Tweens 2000-2005
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Park, Linda Sue. A Single Shard. 2001. New York: Clarion Book
This 2002 Newbery Medal winner story takes place in 12th century Korea in the small village of Ch’ulp’o known for celadon pottery. Tree-ear is a young orphaned boy living under the bridge with his friend Crane-man. It is Tree-ear’s deepest desire to learn how to make pots and hope that working for Min will provide him with such an opportunity. Will an orphan boy be given an opportunity to learn a trade that has been passed down traditionally from father to son?
Kim Leng
Libr 265 Fall 2008
Smith, Cynthia Leitich (2001). Rain Is Not My Indian Name. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
A young girl named Rain is unique in her town for being a part of only two families with an Native American background. The story revolves around her memories of her best friend Galen, who died on New Year's Eve on the cusp of the blossoming of their lifelong friendship into romance. The story shows how Rain comes to terms with his death, her feelings of guilt and loneliness, and her place in the world as a Native American.
Deborah Diliberto, Fall 2008
Whitcomb, Laura (2005). A Certain Slant of Light. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.
The story of Helen, a ghost who died 130 years ago, and James, a ghost that died 85 years ago. They meet under unusual circumstances (James "took over" the body of a boy whose spirit had fled). This book had many thought-provoking themes, including teen sex, adultery, suicide, and religious fanaticism. It had a very positive ending for both the ghosts and their human "hosts" (Helen took over the body of a girl whose spirit fled, at the suggestion of James).
Deborah Diliberto, Fall 2008
Mackler, Carolyn (2003). The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things. Boston, MA: Candlewick Press.
The story of an overweight teen's struggle with self-image, trying to fit in to the "perfect" family, and recognizing that not all is as it appears on the surface. A remarkable story of one
young girl's acceptance of who she is.
Deborah Diliberto, Fall 2008
Woodson, Jacqueline. Locomotion. 100p. Penguin Group. 2003.
Four years ago, Lonnie Collins Motion’s (a.k.a. Locomotion) parents died in a fire. Lonnie has struggled, since then, to find a way to express himself, until he starts a new school year and his teacher, Ms. Marcus, encourages Lonnie to pour his feelings out onto paper in the form of poems. Through this new mode of expression, Lonnie writes about everything that is on his mind, and in different forms such as sonnets, haiku, and freeform poems, all the while making it clear that he has now found the way in which to deal with the myriad of issues that life has set before him. He was shipped around from foster home to foster home, and has now found a home with Miss Edna and her older sons who now refer to Lonnie as their “brother”. Lonnie has a younger sister who was sent to live with a different family, a deeply religious family who is skeptical of Lonnie’s visits because he doesn’t attend church. A friend in class is sick in the hospital with sickle-cell anemia and may or may not be well enough to come back to school. Presented entirely in poem form, Locomotion is a compelling and moving read that charts Lonnie’s progression over the course of a school year from confusion and chaos to acceptance and adaptation.
---Eric Barbus, May 8, 2007
Frank, L. (2005). Lucky Stars. New York: Simon & Schuster
Kira’s Grandma has raised her in a small town in upstate New York after her mom ran off with someone from her parent’s band, and so did her dad. Now she is headed to NYC to see her Dad for Christmas. When she arrives, her dad life is unraveling. His new wife has left, and their two young boys are now his entire responsibility. He’s unemployed and seems to be making most of his money singing with the boys in the subway. Kira then realizes that Dad has brought her to NYC because she has an awesome singing voice, and she can help them make money in the subway. Kira is mortified as any thirteen year old would be, but she doesn’t it. It is in the subway, that Jake and Eugene first hear her amazing voice, and then meet her. Jake is instantly in awe of her and Eugene is instantly annoyed by her. When Kira decides to stay because her dad needs her so much, she starts school in the same building where Jake and Eugene attend school. Jake, who is extremely interested, has one huge obstacle to meeting her, he stutters. Eugene usually talks for both of them. That is until someone throws their pet duck in the trash, then Jake and Kira can talk through the duck they name Dirk. They then realize they have something in common: they both love to sing. This story is about realizing your talents and pursuing your dreams. Frank tells the story in all three characters voices making the reader feel they are a part of their circle.
Jessica Ryan, May 10, 2006
Henkes, K. (2003). Olive's Ocean. New York: HarperCollins.
Martha is surprised to receive a page from Olive's diary, a classmate she hardly knew and who had been recently killed. Martha discovers that she has many things in common with the shy girl that hardly anyone knew. The realization that they had so much in common yet would never be friends overshadows Martha's family trip to Cape Cod. While on vacation, Martha thinks about her relationships with her Grandmother Godbee who is getting old, her brother who is pulling away, her father a writer who is angry, her mother who always irritates her, a boy who seems to like her, and finally with herself. She wants to be a writer, but is unsure whether there is room for two writers in one family. Place is important in the story because of Martha's connection to Olive through their love of the ocean.
The story moves calmly forward with Martha awash in emotions. She feels attraction and betrayal for the first time. She is beginning to look beyond herself and shows empathy for others (Godbee and Olive). Death is a theme in that Martha thinks about Olive, her grandmother, and herself after almost drowning. In the end, Martha shows reliance of character that has been put to the test. The portrayal of a young adolescent girl is touching and sensitive. This books asks the reader to think about human relationships and what is it that brings us together and what keeps people from really knowing each other. The author had faith that his readers will have the maturity to approach this book seriously.
Website Link to author: http://www.kevinhenkes.com/
Ellen Reed 4/13/07
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DiCamillo, K. (2000). Because of Winn-Dixie. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.
New to town and lonely, ten-year-old India Opal Buloni befriends a loveably large, ugly mutt who wrecks havoc upon the local grocery store. The newly named Winn-Dixie is the catalyst for healing and friendship for India Opal and the community she builds with his charm and doggie-smile. Through her journey, she learns that everyone’s life has some sorrow and some sweetness; this knowledge helps her gain compassion and understanding.
Though 182 pages long, the book makes a quick read because of generous amounts of white space, double-spaced text, and short chapters. Staying firmly in a younger age range, DiCamillo does not patronize the tween reader by staying with “safe” topics. Abandonment, alcoholism, and prejudice are all touched upon without overt treatment, stating each as a fact of the life experiences of the characters. Reality based situations that act as catalyst for growth and learning.
Tamara K. Pamer, November 20, 2006.
Albert, T., & Singleton, J. (Producers). (2005). Because of Winn-Dixie (Video recording). Beverly Hills, CA: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
The movie stays fairly true to the book, in order of events and characters presented. The visual story differs from the written in the level of drama offered. To provide a story with more conflict, the screenwriters introduce the conflict of The Preacher not wanting a dog coupled with the trailer park manager’s prohibition of children and pets. The addition of these problems along with the bumbling sheriff character who is suspicious of Otis make for a more continuously compelling story, keeping the pacing constant to the end. The casting of Dave Matthews as Otis, the musical pet shop owner, struck me as well matched, Dave being a fairly shy music man in real life.
Tamara K. Palmer, November 20, 2006.
Kadohata, C. (2004). Kira-kira. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
Katie Takeshima recounts her experiences growing up as a first generation Japanese-American in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Beginning before their family moves to Georgia from Iowa, Katie details the events and her impressions of life as they compare to the diary her older sister, Lynn left for her. Throughout their youth, Katie worships her older sister, influenced by Lynn’s artistic and hopeful view of the world. Unable to sustain an Oriental grocery in Iowa, the family moves to Georgia where the girl’s parents can work in chicken factories. Though the work is hard and often takes them away from their children, even after the birth of their son, Katie’s parents are finally able to buy their own home. This had always been a dream of Lynn’s, one whose fulfillment was necessitated by Lynn’s poor health. Instead of improving, Lynn’s anemia and lymphoma worsens and she quietly dies. Katie convinces her family to take a vacation to California, to see the ocean that Lynn always admired but never saw.
Told from the viewpoint of a growing, maturing child, Kira-Kira not only depicts the relationships of family and culture but also allows the reader to understand the social-economic climate of this period in time. The racism her family encounters, being mistaken for other racial groups, and the hardships of lower-economic, blue-collar status are portrayed simply and accurately. At first, her mother resists the union movement at work, because her cultural mores conflict with the idea of rebelling against an employer. She later sees the injustices committed against her family and fellow workers and supports the move for unionization. Her father also battles with his employer and cultural ideals, rising from the struggle with his pride intact. These aspects of Katie’s life are described as just that, the events of her life, as ordinary and unremarkable as they would be for someone who has known nothing else. The book ends rather abruptly, as if so much more could be said about what continued to happen in the Takeshima’s lives, but matches the abruptness of Lynn’s illness and death.
Tamara K. Palmer, November 20, 2006.
Curtis, C.P. (2000). Bud, not Buddy (Sound recording). Old Greenwich, CT: Listening Library.
It is 1936 and ten-year-old Bud, not Buddy, Caldwell is living in a Home in Flint, Michigan when he is sent to another foster care situation. Armed only with his suitcase of memories and his Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself, Bud finds this new foster home as bad as the others were and makes a break for freedom after escaping from their shed. Meeting up with another boy from the Home, he sets out to head west by hitching a ride on a train, but misses his chance due to the momentary loss of one of his mementos. A flyer for Herman E. Calloway’s band, this memento sets Bud on a journey to find the man he believes is his father. While walking to Grand Rapids, he is picked up by Lefty Lewis, a trainman, and brought back to Flint before being dropped off at Herman E. Calloway’s club in Grand Rapids. Bud declares his assumption to the band who are incredulous at his claim, because Herman is too old and cantankerous for Bud to be his son. Miss Thomas, the band’s vocal stylist, takes him in and helps him to become part of the group. Bud avoids Herman until he is forced to ride home in the bandleader’s car, a trip that unravels their connection to reveal that Bud is Herman’s grandson instead of his son.
Poignantly read by the sonorous James Avery, Curtis’ tale of a boy finding out where he belongs, four years after his mother’s death, deals in human emotions and the incredible coincidences that bring people together. It also aptly depicts depression-era middle America in its glory of Jazz and depths of economic hardship.
Tamara K. Palmer, November 20, 2006.
Hannigan, K. (2004). Ida B ...and her plans to maximize fun, avoid disaster, and (possibly) save the world. New York: Greenwillow Books. Home-schooled since she was pulled out of public Kindergarten after just a few days, fourth-grader Ida B has the perfect life. While she is not a morning person, by noon her head is filled to the rim with interesting ideas and plans, and her family’s apple orchard is the perfect place to execute her plans. The river and the apple trees can speak to her, or at least, Ida B knows how to listen to them. While they usually tell her great stories, one day they let on that bad news is coming. Ida B’s life falls apart when her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. While the family tries to maintain a sense of normalcy, it soon becomes clear that Ida B will have to return to public school. To make matters worse, her family must sell off part of the apple orchard that her father promised would become hers someday. With her life now a million miles past wrong, Ida B realizes that she has to come up with her best plan ever if she wants to get her life near perfect again.
Jessica Rothberg, 6 Oct 2006
- Avi. (2002). Crispin: The Cross of Lead. Hyperion Books. ISBN 0786808284.
A thirteen-year-old boy, know only as Asta's son, struggles to survive in 14th century England after the death of his mother. Falsely accused of stealing, he flees the small village he has lived in his entire life. He soon falls in with a traveling juggler, a large man called Bear. Bear and Asta's son each have their own secrets, but as they face adversity together they discover that the most important possession a person can have is the freedom to choose their own destiny.
Laura Fleek, 31 August 2006.
Martin, Ann. (2002). A Corner of the Universe. New York: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN 0-439-38881-3.
Hattie Owen is looking forward to a relaxing summer vacation, hanging around her parents’ boarding house, and reading library books. Hattie’s vacation is abruptly interrupted when she finds out she has an Uncle for the first time. She meets Uncle Adam when the special school he attends is closed down. Adam is mentally disabled and Hattie’s family is embarrassed by his erratic behavior. Hattie finds herself in the role of niece, friend, and even care-taker for Adam. Through her experience, she meets new people, grows up, and learns a lot about herself. Hattie’s voice is clear and thoughtful, allowing the reader to enter her mind and reflect back on how much she experienced in one summer. Martin’s thought-provoking novel tackles tough issues and brings to light the everyday challenges that many pre-teens experience.
Deanna Blesso, 28 August 2006.
Carmen, Patrick. (2005). The Dark Hills Divide. The Land of Elyon Book 1. New York: Orchard Books. ISBN 0-439-70093-0.
12-year-old Alexa Daley lives in the Land of Elyon – a mysterious but beautiful place full of enchantment and fantasy. Alexa and her father spend summers in Bridewell where Alexa passes most of her time exploring, reading in the library, and trying to figure a way outside of the 40 foot high walls that protect and guard the cities of Lathbury, Lunenburg, Turlock, and Bridewell. This summer the co-founder and grandfather figure to Alexa mysteriously dies, leaving Alexa a clue to find a way outside of the walls. Alexa’s summer adventure unravels the mystery that haunts Bridewell. With courage and intelligence, Alexa, along with the help of some furry friends, saves Bridewell from the dangers that lurk beyond the walls. The Dark Hills Divide captures all of the elements readers’ of fantasy enjoy along with simple and direct narrative.
Deanna Blesso, 28 August 2006.
Fensham, E. (2005). Helicopter man. New York: Bloomsbury
Twelve year old Pete is hiding out with his father in a backyard shack somewhere near Melbourne, Australia because his father is convinced that someone is going to kill them.
Shari Partington, 27 August, 2006
Yee, L. (2005). Stanford Wong flunks big-time. Arthur A. Levine: New York.
Poor Stanford, his father wants him to excel in school, and even named him after his Alma Matter. But sixth-grader Stanford Wong just flunked English, and instead of spending the summer at basketball camp, he has to go to summer school. His parents even hire yucky Millicent Min to tutor him. Stanford is afraid of anyone knowing that he’s being tutored, and lies to his basketball teammates and the girl he likes. Stanford has to keep up his lies, face parental pressure, work hard at basketball, all while trying to pass English. And if this isn’t enough, Stanford’s favorite grandma gets sent to a nursing home. This book will appeal to girls as well as boys. This is a sequel to Lisa Yee’s Sid Fleischman Humor Award winning Millicent Min, Girl Genius. Reading level 9-12
Cynthia Baran, August 8, 2006
Konigsburg, E. (2004). The outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place. New York: Atheneum. Rescued from summer camp bullies by her Old World-styled Granduncles, Margaret Rose Kane spends a transformative month lodging at their unusual home. This clever literary masterpiece by a two-time Newbery medalist presents readers with powerful and sophisticated themes dealing with the value of time, money, art, and beauty.
McCormick, P. (2005). My brother's keeper. New York: Hyperion. Pittsburgh Pirate fan and baseball card collector Toby Malone is coping with his brother’s drug use and his mother’s deepening relationship with a new man after Toby’s father abandoned the family. No language, the main character’s innocence, the lessons despite it not being preachy will make this a book that could well be taught in a progressive middle school.
Richie Partington, 9 July 2006
DiCamillo, Kate. The Tale of Despereaux. Illustrated by Timothy Basil Ewing. Candlewick Press, 2003. 272 pages. $17.99. ISBN 0-7636-1722-9 Despereaux is a usually small mouse with big ears that isn’t like the other mice in the castle. He likes to listen to music and read books. He also loves the Princess Pea. His brother sees Despereaux allowing Pea to touch him so the Council banishes him to the dungeon where the mice eating rats live. Despereaux befriends the jailer by telling him stories he has read and is helped back out of the dungeon. But he learns of a plot to kidnap and harm the Princess by a rat named Roscuro and a house girl named Miggery Sow and must do whatever it takes to save her. Awards won: Newbery Award. Other books by this author: Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tiger Rising.
Tracy L. Frie, July 8, 2006.
DiCamillo, Kate (2000) Because of Winn Dixie. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. {BOOK}: Friendship comes in all shapes and ages. This theme overrides the story of Because of Winn-Dixie. Teens move around in our society and the lead character, India has moved to a new town, not knowing anyone, she makes friends with a dog she names, Winn-Dixie and this story of all the people she brings together to become friends begins.
Laura Erickson, June 27, 2006
Lightening Thief
Lightening Thief is a story about a boy with dyslexia and ADD that has a secret destiny, very much like Harry potter. However, unlike Harry Potter the boy in this story Percy Jackson, is not a wizard or witch. He is fortunately and unfortunately the son of Greek God though, Poseidon to be exact. While this does seem to have it's benefits, never having to worry about getting wet, healing whenever your submerged in water or not being killed by a long drop into water. However, there is a major problem with being the son of a god; everyone is trying to kill you. Especially Hades who really doesn't like the sons and daughters of his brothers and sisters (the other gods.) While these might be the problem of an ordinary demi-god Percy has one more serious problem. Which is, some one stole Zeus master thunderbolt and everyone thinks it's Percy. Now it is up to Percy, Annabeth the daughter of Athena, and Grover (a satyr) to find the thunderbolt before a third world war is started (between Zeus and Poseidon). While it was mentioned earlier this book did seem to draw on the Harry Potter series heavily, child is raised by an obnoxious parent the stepfather (the mother was a saint though) did have it's own identity.
Telling the story in first person as well as the narrative were different than Potter. In addition some of the scenes that Percy found himself in where especially unique, and imagery well done. One in particular is the scene with Percy, Echidna and the giant fire breathing Chihuahua Chimera in the St. Louis arch. Another was when Percy finally meets his accuser and uncle Zeus, “Zeus, the Lord of the Gods, wore a dark blue pinstriped suit. He sat on a simple throne of solid platinum. He had a well-trimmed beard, marble gray and black as a storm cloud. His face was proud and handsome and grim , his eye rainy gray As i got near to him, the air crackled and smelled of ozone.” (pg. 339-340)
Lightening Thief Mirmax Rick Riordan Books Hyperion Paperbacks for Childern 2005, New York,
Daniel Gaghan, May 17, 2007
Crispin
The story of Crispin is the tale of a boy in 14th century England named Asta's son. This boy upon his mother's death is charged with a crime he didn't commit, and labeled a wolf's head (which means he is no better than an animal and can be killed on sight. While fleeing for his life with only the clothes on his back and a small lead cross, he learns that his true name is Crispin. This is the beginning of Crispin's story. The rest of the story is just as interesting and exciting. This is why the author would recommend this book to anyone who wants medieval historical fiction. While some people might find the reference and prayer's to god a little disturbing or strange the author thinks it fits with the time period.
Avi, Hyperion; Reprint edition (June 1, 2004)
Daniel Gaghan May, 2007
Colfer, E. (2001). Artemis Fowl. New York: Hyperion Books For Children.
Artemis Fowl is a 12-year-old criminal mastermind bent on restoring the family fortune with fairy gold. Seeking to unravel the secrets of the fairy world, Artemis Fowl and his super-loyal butler/bodyguard, obtain the book of magic from a down-and-out fairy. Artemis decodes the book of magic and is soon ready to bring the fairy world to its knees. Will Artemis Fowl outsmart the fairy folks and restore the family fortune? Or will an elite team of the fairy police force stop Artemis Fowl from carrying out his criminal plan?
Marlene Iwamoto, Summer 2007
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