Sunday, July 6, 2014
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Module 15
Module 15
Olive's Ocean
Summary
Just before going on vacation, Martha receives a letter from a schoolmate named Olive. This letter was written before Olive was killed in a accident. This letter changes Martha's attitude about her life and brings a new focus while she is on vacation at her grandmother's place by the ocean. Olive had wanted to be Martha's friend and now Martha feels guilty that they were never very close. While at her grandmother's, Olive contemplates what she can do for Olive's mother and she also has decided to become a writer and this gives her some perspective on what to write about. In the meantime, she is a twelve year old girl dealing with peer pressure, parents, and siblings. She learns alot about herself during this vacation and even though she does not get to give Olive's mother the present she wanted to, she feels better because she is home.
Citation
Henkes, Kevin. (2003). Olive's Ocean. New York: Greenwillow Books.
Impressions
This was the week of censored or challenged books so I was curious as to why each was on the list. Olive's Ocean, I assume, is on the list due to the young girl dying and probably more so the occasional swear words. I enjoyed the story even though it I felt it was more of a girl book. There was pretty good insight into the world of the age group that the main characters fall in. I really liked the grandmother and how she was the old and wise, as well as, patient and understanding of the things going on around here. Her peacefulness is comforting. It would be a hard thing to deal with for a 12 year old to find out that a classmate wanted to be a friend but could never be due to their death. She is also dealing with her grandmother's frailty and realizes that the time is precious. Some may not like the language in the book but the story is a beautiful one and I liked it.
Review
Ellis, Sarah.(2003) Horn Book Magazine , Vol. 79 (6), p745-747 Retrieved from Library & Information Science Source 7 Dec. 2013.
Martha opens the door. A strange woman holding an envelope announces: "Olive Barstow was my daughter." Olive, a schoolmate that Martha had barely noticed, has recently been killed in a car accident; the envelope contains an extract from Olive's diary in which she shares her dreams, including the hope that Martha, "the nicest person in my whole entire class," would become her friend. With this original and compelling opening scene Henkes draws us into one summer in the life of a familiar, convincing, fully realized twelve-year-old girl. Olive's Ocean has all the elements of a traditional summer novel: a grandmother with a house by the sea, sandcastles, Parcheesi, a summer crush, and the idea of summer as the time between, the hinge time of growth and change. The book is a web of relationships with Martha at the center. A beloved older brother begins to pull away. Martha sees her grandmother with new eyes. Martha and her mother can't seem to stop irritating each other. The crush-object turns out to have feet of clay. In other hands this might be too much material, but Henkes has a jeweler's touch, strong and delicate. All of Henkes's strengths as a fiction writer — economy, grace, humor, respect for his characters, a dramatist's eye for gesture, and an underlying good-naturedness — are given wonderful play here. In her diary Olive reveals that she dreamed of writing a book. "Not a mystery or adventure one, but an emotional one. Maybe I can make kids change their opinions on emotion books like some authors did to me." Who were those authors, we wonder. Very likely somebody just like Kevin Henkes.
Use
This would be a good booktalk due to the issues of dealing with loss and dealing with normal feelings of a preteen.
Olive's Ocean
Summary
Just before going on vacation, Martha receives a letter from a schoolmate named Olive. This letter was written before Olive was killed in a accident. This letter changes Martha's attitude about her life and brings a new focus while she is on vacation at her grandmother's place by the ocean. Olive had wanted to be Martha's friend and now Martha feels guilty that they were never very close. While at her grandmother's, Olive contemplates what she can do for Olive's mother and she also has decided to become a writer and this gives her some perspective on what to write about. In the meantime, she is a twelve year old girl dealing with peer pressure, parents, and siblings. She learns alot about herself during this vacation and even though she does not get to give Olive's mother the present she wanted to, she feels better because she is home.
Citation
Henkes, Kevin. (2003). Olive's Ocean. New York: Greenwillow Books.
Impressions
This was the week of censored or challenged books so I was curious as to why each was on the list. Olive's Ocean, I assume, is on the list due to the young girl dying and probably more so the occasional swear words. I enjoyed the story even though it I felt it was more of a girl book. There was pretty good insight into the world of the age group that the main characters fall in. I really liked the grandmother and how she was the old and wise, as well as, patient and understanding of the things going on around here. Her peacefulness is comforting. It would be a hard thing to deal with for a 12 year old to find out that a classmate wanted to be a friend but could never be due to their death. She is also dealing with her grandmother's frailty and realizes that the time is precious. Some may not like the language in the book but the story is a beautiful one and I liked it.
Review
Ellis, Sarah.(2003) Horn Book Magazine , Vol. 79 (6), p745-747 Retrieved from Library & Information Science Source 7 Dec. 2013.
Martha opens the door. A strange woman holding an envelope announces: "Olive Barstow was my daughter." Olive, a schoolmate that Martha had barely noticed, has recently been killed in a car accident; the envelope contains an extract from Olive's diary in which she shares her dreams, including the hope that Martha, "the nicest person in my whole entire class," would become her friend. With this original and compelling opening scene Henkes draws us into one summer in the life of a familiar, convincing, fully realized twelve-year-old girl. Olive's Ocean has all the elements of a traditional summer novel: a grandmother with a house by the sea, sandcastles, Parcheesi, a summer crush, and the idea of summer as the time between, the hinge time of growth and change. The book is a web of relationships with Martha at the center. A beloved older brother begins to pull away. Martha sees her grandmother with new eyes. Martha and her mother can't seem to stop irritating each other. The crush-object turns out to have feet of clay. In other hands this might be too much material, but Henkes has a jeweler's touch, strong and delicate. All of Henkes's strengths as a fiction writer — economy, grace, humor, respect for his characters, a dramatist's eye for gesture, and an underlying good-naturedness — are given wonderful play here. In her diary Olive reveals that she dreamed of writing a book. "Not a mystery or adventure one, but an emotional one. Maybe I can make kids change their opinions on emotion books like some authors did to me." Who were those authors, we wonder. Very likely somebody just like Kevin Henkes.
Use
This would be a good booktalk due to the issues of dealing with loss and dealing with normal feelings of a preteen.
Module 14
Module 14
A Kick in the Head
Summary
It is a poetry book that teaches the many kinds of poetry there is by giving examples. Each type of poem is defined in small print and the example is in bigger font. It is illustrated in a somewhat abstract way but colorful.
Citation
Janeczko, Paul B. (2005). A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms. Candlewick Press: Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Impressions
This is the kind of poetry book I need. It is relatively short, informative and entertaining. For me, the illustrations were decorative but not very relevant. They did not add much to the poetry, in my opinion. I very much enjoyed seeing all of the different kinds of poems and seeing the examples. Probably some of the forms are very rarely used but the examples were good. It almost makes me think I could write some poetry.
Review
Tillotson, Laura.(2006). Book Links , Vol. 15 (3), p32-33. Retrieved from Library & Information Science Source 7 Dec. 2013.
familiar sonnet and limerick to lesserknown
forms such as the clerihew (a
poem that makes fun of a celebrity)
and the aubade (a poem that "laments
or celebrates the coming ofthe
dawn"). With poems by both classic
poets (Shakespeare and Ogden Nash)
and contemporary writers (Kristine
O'Gonnell George and many more),
each page or two pages focuses on
one form, witb Raschkas stylistic
multimedia illustrations boldly splashing
across the white backgrounds.
Comparing the constraints of
poetic forms to rules in
sports ("Imagine how muchless intriguing the game would be if
there were no foul lines"), Janeczko
provides a brief explanation of each
form on the pages where the poems
appear, in addition to "Notes on the
Forms" at the end ofthe book. Perfect
for classroom use, this terrific picture
book will help students appreciate
poetry and become better poets
Uses
With a poety unit going on in English, this book could be a great tool and example of the different types of poems. Could get more practice and put the poems up in the library.
A Kick in the Head
Summary
It is a poetry book that teaches the many kinds of poetry there is by giving examples. Each type of poem is defined in small print and the example is in bigger font. It is illustrated in a somewhat abstract way but colorful.
Citation
Janeczko, Paul B. (2005). A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms. Candlewick Press: Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Impressions
This is the kind of poetry book I need. It is relatively short, informative and entertaining. For me, the illustrations were decorative but not very relevant. They did not add much to the poetry, in my opinion. I very much enjoyed seeing all of the different kinds of poems and seeing the examples. Probably some of the forms are very rarely used but the examples were good. It almost makes me think I could write some poetry.
Review
Tillotson, Laura.(2006). Book Links , Vol. 15 (3), p32-33. Retrieved from Library & Information Science Source 7 Dec. 2013.
This marvelous follow-up to Janeczko and Raschka's
A Poke in the I
is an accessible look at a variety
of poetic forms, from the morefamiliar sonnet and limerick to lesserknown
forms such as the clerihew (a
poem that makes fun of a celebrity)
and the aubade (a poem that "laments
or celebrates the coming ofthe
dawn"). With poems by both classic
poets (Shakespeare and Ogden Nash)
and contemporary writers (Kristine
O'Gonnell George and many more),
each page or two pages focuses on
one form, witb Raschkas stylistic
multimedia illustrations boldly splashing
across the white backgrounds.
Comparing the constraints of
poetic forms to rules in
sports ("Imagine how muchless intriguing the game would be if
there were no foul lines"), Janeczko
provides a brief explanation of each
form on the pages where the poems
appear, in addition to "Notes on the
Forms" at the end ofthe book. Perfect
for classroom use, this terrific picture
book will help students appreciate
poetry and become better poets
Uses
With a poety unit going on in English, this book could be a great tool and example of the different types of poems. Could get more practice and put the poems up in the library.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Module 13
Module 13
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Summary
Greg Heffley is middle schooler now. He is still little and wimpy. He decides to write down his story so that when he becomes famous, he will already have written down all of the answers to questions he may be asked. He deals with a best friend who is still immature, a little brother who can do no wrong, an older brother that enjoys making his life miserable, parents who dont seem to understand him, and middle school with all of its unique issues. All of his plans seem to backfire on him.
Citation
Kinney, Jeff. (2007). Diary of a Wimpy Kid. New York: Amulet Books.
Impressions
I actually saw the movie before I read the book so I was a little behind on the Wimpy Kid Series but I enjoyed the humor of it. The way it is written is pretty unique: as if Greg is writing it in a diary or journal. The illustrations are very simple as if a sixth grader was drawing them. I teach middle school and I can probably pick out several Gregs in the sixth grade every year. It made it that much more relevant to me. The illustrations give a good visual to the words but dont overwhelm either. My son has the books and the kids I teach still enjoy them so Kinney hit on something with this format. It is easy to read, funny, and relatable to kids. I think most late elementary and middle school student would like this book.
Review
Tillotson, Laura. (2008). Book Links. Jan2008, Vol 17 (3), p19-20. Library & Information Science Source 12 Dec. 2013.
promised Wimpy Kid books.
Uses
A journal writing activity., with illustrations like the book. It would help the English teachers out with writing and could help explain graphic novel types.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Summary
Greg Heffley is middle schooler now. He is still little and wimpy. He decides to write down his story so that when he becomes famous, he will already have written down all of the answers to questions he may be asked. He deals with a best friend who is still immature, a little brother who can do no wrong, an older brother that enjoys making his life miserable, parents who dont seem to understand him, and middle school with all of its unique issues. All of his plans seem to backfire on him.
Citation
Kinney, Jeff. (2007). Diary of a Wimpy Kid. New York: Amulet Books.
Impressions
I actually saw the movie before I read the book so I was a little behind on the Wimpy Kid Series but I enjoyed the humor of it. The way it is written is pretty unique: as if Greg is writing it in a diary or journal. The illustrations are very simple as if a sixth grader was drawing them. I teach middle school and I can probably pick out several Gregs in the sixth grade every year. It made it that much more relevant to me. The illustrations give a good visual to the words but dont overwhelm either. My son has the books and the kids I teach still enjoy them so Kinney hit on something with this format. It is easy to read, funny, and relatable to kids. I think most late elementary and middle school student would like this book.
Review
Tillotson, Laura. (2008). Book Links. Jan2008, Vol 17 (3), p19-20. Library & Information Science Source 12 Dec. 2013.
Gr. 5-8. Now on many a best-seller list, Kinney's print incarnation of the
Web-based "Diary of a Wimpy Kid"comic is a laugh-out-loud journal
kept by middle-schooler Greg Hetflcy.
(Just don't expect him to be "all 'Dear
Diary' this and 'Dear Diary' that. )
This "novel in cartoons" features a
mix of text and black-and-white spot
art, and the first-person narration is hoot, whether Greg is describing the difference hetwcen school and
TV wrestling, or the reason why
his grandma's house
wasT.P.'d. Perfect
for reluctant readers,
this is the first of five
promised Wimpy Kid books.
Uses
A journal writing activity., with illustrations like the book. It would help the English teachers out with writing and could help explain graphic novel types.
Module 12
Module 12
Phineas Gage
Summary
Phineas Gage is a foreman of a construction gang that is blasting for the railroad. In a horrible accident, a metal rod that he uses for tamping sand and black powder is shot through his cheek and out through the top of his head. He is out in the middle of nowhere and it takes a while to get to a doctor. For the first day after, he felt ok. He had a big hole in his head but he believed he would be better soon. Then, infection took over and he nearly lost his life. Luck and a good doctor help him to recover. He recovers bodily but his mind is not the same. Information about the brain is extremely limited at the time. Phineas becomes a walking test subject and will be instrumental in furthering knowlege of the brain and how it works.
Citation
Fleischman, John. (2002). Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science. Boston: Houhgton Mifflin Company.
Impressions
It is certainly a gruesome book. I didn't like or dislike this one. It is an interesting story and one that led to many breakthroughs in brain research but I found it a little boring in places. I know it is a true story so it should not be imbellished but I thought it was a little long. If it had been a little less detailed on the doctors, it wouldn't have bogged down so much. I understand the premise of the book but, again, just didn't do alot for me.
Review
Engelfried, Steven. (2002). School Library Journal , Vol. 48 (3), p247.
Gr 5 Up --"The fascinating story of the construction foreman who survived for 10 years after a 13-pound iron rod shot through his brain. Fleischman relates Gage's "horrible accident" and the subsequent events in the present tense, giving immediacy to the text. He avoids sensationalizing by letting the events themselves carry the impact. The straightforward description of Gage calmly chatting on a porch 30 minutes after the accident, for example, comes across as horrifying and amazing. The author presents scientific background in a conversational style and jumps enthusiastically into such related topics as phrenology, 19th-century medical practices, and the history of microbiology. He shows how Gage's misfortune actually played an intriguing and important role in the development of our knowledge of the brain. The present-tense narrative may cause occasional confusion, since it spans several time periods and dates are not always immediately apparent from the text. Illustrations include historical photographs; one showing the iron bar posed dramatically next to Gage's skull is particularly impressive. Other photos and diagrams help explain the workings of the brain. The work of Gage expert Malcolm Macmillan, cited in the list of resources, seems the likely main source for the quotes and details of Gage's life, but this is not clearly spelled out in the text or appendixes. Like Penny Colman's Corpses, Coffins, and Crypts (Holt, 1997) and James M. Deem's Bodies from the Bog (Houghton, 1998), Phineas Gage brings a scientific viewpoint to a topic that will be delightfully gruesome to many readers.
Uses
I think you could get a brain model (might have to check at the high school if not at one) and discuss how right and left brain works and what happened to Phineas Gage by pointing out the part on the model. Also discuss the advancements even since the book came out.
Phineas Gage
Summary
Phineas Gage is a foreman of a construction gang that is blasting for the railroad. In a horrible accident, a metal rod that he uses for tamping sand and black powder is shot through his cheek and out through the top of his head. He is out in the middle of nowhere and it takes a while to get to a doctor. For the first day after, he felt ok. He had a big hole in his head but he believed he would be better soon. Then, infection took over and he nearly lost his life. Luck and a good doctor help him to recover. He recovers bodily but his mind is not the same. Information about the brain is extremely limited at the time. Phineas becomes a walking test subject and will be instrumental in furthering knowlege of the brain and how it works.
Citation
Fleischman, John. (2002). Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science. Boston: Houhgton Mifflin Company.
Impressions
It is certainly a gruesome book. I didn't like or dislike this one. It is an interesting story and one that led to many breakthroughs in brain research but I found it a little boring in places. I know it is a true story so it should not be imbellished but I thought it was a little long. If it had been a little less detailed on the doctors, it wouldn't have bogged down so much. I understand the premise of the book but, again, just didn't do alot for me.
Review
Engelfried, Steven. (2002). School Library Journal , Vol. 48 (3), p247.
Gr 5 Up --"The fascinating story of the construction foreman who survived for 10 years after a 13-pound iron rod shot through his brain. Fleischman relates Gage's "horrible accident" and the subsequent events in the present tense, giving immediacy to the text. He avoids sensationalizing by letting the events themselves carry the impact. The straightforward description of Gage calmly chatting on a porch 30 minutes after the accident, for example, comes across as horrifying and amazing. The author presents scientific background in a conversational style and jumps enthusiastically into such related topics as phrenology, 19th-century medical practices, and the history of microbiology. He shows how Gage's misfortune actually played an intriguing and important role in the development of our knowledge of the brain. The present-tense narrative may cause occasional confusion, since it spans several time periods and dates are not always immediately apparent from the text. Illustrations include historical photographs; one showing the iron bar posed dramatically next to Gage's skull is particularly impressive. Other photos and diagrams help explain the workings of the brain. The work of Gage expert Malcolm Macmillan, cited in the list of resources, seems the likely main source for the quotes and details of Gage's life, but this is not clearly spelled out in the text or appendixes. Like Penny Colman's Corpses, Coffins, and Crypts (Holt, 1997) and James M. Deem's Bodies from the Bog (Houghton, 1998), Phineas Gage brings a scientific viewpoint to a topic that will be delightfully gruesome to many readers.
Uses
I think you could get a brain model (might have to check at the high school if not at one) and discuss how right and left brain works and what happened to Phineas Gage by pointing out the part on the model. Also discuss the advancements even since the book came out.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Module 11
Module 11
Leonardo's Horse
Summary
Leonardo Da Vinci was commissioned to build a large bronze horse but never got to do it because his original model got destroyed. He was supposed to craft it for the duke of Milan and it was one of his disappointments that he never got to complete the job. 500 years later, an American pilot took up this dream and brought it to reality. It took a lot of time and money but Leonard's horse was finished.
Citation
Fritz, Jean. (2001). Leonardo's Horse. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.
Impressions
I knew nothing of this story but it is a very interesting one. To resurrect a dream of Leonardo's after all that time is amazing and on such a big scale is even more cool. I liked this in the picture book form because I think it is a story that can be for any age. Quite a few words for a picture type book but it is definately a kids book. The art is good, visually compliments the story and the writing is simple but effective. I also thought it did a good job of advertising the foundation. Good story and a true one at that.
Review
Long, Joanna Rudge (2001). Horn Book Magazine. Vol. 77(5). p. 609.
In 1482, Leonardo da Vinci began work on a mammoth bronze horse. But though he completed a twenty-four-foot clay model, it was never cast, and the invading French destroyed it in 1499. Meanwhile, the artist's patron, the Duke of Milan, commandeered the bronze for armaments. Half a millennium later, retired pilot Charles Dent dedicated himself to re-creating Leonardo's dream, a venture eventually realized with the help of sculptor Nina Akamu. Fritz relates all this in her signature forthright style; unfortunately, her narrative, while engaging, begs several questions-notably, how much of Leonardo's original conception survived and how this twentieth-century homage was extrapolated from it. (The book does list a website that states that the completed sculpture is "faithful to Leonardo da Vinci's drawings," but there are otherwise no notes.) Nor does Fritz ever mention the original statue's role as a symbol of political power, or Leonardo's fascination with an engineering problem-casting such a massive figure-that may have been insoluble with technology available to him. Talbott's handsome illustrations are beautifully set off by the book's die-cut shape, which echoes both the dome that dominated fifteenth-century Florence and the one Dent constructed to house his project. But the art is no more forthcoming than the text. Talbott segues between Leonardo's sketches and his own impressionistic watercolors without a word of explanation. What is the reader to make of Talbott's Last Supper, in grisaille save for Leonardo himself, sitting in for Jesus as he tosses about his rejected sketches of Judas? Why is there no photograph of the finished horse? "At last Leonardo's horse was home," Fritz concludes. But what exactly makes it Leonardo's? That question is never addressed here.
Uses
Give the students a certain number or random items and tell them to create whatever they can with it. Present and then vote on best ones. Prizes to the best. This could be tied in with Leonardo the inventor.
Leonardo's Horse
Summary
Leonardo Da Vinci was commissioned to build a large bronze horse but never got to do it because his original model got destroyed. He was supposed to craft it for the duke of Milan and it was one of his disappointments that he never got to complete the job. 500 years later, an American pilot took up this dream and brought it to reality. It took a lot of time and money but Leonard's horse was finished.
Citation
Fritz, Jean. (2001). Leonardo's Horse. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.
Impressions
I knew nothing of this story but it is a very interesting one. To resurrect a dream of Leonardo's after all that time is amazing and on such a big scale is even more cool. I liked this in the picture book form because I think it is a story that can be for any age. Quite a few words for a picture type book but it is definately a kids book. The art is good, visually compliments the story and the writing is simple but effective. I also thought it did a good job of advertising the foundation. Good story and a true one at that.
Review
Long, Joanna Rudge (2001). Horn Book Magazine. Vol. 77(5). p. 609.
In 1482, Leonardo da Vinci began work on a mammoth bronze horse. But though he completed a twenty-four-foot clay model, it was never cast, and the invading French destroyed it in 1499. Meanwhile, the artist's patron, the Duke of Milan, commandeered the bronze for armaments. Half a millennium later, retired pilot Charles Dent dedicated himself to re-creating Leonardo's dream, a venture eventually realized with the help of sculptor Nina Akamu. Fritz relates all this in her signature forthright style; unfortunately, her narrative, while engaging, begs several questions-notably, how much of Leonardo's original conception survived and how this twentieth-century homage was extrapolated from it. (The book does list a website that states that the completed sculpture is "faithful to Leonardo da Vinci's drawings," but there are otherwise no notes.) Nor does Fritz ever mention the original statue's role as a symbol of political power, or Leonardo's fascination with an engineering problem-casting such a massive figure-that may have been insoluble with technology available to him. Talbott's handsome illustrations are beautifully set off by the book's die-cut shape, which echoes both the dome that dominated fifteenth-century Florence and the one Dent constructed to house his project. But the art is no more forthcoming than the text. Talbott segues between Leonardo's sketches and his own impressionistic watercolors without a word of explanation. What is the reader to make of Talbott's Last Supper, in grisaille save for Leonardo himself, sitting in for Jesus as he tosses about his rejected sketches of Judas? Why is there no photograph of the finished horse? "At last Leonardo's horse was home," Fritz concludes. But what exactly makes it Leonardo's? That question is never addressed here.
Uses
Give the students a certain number or random items and tell them to create whatever they can with it. Present and then vote on best ones. Prizes to the best. This could be tied in with Leonardo the inventor.
Module 10
Module 10
Here Lies The Librarian
Summary
Eleanor McGrath is a 14 year old tomboy who wants to work on cars with her brother Jake more than go to school. The town librarian has passed away and the library is closed. Four college girls drive to the town to see tornado damage and decide to try to reopen the library. The girls are in Library Science courses. The town does not want a new librarian but the girls end up convincing the town and open the library again. They all get hired because they would split the salary. Meanwhile, the girls also are determined to make Eleanor a little more feminine. Eleanor becomes a little bit famous for winning a local race. Jake goes off the Indianapolis and ends up serving in the military and marrying one of the girls. Eleanor goes to high school but never stops dreaming of cars and adventure.
Citation
Peck, Richard. (2006). Here Lies the Librarian. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
Impressions
I had read The Teacher's Funeral and since this was on the list and about librarians, I thought it would be a good choice. I liked this one as well. It was not quite as funny to me as Funeral was but Peck is good a telling a story and developing characters that you can really relate to. My family owned a tire shop and I worked in it growing up. I found the parts of the story about the garage and fixing flats to be accurate and brought back some good and bad memories. I really liked the tomboy part and the battle within her to be girly or not. There was a little of drama, with some implied romance, comedic parts that kept interest. I am certainly a Peck fan.
Review
S. D. L (2006) The Horn Book Magazine 325.
first-person account (this time it’s Peewee’s), and the gentility of the librarians mixes amusingly with their practical determination. Carefully researched period details convincingly ground the novel without overwhelming the plot or characters, while an auto race provides a big, exciting climax complete with bad guys, crashes, and a rousing victory.
Uses
Hot wheels races. Get a bunch of track or even make some and race the cars. Small prizes for the winner. If you announce ahead of time, students could bring their own cars. This ties in with the car theme in the book and the race near the end.
Could also do a discussion on what a libarian does. Myths vs. reality.
Here Lies The Librarian
Summary
Eleanor McGrath is a 14 year old tomboy who wants to work on cars with her brother Jake more than go to school. The town librarian has passed away and the library is closed. Four college girls drive to the town to see tornado damage and decide to try to reopen the library. The girls are in Library Science courses. The town does not want a new librarian but the girls end up convincing the town and open the library again. They all get hired because they would split the salary. Meanwhile, the girls also are determined to make Eleanor a little more feminine. Eleanor becomes a little bit famous for winning a local race. Jake goes off the Indianapolis and ends up serving in the military and marrying one of the girls. Eleanor goes to high school but never stops dreaming of cars and adventure.
Citation
Peck, Richard. (2006). Here Lies the Librarian. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
Impressions
I had read The Teacher's Funeral and since this was on the list and about librarians, I thought it would be a good choice. I liked this one as well. It was not quite as funny to me as Funeral was but Peck is good a telling a story and developing characters that you can really relate to. My family owned a tire shop and I worked in it growing up. I found the parts of the story about the garage and fixing flats to be accurate and brought back some good and bad memories. I really liked the tomboy part and the battle within her to be girly or not. There was a little of drama, with some implied romance, comedic parts that kept interest. I am certainly a Peck fan.
Review
S. D. L (2006) The Horn Book Magazine 325.
(Intermediate, Middle School)
A tornado whirls through their 1914 Indiana
town, but young Peewee and her big brother
Jake survive intact, and so does their garage, which does a pretty good business fixing flat
tires punctured by horseshoe nails in the dirt
road. When a quartet of well-to-do young ladies studying library science visit the tiny
town to view the tornado damage, they
decide to restore the public library, deserted
since the librarian “expired,” and end up
making a big difference in the lives of Peewee
and Jake. Peck retains his knack for using
wry humor to create an authentic voice in a
first-person account (this time it’s Peewee’s), and the gentility of the librarians mixes amusingly with their practical determination. Carefully researched period details convincingly ground the novel without overwhelming the plot or characters, while an auto race provides a big, exciting climax complete with bad guys, crashes, and a rousing victory.
Uses
Hot wheels races. Get a bunch of track or even make some and race the cars. Small prizes for the winner. If you announce ahead of time, students could bring their own cars. This ties in with the car theme in the book and the race near the end.
Could also do a discussion on what a libarian does. Myths vs. reality.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)