Book 20 The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Summary
 

Charlie has a difficult transition from middle school to high school. He lost his best friend Michael to suicide and became depressed because of it. When he entered high school, he was the loner that people tended to ignore. Charlie's English teacher encourages him to read books and write his reactions to them, which Charlie does. While Charlie's writing begins to improve, his interpersonal relationships do not. His brother is off to college, and his sister barely speaks to him, so Charlie begins to make an effort to make friends. He hangs out with the seniors who are smoking outside and starts participating in activities like the football games, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Even with this extracurricular activity, Charlie continues to be the shy, quiet person in the crowd. Charlie makes friends with Sam, who he has a crush on, and Patrick, who is gay. Although Charlie does not smoke, both of his friends do. Charlie's sister finds herself pregnant and Charlie agrees to be with her while she gets an abortion.

Charlie also goes out with Mary Elizabeth, who is a controlling person and constantly talks, and Charlie does not know how to politely break it off. At a party, Charlie was given the dare to kiss the prettiest girl in the room and he kissed Sam. Mary Elizabeth was heartbroken and angry at his rejection. Because of this, Charlie was asked to stay away, which left him feeling bereft and lonely all over again. Throughout this book, Charlie always seems the outsider looking into the lives of his friends. In the end, Charlie has a meltdown which requires him to be hospitalized. His family and friends rally to his side with encouragement and words of love. The meltdown helped Charlie to finally put the ghost of his dead aunt to rest. It was she who was his favorite person in the world and it was she who had sexually abused him as a child.

Impressions
 

This book may not be for every reader in the library. The protagonist, who at first comes about as a quiete, shy individual, does witness and participates in a a lot of risk taking behaviors. Although he did not smoke, eventually Charlie became a chain smoker. He did not use drugs, but eventually began to experiment with his friends. This is a book that some teens will be drawn to because it mirrors many of the problems teens have at school, at home and in their personal lives.

Use in the library
 

I would use this book in collaboration with a sociology teacher and as a springboard for a discussion in sociology class studying risky behaviors and common reactions of students to the stresses of life. This book can be a real eye opener. The health teacher might also be interested in the issues regarding young sexually active people, and what the consequences can be for unprotected sex.

Reviews

From VOYA

Charlie is an observer. A bright loner, the new high school freshman becomes the mascot and confidant of a group of older students. In a voice that is both naive and omniscient, he records the tragic and mundane events in the lives of his friends and family, using a series of remarkable letters addressed to his "dear friend." From Charlie we learn about one friend's suicide, experiments with drugs, heterosexual and homosexual love affairs gone wrong, bitter family memories, and his own mysterious Aunt Helen. Chbosky never falters, always maintaining Charlie's perspective perfectly. By getting to know Charlie's pals, would-be girlfriends, teachers, and family, we find out a great deal about Charlie himself. In the same matter-of-fact voice, Charlie describes watching the rituals of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, taking his sister for an abortion, and being hospitalized for acute depression. Even when he is urged by his English teacher to become a participant and not an observer, he remains oddly detached. Only at the very end of the story do we learn the real reason for Charlie's detachment. The novel has the disjointed and almost dreamlike quality of a music video. Charlie's freshman year provides a framework for the story, with flashbacks to his childhood. Designation of this title as an "MTV Book" should ensure wide readership. I would recommend this coming-of-age story to readers who enjoyed Catcher in the Rye." Reviewed by Jamie S. Hansen.

From Publisher's Weekly

"Charlie, the wall flower of the title, goes through a veritable bath of bathos in his 10th grade year, in 1991. The novel is formatted as a series of letters to an unnamed "friend," the first of which reveals the suicide of Charlie's pal Michael. Charlie's response - valid enough - is to cry. The crying soon gets out of hand, though - in subsequent letters, his father, his aunt, his sister and his sister's boyfriend all become lachrymose. Charlie has the usual dire adolescent problems - sex, drugs, the thuggish football team - and they perplex him in the usual teen TV ways. He hangs out with a group of seniors, among whom are Patrick and Samantha. Patrick is gay, and Charlie learns about gay. Sam is pretty, and Charlie learns about heartbreak. Sam is, alas, going out with Craig. Charlies goes out with the uppity Mary Elizabeth. Patrick goes with Brad but breaks up with him when Brad's father discovers their relationship. Into these standard teenage issues Chbosky infuses a droning insistence on Charlies's super sensitive disposition. Charlie's English teacher and others have a disconcerting tendency to rhapsodize over Charlie's giftedness, which seems to consist of Charlies's unquestioning assimilation of the teacher's taste in books. In the end we learn the root of Charlie's psychological problems, and we confront, with him, the coming rigors of 11th grade, ever hopeful that he'll find a suitable girlfriend and increase his vocabulary."

Resources

Chbosky, S. (1999). The perks of being a wallflower. New York, NY: Pocket Books.

Hansen, J. (1999, December). [Review of the book The perks of being a wallflower by S. Chbosky].

VOYA. 22(5). Retrieved from http://www.voya.com/

Steinberg, S. & Zaleski, J. (1999, January 25). [Review of the book The perks of being a wallflower by S. Chbosky]. Publishers Weekly, 246(4), 73. Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/

Book 19 A Year of Goodbyes by Debbie Levy

Summary

This is a biographical historical novel: made from a young girl's notebook where her friends wrote precious memories in notes of goodbye. Jutta is the author's mother and the year is 1938. Laws in Germany were becoming more and more difficult to live under. Jutta's father could see the danger in the future, so Jutta and her family were the lucky ones to be leaving to America. Some of her friends managed to leave too, but others were not so lucky. This is the story of a young girl with a little notebook full of goodbyes from friends who would later either survive or perish under the atrocities commited by the Nazi Regime.

Impressions

War stories always make me sad and this book was no different. But this book is not some dry text filled with nameless people and events. This is a personal book of people were were once very young and once unaware of what terrible experiences they will be forced to endure. This is a great book because it is told by the people who experienced the times.

Use in the library
 

I would use this book in collaboration with the social studies teachers who are teaching World War II.

This book contains many poems and reflections of the girls that I think might interest students in writing poetry themselves, so this book can also be used in an English class as well.

Reviews

From Booklist

"Holocaust titles appear every season, prompting some to overlook the genre, but the best always approach the topic from a fresh perspective, making them worthy purchases. Levy shares excerpts from her mother Jutta Salzberg’s 1938 poetry album, in which friends and family express good wishes in poems and drawings. She includes reproductions of original pages, English translations, and free verse musings that reflect 11-year-old Jutta’s voice and feelings as she watches Jewish friends disappear from Hamburg while her own family waits for U.S. visas. Levy also includes a few entries from Jutta’s diary and oblaten (sticker) images from the original. Although entries are short, distinct characters and a strong sense of narrative emerge. Levy ends with the Salzbergs’ November 1938 arrival in New York; an afterword provides family and Holocaust background and traces what happened to the people introduced. Similar in scope to Karen Ackerman’s The Night Crossing (1994), this makes a good introduction to Holocaust literature, especially for those who aren’t quite ready for scenes of death camps." Reviewed by Kay Weisman

From Kirkus Reviews

"Writing for modern readers about the Holocaust is fraught, and when children are the intended audience, the difficulties can be insurmountable. Levy meets the challenges admirably, partly because she had access to unique primary sources: Her mother's autograph book, a poesiealbum, written by friends and family in Hamburg in 1938 and a diary from that same year, when she was 12, form a poignant and chilling basis for the true story of her family's experiences. Each chapter is a translation of an album or diary entry followed by a poem that evokes sadness, despair, anger and longing to escape. The author's introduction and afterword are integral to the work, as they explain some of the history and tell the fates of friends and family members—those who escaped and survived, those who "died at the hands of the Nazis" and those whose exact fate she was unable to discern. While writing as truthfully as the subject demands, she also spares young readers the gruesome details of those deaths. An immensely powerful experience that needs to be read with an adult." 2010, Disney Hyperion, 144p, $16.99. Category: Poetry/nonfiction. Ages 10 up. Starred Review. © 2010 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Resources

Levy, D. (2010). The year of goodbyes. New York, NY: Disney Hyperion Books.

[Review of the book The year of goodbyes by D. Levy]. (2010, February 15). Kirkus Reviews. 78(4). Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com/

Weisman, K. (2010, February 15). [Review of the book The year of goodbyes D. Levy]. Booklist, 106(12). Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/

Book 18 American Born Chinese by G. Yang

Summary

This is a graphic novel that contains three different stories. One is about the Monkey King who is also a diety but is not accepted by all the other gods. He tries to be accepted by changing his ways, like wearing shoes and building up his god-like powers. Another story in the book is about a little boy named Jin Yang who was born in America and lives with his parents in an apartment Chinatown. When Jin Yang enters school, his teacher mispronounces his name, he is ridiculed and bullied by his peers, and he sits alone during lunch. His only consolation is his friendships with two other Asian students, one Japanese-American girl, and another Chinese boy named Wei Chen. As they grew older, Jin became more and more obsessed with fitting in that he even curls his hair. The third story is about a blond and curly haired teenage boy named Danny who is visited by his obnoxious and embarrassing cousin from China, Chin Kee. Danny confides in his classmate that he has had to change schools in order to remove himself from the stigma that having such a rude Chinese cousin brings. The end of the book sees these three stories come together. Danny is really Jin Yang and his Chinese cousin is really the Monkey King who has come down to earth to teach Jin to be himself, an American born Chinese.

Impressions

This is a fun graphic novel about a young Chinese-American boy's struggle to come to terms with his identity. Jin Yang was born an American, but is of Chinese descent and is confused about how to fit in. Many teenagers can identify with Jin because trying to fit in is something most teenagers experience, even if they do not have a different cultural heritage. They understand embarrassment, they understand bullying, and they understand how desperate they can be when they have a crush on someone who seems unattainable. This graphic novel has more depth than a mere comic book, and there is a lesson to be learned from the stories: acceptance of ones own inadequacies, the dangers of stereotyping, and the importance of friendships.

Use in the library

The librarian could use this book in a book display on graphic novels while trying to interest the reluctant readers in school. The pages are colorful, the story is told mostly through conversation, and the book has a general theme of trying to fit in that most high school students can identify with the dilemmas of the main character, Jin Yang. The book can also be used in a class of second language learners who may have difficulty reading English, but no difficulty in understanding the pictures. Finally, the book can be used with social studies classes to introduce the topics of racism and bullying in American schools.

Reviews

From Booklist

"With vibrant colors and visual panache, indie writer-illustrator Yang (Rosary Comic Book) focuses on three characters in tales that touch on facets of Chinese American life. Jin is a boy faced with the casual racism of fellow students and the pressure of his crush on a Caucasian girl; the Monkey King, a character from Chinese folklore, has attained great power but feels he is being held back because of what the gods perceive as his lowly status; and Danny, a popular high-school student, suffers through an annual visit from his cousin Chin-Kee, a walking, talking compendium of exaggerated Chinese stereotypes. Each of the characters is flawed but familiar, and, in a clever postmodern twist, all share a deep, unforeseen connection. Yang helps the humor shine by using his art to exaggerate or contradict the words, creating a synthesis that marks an accomplished graphic storyteller. The stories have a simple, engaging sweep to them, but their weighty subjects--shame, racism, and friendship--receive thoughtful, powerful examination." Reviewed by Jesse Karp

From the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Raised in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Jin Wang moves to a new neighborhood and a new school in third grade, where he quickly realizes that he’s an oddball among Anglo-American classmates. Further complicating his life is the arrival of a Taiwanese student who latches onto him for companionship and sticks like a burr on through junior high. The picture of dorkiness in his huge eyeglasses, Robo Happy shirt, hiked-up pants, and cowlick, Wei-Chen Sun turns into Jin’s closest friend and greatest embarrassment, both a cheerleader and a stumbling block to Jin’s efforts to fit into mainstream school life and win the blonde girl of his dreams. Weaving around and ultimately converging with the seriocomic story of Jin’s coming-of-age problems are two related tales that comment on issues of identity. In the first, the Chinese legendary Monkey King, banished from the gods’ dinner party because he is a monkey, perfects his skills and disciplines to the point where he claims to have transcended his monkeyness. As “The Great Sage, Equal of Heaven,” he’s ready to take on all comers including the creator god Tze-Yo-Tzuh, but he is ultimately punished, humbled, and redirected to the understanding that his freedom will only come through acceptance of his true nature. The last piece of the narrative triad is a sitcom, “Everyone Wuvs Chin-Kee,” complete with laugh track, in which broadly stereotyped Chin-Kee turns up on an annual visit to Americanized cousin Danny and, in a series of classroom episodes that play out Jin Wang’s worst nightmares, turns Danny’s social life into a shambles. The graphic-novel format is particularly well suited to managing the flow of three simultaneous story lines, and the action sequences of the Monkey King’s tale and the over-the-top satire on the portrayal of immigrants in American pop culture settle right into their spacious frames on the generously white bordered pages. Compositions are tidy and the palette is softly muted, so that even the strongest colors in the action scenes never reach the intensity of a visual assault. Kids fighting an uphill battle to convince parents and teachers of the literary merit of graphic novels would do well to share this title." Reviewed by Elizabeth Bush.

Resources

Bush, E. (2006, November). [Review of the book American born Chinese by G. Yang ]. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 60(3). Retrieved from http://bccb.lis.illinois.edu/

Karp, J. (2006, September). [Review of the book American born Chinese by G. Yang ]. Booklist. 103(1) Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/

Yang, G. (2006). American born Chinese. New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press.

Book 17 Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein by D. Brown

Summary

This book is an early reader picture book biography of Albert Einstein. It covers his life from his birth to early adulthood. The book describes Einstein's imperfections as a baby when his mother laments that his head seems too big. His parents worry when he does not talk, but when Albert does finally talk, he is "clever and sharp." Albert is cruel to his little sister, Maja. Even before entering grade school Albert displays a terrible temper and when he is unhappy, he throws a tantrum. When he decides that he likes something, he becomes entirely focused and will build a tower of cards with patience and care. When his family moves to Munich, Albert is allowed to roam the city streets alone when he is only four years old. Things that would normally excite children only disturb Albert. While Albert does well in school, his focus is only on music and math. He does not like the languages that he is taught. His teachers think he is a slow thinker, sometimes becoming angry at Albert for seeming distracted. As Albert grows older, his parents move to Italy, leaving Albert to finish his schooling in Germany. But Albert becomes so ill that he is sent to join his family in Milan. There, Albert becomes absorbed in increasingly difficult math problems, sometimes to the exclusiveness of all else. When he tried to enter a University, he failed the entrance exam because he only focused on math instead of all the other subjects. Finally, after studying for a year, Albert was allowed into the Zurich Polytechnic College in Switzerland to learn science. After finishing school, Albert worked as a clerk in the Swiss patent office. This job was not one for a great scientist, but the mundane work allowed Albert to think about his ideas. The book ends with comments on Albert's Nobel Prize and his discovery of the photoelectric effect, his theories of mass and energy, and that of relativity.

Impressions

This is an impressive book because it manages to convey Albert Einstein's life in simple terms for young children to understand. It portrays Albert and all his idiosyncrasies in such a way that children will find a sympathetic connection with this imperfect boy. What I find useful is the idea that Albert does not try to fit into what society thinks as the norm. Albert was content to forge his own path and remain absorbed on what fascinated him. Once he found something to be important, he ignored what others told him to do and focused on what he wanted. Even though this temperamental side of Albert hindered his ability to pass the entrance exam for college, his determination to be a scientist helped him through an additional year of studying in order to be accepted into school. At first glance, the theme of this book is Albert's oddness as a child, but upon reflection, another theme emerged. Albert's focus on solving problems that the rest of the world did not even find remotely interesting, that was what made him able to succeed.

Use in the library

This is a good book to use in an elementary library to introduce young children to the biography genre. It could be used for a storytime with activities that include making a home made compass. The materials required are a needle, a magnet, a piece of waxed paper, and a small bowl of water. Use the magnet to rub the needle in one direction to magnetize the needle. The magnetized end of the needle can be marked with a permanent market so that the children will be able to see which end should point north. Pass the needle through the waxed paper and lay it on top of the water so that it floats. As the needle begins to turn north, take out a compass to prove to the students that this craft truly works.

Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

"From his birth in Ulm-a spread of rooftops with one speech bubble: "Waaaaaa"-to his early adulthood, Einstein's childhood and youth are humanely and humorously depicted. As the title indicates, the narrative focuses on its subject's oddness, describing both his outbursts of anger and his capacity for single-minded concentration. Einstein emerges as a singular boy, one whose brilliance was masked by poor performance in school. There is no real attempt to explain Einstein's theorems, delivering just enough to serve as an introduction for primary graders. Illustrations are mostly classic Brown: loose ink-and-watercolor cartoons in a muted palette emphasize Einstein as a lone, brooding figure. Two remarkable illustrations, however, give the reader a glimpse into Einstein's brain: first, a tiny Einstein gazes up at a swirling array of geometric shapes-"a wonderwork to him"-and second, Einstein pushes a pram against a surreal backdrop that conceptually joins the structure of the atom to the warping of space and time. Kids won't need to understand relativity to appreciate Einstein's passage from lonely oddball to breathtaking genius. An author's note and bibliography fill out this terrific package."

From Booklist

"Young readers won't come away from Brown's newest picture-book biography understanding the theory of relativity, but they will be heartened by the parallels between their own experiences and those of an iconic science guy. The author-illustrator of Mack Made Movies (2003) and other books presents the future Nobel Prize winner as a sallow, sunken-eyed little boy who lingers on the sidelines as other boys roughhouse, spends hours building a house of cards "fourteen stories high," and vexes his teachers (one tells him that "he would never get anywhere in life"). Brown's language dips into vagueness when it's time to describe the mature scientist's contributions, and the accompanying artwork is often disappointingly generic, awkwardly incorporating computer-generated elements that overwhelm the delicate ink-and-watercolor style used elsewhere. Still, this joins Frida Wishinsky's What's the Matter with Albert? (2002) as one of the very few picture-book biographies of Einstein available. Try giving it to older elementary students, who will get the most out of the detailed author's note and bibliography featuring many books for adults." Reviewed by Jennifer Mattson.

Resources

Brown, D. (2003). Odd boy out: young Albert Einstein. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.

[Review of the book Odd boy out: young Albert Einstein by D. Brown]. (2004). Kirkus Reviews. 72(17). Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com/

Mattson, J. (2004, Sept. 1). [Review of the book Odd boy out: young Albert Einstein by D. Brown]'

Booklist. 101(1).

Book 16 Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen by Michelle R .McCann & Luba Tryszynska-Frederick

Summary

It is wartime in Europe and the diamond children were to be sent to the forest to be killed. But the soldiers did not want to do it, so they left the children to die in the cold. Luba, laying on her cot in the Nazi prison barracks, could not sleep. She kept hearing the cries of children. When she finally got up to follow the sounds, she found 54 children in the forest behind the prison camp. She brought them to her barracks. At first the other women did not want to help Luba. They were afraid to be killed for harboring the children. But Luba persevered and the children were allowed to stay. Luba worked hard to find extra food for the children. Luba had lost her son when a Nazi soldier took him away from her. Even though she still missed him, she knew that God spared her from the death camp so she could save these children. Throughout the remaining days of their stay in the camp, Luba begged people for bits of food, and other things the children needed to stay alive. After they were freed from Bergen-Belsen, the children and Luba were separated. Luba eventually made it to the United States. When the children grew old enough, they began their search for each other and for Luba.

Impressions

Although this book has a language level suitable for children as young as eight, even adults would gain valuable insight into what a Nazi prison camp was like, and how one particular group of children were able to survive. The book is both serious and sad, until the end when the group of prisoners in Bergen-Belsen were finally freed. The author uses conversation to help the reader visualize the effort Luba had to make daily in order to gather enough food for more that 50 children. She begs the butcher, for example, by reminding him what it was like to be a grandfather. To add depth to the story, the author uses flashback to happier times for Luba. A sprinkle of happiness did shine through, when the author describes how the children gave up half of their daily bread slices in order to trade for a gift for Luba's birthday.

Use in the library

This is a book that can be used to begin discussion of Nazi Germany and the concentration camps that were built in Europe. This book can be used to teach students to use the author's notes to gain additional information, students can use the author's bibliography to find the differences between primary and secondary resources, and students can use the bibliography to access the web pages that would be good for additional research. The librarian can take students on a tour to the holocaust museum through the internet. This can be found at http://www.ushmm.org/

Reviews

From Booklist

"Just when it seems a nonfiction Holocaust book can’t tell us anything new, along comes a story like this one, an inspiring, upbeat, true rescue account that is essential to the history. In the last few months of the war, Luba Tryszynska, a young Polish Jewish woman, saved more than 50 Dutch Jewish children who had been abandoned in a snowy field behind her barracks in Bergen-Belsen. She sheltered the children, scavenged and stole for them, and cajoled food scraps, medicine, and wood to keep the children alive. McCann’s third person account is based on interviews with Luba, who now lives in the U.S., and Marshall’s handsome accompanying art, in oil paint and collage, is radiant. There are also occasional photos, including one of the survivors 50 years later when their brave rescuer was honored. There are no guards or emaciated corpses here, and children will need the useful introduction and afterword to fill in the facts about the millions who did not survive —among them, Dutch teen Anne Frank, who died of typhus right at Bergen-Belsen." Reviewed by Hazel Rochman

From School Library Journal

" Tryszynska-Frederick discovered a number of abandoned children among her fellow prisoners in Bergen-Belsen. Through her own creativity and strength of will, she managed to keep them fed and sage until the liberation of the camp. Although this is certainly a story that is both important and inspirational, the presentation is lacking. The writing is choppy and lacks transitions at times, and it is often unclear how Luba managed to do what she did. The horror of the camp is significantly downplayed in the text, and the oil-and-collage illustrations, while quite well done, do not reflect the reality of the conditions the people were facing. The children often look entirely too clean, well dressed, and healthy. The audience for the book is unclear. While the writing is simple and accessible for primary-grade children, the subject matter and the front and back matter, which gives readers a context for the story, seem intended for older students. While the basic facts are accurate, the heavy use of dialogue blurs the line between fact and fiction, making the book a problematic piece for most collections. Religious libraries might want to add it because of the important story it tells, but most others can pass." Reviewed by Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT.

Resources

Rochman, H. (2003, November, 1). [Review of the book Luba: the Angel of Bergen-Belsen by

M. McCann and L Tryszynska ]. Booklist, 100(5), 494-495. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/

Lilien-Harper, A. (2003, December). [Review of the book Luba: the Angel of Bergen-Belsen by

M. McCann and L Tryszynska ]. School Library Journal, 49(12), 136. Retrieved from

Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/

McCann, M. R. & Tryszynska-Frederick, L. (2003). Luba: the angel of Bergen-Belsen. New York, NY: Random House, Inc.

Book 15 Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

Summary

Elijah is the first child born free in his community of Buxton in Canada West, which is just across the border from America. The community is made up of former slaves from America who have been freed or escaped and gone through the underground railroad to safety in Canada. Elijah, being only 11 years old does not really know the suffering the slaves have gone through. It is because of this, that Elijah's mother says that he is so fragile. Elijah does not want to be fragile and tries his best to prove to his parents that he is not. Elijah attends school, but when he is free, he goes fishing. He does not use a rod, he chunks rocks at the fish. He had such good aim, that the stones usually his the target on the first try and Elijah catches enough fish to share his catch with his neighbors.

Once, there was a family of escaped slaves that came to their community. Elijah watched as they were coaxed out from the forest. Elijah's father helped to welcome them to their new home and Elijah is given the important task of ringing the community bell to announce the new arrivals. Elijah knows that when there are slave hunters in the neighborhood, the people have to remain wary. One day a letter arrives for Mrs. Holton and Elijah is given the task of reading it. The letter contained news that Mrs Holton's husband was beaten to death. So all the money that Mrs. Holton tried to save to free her husband was given to Mr. Leroy who is also working to save money to free his wife and son.

Mr. Leroy was swindled out of all the money by the Right Reverend Deacon Doctor Zephariah Connerly the Third, otherwise known as the Preacher. When Mr. Leroy leaves Buxton to go after him, Elijah goes along. When they reach the town where the Preacher was last seen, Mr. Leroy dies. Elijah decides to try and find the Preacher on his own. He found the preacher in a barn already dead at the hands of slave hunters. Shackled to the walls were four slaves, one of them a woman with a baby. Elijah is shocked at how the slaves have been treated, knowing instinctively that they will die. After getting them some water, Elijah leaves to get help, but no one wants to interfere with the slave hunters.

So Elijah returns with the sad news but takes the baby with him back to Buxton.

Impressions

This is a wonderful historical fiction that brings to life the humor and intricacies of a small community with the horror and degradations of slavery. Once the story begins to unfold, the reader cannot put the book down. Written in the first person narrative, Elijah has a child's point of view and definite opinions about the people he knows. He does his best to prove to his parents that he is grown up, but it takes a tragedy that he feels responsible for to make him own up to his mistakes. Elijah had a lot of growing up to do but when faced with hard decisions, he proves able and determined to accomplish his task. The book is sometimes so hilarious that the reader will chuckle out loud, yet there is tension in the air when the slave hunters come into their area. Tragedy occurs when the Preacher runs off with Mr. Leroy's money, money that was meant to free Mr. Leroy's family. Even though Elijah finds himself alone in a strange place, he still manages to find the Preacher, although it is too late. Instead he meets with a very hard decision, that of leaving behind the slaves that were captured and chained to the wall of the barn. Elijah becomes a hero when he takes the child from its mother to bring her to a life of freedom in Buxton.

Use in the library

This book is a good introduction to any class that is studying about African American slavery practices in America, the Underground Railroad, or the experiences of freed slaves. Book club meetings are also a good place to discuss Elijah and his views on lying, how a story can get bigger and bigger, and how a racial slur can be a legacy of hate.

Reviews

From Booklist

"After his mother rebukes him for screaming that hoop snakes have invaded Buxton, gullible 11-year-old Elijah confesses to readers that “there ain’t nothing in the world she wants more than for me to quit being so doggone fra-gile.” Inexperienced and prone to mistakes, yet kind, courageous, and under- standing, Elijah has the distinction of being the first child born in the Buxton Settlement, which was founded in Ontario in 1849 as a haven for former slaves. Narrator Elijah tells an episodic story that builds a broad picture of Buxton’s residents before plunging into the dramatic events that take him out of Buxton and, quite possibly, out of his depth. In the author’s note, Curtis relates the difficulty of tackling the subject of slavery realistically through a child’s first-person perspective. Here, readers learn about conditions in slavery at a distance, though the horrors become increasingly apparent. Among the more memorable scenes are those in which Elijah meets escaped slaves—first, those who have made it to Canada and, later, those who have been retaken by slave catchers. Central to the story, these scenes show an emotional range and a subtlety unusual in children’s fiction. Many readers drawn to the book by humor will find themselves at times on the edges of their seats in suspense and, at other moments, moved to tears. A fine, original novel from a gifted storyteller." Reviewed by Carolyn Phelan

From Horn Book Magazine

"The story of the Underground Railroad, which led escaping slaves to Canada, has been richly celebrated in fiction. But what happened after they arrived? In Elijah’s story we visit the community of Buxton, a refuge for freed slaves established in 1849 in Canada West, close to the American border.

Eleven-year-old Elijah, the first child to be born free in the settlement, is an irresistible character. Ebullient and compassionate, he is a talker who can torture a metaphor until it begs for mercy. Opening chapters lull and delight us with small-town pranks and tall tales. The mood gets chillier when a new

family of fugitives arrives. Elijah relates how his Pa explains their fragility: “Don’t no one get out of America without paying some terrible cost, without having something bad done permanent to ’em, without having something cut off of ’em or burnt into ’em or et up inside of ’em.” When a con man takes off with the funds Elijah’s friend Mr. Leroy saved to buy his family out of slavery, Elijah and Mr.

Leroy pursue the thief across the border to Michigan; and there, while hiding out in a barn, Elijah discovers a small group of captured slaves, shackled to the wall, barely alive. There is no easy happy ending here, but, in a heart-rending scene, Elijah reacts with courtesy, courage, and respect, according the wretched their dignity and giving them the one gift of freedom in his power. This arresting, surprising novel of reluctant heroism is about nothing less than nobility." Reviewed by Sarah Ellis

Resources

Curtis, C.P. (2007). Elijah of Buxton. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Ellis, S. (2007 November/December). [Review of the book Elijah of Buxton by C. P. Curtis]. Horn Book Magazine, 83(6), 677. Retrieved from http://archive.hbook.com/magazine/

Phelan, C. (2007, September). [Review of the book Elijah of Buxton by C. P. Curtis]. Booklist, 104(1), 115-116. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/

Book 14 The Postcard by Tony Abbott

Summary

Jason does not know much about his father's mother. All he knew was that she was sick and in a wheel chair. When the news came that his grandmother died, Jason's father left to Florida to make arrangements for the funeral and to sell her house. Jason had plans for the summer, but when his mother told him that he would have to go to Florida to help his father, Jason did not want to go. He felt that there was something suspicious going on between his parents, and that his mother was really sending him to keep an eye on his father.

When Jason arrived in St. Petersburg, the first thing that hit him was the heat and humidity. Jason did not like Florida at all. As he was helping his father clean the house, Jason came across an interesting magazine and began to read it. He received a mysterious phone call and found a postcard. Meanwhile, Jason's father met with an accident and had to be hospitalized. While his father was recuperating,

Jason decided to follow the clues and became engrossed in the mystery surrounding his grandmother.

With the help of Dia, Jason found out that his grandmother had a long ago romance with a man that her father did not approve of. Through subterfuge and carefully left clues on postcards, the two were able to communicate. Jason spent his summer finding postcards which led him to hidden typed written pages of a magazine story that never went to print. Jason and Dia had to go to different places around St. Petersburg as indicated by the postcards they found. Each time, they were chased by some old men who were once the hired thugs of Jason's great grandfather. This is a mystery that is action packed.

Impressions

This is a teen mystery that might interest students who like to read about old fashioned mysteries and old time adventures, what the reviewers refer to as a gumshoe detective style story.  I think that some of the events that were written about were not too plausible, and students will probably be able to see through the thin plot right away.  But there are so many people and characters in the story that some students may become confused as to their relationship, one from the other.  

Use in the library

The activity that can be used in the library is to introduce postcards to the students. Show students what postcards really look like and discuss their uses. Students can then make their own postcards with pictures from their city. Each postcard should identify a significant and easily identifiable place in the city. Students can display these postcards on the bulletin board, or use these postcards to describe the picture and why it was chosen. Another use for the postcards is to have the students work in groups and develop a short mystery related to each postcard they created. Have students write clues on each postcard. Then the groups can exchange postcards and see which group solves the mystery first.

Another activity to do with this book is to discuss the mystery itself. Have students identify and list all the clues that Jason found and answer comprehension questions. Which clues pointed Jason to the true mystery of who his grandfather was? How is it that Jason's father did not know? How did Jason feel about Florida after solving the mystery? When Jason's father was in the hospital, what excuse did he give for not visiting? Why did the police insist that Jason call his mother? Why did Jason avoid calling?

Reviews

From Booklist

Abbott, author of Firegirl (2007) and the Droon series, sets no easy task for himself with this book, which contains a mystery within a mystery. Thirteen-year-old Jason is heading to St. Petersburg to help clean out the house of a deceased grandmother whom he’s never met. As soon as he arrives, mystery

meets him. Who are those odd people at the funeral? And what about the strange phone call that leads him to a tinted postcard of a Florida landmark about to be demolished? The postcard points Jason to several old manuscripts that tell the story of his grandparents’ romance. Or do they? Abbott plays with style as he alternates between the contemporary mystery of finding the manuscripts with the manu- scripts themselves, written in a hard-boiled detective style. The result is sometimes too convoluted, but the book is so enticing that readers will go along even when the going is rough. Jason (paired nicely with a neighbor girl as sidekick) is a hero worth rooting for. Kudos, too, to the book’s designer, whose use of old postcards heightens the appeal. Reviewed by Ilene Cooper

From School Library Journal

Retirement mecca St. Petersburg provides the perfect backdrop for Abbot's mystery. Jason,13, flies down to Florida to help his dad settle his grandmother's estate. Worried about his parents' marriage and disgusted with the heat and totally bored, he is intrigued when he finds an old postcard of his grand- mother's. A hotel on it is the same one that appears in a mystery in an old magazine that he also finds

in her house. The stories star someone called Marnie, a name that the funeral director calls Jason's grandmother, Agnes. Jason suspects that it wasn't a slip of the tongue after all, and that the tales really feature his grandmother. A mysterious phone call leads the teen and his new friend Dia to follow a trail of vintage postcards through local landmarks. Abbott's gift: for creating complicated, realistic young

characters is evident in Jason, but he is joined by stock characters from the pages of an old gumshoe mystery. The contrast between Jason's real adolescent angst and the cliched mystery woven throughout makes each element seem richer. The surprise ending to the mystery and the not-so-surprising ending

to Jason's real-life drama are quite satisfying. While less-sophisticated readers might be confused by the scene switches caused by the story-within-a-story format, many will enjoy this novel. Reviewed by Nicki Clausen-Grace, Carillon Elementary School, Oviedo, FL

Resources

Abbott, T. (2008). The postcard. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

Clausen-Grace, N. (2008, April). [Review of the book The postcard by T. Abbott]. School Library Journal, 54(4), 139. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/

Cooper, I. (2008, May). [Review of the book The postcard by T. Abbott]. Booklist, 104(17), 48.

Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/