Blog Pause

I just posted on my book blog about why I have decided to hold off on book blogging for at least a while, as well as my plans for the type of blogging I will sustain and how I plan on capturing my thoughts on the books I want to read.

You can read about it here.

Out of My Mind

I bought Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper when it was first released in hardcover a couple of years ago. I was intrigued by the information on the back cover, and I heard positive feedback, especially from a student teacher who did a practicum in my room and a 6th grade student who was an avid reader.

When I started reading it this week, I was initially a bit disappointed as it did not instantly capture my interest as Draper's YA books typically do. However, as I progressed through the book, I started to enjoy it more. Even in those early chapters, I frequently thought back to my 6th grade student, remembering how she shared that the book really impacted her thinking. I knew that I had to continue reading, to give the book more of a chance, and luckily, I was not disappointed. 

Almost eleven year old Melody has words, memories, facts, information, and urgent necessities that she would love to share, but she cannot. Growing up with cerebral palsy has not been easy for Melody or her family. While she does have a communication board with limited vocabulary, she has so much more that she would like to express. Understandably, her lack of ability to communicate fully frustrates her. 

As a 5th grader big changes are in store. For the first time she goes to mainstream classes in an inclusion environment, and she finds a way to communicate more and show her intelligence. She almost feels like a "normal" kid. Almost. Her peers do not necessarily accept her because of her cerebral palsy and sometimes when she most wants to say something, she can't. 

As the book progressed the title of the book revealed itself in a powerful way, as did the cover image, another pivotal event, and the words on the back cover. The more I read, the more I appreciated Draper's craft in putting this story together. This middle grade novel makes readers think about the way they perceive others and to re-examine perceptions of capabilities, making it an excellent choice for a read aloud, book club, or as an independent read.

14 Cows For America

14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy and Wilson Kimeli Nalyomah, illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez, shares the story of a great sacrifice that a village in Africa makes as a gesture to an American diplomat less than a year after the attacks of September 11. The start of the book shows Kemili, a Standford college student, returning home on his summer break and interacting with those in the village. As he recounts the events of September 11th, people of his village are deeply affected - enough to offer their 14 cows for America. The earlier sections of the book provide insights into just how huge of a sacrifice this was.

Told in third person verse with vivid, full page illustrations, this book conveys a lot of emotions. While Carmen Agra Deedy and Wilson Kimeli Nalyomah could have decided to recount the events through first person, telling it through third person helped to illuminate the event as a collective story, rather than his story, highlighting the decisions of people from his village.

The school library journal recommends this book for 2nd-5th grade. It could also appeal to older readers as well. The illustrations can capture the interest and inspire awe in a wide-range of grade levels, but depending on the grade level, the discussions and depth of understanding would be different. For example, in the younger grades, students will be able to understand that it was a great sacrifice and a kind gesture, while older students (or younger students with more background) will be able to understand a little bit more about economics.

Aside from the main focus of the book, there is also the underlying background of Kimeli as a college student returning home. We see him in his Standford jacket, "American clothes", and backpack, in contrast to the dress of the people of his village on the first pages. With a foot in two worlds, the book can prompt discussions about interacting with different cultures and having different experiences than most people in the community in which you grew up in and navigating similarities and differences. This book could be used with middle school to college students as an introduction to discuss identity, before pairing it up with other books appropriate for the target age group, such as Gloria Anzaldúa's Borderlands, Dancing Home, The Whole Story of Half a Girl, and Mexican Whiteboy.

You can see more background about the book, including a book trailer that shares more of the illustrations, on the site for the book.

Voyages: Reminiscences of Young Abe Lincoln

A parent gave me Voyages: Reminiscences of Young Abe Lincoln by Neil Walman as a gift at the end of a school year, knowing that I love books and am also interested in history. In an introductory page Walman explains that the book was inspired by primary documents providing glimpses into Lincoln's trips down the Mississippi River, which prompted him to think about slavery. Thus, the title refers to both the physical voyage and an internal voyage. The remaining book is divided into four sections (First Voyage, Second Voyage, Third Voyage, and The Auction Block).

Walman told the story in a unique way in first person through Lincoln's eyes. He noted that he would put direct quotes from Lincoln in brown text to distinguish between his own words and the president's, seamlessly incorporate Lincoln's own words without interrupting the flow. At the end of the book there is a sources page, which explains in more detail the documents where Walman excerpted Lincoln's statements. It seems that using this format, there would be some blurring between fact and fiction, much like memoir writing where it is necessary to fill in gaps at times in a best effort to preserve the events. Only, in this case, it was not Waldman's own experiences, so his intent would be basing his words on what he knew about the historical time period and from other documents. It would be helpful to discuss with the difference between the black and brown text and implications for interpretations. Even though the format is directly stated at the start of the book, it would still be pertinent to discuss.

The words, including those from Walman as Lincoln, have a historical flavor. Otherwise, there would have been a disconnect between the two types of text. This may present challenges for some readers who are not as familiar with phrases from the time period; yet, much of it can be grasped through context. In addition, the pages have a faint background coloring simulating worn, older documents also adding to the overall aesthetics of the book.

At 32 pages, this is a quick book, but it will provide readers with glimpses into events that shaped Abraham Lincoln's perspective as he was transitioning into adulthood.

His Name Was Raoul Wallenberg

I was intrigued to hear that Louise Borden's His Name Was Raoul Wallenberg: Courage, Rescue, and Mystery During World War II was an informational text in verse. For the past few years, I have been drawn to the verse format and wondered how it would fit with a biographical text. While at times, it seemed like the text read like regular prose and could have just as easily been in regular paragraphs, there were other times, especially as the book progressed, that the verse format helped to build suspense and anticipation or to strengthen the impact of certain ideas.

Sparked by a book that author Louise Borden read about Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat, Borden conveys glimpses into Raoul's life and shares a piece of history related to World War II with which many are unfamiliar. Confronted with the horrors of the era, Wallenberg could have stayed within the safety of his homeland, neutral Sweden; however, he felt morally compelled to do anything he could to protect life when given the opportunity. Through his creativity, he was able to save the lives of many Hungarian Jews, risking his own life in the process.

When I was reading through, I wondered why they chose a childhood image when most of the content that they were highlighting was from his adult life. However, that connection between his childhood convictions and the man he ended up being became apparent later in the book.

Broken into 15 sections, Borden shared background about Raoul, accompanied by photographs, maps, historical documents, and drawings. Working closely with the family, Borden was able to thoroughly research and organize relevant information to capture the essence of Wallenberg and his life story.

Previously I had an essential question linked to reading workshop along the lines of "How do people respond to the events that shape their lives?" This would be an excellent text to complement that question, providing examples of different responses as well as discussions of decisions.

It would also be a natural fit to increase understanding of the complexities of World War II. In recent years I have been reflecting on what I remember learning about Europe during that time period and how as an adult I have realized there is still so much that I am unaware of. Ruta Sepetys' Between Shades of Gray provoked a similar sensation. With history, it is so valuable to provide a range of perspectives, and this book is a great supplement to add another voice to the time period. After reading the book, I would imagine students will be interested in learning more. I would like to read Hitler's Youth soon, and would be interested to see if it would complement this book well.

Aside from all the book has to offer related to content, it is also rich in possibilities for writing workshop as a mentor text. I look forward to showing exposing my students to exploring history through verse.

We Are America: A Tribute From The Heart

As a teacher always wanting to familiarize myself with a range of YA/middle grades literature, I have read various Walter Dean Myers books, but We Are America: A Tribute From the Heart was the first picture book that I read by him. It is one of those awe-inspiring books that make you want to revisit it again and again both because of the text and the vivid paintings by none other than the author's son, Christopher Myers.

The initial pages of the book include a quote by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella accompanied by a painting followed by two-page spread, powerful author's and artist's notes printed on top of a mosaic of images, providing background and context for the book.

Then starts the heart of the book - two page spreads combining poetry and at times historical quotes, snapshots into U.S. history and cultures. Initially, the poems are told in the first person, representing various perspectives. Then the singular "I" poems shift to "we", a collective history merging from different backgrounds.

I especially like that the history and current depiction represents dichotomies, rather than solely portraying the good or the bad. Instead, it comes off as a balanced, thought-provoking experience. While younger kids would enjoy the book, the illustrations and depth of text, such as avenues for analysis to attempt to make sense of history, make it ideal for older readers as well.

With each flip of the page, I liked the book more and more. While reading, I was curious about those depicted in illustrations. There were some that I automatically recognized, but there were others that made me want to know more about who they were and/or the rationale behind the intentionality of including them. When I turned to some of the last pages and saw that the quotes were reprinted with additional background and explanations of where the quotes came from, I thought about how it was a perfect addition to an already strong text. The final page provides art notes to explain by page about the people depicted in the pictures. Just as the book sparked my curiosity, I can imagine students wanting to do additional research or inquiry as a result of reading this book.

Last night I posted about Dancing Home, by another parent-child team, and pairing the two texts together is an excellent example of complementary picture book/novel combinations. However, We Are America is versatile and aside from ideas already mentioned, it would be a good fit for many other curricular connections, including a mentor text for multi-genre writing and a background in U.S. History. It would be a perfect start of the year read aloud for a year in which the focus was on U.S. History. Then students could revisit the book multiple times throughout the year. Such a rich text!

Dancing Home

Explorations of identity always captures my attention. I first noticed this in college, and since then I have realized that regardless of the target audience, I am always fascinated by the journey. Naturally, when I first heard about Alma Flor Ada and Gabriel M. Zubizarreta's middle grades novel Dancing Home, I knew that eventually I would just have to read it.

Alma Flor Ada is well-known and respected as an author and educator, and she co-wrote this book with her son. In the book Margie's life is in flux. Her cousin from Mexico has just come to stay with her family, prompting boys in her school to once again tease her about her full name, saying, "Maaaargaaaareeetaaaa," multiple times. As a result Margie decides tries to avoid being seen with her cousin. However, her presence makes it hard to continue ignoring her Mexican roots that she has worked so hard to deny, and she starts to wonder what it really means to be American and if it is possible to honor both "her" culture and her parents'. 

As Margie is questioning the book shares plenty of insights into her inquiry and realizations as the novel progresses. Parallel to Margie's story, we also learn about her cousin Lupe and her own struggles dealing with her father's abandonment and the shifts in her own family dynamics back in Mexico, as well as finding her place in a new country.

The novel is told in third person but mostly sticks to the girls' thoughts and plot lines. As can be expected, both girls gain a better sense of understanding as the novel progresses, allowing for a nice discussion starter or individual dialogue related to empathy. The book also sprinkles in Spanish phrases here and there, something that I always love. It also incorporates a class writing assignment, prompting inquiry, as well as a natural inclusion of a famous Rubén Darío poem, A Margarita with an English translation, followed by a translation background note at the end of the book. For my dual immersion students, I like that the translation note can prompt thought about what is really important when it comes to translation - literal word for word or capturing the essence. 

For the last three years, I have read Cuando Tía Lola vino de visita (a quedarse) (the Spanish translation of Julia Alvarez's How Tía Lola Came to (Visit) Stay). In Dancing Home, Margie briefly mentions reading the book and making a connection to her life. Just as I was thinking it was a perfect connection as Miguel is also sifting through identity related thoughts thinking about his Dominican relatives and is also originally embarrassed about his aunt who comes to visit from the islands, I was surprised to realize that link was not made. Rather, Margie thinks about the divorce connection when trying to understand how Lupe must feel. Nonetheless, the additional clear links are present, and these two texts would be excellent to pair together. I think that it would be beneficial to have Dancing Home as a read aloud either before or after Alvarez's book, providing excellent opportunities to see how different characters navigate their feelings related to identity. 

So many possibilities for this novel as an educator and a parent...