Module 6: Keesha's House

Frost, Helen. 2007. KEESHA’S HOUSE. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. ISBN: 978-0-374-40012-5.

Living in an unnamed city, seven teenagers in high school narrate this novel in verse. The novel is divided into eight parts containing seven poems. Six of these parts are narrated by the teenagers, while the other two parts consist of poems from the adults who come into contact with them. The title of each part is taken from the title of one of the poems in the section, except in Part III, “On Their Own.” (The poem title is close enough, “On Her Own,” and is narrated by the mother of one of the teenagers.) The consistent structure of each section allows the teenaged narrators to tell their stories as equals. There is no main character with a supporting cast, and each story is unique and important.

At the beginning if the novel, the teenaged narrators are all in trouble, or they have recently experienced trouble. Stephie is pregnant, and Jason, the father of her baby, is a star basketball player who will lose his chance at a college scholarship. Dontay lives with a foster family while his parents are in jail, and Carmen has a problem with alcohol and ends up in jail. Harris is gay, and his plans to take another boy to a dance meet with anger from his father. Finally, Katie has escaped abusive advances from her stepfather and has ended up in her own room in Keesha’s basement.

The young people tell their first five stories in sestinas. For their final stories, and for the stories by the adults, Frost uses Italian and English sonnets. Her notes on each of these poetic forms at the end of this slim novel explain the specifics of each and how she adapted them to fit her purpose. Sestinas do not have a rhyme scheme, and each line does not have a fixed number of syllables as a sonnet does. The overall effect of the 39-line sestinas is that the teenagers have more space to tell their stories and are less constricted than they would be in a more rigidly constructed sonnet. Their confusion about their situations and their comments and observations about life have more time to develop.

As if to suggest a positive resolution, the teenagers’ final poems are sonnets, with the last line of one person’s sonnet becoming the first line of the next person’s. The first line of the section, “Keesha’s house is set back off the street,” is also the last line of the book. For the first time, Keesha’s house is mentioned by each of the young narrators. At this point in the novel, they have tied up their problems and are getting on with their lives. Of all the teenagers, only Katie and Harris look to be long-term residents of the house. Steph stays there a short time after becoming pregnant, Jason does not stay there at all, and Dontay and Carmen only say they are using the house as a place to which to escape, he from his foster family while he waits for his parents to be released from jail, and she from her old friends and their expectations that she will drink with them. Having lost her younger brother, Keesha seems to have lost the most, but even she is ready to “head uphill with all the life I’ve got—my own” (105).

One main idea is that everyone should have a safe place. Early in the poems, each of the characters uses the words “house” and “home,” but these words do not evoke comfort. Instead, these are the places of abuse and misunderstanding, of drinking and violence. Keesha’s “house” is not hers at all; it is owned by Joe, who according to his sonnets, was once a troubled young person taken in by his aunt. At some point, he did the same for Keesha, and she has repaid the favor by taking in others. Keesha’s house is a place of laughter, that safe haven.

Frost raises another theme through the use of “hurdles” as a metaphor, as Stephie mentions in her poem, “We Pass Each Other.” When she asks, “But how does someone face an unexpected hurdle like that?/That touches on what counts. And there’s no grade for that” (56), she is talking about all the young people (and even the adults) forced to make decisions based on certain circumstances. Frost is at her best here, and throughout she brings readers inside her teenaged and adult characters and does so with realistic language, memorable imagery and characters who wonder where they fit in and what they should do. “Revealing heartbreak and hope, these poems could stand alone, but work best as a story collection” (Reynolds). This is a short novel full of power where readers will see others dealing with situations that may or may not have been of their own choosing. They are just those “hurdles” life sticks in our way.

Reference List
Reynolds, Angela J. 2003. Review of Keesha’s House by Helen Frost. School Library Journal 49(3): 232. Library, Information Science & Technology (LISTA) database through TWU Library. Accessed 26 November 2011.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Grade 8 & up

Review Excerpts
In a long note, Frost talks about the poetic forms she has used, the sestina and the sonnet. But most readers will be less interested in that framework than in the characters, drawn with aching realism, who speak poetry in ordinary words and make connections. (Booklist, March 1, 2003)

In a surprisingly rigid format, the poems manage to seem spontaneous and still carry the plot easily. With a number of threads to follow, no one character is at the center, but there is great satisfaction in seeing the narratives gradually mesh as the isolation recedes and support is given. Impressive. (Kirkus Reviews )

With personal problems galore, these teenagers still find ways to reach out and help others in need. Spare, eloquent, and elegantly concise, Frost's novel will reach reluctant readers as well as those drawn to Go Ask Alice or work by Walter Dean Myers, Nancy Garden, Carolyn Coman, or Ann M. Martin. Public, private, or correctional educators and librarians should put this must-read on their shelves. (Voice of Youth Advocates, April 1, 2003)

What makes Keesha's House different from many out verse novels is Frost's exploration of different poetic forms from sonnets to sestinas which she talks about at the end of the novel. Frost is an accomplished poet and Keesha's House is an inventive first novel. (Books in Canada, August 1, 2003)

Teens may read this engaging novel without even realizing they are reading poetry. (School Library Journal, March 1, 2003)

In her first YA novel, Frost profiles seven teens in trauma, artfully revealed through sestinas and sonnets… Making the most of the poetic forms, the author breathes life into these teens and their stories, resulting in a thoughtfully composed and ultimately touching book. (Publishers Weekly, April 21, 2003)

Review Excerpts from Books in Print database, TWU Library, accessed 15 November 2011.

Awards & Recognition
Michael L. Printz Honor Book, 2004

Module 6: Rapunzel's Revenge

Hale, Shannon, and Dean Hale. 2008. RAPUNZEL’S REVENGE. New York: Bloomsbury. ISBN: 978-1-59990-070-4. Illustrated by Nathan Hale.

This graphic novel update to the traditional tale of Rapunzel is set in the American Southwest in the time of cowboys and miners. As expected, it begins “Once upon a time…” and is a story told by Rapunzel, who lives in a huge castle with servants who attend to her every need and desire. She has never seen the world beyond the castle and keeps having a strange dream about what lies out there. Her “mother,” the sinister Gothel, assures her that the only world she needs to know is the world of her huge house and legions of servants. Is that enough for Rapunzel, or will she have to see things for herself? On her twelfth birthday, she makes her decision, and that curiosity has far-reaching consequences.

This entertaining story follows Rapunzel as she makes a humorous foray over the wall and into the blighted land outside with the aid of a rope and her note to readers, “Call me a numbskull if you like” (11). Nathan Hale’s illustrations of the huge castle, its occupants and its plant life are colorful and rendered in specific lifelike detail, and his landscape just outside of it is arid, grey and smoky, its slave-like characters downtrodden as they haul dirt. It is here that Rapunzel finds and learns the truth about her real mother, with her flashbacks and memories recreated in gold-tinted panels. Her dream about her mother was real, and she confronts Gothel, who imprisons her in a “creepy tree…with a hollowed-out room high up…perfect for imprisoning a trouble-maker” (24).

True to the original, Rapunzel spends a long time imprisoned, and over time her red hair grows and grows and grows, eventually getting long enough to enable her to use it as a rope for another escape. She cannot return to her house and the cushy lifestyle she had before. Instead, she must use her wits to survive in a landscape controlled by Gothel and her magic. Gothel is everywhere, and her influence over the setting is simple: in the past she used her magic, “the ability to make things grow or dry up as fast as a bird flies” (86), according to old Jasper, a former town witch. Gothel, then, is a fairy-tale symbol of evil who controls the lives of everyone in “Gothel’s Reach,” a helpful map of which is included in the text. As might be expected, the farmers, miners and fishermen living there lead lives of misery.

Shannon and Dean Hale propel Rapunzel through a series of encounters with a lively cast of characters, some of whom are employed by Gothel and others who remember a better time before she conquered the land. Early on, she meets a thief named Jack, who just happens to have a goose. (His name and choice of pet evoke other fairy tales.) He helps her as she becomes embroiled in situations with cattle rustlers, kidnappers and coyotes on their journey to topple Gothel. When necessary, Rapunzel uses her hair like a lasso to free herself and Jack from the danger threatens to derail their quest.

Nathan Hale's design and illustration use different numbers of panels per page to show the rich, stylized settings, clothing and characters from the Southwest. Character close-ups reveal a wide range of emotions and feelings, from shock to calculation, from surprise to happiness, and from frustration to anger. The dialogue is always lively and riddled with humor, even when the action is at its most dangerous. Rapunzel’s narration in the yellowed text boxes adds to the humor by giving her another means of expressing her voice. She is sarcastic, jealous and descriptive of both the action and her feelings.

As is to be expected, the good represented by Rapunzel (and Jack and all the decent people they have encountered) triumphs over the evil as embodied by Gothel. At the climax of the story, things might look bleak, but they right themselves with a bit of luck, cunning, and magic. Overall, “the story is an enticing departure from the original” (von Wrangel Kinsey). With its artwork, dialogue and overall snappy storyline, this novel will appeal to readers of all ages, especially those who love modern versions of fairy tales. Jack has a trick or two to offer, and he and Rapunzel have that happy ending rife with romance. And his pet goose? That may show up in a sequel.


Reference List
von Wrangel Kinsey, Cara. 2008. Review of Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale. School Library Journal 54(9): 215. Library, Information Science & Technology (LISTA) database through TWU Library. Accessed 26 November 2011.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (Grade 5 & up)

Review Excerpts
Hale's art matches the story well, yielding expressive characters and lending a wonderful sense of place to the fantasy landscape. Rich with humor and excitement, this is an alternate version of a classic that will become a fast favorite of young readers. (Booklist, September 1, 2008)

Knowing that there are more graphic novels to come from this writing team brings readers their own happily-ever-after. (School Library Journal, September 1, 2008)

The Hale team creates an engaging heroine…This novel presents entertaining girl power at its quirkiest. (Voice of Youth Advocates, October 1, 2008)

Illustrator Hale's detailed, candy-colored artwork demands close viewing, as it carries the action--Rapunzel's many scrapes are nearly wordless. With its can-do heroine, witty dialogue and romantic ending, this graphic novel has something for nearly everybody. (Publishers Weekly, August 4, 2008)

Review Excerpts from Books in Print database, TWU Library, accessed 15 November 2011.

Awards & Recognition
American Library Association Notable Books for Children
Young Reader's Choice Award

Module 6: Crank

Hopkins, Ellen. 2004. CRANK. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books. ISBN: 978-0-689-86519-0.

More systematic readers usually read the Dedication and Author’s Note before tackling a particular novel. Often, they glean some piece of information that sticks in the backs of their minds as they read and helps them makes sense of why the author wrote that work. In this case, Hopkins informs readers that this chronicle of Kristina’s gradual addiction to methamphetamine (also known as “crank”) is “loosely based on a very true story—my daughter’s” (Author’s Note). That fact alone gave this story of a young girl’s fall into an abyss a larger importance, and readers feel it on every page.

Without knowing the background of the author, readers learn early on the intensity of the story. Narrating in the first person, Kristina is visiting her father, someone with his own life problems, during the summer. Even if she may not want to be there, she has to. Her parents are divorced, and the visit is part of the settlement. Her mother has remarried and is living in Reno, while the biological father is working in a bowling alley between and is subject to bouts of drug and alcohol abuse. He also lives in an apartment in a rough part of Albuquerque.

As a character, Kristina begins the novel as an inexperienced girl off on her own, seemingly for the first time. She is interested in her parents' divorce and tries not to harbor ill will toward them. Indeed, she shows an ability to forgive her father his sins, as long as “I could forever/stay his little princess” (39). When she meets Adam in her father’s building, her independence feeds her curiosity, especially because it is the first time in her life a boy has noticed her. Given her sheltered background, she is taken with him, and readers can easily understand how quickly she begins experimenting with him. After all, she is far away from her mother and her rules. Her new setting with her permissive (or distracted) father provides her the opportunity for something and someone new. With Adam, she takes on a new personality, telling him her name is Bree. Bree is unrestrained, a girl willing to take risks to satisfy her desires.

The tension between Kristina and her alter ego, Bree, drives the rest of the plot. Eventually, there’s a return to Reno, to her brother, mother (a writer) and stepfather in their suburban house. Kristina must fight with Bree, but Bree ends up winning. When school begins, Bree is in control, and her desires are unfettered. She has to find crank, and she will do whatever it takes to get it. The plot is somewhat predictable in this cautionary tale, as Kristina begins doing worse in school and placing herself in a number of dangerous situations in her search for drugs and dalliances with boys. Her family relationships are strained as she tries hide Bree from them and almost succeeds.

Hopkins writes this sad, gripping story in free verse. Often, when Kristina is caught up in questions or internal debates, or when there is conversation, the poems are written in two columns. Kristina and her father have such a conversation in “He hadn’t Changed After All” (67), and she and her mother engage in a conversation in “Grounded UFN” (258), when Kristina's “new” life is becoming clearer to her mother. These poems and the others like them can be read as one complete poem or as two different poems to isolate the arguments and responses of each of the character. Hopkins also writes in shaped poems, as in “I Even Spent Time at the Bowling Alley” (65), where the stanzas resemble lane markings, and in “Ecstasy Is Hard to Describe” (427-8), with its lines written and inverted as the bars of the letter “E.” “Snow Began to Fall” (514) reminds readers of falling snowflakes (and is one of the few descriptions of setting in the entire novel).

The titles of the poems all echo the schizophrenia of Kristina and Bree and do a fine job of establishing her descent into a world not easily understood. The poems are written in a variety of forms that capture the voice of a confused high school girl and “paint painfully sharp images of Kristina/Bree and those around her, detailing how powerful the ‘monster’ can be” (Korbeck). The language is simple and intense, and the whole story is worthwhile. Readers will find themselves hoping for the best for Kristina but sympathetic as she hurtles toward the worst.

Reference List
Korbeck, Sharon. 2004. Review of Crank by Ellen Hopkins. School Library Journal 50(11): 145. Library, Information Science & Technology (LISTA) database through TWU Library. Accessed 26 November 2011.

Highly Recommended (Grade 9 & up): Be forewarned, though, that this can be a very tough topic for everyone involved, teens and adults.

Review Excerpts
Although the author is definitely on a mission, she creates a world nearly as consuming and disturbing as the titular drug. (Publishers Weekly, November 1, 2004)

Although novels in verse are not new anymore, this one still works. Hopkins delivers a gritty, fast-paced read while effectively portraying the dangers of substance abuse without sounding pedantic or preachy. Teens will relate to Kristina's desire to experiment as well as her difficulty balancing conflicting feelings. (Voice of Youth Advocates, February 1, 2005)

The poems are masterpieces of word, shape, and pacing, compelling readers on to the next chapter in Kristina's spiraling world. This is a topical page-turner and a stunning portrayal of a teen's loss of direction and realistically uncertain future. (School Library Journal, November 1, 2004)

But Hopkins uses the spare, fragmented style to powerful effect, heightening the emotional impact of dialogues, inner monologues, and devastating scenes, including a brutal date rape. Readers won't soon forget smart, sardonic Kristina; her chilling descent into addiction; or the author's note, which references her own daughter's struggle with the monster. (Booklist, November 15, 2004)

Review Excerpts from Books in Print database, TWU Library, accessed 15 November 2011.

Module 5: Bodies from the Ice

Deem, James M. 2005. BODIES FROM THE ICE. New York: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 978-0-618-80045-2.

Thin and oversized, this informational book is packed with details and provides a general audience of readers a foundation for learning about what has happened to various glaciers around the world. Deem does not simply describe the location, composition or size of various glaciers. Instead, he humanizes them by introducing the glaciers through the stories of a number of bodies uncovered on them in the recent past. Injecting modern and ancient people into the text contextualizes the science of glaciers and how their conditions preserve bodies and human artifacts.

Each chapter contains a story. In each of the stories, the “characters” are those whose bodies were found, as well as those who found and studied the bodies. Readers are introduced to Ötzi, the oldest human ever recovered, found on the Niederjoch Glacier bordering Italy and Austria; an unidentified young woman from the Porchabella Glacier in Switzerland; young children sacrificed and buried in Andean glaciers by the Inca; George Mallory, the Everest explorer; and Kwäday Dan Ts’inchí, meaning “Long Ago Person Found” in the Native American Southern Tutchone language (45), found in the Tatshenshini-Alsek Park in British Columbia, Canada. Relating the stories of their discovery and subsequent examination, Deem is a true storyteller, writing about each in language that combines the best qualities of narrative, journalistic and scientific writing. He includes facts and important information in lively, easily pictured prose.

In the final chapter, though, readers come to understand that the glaciers themselves are the main characters in this book. While the stories of people from history are illustrative of the science of glaciers and preservation, “Saving the Past,” answers a nagging question: Why did he write this book in this way? Though he has hinted at the answer throughout by saying that the size of the glaciers has diminished over the past two or three centuries, at the end he appeals to a younger, presumably less jaded audience to be aware of how human activities affect glaciers. Readers are left with a list of “personal ways to help the environment” and are urged to visit a glacier before it is too late (53).

Even if Deem is promoting a message, he does not do so heavy-handedly, which is the major strength of this book. His main stories in each chapter are highly readable and full of facts about the science of glaciers, their recent history and how archaeologists, forensic scientists, and others get involved to identify the history behind the remains. He also does not address those “scientists” who believe that human activity does not contribute to receding glaciers, nor does he need to. His stories and factual information speak for themselves. Even those who question his conclusions would have a difficult time disputing his dispassionate history and the information behind his beliefs.

Maps superimposed on large, full-color, modern photographs begin each chapter, offsetting creative titles, such as the alliterative “Grinding, Gliding Glaciers” or “The Mystery of Mallory.” Deem increases reader knowledge and interest with a wide selection of color and black-and-white photographs and artwork. The contemporary ones tend to show the people who discovered the bodies, their locations, and the bodies or accoutrements discovered with them. Readers can see “before” and “after” photos of Mount Everest, from 1968 and 2007, to gain further proof that the size of the glaciers has dwindled in recent years.

The historical photographs and artwork depict news accounts or people’s interactions with the glaciers before the advent of modern photography. Chapter 3, “Dragons in the Ice,” is an excellent example of the use of archival photos and artwork to enhance the text. No bodies are uncovered in this chapter. It discusses the history and local superstitions of the Chamonix Glacier in the Alps, the one glacier in the book that became a tourist attraction. Sidebars add to the flavor of this and other chapters and discuss either scientific information, as in “Types of Glaciers” (10), the history of mountain-climbing disasters, or topical information, such as “Women on the Glaciers” (25). Each of these extra text boxes increases reader knowledge and is attractively superimposed on grayscale images of glaciers.

The text is jammed with information and artwork, and, in the appendix, readers receive a list of glaciers around the world, web resources, the names of museums (should they ever happen to visit some of the glaciers), and an extensive bibliography with a list of illustration credits. The clear, precise writing, excellent art and layout, and additional resources all add up to a “readable work that reveals the increasing interdisciplinary dimensions of the sciences” (Meyer), to be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

Reference List
Meyer, Jeff. 2008. Review of Bodies from the Ice by James M. Deem. School Library Journal 54(12): 146. Library, Information Science & Technology (LISTA) database through TWU Library. Accessed 28 October 2011.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (Grades 5 & up)

Review Excerpts
There are books about melting glaciers and books about frozen bodies, but this attractive offering combines the topics in a way that will intrigue readers. (Booklist, December 1, 2008)

Clearly identified lithographs, paintings and archival photos help readers see how much has changed in these high altitudes, while maps make clear the locations of particular discoveries. Photos of skulls, mummified bodies and artifacts will fascinate readers. (Kirkus Reviews)

Full-color photographs, reproductions, and maps are clearly captioned; grand images of glaciated mountain peaks span entire pages, and detailed pictures of recovered objects, including the mummies themselves, the Iceman's ax, and surviving fabric fragments are presented. (School Library Journal, December 1, 2008)

Awards & Recognition
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award (Honor Book)
American Library Association Notable Book for Children

Module 5: The Wednesday Wars

Schmidt, Gary. 2007. THE WEDNESDAY WARS. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN: 978-0-618-72483-3.

It’s 1967 on Long Island. In a novel that covers each month of the school year in separate chapters, Holling Hoodhood happens to be the only Presbyterian 7th grader in Mrs. Baker’s class. Readers may not understand the difficulty of that until they realize that Holling will be alone with the dreaded Mrs. Baker every Wednesday afternoon while his classmates go to either Hebrew School or Catechism class. A 7th grader alone with a teacher who hates him, at least in his mind? Can anything be more of a disaster?

In Holling’s (overactive) mind, it’s a war, the hyperbolic Wednesday Wars of the title, but it’s only one of the many wars he has to fight as he grows up. In 1967, with Walter Cronkite on the news every night to report about the war in Vietnam, his own sister trying to find her identity as a flower child, and the husbands of Mrs. Baker and Mrs. Bigio fighting far away in a “real” war, how important are his wars on suburban Long Island? It turns out that all of the small events, and the understandings Holling takes from them, will help him “become who (you’re) supposed to be,” (37) according to his sister.

Schmidt draws nearly every one of Holling’s interactions with a colorful cast of characters humorously, at times pushing the reader to laugh out loud, as he launches and sustains Holling’s journey to become more mature, to develop a deeper understanding of himself and others. In the beginning of the novel, Holling is raw, with his reading consisting of adventure stories he’s read and reread. When times get difficult, he imagines himself as a character from Treasure Island, doing something heroic.

Times quickly get difficult, as reflected in the setting and characterization. Camilo Junior High School is populated by 8th-grade penitentiary-bound thugs, led by Doug Swieteck’s brother, who always seem to find ways to terrorize Holling and the other 7th graders through plumes of cigarette smoke. Their home is the bathroom, while Mr. Guareschi, the principal, who seems to want to be “the dictator of a small country” (19) lords over the rest of the school. All of the textbooks in use at Camilo include “…and You” in their titles (Mathematics and You, English and You), a jab at how schools attempt to make their curricula relevant. Finally, Holling’s friends, Doug, Danny, Meryl Lee and Mai Thi, work with him and against him, depending on the situation.

Outside of school, Holling has to deal with his father, whose ambition is to become an important businessman in their town. He sees architecture as a “blood sport” and wants to ensure Holling doesn’t alienate any possible adult clients. Holling’s mother is a closet cigarette smoker who does not contradict the father, and his sister, Heather, whose name is not divulged until the month of May at the end of the story, is protesting the war in Vietnam from the safety of her suburban house. Before he sees her as a person, she is the enemy who “hates his guts” as much as Mrs. Baker does.

With the school and his family's Perfect House as backdrops for Holling, he is able to embark on his personal journey to gain self-awareness. He and Mrs. Baker study Shakespeare, and he learns some truths about life through his characters and also some insults he is able to use with his family and other nemeses. Schmidt does not stint on the humor, as evidenced in the recurrence of Sycorax and Caliban, the cream puff incidents, Mr. Guareschi’s peculiarities, and Mrs. Sidman’s heroic actions (after her earlier forced sabbatical).

He also does not stint on more serious events that contribute to the self-awareness of Holling and his friends. Boyhood idols like Mickey Mantle fall the hard way, Vietnam intrudes, and Holling must deal with his single-minded father. Mai Thi, a Vietnamese refugee resettled in town, is quiet in class and knows little English (enough, though, in lighter moments, to join her classmates in threatening Holling). When the war affects those at school personally, she becomes a target and also a person who subtly helps Holling and others to understand humanity and forgiveness, even if it takes time, empathy or a well-placed punch. Finally, Holling has to defy his smug father and the 8th grade members of the cross country team and act according to his heart to become a better human, a more rounded character.

Throughout all of this is Mrs. Baker, “that dame” according to Joe Pepitone, who becomes a more sympathetic character (to a maturing Holling) as the year progresses, even if she seems to leave her classroom only rarely. Using Shakespeare, she steers Holling through the difficult year of growing up, a year replete with “laugh-out-loud moments that leaven the many poignant ones as Schmidt explores many important themes, not the least of which is what makes a person a hero” (Shoemaker). By the end of this excellent novel, younger readers will understand the need to think for themselves and will probably be secretly hoping a Mrs. Baker will ask them to read The Tempest.


Reference List
Shoemaker, Joel. 2007. Review of Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt. School Library Journal 53(7): 110. Library, Information Science & Technology (LISTA) database through TWU Library. Accessed 16 November 2011.

HIGHLY—AND ENTHUSIASTICALLY—RECOMMENDED (Grades 7 & up)

Review Excerpts
Schmidt has a way of getting to the emotional heart of every scene without overstatement, allowing the reader and Holling to understand the great truths swirling around them on their own terms. (Kirkus Reviews)

Unlike most Vietnam stories, this one ends happily, as Schmidt rewards the good guys with victories that, if not entirely true to the period, deeply satisfy. (Publishers Weekly, April 16, 2007)

Holling's unwavering, distinctive voice offers a gentle, hopeful, moving story of a boy who, with the right help, learns to stretch beyond the limitations of his family, his violent times, and his fear, as he leaps into his future with his eyes and his heart wide open. (Booklist, 2007)

Awards & Recognition
American Library Association Notable Book for Children
Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books
Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year
Newbery Honor Book, 2008

Module 5: King of the Mild Frontier

Crutcher, Chris. 2003. KING OF THE MILD FRONTIER. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN: 0-06-050250-9.

Fans of Chris Crutcher, and even those who have never read his novels, will enjoy this entertaining, creative, funny (at times) and difficult (at other times) autobiography. Writing about growing up in Cascade, Idaho, Crutcher populates this straightforward, unapologetic book with a well-described cast of characters who were instrumental in honing his powers of observation. This is not an autobiography where the author merely describes others; what makes this work compelling is that Crutcher illustrates how his interactions with people and events gave him new insights into himself and life and spurred him to become not only an author but also a better or different human being.

Readers get the sense that he almost had no choice of career besides that of a writer and storyteller. Every chapter is a story, and, in nearly every chapter, Crutcher learns something about himself and communicates that learning honestly to his audience. From his older brother John, he learns that no matter what, he will always be gullible, an easy target for whatever scheme John concocts. When Crutcher relates the stories about the BB gun, “Esus,” urinating in the heating grate, and stealing his brother’s book reports for English class, he seems to have two aims. The first is to show (hilariously, most of the time) the sibling relationship and how the younger brother keeps coming back for more, even if he always gets in trouble. The second is a deeper theme that runs throughout this work, demonstrating that naïve or innocent people are always at the mercy of others.

His chapter “Why Things Happen” takes up this concept and brings it to the center. Here, Crutcher is at his best when he discusses how death has shaped his life and how it has entered his novels. Discussing the death of a student at the school where he taught and the loss of his father and mother, he reflects on the words of a reverend, the “rhetorical question” of “Why do bad things happen to good people?” (163) He does not provide a final answer. Instead, he uses it as a means of showing his viewpoint as an author: “the best lessons about death come from the best lessons of life” and “Just because” (166-167). As an author, and as he has done in this piece, he will write about what he has seen and experienced, without having to ask for permission from anyone.

He returns to this simple idea later, in the chapter entitled “Becoming a Storyteller.” The chapter begins benignly and innocently: a high school-aged Crutcher has decided he wants to get As in English by doing very little, rather than settling for his usual C grades (for doing nothing). He hits upon a scheme to steal his brother’s collected book reports and relates how close he comes to getting caught. He could have stopped right there, and readers would have learned more about the author as a young man and maybe snickered at how ridiculous it all was.

However, true to Crutcher and the way his chapters unfold in this book, he adds more critical events. First, he meets a real writer and begins to understand and appreciate the act of writing, and he eventually publishes his first novel. Second, while discussing his first book, he describes a conversation with his literary agent about his use of profanity. Though these two events would be enough for others’ autobiographies, they are not sufficient here. Crutcher uses the final few pages of the chapter to help his audience understand why he chooses to use the language he does, relating an anecdote from his time as a therapist. Keeping with the theme of things happening to people, he uses the anecdote to show something important about his work: his “respect” makes his characters real and his storytelling is a “spot where language and circumstance and character merge to tell some tough truth” (226). Getting readers to understand his use of rough language took awhile, but, like his other stories in the book, was well worth the trip.

The title understates the intensity of this work and shows the humility that marks his writing, as he “portrays himself as a young crybaby, academic misfit, and athletic klutz, utterly without self-aggrandizement” (Shoemaker). His views of his town, his family, his friends, the pretty girls always beyond his reach, his participation in sports, and his brilliant ideas gone awry will increase reader understanding of who he is, how he approaches the world, and why he writes the way he does. If honesty and sincerity are “ill-advised,” then Crutcher seems to be saying the world needs more of it.

Reference List
Shoemaker, Joel. 2003. Review of King of the Mild Frontier by Chris Crutcher. School Library Journal 49(4): 176. Library, Information Science & Technology (LISTA) database through TWU Library. Accessed 16 November 2011.

Highly Recommended (Grades 8 & older)
Some of the material may be too difficult for some 8th graders, but it’s a wonderful read for those who can handle its content.

Review Excerpts
This is a good read and a deeply moral and philosophical work with important messages about life, death, relativity, heroism, and why bad things sometimes happen to good people. (Kirkus Reviews)

Tough and tender reminiscences focus primarily on family, social, and school conflicts, but lessons derived from his career as a teacher, therapist, and writer are also described… the narrative holds undeniable appeal for the author's fans and demonstrates the power of writing to help both reader and writer heal emotional/psychic wounds. (School Library Journal, April 1, 2003)

Nothing tops his misadventures in small-town sports ("If you didn't show up for football practice on the first day of your freshman year, they simply came and got you"), including his days as a terrified 123-pound freshman ("with all the muscle definition of a chalk outline") and his initiation as a letterman (involving oysters, an olive and a large dose of humiliation). (Publishers Weekly, March 3, 2003)

Through a series of vignettes, Crutcher lays bare many painful memories of his childhood, and readers see the source of some of his best stories and characters…In telling his own story, Crutcher entertains readers, challenges them, and touches their hearts. This is a biography that will be read--not skimmed--and loved. (Voice of Youth Advocates, June 1, 2003)

This honest, insightful, revealing autobiography is a joy to read. Crutcher's fans will relish this intimate glimpse of the author, and the book may win some new readers for his fiction. (Booklist, April 15, 2003)

Review excerpts from Books in Print database, TWU Libraries.

Module 4: Uglies

Westerfield, Scott. 2005. UGLIES. New York: Scholastic. ISBN: 0-439-80611-9.

Tally Youngblood has only a few days remaining before her 16th birthday and the operation that will make her become pretty. Living in the darkness of Uglyville, she is not welcome in gleaming, torch-lit New Pretty Town across the river until she has the operation. Her good friend Peris is there, living in the Garbo Mansion with other new pretties, and much of her fun is to sneak across the river and visit him. Though the river is patrolled well to prevent the uglies from crossing, Tally knows of a secret way. Bolstering her confidence is the idea that new pretties are so inanely self-absorbed and “having so much fun to notice little things out of place” (8)

Tally will get the same basic beautification package as everyone else in this dystopic science fiction novel set in a distant, post-industrial future. That idea pleases her, but then she meets Shay, who happens to have the same birthday as she does. Adept with a hoverboard (a flying skateboard relying on solar power and metal?) and not at all interested in becoming a pretty and letting the river confine her experience, Shay begins educating Tally on the need to be herself and not to become a pretty simply because that’s what everyone else does. She also pushes Tally beyond her limited experience of sneaking across the river and jealously admiring the pretties.

Through Shay, Westerfield plants the concept of something different in Tally. When she talks with Tally and later takes her to the abandoned town, readers are able to see social commentary on a number of levels. Shay does not want to be pretty and seems to prefer a time when people looked different from each other, even if there were different forms of discrimination. Later, the setting changes to contrast the clean, crisp and manmade New Pretty Town with the shattered buildings and rusted cars left behind long ago by the Rusties. Instead of blindly accepting what society presents, Shay longs for something more and is able to create questions for Tally.

When Shay points to the distant Smoke and tells of mysterious characters there led by the elusive David, Tally is hooked. If New Pretty Town symbolizes conformity, the ruins of the roller coaster represent the pages of history. The Smoke means rejecting all that she has been taught. At this early stage of the novel, Tally understands there is something beyond her experience. The only question is if she will turn her back on being pretty and go look for it. Will she have the nerve to explore a completely new way of being?

Dr. Cable, the middle pretty face of the government, answers the question for Tally. Once Shay disappears, the doctor is the evil antagonist who blackmails Tally into cooperating to find her friend. Tally must balance the difficult choice of being ugly forever if she does not cooperate with Dr. Cable with betraying her friend and allowing Special Circumstances the opportunity to destroy the Smoke and its inhabitants. Tally chooses betrayal. In the “victory” for Dr. Cable and the society she represents, Westerfield reminds readers that there is little room for individual thinking and that any rebellion must be stamped out, even if it is distant and isolated.

Tally’s dual personality drives the remainder of the story. She journeys to the Smoke, meets David, and learns the secret of the surgery to make people pretty from David’s parents, escaped plastic surgeons who performed many early operations and conducted research on them. In addition to being a love interest, David and those living in the Smoke complete Tally’s education. Where Westerfield described New Pretty Town as full of manmade people and buildings, the people in the Smoke must find and grow their own food and manufacture their own clothes. Tally learns about another part of life, another way of being and, betrayal or not, begins to understand it and become repulsed by the life she left.

At this point of the novel, the plot and characterization become predictable. Tally regrets what she has done and attempts to tell David a number of times of her betrayal. He seems to be so blinded by their budding love that he cannot listen, and whenever she tries to say something, she gets interrupted. Shay, naturally, gets jealous of Tally. Also, with paranoia rife in the Smoke, an outlaw society, how is it that people such as Croy and even David can suspect that Tally is not all she seems and still not do anything about it? How does Tally get so close to David so quickly? Finally, what about that remarkable luck she has in getting to the Smoke in the first place? Enough was made of the tracking device given to her earlier in the novel that her setting it off and bringing in the Special Circumstances thugs should surprise no one.

Once Tally has contributed to the demise of the Smoke, readers know that she will make things right by revealing her duplicity to David and emerging as a stronger character. Predictability aside, her eyes are open to new possibilities, and she sees that in order to change and stay true to herself, she must be willing to take action. Although her story does not end with a resolution, it “is highly readable with a convincing plot that incorporates futuristic technologies and a disturbing commentary on our current public policies” (Hunter). Through Tally, Westerfield reminds all readers of the need to think as individuals, be true to themselves, and keep their eyes open to the possibilities around them.

Reference List
Hunter, Susan W. 2005. Review of Uglies by Scott Westerfield. School Library Journal 51(3): 221. Library, Information Science & Technology (LISTA) database through TWU Library. Accessed 28 October 2011.

Review Excerpts
As in his So Yesterday, Westerfeld introduces thought-provoking issues, but readers may lose track of the plot while sorting the many messages about how the "Rusties" nearly destroyed the planet. (Publishers Weekly, March 21, 2005)

Teens will sink their teeth into the provocative questions about invasive technology, image-obsessed society, and the ethical quandaries of a mole-turned-ally. These elements, along with the obvious connections to reality programs such as Miami Slice, will surely cause this ingenious series debut to cement Westerfeld's reputation for high-concept YA fiction that has wide appeal. (Booklist, March 15, 2005)

Tally inflicts betrayal after betrayal, which dominates the theme for the midsection; by the end, the nature of this dystopia is front and center and Tally—trying to set things right—takes a stunning leap of faith. Some heavy-handedness, but the awesome ending thrills with potential. (Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2005)

Awards & Recognition
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2006
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year, 2005

Module 4: Tithe

Black, Holly. 2002. TITHE: A MODERN FAERIE TALE. New York: Simon and Schuster (Simon Pulse). ISBN: 978—0-689-86704-0.

For those who enjoy fantasy stories of fairies existing in worlds parallel to our own, Holly Black’s Tithe will certainly be enjoyable. It is the story of Kaye Fierch, a 16-year-old girl who seems to be just another teenager attempting to figure out her place in the world. At the beginning of this story, Kaye’s world is bleak. The novel opens with her in a bar watching her mother’s rock and roll band as they attempt to make it big. They don’t. Kaye and her hard-drinking, cigarette-smoking mother, Ellen, have to move back to New Jersey to live with Kaye’s grandmother. Ellen and her mother spend most of their time yelling at each other, with the grandmother implying that Kaye is on the verge of ending up just like Ellen. Their language to each other is rough and realistic, and this reality is not the best place for Kaye.

Kaye has friends in New Jersey, but they do not add too much in the way of brightness to the novel. Janet, her best friend, lives in a trailer park with her homosexual brother, Corny, who works at a gas station and reads pornographic comic books. Their trailer is stuffed with junk their divorced mother picks up at flea markets, and each is as dissatisfied as Kaye. Through Janet, Kaye meets a group of young people who seem to be interested mostly in drinking or, in Kenny’s case, cheating on his girlfriend, who happens to be Janet. True to form, Kenny goes for Kaye, Janet sees the exchange, and everything blows up. With both her mother and her friends, Kaye seems to be passive, a victim of others’ actions.

Early in the novel, while establishing Kaye as a teenage girl who goes in for petty shoplifting and getting caught in uncomfortable situations with her friend’s boyfriend, Black also introduces the “faerie” aspect to her life. Kaye is afraid that her mother and Janet will joke with her about Lutie, Spike and the now-deceased Gristle, the three “fey” she’s known since her childhood. Are they real, as she thinks they are? Or does she simply have an overactive imagination, as the others think? Later, Kenny catches Kaye bringing a merry-go-round pony to life, even though she thinks she only imagines doing so. He “sees” it, and readers begin to suspect that Kaye is something more than a young girl going through a bad time, or a girl whose imagination blurs the distinction between the “normal’ and the faerie worlds.

When she meets Roiben, readers are sure. He is a knight who serves the queen of the Unseelie Court, Nicnevin. She helps him out of a rough spot, and his note to her inside of an acorn sets in motion a chain of events that allow her to acknowledge herself as a full-fledged faerie but not until she becomes part of a plot hatched by the Thistlewitch. The essence of the plot is simple: a “mortal” must be sacrificed so that the “solitary fey” (Lutie, Spike and others represented by the Thistlewitch) can become free for seven years. The upshot of all this is that Kaye learns the truth about her “real” self and that she must set off on a quest to help Roiben and the solitary fey and to find the original Kaye Fierch. The quest does not take her far from her grandmother’s house.

As Kaye’s original “glamor” begins to emerge, Black chooses Corny as the human character to whom Kaye goes and asks for assistance. He accompanies her to the Unseelie Court, entered through a discolored patch of grass in the hill. When they arrive there, Black’s writing is at its best and most lavish. Though she does an excellent job of showing the peeling paint and tattered human world, her descriptions of the colors, character and scenes in the faerie world are vivid and cinematic, comprising “the greatest strength of the story” (Wright).

In this world, her faeries are anthropomorphic and seem to enjoy debauchery and good times as much as any humans do. In addition to fostering impending violence, they are also extremely adept at political intrigue and infighting. Nicnevin is the all-powerful leader who demands subservience, and Nephamael is a villain who enjoys Corny’s company. Roiben falls deeper for Kaye, and she returns the favor but is still unsure of who or what exactly he is. (She also spends a large chunk of her time questioning herself.) The whole situation with the faeries provides a counterpoint to the grittiness of the world above the ground, in regular old New Jersey.

Understanding the politics and shifting alliances of the faerie world could be difficult for readers who are not fans of the fantasy genre. Also, while the teenage dialogue is modern, believable and effective at capturing the dark mood of the human young people, Black’s faeries speak stilted, quaint English. Perhaps their language never evolved due to their isolation underground or in forests, even if their actions are all too human, based as they are on greed, self-indulgence, sacrifice and love.

These criticisms aside, the story still comprises a journey Kaye needs to make to right a wrong, and it is fitting that in the climactic scene, Kaye has to “think like a human girl” (309) and figure out a way to get Corny, Roiben and herself out of a difficult situation. By the end of this novel, she has begun accepting herself for what and who she is. Black lightens the tone in the last few pages, and Kaye seems to have developed a sense of humor along with her sense of self-acceptance.

Reference List
Wright, Beth. 2002. Review of Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black. School Library Journal 48(10): 158. Library, Information Science & Technology (LISTA) database through TWU Library. Accessed 27 October 2011.

RECOMMENDED (High School and up)

Review Excerpts
Dark, edgy, beautifully written, and compulsively readable, this is sure to be a word-of-mouth hit with teens, even a few usually unmoved by magic and monsters. (Booklist, February 15, 2003)

Black skillfully juxtaposes Kaye's life of messy, ripped clothes and brambles with the excesses and depravity she encounters in the faerie court, making both appear more believable in the process. (Books in Canada, August 1, 2004)

While most of the supporting cast has little to do beyond playing villains or victims, Black has an eye for the telling detail that brings the most minor character to life. A labyrinthine plot with Goth sensibility makes this a luscious treat for fans of urban fantasy and romantic horror. (Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2002)

The author's Bosch-like descriptions of the Unseelie Court, with its Rackham-on-acid denizens, and the exquisite faeries haunt as well as charm. (Publishers Weekly, October 28, 2002)

Awards & Recognition
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2003
YALSA Teens Top 10 Booklist, 2003

Module 4: Among the Hidden

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 1998. AMONG THE HIDDEN. New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0-689-81700-2.

Set in the (not too distant) future, Among the Hidden describes a dystopic political and social vision of food shortages, population control, and totalitarian rule by a small favored elite over the majority of the citizens. At its heart, though, it is the story of a 12-year-old boy, Luke Garner, the third child of a farming family whose land the government of this unnamed country wanted so that it could build houses for the Barons, those in power. As the youngest brother of Matthew and Mark, Luke is a “shadow child,” a living violation of a law stipulating that families are only allowed two children.

Luke was born when the Population Law was still new, and when his mother relates the story of her pregnancy and his birth early in the story, readers understand her original wish to have four sons: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It was her way of being in control of her life and that of her family. From this point onward, readers see how little control Luke and his family have over their lives. Everything is dictated by a distant government that tells families what to grow and how to grow it. The government controls the economy to such a degree that Luke’s family, embodied by his father, lives a hand-to-mouth existence in a state of servitude. With Luke in the house, everyone fears the dreaded Population Police.

While government authority controls the family, Luke’s father controls Luke’s destiny. He confines Luke to his room and yells when Luke ventures to the kitchen. He remains one-dimensional throughout most of this short novel and becomes real only when readers see his helplessness at supporting his family. The government has taken the land that fed his family, and when he attempts to grow crops by other means, the government warns him off. Readers could be more sympathetic to his plight if he were more sympathetic to Luke. In most of the scenes when he talks with Luke, he is anything but sympathetic. He enjoys giving orders, perhaps to preserve the last vestige of control he has left in his life, over his son and family.

As a character, Luke is curious and adventurous. Before the new houses for the Barons, he was able to play outside. Since their completion, he is confined to his house. In addition to reading and playing games, he spies on the neighboring houses and gives the families nicknames based on their particular characteristics. He knows how many neighbors there are and their daily habits. One day, he notices a curtain move, and he decides to leave his house to investigate. Sure, he has been told to stay indoors and out of sight by his father, but that is not good enough for him. He chooses action, and his rebellion brings him into contact with Jen, the shadow child of the "Sports Family."

Without Jen in the novel, Luke and his family would have lived daily (and somewhat blandly) under the far-reaching control of the government. With Jen, the novel becomes social and political. She is a Baron whose father ranks high in the government, and she introduces Luke to her privileged lifestyle of Internet access, books, and even potato chips and soda, forbidden foods. Jen is a character of rash action, attempting to rally other shadow children to rise up and resist the government, but, more importantly, she is the person who educates Luke. Jen is “free”—at least freer than Luke—but her single-mindedness is her downfall. Jen adds an individual flair to a novel whose characters concentrate on submitting themselves to a greater power.

Her fate could have reinforced the arbitrary power of the government and the lack of resistance of the people. In the final chapters of the novel, more positive themes emerge. The first is that all people have individual goodness and can make difficult sacrifices, as evidenced in the actions of Jen’s father and Luke’s parents during the final scene. The second is that knowing is not enough and that Jen’s type of rash action does not work. Luke has transformed himself and decided that he is the type of person to change history, but that he will do so with outside help and by being “more patient, more cautious, more practical” (146). Jen helped him get to know the enemy, but he must take his own action on his own terms.

Haddix has written a story about a boy making a decision, the first in a series, where readers will be enthralled by a “young person defying authority and the odds to make a difference” (Rogers). Careful readers, however, will see more than just Luke. They will see a reflection of our world today, with its increasing population and shortages of food and water. Perhaps in seeing that, they will also reflect on the choices proposed in the novel: to accept their fates as Luke’s father or to risk everything and make a difference, as Luke does.

Reference List
Rogers, Susan L. 1998. Review of Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix. School Library Journal 44(9): 203. Library, Information Science & Technology (LISTA) database through TWU Library. Accessed 27 October 2011.

Highly Recommended (Grades 5-8…and even older!)

Review Excerpts
The plot development is sometimes implausible and the characterizations are a bit brittle, but the unsettling, thought-provoking premise should suffice to keep readers hooked. (Publishers Weekly, August 31, 1998)

When the boy secretly ventures outside the attic and meets the girl in the neighboring house, he learns that expressing divergent opinions openly can lead to tragedy. To what extent is he willing to defy the government in order to have a life worth living? (School Library Journal, September 1, 1998)

The seizing of farmlands, untenable food regulations, and other scenarios that have come to fruition in these pages will give readers a new appreciation for their own world after a visit to Luke's. (Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 1998)

This is an easily understood, younger reader's 1984 or Brave New World, presenting a chilling vision of a possibly not-too-distant future. (Voice of Youth Advocates, October 1, 1998)

Awards & Recognition
Great Stone Face Children's Book Award, 2000-2001
Maud Hart Lovelace Award, 2001
California Young Reader Medal, 2001
Nevada Young Reader's Award, 2001
Nutmeg Children's Book Award, 2002
Sunshine State Young Reader's Book Award, 2001-2002
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award, 2001-2002
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 1999