, even when she is not there. The illustrations are lovely and enhance the story; they help show 'Trisha Ann's joy amidst her circumstances.

Reviews

In an eye-opening journey, McKissack takes the child through an experience based upon her own personal history and the multiple indignities of the period  She experiences a city bus ride and segregated parks, restaurants, hotels, and theaters and travels toward "Someplace Special."  In the end, readers see that 'Trisha Ann's destination is the integrated public library, a haven for all in a historical era of courage and change.

Elam, M. (2001). Goin' someplace special. School Library Journal, 47(9), 199-199. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/211703144?accountid=7113

There are many books about a child's first trip alone, and many books about racism and the struggle for civil rights, but this book is about more than either: it is the story of a child facing a difficult time sustained by the support of the adults in her life.  McKissack and Pinkney strike just the right balance in a picture book for your readers and listeners: informative without being preachy; hopeful without being sentimental.

Smith, R. (2001). Goin' someplace special. The Horn Book Magazine, 77(6), 736-737. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/199261900?accountid=7113

Suggestions for Use in Library

• During Black History Month - prior to reading the book, discuss with students what life might have been like before Civil Rights.
• DIscuss how each time 'Trisha Ann faces a problem she encounters a problem she is encouraged by someone.
• Discuss Human Rights.  What rights should ALL humans have?

Module 5 - Lockdown

Lockdown, by Walter Dean Myers

Summary

This is the story of Reese, a 15 year old boy, sentenced to a youth detention facility called Progress.  Reese wants to get out as soon as possible so he is trying to stay out of trouble, but he keeps getting into fights.  These fights result in "lockdown."  He is isolated, he cannot leave, but the good thing is, no one can enter.  He feels safe.  While involved in a work release program, Reece meets Mr. Hooft.  He learns that there are many ways a person can be in "lockdown" even if they are not in prison.  Mr. Hooft teaches Reece some valuable lessons.

Myers, W. (2010). Lockdown. New York City: Harper Collins.

My Impression

This is a gritty book that helps individuals see how difficult life can be for young men or women that have a good heart, but do not have resources or support for success.  I like the reality that the book portrays.  Reece learns valuable insights from Mr. Hooft; however, when he leaves prison, life is still difficult.  There is not really a happy ending.

Reviews

“That’s what I wanted to do, to fit in and be nobody special.” That’s the goal of Reese, short for Maurice, who’s allowed out of his juvenile corrective facility for work-release shifts at Evergreen, a residential facility for the elderly. There he sees the kind of normal daily life, of bantering with co-workers and developing buddies, for which he yearns; he also begins to find an unexpected friend in Mr. Hooft, an initially prickly and suspicious resident whose insights and experiences compel Reese to think about his own struggles. And struggles there are aplenty back in the Progress Center, essentially prison for young offenders, where Reese knows he needs to stay out of trouble but can’t bring himself to step aside when gang members make a helpless youngster the target of their violence. There’s much YA literature about kids teetering on the edge of doing juvenile time, but there’s not so much about the realities of youthful incarceration and what it means to one’s personhood and future, issues that Myers tackles with sympathy and authenticity. Reese is a likable guy, particularly in his adoration of his live-wire younger sister, and his situations both at home and at the Progress Center are complicated and unfair; however, he’s not simply a doe-eyed innocent, either. The book gives the minor characters resonance as well, with even a bullying prison guard proving to have some interesting facets, and the relationship between Reese and Mr. Hooft refreshingly avoids cliché with its awkwardness and absence of mutually cathartic confession. Readers who’ve followed Myers’ law-and-order-related sagas in Monster 

(BCCB 5/99) and Dope Sick (BCCB 2/09), among others, will find this a logical next step, and it’s a moving tale of a kid who may have made a mistake but who still deserves the modest future he seeks.  DS

Stevenson, D. (2010). Lockdown. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 63(7), 298-298. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/223694017?accountid=7113

Fourteen-year-old Reese broke into a doctor's office, stole prescription pads, and sold them to a drug dealer. Now he's in a juvenile detention facility in the Bronx, trying to make the right choices, the ones that will bring him an early release date. Reese has a host of things working against him: a penchant for fighting his fellow inmates, a disadvantaged background, a dysfunctional family (a drug-addicted mother, an absentee father, an older brother running with the wrong crowd). But there are also people who give him hope: a smart younger sister who seems bent on making a better life for herself; a prison superintendent who is able to overlook Reese's problems to see his potential; and, at Reese's work release program, a cantankerous old man with his own troubled past. Myers returns toa familiar milieu to riff on favorite themes: hard luck, second chances, overcoming adversity, living with purpose and determination. JONATHAN HUNT

Hunt, J. (2010). Lockdown. The Horn Book Magazine, 86(2), 65-65. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/199458925?accountid=7113

Suggestions for Use in Library

• Booktalk it!
• Use as a selection for a reading or book club

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