BIBLIOGRAPHY
Curtis, Christopher Paul. 2006. BUD, NOT BUDDY. James Avery (Narrator)
Audio CD Publisher: Listening Library (Audio); Unabridged edition ISBN-10: 0739331795 ISBN-13: 978-0739331798
Delacorte Books for Young Readers (September 7, 1999) ISBN-10: 0385323069 ISBN-13: 978-0385323062
PLOT
Young Bud has been an orphan for four years. He has lived in the home since he was six. Foster families haven't worked out. The most recent, Amos family had locked him in a shed with hornets and fish heads. Lucky for Bud he was able to make a run for it with his cardboard suitcase that held all his treasured belongings. On the lamb, Bud decides to find his father and a place that he belongs. He follows the clues on the pamphlets that were his mothers and had always made her sad. Bud was sure the man in the pamphlet with the huge fiddle must be his father. Walking alone at 2:30 in the morning on the way to Grand Rapids Michigan, Bud meets Lefty, a Red Cap with the railroad on a delivery to the hospital. Bud suspects that Lefty is a vampire, why else would he be carring around a box of fresh blood? Bud's luck is improving, Lefty is OK and even knows the man that Bud is looking for.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The audio recording by James Avery was very expressive and entertaining. I would recommend it for reluctant reader's as well as traveler's and anyone needing an audio book. The writing by Curtis of a young orphaned African American boy was very engaging. The story is told in an uplifting style that has made Bud, Not Buddy a classic. The fictional character's of Lefty and Herman Calloway are based on the author's own grandfather's. The career's of the men were representative of the times in the 1930's for fortunate black men. The Hooverville era of camps for the poor is explained in the story. Bud makes the best of his hard times with a survivors spirit. The book is recommended for 8-12, but will be enjoyed by all ages.
REVIEWS
Amazon.com
"It's funny how ideas are, in a lot of ways they're just like seeds. Both of them start real, real small and then... woop, zoop, sloop... before you can say Jack Robinson, they've gone and grown a lot bigger than you ever thought they could." So figures scrappy 10-year-old philosopher Bud--"not Buddy"--Caldwell, an orphan on the run from abusive foster homes and Hoovervilles in 1930s Michigan. And the idea that's planted itself in his head is that Herman E. Calloway, standup-bass player for the Dusky Devastators of the Depression, is his father.
Guided only by a flier for one of Calloway's shows--a small, blue poster that had mysteriously upset his mother shortly before she died--Bud sets off to track down his supposed dad, a man he's never laid eyes on. And, being 10, Bud-not-Buddy gets into all sorts of trouble along the way, barely escaping a monster-infested woodshed, stealing a vampire's car, and even getting tricked into "busting slob with a real live girl." Christopher Paul Curtis, author of The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963, once again exhibits his skill for capturing the language and feel of an era and creates an authentic, touching, often hilarious voice in little Bud. (Ages 8 to 12) --Paul Hughes --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
A 10-year-old boy in Depression-era Michigan sets out to find the man he believes to be his father. "While the harshness of Bud's circumstances are authentically depicted, Curtis imbues them with an aura of hope, and he makes readers laugh even when he sets up the most daunting scenarios," said PW in our Best Books citation. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
CONNECTIONS
*Read other books by Curtis
Curtis, Christopher Paul. 2000. The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963
Laurel Leaf. ISBN-10: 044022800X
Curtis, Christopher Paul. 2006. Bucking the Sarge. Laurel Leaf; Reprint edition ISBN-10: 0440413311
Listen to the audio in a group
Sunday, June 24, 2007
MIRACLE'S BOYS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Woodson, Jacqueline. 2006. MIRACLE’S BOYS. G.P.Putnam's Sons, New York. ISBN: 978-0142406021.
PLOT SUMMARY
Three brothers struggle to get by in New York City after the death of their mother. Ty'ree, the oldest is twenty two and has put college on hold to keep his family together. Charlie, is back home after spending two years at Rahway, a home for wayward boys. Charlie was away when his mother died and only allowed a short visit home for his mother's funeral. Charlie carries around his problems, "It's more like a gorilla on his back than a monkey." The youngest brother, Lafayette is confused about his last memories of his mother. His most important possession is a picture of his mom.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Ages 9-12 Coretta Scott King Award
A sad but heart-warming story that shows the strength and love of three African American brothers who have experienced a tragic setback in their already difficult lives. This book is a wonderful example of how young adults can fight all odds. With the help of each other they find that there is still hope. They are barely getting by living on their own but sticking together will help them accomplish the task. I would recommend this book for both young folks and adults. It gives opportunities for discussion. It was a well written novel with sincere honest emotion.
REVIEWS
Amazon.com
"Sometimes I feel like our life is one big work of art--it's everything" [Charlie] stared down at his bare feet. "And nothing."
"This isn't art," I said. "It's our block! It's our life."
If only, if only... Life is full of poignant hypotheticals for Ty'ree, Charlie, and Lafayette, three brothers who are raising themselves after they lost their father to a drowning accident and their mother to diabetes. Each boy deals with his grief in his own way: the oldest, Ty'ree, has given up his dreams of college to work full time to support the others. Charlie is slipping into a life of crime, and is just back, angry and alienated, from two years at a correctional facility. Lafayette, the youngest brother, has retreated inward, avoiding his friends and blaming himself for his mother's death. These three are struggling against pretty large odds, but "brother to brother to brother," they can survive. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter
From Publishers Weekly
Once again, Woodson (If You Come Softly; From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun) reveals a keen understanding of the adolescent psyche via the narration of a winning seventh-grader. Lafayette, whose mother has recently died, is worried that some day he will be separated from his two older brothers: high-school-graduate Ty'ree, who gave up a scholarship to MIT to take care of his younger siblings; and Charlie, the rebellious middle boy, who, after spending more than two years in a correctional facility, has returned home cold and tough. (Lafayette calls him "Newcharlie," because his brother, with whom he was once so close, now seems unrecognizable to him.) Viewing household tensions and hardships through Lafayette's eyes, readers will come to realize each character's internal conflicts and recognize their desperate need to cling together as a family. The boys' loyalties to one another are tested during a cathartic climax, though it is resolved a bit too easily, and Lafayette's visions of his mother aren't fully developed or integrated into the plot. Gang violence and urban poverty play an integral part in this novel, but what readers will remember most is the brothers' deep-rooted affection for one another. An intelligently wrought, thought-provoking story. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
CONNECTIONS
Books by Jacqueline Woodson
IF YOU COME SOFTLY. 2006 Puffin; Reissue edition, ISBN-10: 0142406015
LOCOMOTION. 2004 . Puffin, NewYork ISBN 0142401498 ISBN-13: 978-0142401491
Woodson, Jacqueline. 2006. MIRACLE’S BOYS. G.P.Putnam's Sons, New York. ISBN: 978-0142406021.
PLOT SUMMARY
Three brothers struggle to get by in New York City after the death of their mother. Ty'ree, the oldest is twenty two and has put college on hold to keep his family together. Charlie, is back home after spending two years at Rahway, a home for wayward boys. Charlie was away when his mother died and only allowed a short visit home for his mother's funeral. Charlie carries around his problems, "It's more like a gorilla on his back than a monkey." The youngest brother, Lafayette is confused about his last memories of his mother. His most important possession is a picture of his mom.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Ages 9-12 Coretta Scott King Award
A sad but heart-warming story that shows the strength and love of three African American brothers who have experienced a tragic setback in their already difficult lives. This book is a wonderful example of how young adults can fight all odds. With the help of each other they find that there is still hope. They are barely getting by living on their own but sticking together will help them accomplish the task. I would recommend this book for both young folks and adults. It gives opportunities for discussion. It was a well written novel with sincere honest emotion.
REVIEWS
Amazon.com
"Sometimes I feel like our life is one big work of art--it's everything" [Charlie] stared down at his bare feet. "And nothing."
"This isn't art," I said. "It's our block! It's our life."
If only, if only... Life is full of poignant hypotheticals for Ty'ree, Charlie, and Lafayette, three brothers who are raising themselves after they lost their father to a drowning accident and their mother to diabetes. Each boy deals with his grief in his own way: the oldest, Ty'ree, has given up his dreams of college to work full time to support the others. Charlie is slipping into a life of crime, and is just back, angry and alienated, from two years at a correctional facility. Lafayette, the youngest brother, has retreated inward, avoiding his friends and blaming himself for his mother's death. These three are struggling against pretty large odds, but "brother to brother to brother," they can survive. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter
From Publishers Weekly
Once again, Woodson (If You Come Softly; From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun) reveals a keen understanding of the adolescent psyche via the narration of a winning seventh-grader. Lafayette, whose mother has recently died, is worried that some day he will be separated from his two older brothers: high-school-graduate Ty'ree, who gave up a scholarship to MIT to take care of his younger siblings; and Charlie, the rebellious middle boy, who, after spending more than two years in a correctional facility, has returned home cold and tough. (Lafayette calls him "Newcharlie," because his brother, with whom he was once so close, now seems unrecognizable to him.) Viewing household tensions and hardships through Lafayette's eyes, readers will come to realize each character's internal conflicts and recognize their desperate need to cling together as a family. The boys' loyalties to one another are tested during a cathartic climax, though it is resolved a bit too easily, and Lafayette's visions of his mother aren't fully developed or integrated into the plot. Gang violence and urban poverty play an integral part in this novel, but what readers will remember most is the brothers' deep-rooted affection for one another. An intelligently wrought, thought-provoking story. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
CONNECTIONS
Books by Jacqueline Woodson
IF YOU COME SOFTLY. 2006 Puffin; Reissue edition, ISBN-10: 0142406015
LOCOMOTION. 2004 . Puffin, NewYork ISBN 0142401498 ISBN-13: 978-0142401491
DUKE ELLINGTON: THE PIANO PRINCE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. 1998. DUKE ELLINGTON: THE PIANO PRINCE AND HIS ORCHESTRA Ill. Brian Pinkney. Hyperion Books For Children, New York. ISBN: 0-7868-2150-7
2. PLOT SUMMARY
As a boy, Duke didn’t want to practice the piano. He thought it had an “umpy-dump” sound. Years later as a young man Duke heard a ragtime piano player and fell in love with the new sound. It had a “soul rousing romp” that had Duke hooked. He practiced the piano with all his heart until he was playing in clubs and honky-tonks in Washington DC and New York City. Duke Ellington and his Orchestra had hit the big time when they played at The Cotton Club in Harlem. "It was considered the swankiest hangout, a big time nightspot”. The orchestra was made up of several talented musicians that he called his cats. In 1943 they played at Carnegie Hall in New York
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The story of Duke Ellington makes you feel like you are in the 1930’s with the sound of swing that Ellington was famous for on every page. Duke's composition of Black Brown and Beige, “elaborates the history of African American people. A suite that rocked the bosom and lifted the soul. It sang the glories of dark skin, the pride of African heritage, and the triumphs of black people, from the days of slavery to years of the civil right struggle." It is very engaging with its colorful illustrations that are full of movement. The illustrations are on scratchboard with gouache and oil. It has a biography page on Edward Kennedy 'Duke' Ellington with a source list.
Caldecott Honor Book
Ages 4-8
REVIEWS
Amazon.com
Edward Kennedy Ellington, "King of the Keys," was born on April 29, 1899, in Washington, D.C. "He was a smooth-talkin', slick-steppin', piano-playin' kid," writes master wordsmith Andrea Pinkney in the rhythmic, fluid, swinging prose of this excellent biography for early readers. It was ragtime music that first "set Duke's fingers to wiggling." He got back to work and taught himself to "press on the pearlies." Soon 19-year-old Duke was playing compositions "smoother than a hairdo sleeked with pomade" at parties, pool halls, country clubs, and cabarets. Skipping from D.C. to 1920s Harlem, "the place where jazz music ruled," Duke and his small band called the Washingtonians began performing in New York City clubs, including the Cotton Club, where Duke Ellington and his Orchestra was officially born. By 1943, Duke Ellington--writer of more than 1000 compositions, including ballet and film scores, orchestral suites, musicals, and choral works--had made it all the way to Carnegie Hall.
We applaud this talented husband-and-wife team--award-winning illustrator Brian Pinkney and writer Andrea Pinkney--for making music fly in this fantastic tribute to a jazz legend. Andrea does an extraordinary job of translating music into words, with blues "deeper than the deep blue sea" and "hot-buttered bob, with lots of sassy-cool tones," while her husband visually interprets the movement of music as spirals, waves, and swirls of color, prepared as scratchboard renderings with luma dyes, gouache, and oil paint. Andrea writes, "Toby let loose on his sleek brass sax, curling his notes like a kite tail in the wind. A musical loop-de-loop, with a serious twist," while Brian paints those curling notes, the loop-de-loops, and the kite sailing up to the New York City skyline. Young readers will enjoy the rhythm and beauty of the story itself, and may even be inspired to give Raffi a rest and swing with the Duke! (Great read-aloud, ages 4 to 8) --Karin Snelson, Amazon.com Kids editor
School Library Journal
Grade 1-5AA royal introduction to the piano prince. Told in a swingy conversational tone and highlighting the musician's childhood, early ragtime days, and stellar rise to popularity, playing at the Cotton Club and, later, Carnegie Hall, this is a jazzy treat. It is rare to find text that describes music so well. Phrases such as "sassy ride on his cymbal," "musical stream," and "purple dash of brass" carry the auditory experiences of the Duke's music right off the page. Young readers will find more than just a few facts here. They will learn what Duke Ellington did for the jazz world, how his music was played, and the legacy he left behind. Brian Pinkney's distinctive scratchboard, gouache and oil paintings are a harmonious complement to Andrea Pinkney's text. Bright, wild colors on soft neon backgrounds are beautifully balanced with black-and-white highlights. It is the blending of words, symbols, and pictures that bring this subject to life. A page of biographical information and impressive source notes conclude the presentation. This book swings. Don't miss it.ABeth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
CONNECTIONS
Share a recording of the music of Duke Ellington and his Orchestra
Share a book of the instruments played in a jazz band
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. 1998. DUKE ELLINGTON: THE PIANO PRINCE AND HIS ORCHESTRA Ill. Brian Pinkney. Hyperion Books For Children, New York. ISBN: 0-7868-2150-7
2. PLOT SUMMARY
As a boy, Duke didn’t want to practice the piano. He thought it had an “umpy-dump” sound. Years later as a young man Duke heard a ragtime piano player and fell in love with the new sound. It had a “soul rousing romp” that had Duke hooked. He practiced the piano with all his heart until he was playing in clubs and honky-tonks in Washington DC and New York City. Duke Ellington and his Orchestra had hit the big time when they played at The Cotton Club in Harlem. "It was considered the swankiest hangout, a big time nightspot”. The orchestra was made up of several talented musicians that he called his cats. In 1943 they played at Carnegie Hall in New York
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The story of Duke Ellington makes you feel like you are in the 1930’s with the sound of swing that Ellington was famous for on every page. Duke's composition of Black Brown and Beige, “elaborates the history of African American people. A suite that rocked the bosom and lifted the soul. It sang the glories of dark skin, the pride of African heritage, and the triumphs of black people, from the days of slavery to years of the civil right struggle." It is very engaging with its colorful illustrations that are full of movement. The illustrations are on scratchboard with gouache and oil. It has a biography page on Edward Kennedy 'Duke' Ellington with a source list.
Caldecott Honor Book
Ages 4-8
REVIEWS
Amazon.com
Edward Kennedy Ellington, "King of the Keys," was born on April 29, 1899, in Washington, D.C. "He was a smooth-talkin', slick-steppin', piano-playin' kid," writes master wordsmith Andrea Pinkney in the rhythmic, fluid, swinging prose of this excellent biography for early readers. It was ragtime music that first "set Duke's fingers to wiggling." He got back to work and taught himself to "press on the pearlies." Soon 19-year-old Duke was playing compositions "smoother than a hairdo sleeked with pomade" at parties, pool halls, country clubs, and cabarets. Skipping from D.C. to 1920s Harlem, "the place where jazz music ruled," Duke and his small band called the Washingtonians began performing in New York City clubs, including the Cotton Club, where Duke Ellington and his Orchestra was officially born. By 1943, Duke Ellington--writer of more than 1000 compositions, including ballet and film scores, orchestral suites, musicals, and choral works--had made it all the way to Carnegie Hall.
We applaud this talented husband-and-wife team--award-winning illustrator Brian Pinkney and writer Andrea Pinkney--for making music fly in this fantastic tribute to a jazz legend. Andrea does an extraordinary job of translating music into words, with blues "deeper than the deep blue sea" and "hot-buttered bob, with lots of sassy-cool tones," while her husband visually interprets the movement of music as spirals, waves, and swirls of color, prepared as scratchboard renderings with luma dyes, gouache, and oil paint. Andrea writes, "Toby let loose on his sleek brass sax, curling his notes like a kite tail in the wind. A musical loop-de-loop, with a serious twist," while Brian paints those curling notes, the loop-de-loops, and the kite sailing up to the New York City skyline. Young readers will enjoy the rhythm and beauty of the story itself, and may even be inspired to give Raffi a rest and swing with the Duke! (Great read-aloud, ages 4 to 8) --Karin Snelson, Amazon.com Kids editor
School Library Journal
Grade 1-5AA royal introduction to the piano prince. Told in a swingy conversational tone and highlighting the musician's childhood, early ragtime days, and stellar rise to popularity, playing at the Cotton Club and, later, Carnegie Hall, this is a jazzy treat. It is rare to find text that describes music so well. Phrases such as "sassy ride on his cymbal," "musical stream," and "purple dash of brass" carry the auditory experiences of the Duke's music right off the page. Young readers will find more than just a few facts here. They will learn what Duke Ellington did for the jazz world, how his music was played, and the legacy he left behind. Brian Pinkney's distinctive scratchboard, gouache and oil paintings are a harmonious complement to Andrea Pinkney's text. Bright, wild colors on soft neon backgrounds are beautifully balanced with black-and-white highlights. It is the blending of words, symbols, and pictures that bring this subject to life. A page of biographical information and impressive source notes conclude the presentation. This book swings. Don't miss it.ABeth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
CONNECTIONS
Share a recording of the music of Duke Ellington and his Orchestra
Share a book of the instruments played in a jazz band
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Koala Lou by Mem Fox
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fox, Mem. 1988. Koala Lou. Pamela Lofts,Ill. New York, NY: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 0-15-200502-1
PLOT SUMMARY
A young Koala misses the special time she spent with her mother before she had several brothers and sisters. She trains for the Bush Olympics in hopes of attracting her Mother’s attention. She is dedicated to her training but doesn’t win first place. Koala Lou discovers that her Mother loves her regardless of the results of the competition.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The illustrations by Pamela Lofts are wonderful and creative. The colored pencil drawings are lively and show emotion. The book Koala Lou gives an introduction to young children of the animals of Australia. Koala Lou reflects the real concern that a child has with the addition of siblings to the family. It is a heartwarming story for ages three and up that is sure to become a favorite.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
From Publishers Weekly
Fox's two new books join Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge as perfect examples of why the Australian writer has become one of today's top authors of children's books. Koala Lou is loved by everyone, but it is her mother who loves her most of all. She often tells her daughter, "Koala Lou, I DO love you." As the family grows and her mother gets busier, Koala Lou yearns to hear those words again. She sets out to win the Bush Olympics as a way to gain her mother's attention. Lofts's colored-pencil drawings portray the Australian flora and fauna beautifully, including a few of the more exotic species. Koala Lou celebrates the eternal love of a mother for her child without the sentimentality of Robert Munsch's Love You Forever… Ages 3-6.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
When Koala Lou’s mother becomes so busy that she forgets to tell her firstborn how much she loves her, Koala Lou enters the Bush Olympics, intending to win an event and her mother’s love all at one time. “A first-rate choice for bedtime, story hour, or reading aloud.”--The Horn Book
CONNECTIONS
*Mem Fox. 1999. Wombat Divine. ISBN-10: 0152020969
*Mem Fox. 2005. Hunwick’s Egg. ISBN-10: 0152163182
Share books on the animal’s of Australia
John Bonnett Wexo. 1997. Koalas and Other Australian Animals (Zoobooks Series)
Hannelore Sotzek. 1997. The Koala Is Not a Bear! ISBN-10: 0865057397
Sing “Kookaburra sits in the Old Gum Tree”
Fox, Mem. 1988. Koala Lou. Pamela Lofts,Ill. New York, NY: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 0-15-200502-1
PLOT SUMMARY
A young Koala misses the special time she spent with her mother before she had several brothers and sisters. She trains for the Bush Olympics in hopes of attracting her Mother’s attention. She is dedicated to her training but doesn’t win first place. Koala Lou discovers that her Mother loves her regardless of the results of the competition.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The illustrations by Pamela Lofts are wonderful and creative. The colored pencil drawings are lively and show emotion. The book Koala Lou gives an introduction to young children of the animals of Australia. Koala Lou reflects the real concern that a child has with the addition of siblings to the family. It is a heartwarming story for ages three and up that is sure to become a favorite.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
From Publishers Weekly
Fox's two new books join Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge as perfect examples of why the Australian writer has become one of today's top authors of children's books. Koala Lou is loved by everyone, but it is her mother who loves her most of all. She often tells her daughter, "Koala Lou, I DO love you." As the family grows and her mother gets busier, Koala Lou yearns to hear those words again. She sets out to win the Bush Olympics as a way to gain her mother's attention. Lofts's colored-pencil drawings portray the Australian flora and fauna beautifully, including a few of the more exotic species. Koala Lou celebrates the eternal love of a mother for her child without the sentimentality of Robert Munsch's Love You Forever… Ages 3-6.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
When Koala Lou’s mother becomes so busy that she forgets to tell her firstborn how much she loves her, Koala Lou enters the Bush Olympics, intending to win an event and her mother’s love all at one time. “A first-rate choice for bedtime, story hour, or reading aloud.”--The Horn Book
CONNECTIONS
*Mem Fox. 1999. Wombat Divine. ISBN-10: 0152020969
*Mem Fox. 2005. Hunwick’s Egg. ISBN-10: 0152163182
Share books on the animal’s of Australia
John Bonnett Wexo. 1997. Koalas and Other Australian Animals (Zoobooks Series)
Hannelore Sotzek. 1997. The Koala Is Not a Bear! ISBN-10: 0865057397
Sing “Kookaburra sits in the Old Gum Tree”
The Robber and Me by Josef Holub
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Holub, Joseph. 1996. The Robber and Me. New York, New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0-8050-5599-1
PLOT SUMMARY
Boniface Schroll has been an orphan for a year and a half. He has lived with his aunt who doesn’t know anything about boys. The Orphan Court has decided to send the eleven-year-old to live with his Uncle, the Mayor of Graab. Boniface is left abandoned by the wagon driver in the forest on the way to his new home. He becomes lost in the night and falls asleep exhausted. The Robber finds Boniface and delivers him to the Mayor’s doorstep.
The village has harsh strange rules that are easy to break. The poor finding it the most difficult. If they can’t pay the fine, they are locked in the local jail. The Schoolmaster, a powerful person in Graab, treats the poor children of the community with unjust harshness. Boniface is not to be seen with his new friend Christopher, the son of the accused Robber. When the Robber is accused of even greater crimes, Boniface must give him an alibi. Boniface is worried that the new life in Graab with his Uncle will be lost.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Robber and Me was given the 1998 Mildred R. Batchelder Award. The author sharesgives an idea of what life was like for people living in Germany in the early 1800’s. It combines mystery with the historical genre of the time. It is an interesting story that is enjoyable for children 7 and up. The author shares the fears and concerns through a child’s eyes. It includes an explanation of the use of vowel combination and a glossary of new words with several in German.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Amazon.com
"I was often afraid," says young Boniface Schroll, the protagonist of Josef Holub's prize-winning novel set in 19th-century Germany. "Sometimes I was afraid of tomorrow, or afraid that I would do something wrong." A city boy and orphan with a funny name and a head of girlish ringlets, Boniface is confronted by those fears when he is sent from the house of a stingy aunt to live with his uncle, the stern but decent mayor of the village of Graab.
Here he sleeps under a thick down comforter and is fattened up and fussed over by his uncle's kindly, maternal maid, Frederika. Nevertheless, he soon realizes that life in Graab is restricted by stifling rules that keep the kids in line at school and the townspeople orderly and fearful of strangers. When Boniface becomes friends with the son of a reputed robber, he fully realizes the small-minded prejudices that oppress the village and becomes entangled in a local mystery. In the end he must risk his comfortable new life in order to tell the truth.
This engaging historical novel, translated from German, won the 1998 Mildred R. Batchelder Award for excellence in children's literature. Older readers will enjoy the fascinating window into life in old-time, small-town Germany, with a short glossary of German and archaic words at the end. An old-fashioned mystery, The Robber and Me is a refreshing change of pace in middle-grade fiction. (Ages 11 and older) --Maria Dolan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Parents' Choice®
Boniface, an eleven-year-old orphan, is shipped off to a neighboring village to live with the mayor, his uncle. Transported by a hired wagon driver, he is unceremoniously dumped in the forest at night where he wanders until he collapses on the verge of unconsciousness. He is rescued by someone he comes to suspect is the locally vilified robber. A thoroughly likable character, Boniface matures in a believable fashion in an old-fashioned setting - rural Germany in 1867. A 1998 Parents' Choice® Silver Honor.
Reviewed by Kemie Nix, Parents' Choice® 1998 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
CONNECTIONS
* Josef Holub. 2007. Innocent Soldier. ISBN-10: 0439627729
* Gloria Whelan. 2004. The Impossible Journey. ISBN-10: 0064410838
Talk about the immigration to America and share a map of Germany and the route to America.
Holub, Joseph. 1996. The Robber and Me. New York, New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0-8050-5599-1
PLOT SUMMARY
Boniface Schroll has been an orphan for a year and a half. He has lived with his aunt who doesn’t know anything about boys. The Orphan Court has decided to send the eleven-year-old to live with his Uncle, the Mayor of Graab. Boniface is left abandoned by the wagon driver in the forest on the way to his new home. He becomes lost in the night and falls asleep exhausted. The Robber finds Boniface and delivers him to the Mayor’s doorstep.
The village has harsh strange rules that are easy to break. The poor finding it the most difficult. If they can’t pay the fine, they are locked in the local jail. The Schoolmaster, a powerful person in Graab, treats the poor children of the community with unjust harshness. Boniface is not to be seen with his new friend Christopher, the son of the accused Robber. When the Robber is accused of even greater crimes, Boniface must give him an alibi. Boniface is worried that the new life in Graab with his Uncle will be lost.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Robber and Me was given the 1998 Mildred R. Batchelder Award. The author sharesgives an idea of what life was like for people living in Germany in the early 1800’s. It combines mystery with the historical genre of the time. It is an interesting story that is enjoyable for children 7 and up. The author shares the fears and concerns through a child’s eyes. It includes an explanation of the use of vowel combination and a glossary of new words with several in German.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Amazon.com
"I was often afraid," says young Boniface Schroll, the protagonist of Josef Holub's prize-winning novel set in 19th-century Germany. "Sometimes I was afraid of tomorrow, or afraid that I would do something wrong." A city boy and orphan with a funny name and a head of girlish ringlets, Boniface is confronted by those fears when he is sent from the house of a stingy aunt to live with his uncle, the stern but decent mayor of the village of Graab.
Here he sleeps under a thick down comforter and is fattened up and fussed over by his uncle's kindly, maternal maid, Frederika. Nevertheless, he soon realizes that life in Graab is restricted by stifling rules that keep the kids in line at school and the townspeople orderly and fearful of strangers. When Boniface becomes friends with the son of a reputed robber, he fully realizes the small-minded prejudices that oppress the village and becomes entangled in a local mystery. In the end he must risk his comfortable new life in order to tell the truth.
This engaging historical novel, translated from German, won the 1998 Mildred R. Batchelder Award for excellence in children's literature. Older readers will enjoy the fascinating window into life in old-time, small-town Germany, with a short glossary of German and archaic words at the end. An old-fashioned mystery, The Robber and Me is a refreshing change of pace in middle-grade fiction. (Ages 11 and older) --Maria Dolan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Parents' Choice®
Boniface, an eleven-year-old orphan, is shipped off to a neighboring village to live with the mayor, his uncle. Transported by a hired wagon driver, he is unceremoniously dumped in the forest at night where he wanders until he collapses on the verge of unconsciousness. He is rescued by someone he comes to suspect is the locally vilified robber. A thoroughly likable character, Boniface matures in a believable fashion in an old-fashioned setting - rural Germany in 1867. A 1998 Parents' Choice® Silver Honor.
Reviewed by Kemie Nix, Parents' Choice® 1998 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
CONNECTIONS
* Josef Holub. 2007. Innocent Soldier. ISBN-10: 0439627729
* Gloria Whelan. 2004. The Impossible Journey. ISBN-10: 0064410838
Talk about the immigration to America and share a map of Germany and the route to America.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Looking for X by Deborah Ellis
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ellis, Deborah. 1999. Looking for X.. Toronto, Ontario: Groundwork Books, Douglas and McIntyre. ISBN 0-88899-378-1
PLOT SUMMARY
In this book, a young girl of eleven helps her mom care for her 5-year-old brothers with autism. She plans on becoming a world explorer with her favorite possession being an atlas. Khyber choose her name from the Khyber Pass, a place she wants to visit one day. The name her mother gave her is considered unspeakable. Khyber loves her family. She is responsible and mature in her ability to care for her brothers. When the decision to place her brothers in a home with professionals is made, Khyber is upset and resentful.
Advancement of two grades in school has left her without friends her own age. A homeless woman called X is on her list of friends. X is a homeless woman that doesn't talk much and carries an empty suitcase. X thinks the secret police are looking for her and has few people she can trust. X trusts Khyber and will eat the peanut butter sandwiches that Kyhber brings her.
A gang of skinheads in the park beats Khyber and X. When the school is vandalized, Khyber’s problems with her teacher make her a suspect. Khyber doesn’t want to tell her mother that she was in a fight so she spends the night on the street among the homeless searching for X so she can clear her name. Kyhber is fortunate to find new friends that help her get home.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Looking for X, gives readers an idea of what it be like to be homeless. Ellis writes in a 'matter of fact tone' that is realistic to the character of the book. The characters in the book are interesting and believable. Readers will like Khyber and identify with her even if they haven’t experienced the life of living on public assistance and caring for siblings with autism. The mother is loving and is determined to raise her daughter with values. The mothers love for Khyber and her brothers are the foundation for Khyber’s strength and determination. I would recommend reading Looking for X and other books by Deborah Ellis.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
School Library JournalGrade 6-8-Eleven-year-old Khyber lives with her mother and autistic twin brothers in a low-income area in Toronto. In addition to her problems at school (she skipped two grades and doesn't fit in), she deals with her mother's decision to send her brothers to a group home, some menacing skinheads, a false accusation of vandalism that gets her expelled, and a search for her homeless friend, "X." Khyber loves her family and gladly goes beyond what one would expect of a child in order to help her mother and "X." Her friends are an odd assortment of characters, all adults. There are just too many quirks and issues to make this book believable. Some aspects of the plot are far-fetched and everything falls into place just a little too neatly at the end. On the other hand, all of the characters seem real and natural. Khyber is a likable protagonist and readers will appreciate how she copes with her issues. If they can accept some of the improbable circumstances, they will enjoy the story.Leslie Ann Lacika, Dingman-Delaware Middle School, Dingman's Ferry, PA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Booklist"I call myself Khyber after the Khyber Pass in Afghanistan," says the feisty 11-year-old protagonist of Ellis' fine first novel. Khyber fantasizes about visiting the Pass and other exotic places to escape the harsh realities of her life, including her odd-girl-out status at school. Living on public assistance with her single mom and five-year-old autistic twin brothers, Khyber retreats emotionally from others, trusting only a few adults, including a mysterious, homeless woman whom Khyber names X. Later, skinheads rough up Khyber and X, and at the same time, some school windows are broken. When Khyber is blamed for the vandalism, she must find X to corroborate the attack and provide an alibi. It would be easy for the book to drown in bleakness, but Khyber's strong spirit and believable personality will draw readers in and make them wonder about the characters' future adventures. Anne O'MalleyCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
CONNECTIONS
*Ellis, Deborah. Breadwinner Groundwood Books ISBN 0888994168
*Ellis, Deborah. The Heaven Shop. Oxford University Press ISBN 0192754351
Ellis, Deborah. 1999. Looking for X.. Toronto, Ontario: Groundwork Books, Douglas and McIntyre. ISBN 0-88899-378-1
PLOT SUMMARY
In this book, a young girl of eleven helps her mom care for her 5-year-old brothers with autism. She plans on becoming a world explorer with her favorite possession being an atlas. Khyber choose her name from the Khyber Pass, a place she wants to visit one day. The name her mother gave her is considered unspeakable. Khyber loves her family. She is responsible and mature in her ability to care for her brothers. When the decision to place her brothers in a home with professionals is made, Khyber is upset and resentful.
Advancement of two grades in school has left her without friends her own age. A homeless woman called X is on her list of friends. X is a homeless woman that doesn't talk much and carries an empty suitcase. X thinks the secret police are looking for her and has few people she can trust. X trusts Khyber and will eat the peanut butter sandwiches that Kyhber brings her.
A gang of skinheads in the park beats Khyber and X. When the school is vandalized, Khyber’s problems with her teacher make her a suspect. Khyber doesn’t want to tell her mother that she was in a fight so she spends the night on the street among the homeless searching for X so she can clear her name. Kyhber is fortunate to find new friends that help her get home.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Looking for X, gives readers an idea of what it be like to be homeless. Ellis writes in a 'matter of fact tone' that is realistic to the character of the book. The characters in the book are interesting and believable. Readers will like Khyber and identify with her even if they haven’t experienced the life of living on public assistance and caring for siblings with autism. The mother is loving and is determined to raise her daughter with values. The mothers love for Khyber and her brothers are the foundation for Khyber’s strength and determination. I would recommend reading Looking for X and other books by Deborah Ellis.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
School Library JournalGrade 6-8-Eleven-year-old Khyber lives with her mother and autistic twin brothers in a low-income area in Toronto. In addition to her problems at school (she skipped two grades and doesn't fit in), she deals with her mother's decision to send her brothers to a group home, some menacing skinheads, a false accusation of vandalism that gets her expelled, and a search for her homeless friend, "X." Khyber loves her family and gladly goes beyond what one would expect of a child in order to help her mother and "X." Her friends are an odd assortment of characters, all adults. There are just too many quirks and issues to make this book believable. Some aspects of the plot are far-fetched and everything falls into place just a little too neatly at the end. On the other hand, all of the characters seem real and natural. Khyber is a likable protagonist and readers will appreciate how she copes with her issues. If they can accept some of the improbable circumstances, they will enjoy the story.Leslie Ann Lacika, Dingman-Delaware Middle School, Dingman's Ferry, PA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Booklist"I call myself Khyber after the Khyber Pass in Afghanistan," says the feisty 11-year-old protagonist of Ellis' fine first novel. Khyber fantasizes about visiting the Pass and other exotic places to escape the harsh realities of her life, including her odd-girl-out status at school. Living on public assistance with her single mom and five-year-old autistic twin brothers, Khyber retreats emotionally from others, trusting only a few adults, including a mysterious, homeless woman whom Khyber names X. Later, skinheads rough up Khyber and X, and at the same time, some school windows are broken. When Khyber is blamed for the vandalism, she must find X to corroborate the attack and provide an alibi. It would be easy for the book to drown in bleakness, but Khyber's strong spirit and believable personality will draw readers in and make them wonder about the characters' future adventures. Anne O'MalleyCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
CONNECTIONS
*Ellis, Deborah. Breadwinner Groundwood Books ISBN 0888994168
*Ellis, Deborah. The Heaven Shop. Oxford University Press ISBN 0192754351
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