Monday, April 21, 2008

Quest for the Tree Kangaroo

Montogomery, Sy. Quest For The Tree Kangaroo. 2006. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Readers will learn quite a bit of history, geography, culture and science in this book about an expedition to New Guinea. Lisa Dabek, a forty-five year old scientist takes a team of 14 people on a quest to find a rare mammel called the Tree Kangaroo. Lisa grew up in New York City and always had asthma, so as a child she could not participate in sports and therefore found herself studying the behavior of animals. She was fascinated about why they did the things they do. She eventually became a scientist who would study animal behavior. In 2003, she decided to form a team of people to travel and study the creatures abroad. Readers will learn about the struggles, hardships, and great rewards that are involved with studying animals in the wild.

This book is broken up into ten sections making it extremly easy for the reader to follow. It creates a timeline so that we know who Lisa is, where she came from, and how her life path led her to the study of mammals in the wild. We follow along as the group boards the tiny plane and heads to this foreign land. The information is abundant in this book. Facts are simply added into the text, making it an extemely useful tool for any science classroom. The pictures are amazing as well. They will take your breath away looking at all the beautiful mountains, and waterfalls. Readers will also get a glimpse of the beautiful languages, and culture of the people that are from New Guinea. The end of the book contains several websites with more information about the Tree Kangaroos and where they are located. It also has several words in Tok Pisin, one of the many langugage in New Guinea, that is a great tool for extending the lessons in this book. I highly recommend this book.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Cirque de Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

Shan, Darren. 2000. The Vampire's Assistant. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Darren Shan was a normal little boy curious about a freakshow that was in town. He and his friend Steve attended, and got into some trouble and Darren stole a poisonous tarantula. The spider bit Steve and in order to save him Darren had to go to Mr. Crepsley, the spider's owner, and ask him to save his friend. He agreed, but in exchange he turned Darren into a half-vampire. Book Two begins at this part and we learn what Darren is having a difficult time trying to deal with being a half-vampire. He refuses to drink human blood to keep him alive and so he feeds on animals. Mr. Crepsley is busy teaching him about his new life style and the things that he is going to have to accept. Mr. Crepsley decides that it is time to return to the Cirque de Freak and takes Darren along. At first, Darren is horrified because this is where it all started for him and he hates thinking about his former life. Once Darren is settled, he makes friends with Evra and two humans. Sam, who is one of the humans, becomes one of Darren's best friends and even offers to become "blood brothers" although Darren knows this isn't possible. Sam desperately wants to join the circus and will do anything possible, and Darren will do anything to keep him safe, but will efforts be enough?

Darren Shan writes a great suspenseful story in the Cirque de Freak series. The books are written at a fast pace, making it a very short and satisfying read. Anyone yearning for a good horror fantasy will love this series. The characters are real freaks that will make you cringe at the thought of them. Shan deliciously describes each character until you have a clear mental image of the person, and there are quite a few unique ones such as the wolf-man, the Little People, and Truska. This particular book setting takes place at the Circus that is located on the banks of a river. The reader quickly learns that it is not your typical circus with big bright striped tents, but we get a very eerie feeling of uneasiness. Shan is very talented in creating a sense of fear within his readers. Each book ends with a hook, therefore leaving the reader wanting more.

Fashion Kitty

Harper, Charise Mericle. 2005. Fashion Kitty. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

The Kittie family is an unusual cat family because they have a pet mouse. They are allowed to do this because they are all vegetarians and love to eat things like ice cream, cheese, and pancakes. Lana named her Mousie, but KiKi secretly named her Phoebe Frederique. KiKi is a extraordinary girl cat who loves fashion. One day on her birthday while she was blowing out the candles, a shelf on the wall that was loaded with fashion magazines, crashed down upon her head. Everything seemed normal after the accident until KiKi fell to the floor screaming. When KiKi jumped up she had been transformed into Fashion Kitty and flew out the window to go and save the day. She rescued Mary Jane who was about to make a terrible fashion faux pax, and from that point on she new that this is what she was meant to do.

Harper creates a cute graphic novel for young girls. The Kittie family is very eccentric and even though this is a cat family every young girl reading this book will think it is funny and relatable. The style in which Harper writes is very appealing and will make the reader laugh with statements such as "After all, every family has a few secrets. We like to wear striped underwear." The pictures are definately geared towards little girls because the images are all in pink and gray. The charcters are your typical comic book images that look like they were illustrated by a younger artist. The story is easy to read and follow along and the images definately add to the story. This is a cute book, that most younger girls would enjoy.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

A Wrinkle in Time

L"Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time. 1962. New York: Dell Publishing.

The Murry family is clearly a unique group of people. Mrs. Murry is a very smart lady that has four children; Meg, Charles Wallace, Sandy and Dennys. Her husband has been away on a special assignment for the government which has clearly had an impact on the children. Meg seems to have taken her father's absence particularly hard causing trouble in school and with other children. She is a feisty girl, who seems to resist and push other people away. One dark, stormy night the family couldn't sleep, so they were all sitting in the kitchen eating when a neighbor shows up whose name is Mrs. Whatsit. It turns out that she lives in a nearby house with two other women, Mrs. Which and Mrs. Who. Meg learns that her brother knows these women and that they may have information that will help them find their father. The women, who turn out to be some sort of supernatural spirits have discovered a way to travel through time called tesseracting. They take the children Meg, Charles Wallace, and a local neighborhood kid, Calvin to a planet called Camazotz where all the people have been brainwashed and they must fight the evil IT to save their father. In the end, Meg learns that love is all she needs in order to save her brother from the evil.

This story written by L'Engle was extremely disappointing. The story is somewhat confusing and hard to follow. The way in which the story begins we know that there is something fishy about the three women that live in the nearby haunted house because of their names and their peculiar behavior, but when Charles Wallace takes his sister to the house the reader is somewhat left in the dark. We are getting to see the story through Meg's eyes and since she doesn't know exactly what is happening neither does the reader, and this can be quite frustrating at times. There are great insinuations of good versus evil, supernatural characters, and religion, however I can not see how a fourth grader could possible interpret this book on their own. It is written on a fourth grade level, but the content is clearly intended for an older audience. The story jumps from one unbelievable setting to the next and never really has a climax that will grab the reader's attention. This book has won several awards including the Newberry Award, the Sequoyah Book Award, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and runner up for the Hans Christian Award.

It seems that after I researched the book I could appreciate more of the qualities that the book contained. I can definately see how this book could be used in a classroom, but in my opinion it is not one that I would recommend picking up off the shelf to read for fun.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Twilight

Meyer, Stephenie. Twilight. 2005. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

When Isabella Swan moved from the sunny city of Phoenix to the gloomy and rainy town of Forks to be with her father, she had no idea of how her future was going to change. On her first day at her new school she noticed a group of kids, the Cullens, and how beautiful yet secluded they were from the rest of the students. She was immediately drawn to one of them, Edward. She was fascinated by his beauty and elusiveness. It took him a while to begin talking to her, but from that moment on it was destiny that these two young lovers be together, but there were complications. It turns out that Edward is a vampire that was born in Chicago in 1901. He was dying of the Spanish Influenza when Carlisle found him in a hospital. Carlisle a vampire himmself, saved him from death by biting him and changing him to one of his own kind. He did the same with four other young kids and they soon became a family together. The Cullens were a special group of vampires because they all had agreed not to harm any humans, for the blood that they were required to get in order to survive. When Isabella learned of their secret, she accepted them and soon became a part of their pack. Everything was going great until one night they went to a field to play ball and another group of vampires caught her scent and decided they wanted to devour her. The Cullens immediately try to protect Isabella and they knew they would do anything they could to protect Edward's new love.

Twilight is the first book in Stephenie Meyer's series. This series is captivating right from the first page. Every reader will frantically turn the page dying to know what the future holds for this young couple. Although this gothic story about vampires and werewolves is strictly fantasy, the reader will no doubt be drawn into the highly believable characters and setting. Meyer creates strong, realistic qualities in each of the characters that superbly flows throughout the entire series. It is possible to know what each character feels, thinks, and sees so well that the reader will feel as if they are a part of the story themselves. The bond that forms between Edward and Bella is so real and so powerful that people will wish they could feel this themselves in their own lives. Although this book is 544 pages long, once beginning the first page you will never want the story to end. It will be a race to the library to get your hands on the next book. This book's intended audience is Young Adult, but older fans of vampire stories will fall in love with this series. This book is highly recommended for any young adult or older library.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Al Capone Does My Shirts

Choldenko, Gennifer. Al Capone Does My Shirts. 2004. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons

Moose Flanagan and his family moved to Alcatraz on January 4, 1935. His father got a job as a prison guard on the island and his mother wanted to move there so that his sister Natalie, could attend the Esther P. Marinoff School. Natalie is a sixteen year old autistic girl who's mother will do anything possible to find a "cure" for her daughter. Moose's mother has tried all sorts of medicines, doctors, treatments, and even sent away for some special voodoo dolls all in the effort to help her. Natalie fails her initial interview at the school, and it is left up to Moose to take care of her. He takes her everywhere he goes and is left to deal with her tantrums all by himself. While on the island, Moose meets some of the other kids that live there and together they form a circle of friends that seem to always be coming up with schemes that involves the inmates from Alcatraz.

This historical fiction novel is told in such a way that the readers think that this plot could actually be happening in today's time period. It is the story of a typical family that has to deal with a sibling or child with a mental disability. The reader learns the struggles that each family has to face, and yet we get to see a glimpse of what life was like living on the island of Alcatraz during the 1930's through the eyes of children. This story is funny, sad, lighthearted, and yet deals with some pretty emotional topics. The bonds that form between Natalie and Moose and sure to be felt by the readers.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Bud, Not Buddy

Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bud, Not Buddy. 1999. New York: Delacorte Press.

Bud is a ten year old boy who is on a mission to find his father. Bud, not Buddy as he wants to be referred to, lost his mother when he was six years old. He had no other family so he was forced to live in an orpahanage. He had been in many homes, but the story begins when he goes to live with the Amos'. The Amos' son, named Todd, picked a fight with Bud and for punishment they sent him to the shed for the night. While in there, he got attacked by hornets and broke threw the glass window to escape. He knew he could not live in that house any longer and he refused to go back to "the home" and so his journey began. All things precious to Bud, fit into a worn out suitcase which contained a picture of his mama, some rocks, and a blue flyer of a band named Herman E. Calloway and the Dusky Devastors of the Depression. Bud, beleived that his father was Herman E. Calloway so he decided to travel to Grand Rapids, Michigan to find him. On his journey he met many interesting people, got himself into some pretty scary situations, and even grew up a little. After arriving in Grand Rapids, he learns that this is truly his home, although it is not quite what he expected.

Christopher Paul Curtis tells this historical fiction threw the eyes of a young boy. Bud, is a strong, yet vunerable character whose hard life has forced him to grow up way beyond his years. He has the strength and courage to set out on his own to discover his past and his future. Curtis is sure to describe each situation throughly so that the reader can clearly picture in their mind exactly the house conditions, and what the shantytowns looked like. It will be as if the reader is thrown into the times of the Great Depression.

Day of Tears

Lester, Julius. Day of Tears. 2005. New York: Hyperion Books.

This historical fiction is sure to bring sorrow to any reader's hearts. Julius Lester describes one of the saddest, and largest slave auctions in U.S. History. Pierce Butler is a single man who is raising two daughters, with the help of one of his slaves named Emma. His Southern plantation has been in his family for many generations, but now is at risk due to his poor luck at the card table. He decides to assemble an auction to sell off all of his slaves in order to pay back his gambling debts. As soon as the auction began the sky turned black, and the rain began to come down in fits. The slaves described the scene as "God's tears". In the recount of the auction we learn about how families, lovers, and friends are torn apart. We learn that every slave has a price, even Emma, who had practically raised the girls since their mother left. The story closely follows the lives of Emma and Joe and the rough journey they had to endure to finally end up in Canada and be allowed to live free.

Lester tells this story through shifting first person accounts. The story is told through the eyes of the main characters. Although, at some points it is a little difficult to remember the character, the flow of the story and the raw feelings that each character brings to this novel is unforgettable. Each character has a flashback in the story where they tell how they remembered the specific event. This quote from Emma sums up the entire book "Sarah, my oldest girl, told me that in one of her books it said a picture is worth a thousand words. I told her whoever wrote that didn't know very mucy. When I think back on slavery and all what happened that day when God cried, couldn't no picture make you feel what it was like."