Module 2: Annie on My Mind

Garden, Nancy. 1982. ANNIE ON MY MIND. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux. ISBN: 978-0-374-40011-8.

You love architecture, and you go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to look at the Temple of Dendur. Seeing the crowds around the temples in the late 1970s or early 1980s, you decide on a quick detour into the American Wing. There, you hear a beautiful voice, and you are attracted to it. That voice belongs to a girl named Annie. Like you, she’s 17 and a senior in high school. You get to know her and have feelings for her. Those feelings are reciprocated. You are falling in love.

The only difficulty is that you are a girl named Eliza, who attends the prestigious Foster Academy that must preserve its reputation in a time of financial crisis. This contemporary realistic novel tells the story of Annie and Eliza and is an honest look at the growth of their feelings for each other, feelings they must keep a secret from their families. Eliza has the added complication of having to maintain a public persona as the president of the Foster student council while focused on her feelings for Annie. The two explore New York and their own hearts and lives in this contemporary problem novel.

Analysis:
In an untitled prologue, Garden uses a letter from Eliza to Annie to set the stage of the plot. As was the case with her other letters, Eliza wonders how Annie is doing. Toward the end of this letter, Eliza mentions two things: that she has written and not sent other letters to Annie, and that before she does, she has to “work through it all again—everything—the bad parts, but the good ones too…” (5). At this point, readers may wonder what has happened between Eliza and Annie. Have they caused their estrangement? Have others? Can they see each other? Is Annie even in California, or has something else happened to her? While readers learn that Eliza is from Brooklyn and now attends MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, they do not learn specifics of Annie, creating a mystery to be resolved.

The story, narrated by Eliza, thickens somewhat on the first page of the first chapter, when Eliza quotes her English teacher about the correct way to tell a story. Readers learn that the letter is in the present and that the meat of the novel is a flashback. Ms. Widmer from the private Foster Academy taught Eliza to “start with the first important or exciting incident and then fill in the background” (6), and she does just that, opening with meeting Annie at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

For a story about a first love, the plot seems fairly predictable. The girls meet, they have feelings for each other they cannot explain, they meet again, they’re still not sure, they begin spending as much time as possible together, they meet each others’ families, they seem confused, they touch shyly, they begin to realize they’re falling in love and become more overtly physical, they question their feelings, they have inevitable arguments, they make up, and, finally, they find a way to spend some time alone. All along their feelings are secret, but in the anonymity of New York, they find a setting that allows them to grow together.

The "problem" reaches its peak when their relationship becomes public, when they are found out by the school secretary and one of Eliza’s classmates. The rest of the story becomes a case of dealing with the fallout. Eliza’s education is jeopardized, her family must come to grips with her sexuality, and, when Eliza does return to school, she must deal with a variety of reactions from her classmates. At this point in the novel, Annie has disappeared from the action, except as the intended recipient of Eliza’s letters. Garden's decision to focus on how Eliza handles her emerging sexual awareness suggests that in order to participate in a relationship, people must understand themselves first.

Excellent plots need believable complications. In addition to the ones (and there are enough to make the book compelling) between the girls as they develop their relationship, the complications center on the Foster Academy, a private school in economic straits. While the minor characters not connected with the school seem to be drawn with a bit more than one dimension, Mrs. Poindexter, Ms. Baxter and even the student Sara, are little more than predictable cardboard cutouts. Mrs. Poindexter wants to preserve Foster, Ms. Baxter is pretty much her toady, and Sara just cannot begin to understand how a girl her age can have feelings for another girl.

Perhaps Garden uses these minor characters to portray a sector of society and how it views homosexuality. She seems to be reminding her audience that some people cannot accept others and are even diminished in their lack of acceptance. To make this point more believable, she could have had these three characters interact with Eliza or others in a more empathetic manner. They do not. Societal acceptance has to wait until the “trial” scene at the Board of Trustees. Though Mrs. Poindexter makes her case, she is cast as a belligerent and misguided person when other adults—the trustees and Eliza’s parents—support Eliza.

A final feature of the plot is the inevitable witch hunt occurring at Foster once the girls’ secret is revealed. In this case, Ms. Widmer and Ms. Stevenson, two lesbian teachers at Foster whose house provided the safe place for Annie and Eliza, are fired. Gardner reminds readers that someone must take responsibility for influencing Eliza, and these two women, about whom there were always rumors at school, seem to accept their fate. In a meeting just after their dismissal, they remind Eliza of the importance of love and also express their disappointment at society’s treatment of gay people. Eliza heeds the first of these messages, and all readers would do well to heed the second message.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (High School and up): Note that some people may find the homosexual content objectionable.

Review Excerpts:
As a YA problem novel (the problem being social attitudes, not the relationship), it's par for the times, an ideological step beyond those reassurances that one such experience doesn't seal your destiny. The old bats at school, stereotypes that they are, at least provide some action. (Kirkus Reviews)

Garden’s novel, first published in 1982, has become a classic of young-adult literature: the first lesbian love story. Pre-Annie, YA novels with GLBTQ content had treated homosexuality as little more than a problematic form of sexual expression…Though, in retrospect, parts of the novel may seem melodramatic and the treatment of its antagonists a bit one-dimensional, the emotional content remains vividly realized, authentic, and relevant to the questioning hearts of today’s teens. (Booklist, July 1, 2007)

Garden's exceptionally well-rendered tale concerns two teenage girls who fall in love with each other. (Publishers Weekly, September 14, 1992)

Awards & Recognition:
Nancy Garden, 2003 Margaret A. Edwards Award Winner
Booklist Reviewer's Choice, 1982
American Library Association (ALA) Best Books, 1982
American Library Association (ALA) Best of the Best lists, 1970-83

Module 2: Story of a Girl

Zarr, Sara. 2007. STORY OF A GIRL. New York: Little Brown and Company. ISBN: 978-0-316-01453-3.


The Lambert family needs an intervention quickly. Deanna Lambert, the narrator of this contemporary realistic novel, has just finished her sophomore year at Terra Nova High School in the small town of Pacifica, just outside of San Francisco. (The young people have nicknamed it “Pathetica.”) Her classmates refer to her as a “slut” or a “nympho,” and on a good day, her father ignores her. On a bad day, he is hostile. Three years before, he caught her in engaging in a sexual act in Tommy Webber’s Buick. To complicate life in the Lambert household even further, Deanna’s brother, Darren, lives in the basement with Stacy and their daughter, April. Darren and Stacy work at the local Safeway, and Stacy, like Deanna, does not get along with Mr. Lambert.

As if the family dynamics are not enough, Deanna needs a summer job. She gets one at Picasso’s, a local pizza parlor. Unfortunately, Tommy works there, but she takes the job anyway, since her goal is to save enough money so that she, Darren, Stacy and April can escape from the house and find their own place to live. As for her friends, Lee is the person she trusts, but she has feelings for Lee’s boyfriend, Jason. This is a novel about forgiveness, understanding and family, not only for Deanna but for those around her.

Analysis:
Human relationships drive the plot and characterization in this novel about the power of forgiveness. Deanna’s physical relationship with Tommy has caused her father to cut her off completely. While this causes understandable turmoil in Deanna’s life, along the way readers learn more about the father as Zarr is very sympathetic toward his character. He has never been much of a talker. According to Deanna, he has not spoken with her since finding her and Tommy barely clothed in the car, and one of her mother’s favorite phrases is “Your father just isn’t very expressive” (12).

Zarr could have stopped there, and readers would have seen only one dimension of the father, but she later shows his resentment for getting laid off from his job at National Paper and his disappointment in his children. Neither Deanna nor Darren has fulfilled his expectations. This sympathetic portrait becomes more complete when the father watches Deanna play with April and says, “I used to do that with you” (106). He is not a terrible person. Instead, he seems to be emotionally stifled, and this drives the plot until the resolution of the novel.

Tommy is an additional antagonist for Deanna. The coincidence of their working together and the inevitable scenes involving overt animosity and the gradual thaw in their interactions are all plot elements. Before Deanna explains what had happened with Tommy three years before, readers were left guessing about her character. Why had she done it? What kind of young woman is she? When she met him, she remembers a curiosity and a feeling of belonging, as if “someone else thought about me for more than one second” (65). At this latter point in her life, he repulses her, even if they do almost get together once again in his car. After all, he was the one who blabbed about their relationship to his friends who broadcast it to the school. He betrayed her, making her school life as miserable as her life at home.

Until their confrontation in the car, Tommy wanted sex, preferably with Deanna. He even attempted to get Lee’s phone number after seeing her in Picasso’s. Michael, the middle-aged manager of the restaurant, is the counterpoint for Tommy. He infuses a sense of calm into a tumultuous story and gives Deanna someone who will listen. In the scene where Tommy gets her into the car again, it is only fitting that Michael could not have given her a ride home. Deanna has to confront Tommy, and when she does, she seems to have learned from Michael. She asks him why he had to tell everyone and later tells him she forgives him. From him, the forgiveness means “I don’t have to feel like a piece of s*** every time you look at me” (181).

Deanna’s list of “What ifs?” and her personal story she tells throughout (in bold italic type in short segments interspersed in the narrative, complete with editing at times) tell the story of a girl in difficulty. Her last “What if?” is really the theme of her story: What if everyone got another chance after making a big mistake? (71)” She makes a mistake with Lee and gets another chance at friendship, she gets another chance with her father, and, in what could be considered the climax of the story, convinces Darren to give Stacy another chance after she has disappeared. Deanna has felt the sting of her father’s inability to forgive and doesn’t want her brother to fall into the same pattern. In her own writing, she speaks a lot of remembering and forgetting, in addition to confronting the truth. She does so, and ends up better for it.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (High School and up)

Review Excerpts:
Although the loose ends are tied up at the end, readers may find Deanna's character somewhat contradictory. But Zarr convincingly creates a teen trapped by small-minded people in a small town. (Publishers Weekly, January 29, 2007)

Zarr's story ends on a hopeful but realistic note with everyone taking baby steps toward something approaching normalcy. This involving, touching first novel will resonate with those who have made mistakes and those who have not. (Kirkus Reviews)

This is a heartbreaking look at how a teenager can be defined by one mistake, and how it shapes her sense of self-worth. This is realistic fiction at its best. Zarr's storytelling is excellent; Deanna's reactions to the painful things said to her will resonate with any reader who has felt like an outsider. It is an emotionally charged story, with language appropriate to the intensity of the feelings. Story of a Girl is recommended for both teens and the adults who live and work with them. (School Library Journal, January 1, 2007)

Characters are well drawn, especially Deanna, whose complicated, deeply felt emotions turn the story… Though nothing is miraculously fixed by the close, everyone's perspective has changed for the better. (Booklist, March 1, 2007)

This first-person narrative is unusually sensitive and perceptive. Zarr explores Deanna's emotional life convincingly, and her portrait of young parents working opposite shifts and living with parents to make ends meet is realistic…This highly recommended novel will find a niche with older, more mature readers because of frank references to sex and some x-rated language. (Voice of Youth Advocates, February 1, 2007)

Awards & Recognition:
National Book Award Finalist, 2007

Module 2: Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging

Rennison, Louise. 1999. ANGUS, THONGS AND FULL-FRONTAL SNOGGING. London: HarperTempest. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2001. ISBN: 0-06-028871-X.


Written as a diary, this comic novel chronicles a year in Georgia Nicholson’s life, from just before the beginning of a school year until the next summer vacation. Her father leaves the family in England and goes to New Zealand to find work, and her mother begins spending what Georgia thinks is too much time with Jem, the contractor working on the house. Her young sister Libby is embarrassing and uses the word “poo” a lot while snuggling for comfort in Georgia’s bed. Uncle Eddie makes silly remarks to and about her, and her cousin James gets a little too close when he comes to sleep over. Her cat, Angus, terrorizes the next door neighbors while Georgia spies on them.

When school finally begins, Georgia immerses herself in life with her friends and teachers. All of the teachers are female, except for Mr. Kamyer, the German physics teacher. She and her friends talk of guys and becoming lesbians, and one of Georgia’s recurring fears seems to be about the type of lesbian she’ll end up becoming. All of this is, of course, a backdrop to the hijinks of Georgia and her friends, as they spend a lot of quality time thinking of their physical appearance and pursuing males. For Georgia, her goal is Robbie, the Sex God, but someone has already beaten her to the mark. Or has she?

Analysis:
This is an entertaining novel. Teenagers and anyone with a sense of humor will enjoy Georgia’s voice, from her private worries about her eyebrows to her more public escapades with her friends. The diaristic style of the novel allows readers the chance to get inside of Georgia’s head and to read her unexpurgated thoughts about her world. She mixes longer and shorter entries with no recognizable pattern, suggesting that on some days Georgia is just a bit more verbose. Often, though, when there are many rapid-fire entries minutes or even hours apart, Georgia tends to comment on events that just occurred or to prepare herself for what is to come.

Cataloging the humor in this novel is difficult: it is splashed on every page, in Georgia’s voice and in all of the bizarre situations in which she writes about herself, her family and her friends. Inside all of the humor, however, there lies a bit of insecurity that, of course gets masked with even more humor. An example of this is when her father (“Vati,” as she has taken to calling him, based on her boredom in German class) leaves for New Zealand just after Christmas. This is only serious in that it creates a distance in the family, but Georgia is concerned. After all, she isn’t quite sure where New Zealand is—she thinks that where the TV show “Neighbors” was set. (That was Australia, as her father reminds her.)

After her father leaves, her mother begins spending time with Jem. In true Georgia fashion, she says she “will have to have a word with Mum in order to save the family.” Her entry an hour later, at 12:05 pm, is simple and hilarious: “Can’t be bothered” (162). Her family may be splintering—it isn’t—but Georgia is set on pursuing what is important to Georgia: her looks, her friends, and, of course, boys. Anything "larger" seems too complicated. Through Georgia, Rennison seems to be hinting that although teenage girls might know what they want, they may not be too sure how to get there.

To end up with Robbie (the SG), she will first have to get around Lindsay, the girl at school who wears his ring. Lindsay is as close to an antagonist as this novel gets, but the audience only sees her mooning around and over Robbie. Georgia and Jas spy on her in her room. (It is here the audience learns about the “thong” in the title.) In the end, Lindsay drops out of the running for Robbie, and Georgia gets in. They have a bit of “number six kissing” (see table on page 198), and she is “nearly” his girlfriend (234). That seems to be enough for Georgia, "a wonderful character whose misadventures are not only hysterically funny but universally recognizable" (Cart 2000).

For readers in the U.S., the amount of British slang could be troublesome, but Rennison has included a glossary to give readers quick definitions. As with the rest of the novel, the language here is fresh and hip, not in least bit “naff.” (Look it up if you're not sure what it means.)

Cart, Michael. 2000. "Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging." Booklist 96: 2033. Accessed October 4, 2011, from the BookReview Digest Plus database.


HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (Grade 8 & up)

Review Excerpts:
Teens will discover that nothing is sacred here (e.g., "Talking of breasts, I'm worried that I may end up like the rest of the women in my family, with just the one bust, like a sort of shelf affair"). Rennison exquisitely captures the fine art of the adolescent ability to turn chaos into stand-up comedy. (Publishers Weekly, March 20, 2000)

It will take a sophisticated reader to enjoy the wit and wisdom of this charming British import, but those who relish humor will be satisfied. Fresh, lively, and engaging. (School Library Journal, July 1, 2000)

Georgia Nicholson, the intrepid heroine of this hysterically funny coming-of-age novel, faces the usual traumas of teendom: pimple outbreaks, chest development (or lack thereof), and embarrassing parents. How she deals with each of these and myriad other problems, though, is what sets this novel apart from the typical and predictable. (Voice of Youth Advocates, June 1, 2000)

This "fabbity, fab, fab" novel will leave readers cheering, "Long live the teen!" and anxiously awaiting the promised sequel. (Booklist, July 27, 2000)


Awards & Recognition:
Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book, 2001

Module 1: A Step from Heaven

Na, An. 2001. A STEP FROM HEAVEN. New York: Speak. ISBN: 0-14-250027-5.

Mi Gook. To four-year-old Young Ju Park, the Korean name for America is “a magic word” (11). In this short novel about family and finding a new home as immigrants, America is everything. Young Ju and her family must leave her grandparents and venture into the unknown. Sure, her father’s sister is already in the U.S. and paves the way for the family’s trip, but they must leave everything and everyone they know for an uncertain future. Before leaving, the focus is on appearances and questions about the certainty of a better future. Young Ju must get her hair curled to look like an American girl, imagining that America is a sort of heaven where she can find a new friend.

The reality of the immigrant experience is different from its dreams, however. In a series of chapters that read almost like vignettes, Young Ju grows up, beginning school, trying to learn the language, and attempting to understand her new home. Her family grows with the birth of her brother, Joon, but the true struggle is with her parents. As with most immigrants, they gave up lives they knew for new lives. In this case, those new lives mean the pressure of working long hours, of not understanding the language, and of feeling inferior to those who live in the dominant culture or who have already immigrated and adjusted to it. Her father feels this pressure the most. His actions drive the story of this family and make it possible for Young Ju, Joon Ho and their mother to find stability and new lives on their own.

Analysis:
This is a short but intense novel. An Na tells the story through Young Ju’s eyes in a series of chapters with a very spare, poetic writing style. Indeed, with different line breaks, the author could have written the visual chapters as a verse novel. She is spare but descriptive, as in the scene when the family dreams of winning Lotto and paying for their better life the fast way: “One dollar for afternoon dreams is expensive and cheap” (81). Similar to most of the situations in the book, the members of the Park family conceive of ways to improve their lives, but those ways do not pay off.

In addition to a novel about a family, this is a novel about a young girl growing up and attempting to make the best of things. Young Ju begins the novel as a naïve four-year-old and finishes it as a young woman preparing to leave for university. Early in the book, she does not want her hair curled and is shocked during the flight over the Pacific. When she reaches her relatives’ house in the U.S., Coke is an alien taste to her, and her first day of school is a nightmare, given her lack of language skills. Still, though, she is optimistic that someday she will fit in, as when she describes her language ability: “I know only little Mi Gook words now. But someday I will know all of them. In the future” (31). She dreams of friends, of being president and, as things worsen, of being far away.

Acting as a foil to her maturation is her father’s growing inadequacy. He has given up everything in an attempt to create a new life for himself and his family, but he is also short-tempered and relegated to working long hours at menial jobs. When Joon Ho arrives, he realizes he has another mouth to feed. In one critical scene laced with irony, he tells Joon Ho, “In this world, only the strong survive. Only the strong can make their future” (68).

From this moment onward, the reality of his inadequacy intrudes into the Park family, leading to Young Ju’s continued growth and also to the dissolution of the family, at least of the family with him in charge. He gets arrested for drunken driving and continues to drive after drinking. He beats his wife for asking a question, and he beats his daughter for finding an American friend. He cannot give a voice to his rage, and through him the author reminds her audience that new lives involve new attitudes. A person cannot remain selfish is he is to change.

In the climactic scene, the father again expresses his emotion through violence, beating Young Ju first and then the mother. This time, however, Young Ju, the perceptive and dutiful daughter, phones 911. Her actions evoke words her mother had said to her previously: “Your life can be different, Young Ju. Study and be strong. In America, women have choices” (129).

Unlike the father, Apa, her mother is able to view and remember the family’s larger goal, that of forging a better life. He is caught in his own selfishness and poorly expressed emotion and abandons the family to return to Korea. Her mother, Uhmma, through her bruises and hands gnarled from restaurant work, understands that sacrifice and strength are the keys to a better life, and by the end of the novel, she and her family have a place of their own, a home in a new country.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (Grade 7 and up)

Awards & Recognition:
Asian Pacific American Award for Literature, 2001-2003
Michael L. Printz Award Winner, 2002
National Book Award Finalist, 2001
Children’s Book Award in YA Fiction, 2002

Module 1: The Graveyard Book

Gaiman, Neil. 2008. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. Illustrated by Dave McKean. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN: 978-0-06-053093-8.

This fantasy novel opens with the murder of a family by a knife-wielding intruder referred to as “the man Jack.” Unfortunately for Jack, the baby of the family escapes and somehow stumbles through the streets into a forgotten graveyard. Once there, its long-dead inhabitants come alive and begin a debate about the merits of keeping and raising the boy. A mysterious character named Silas sways the debate in favor of keeping the boy. His name is “Nobody,” and the sympathetic Owens family adopts him. He is given “Freedom of the Graveyard” status, guaranteeing his safety as long as he stays inside its gates.

The remainder of this coming-of-age story chronicles Bod—as he is now known—and his life inside and outside of the graveyard. He makes a friend in Scarlett Perkins when he is six years old, loses her when she moves away, and gets her back when she returns from Scotland. He learns about the other characters in his “neighborhood” and has adventures with ghouls and witches. In an effort to be like other humans, he even gets to go to school once he convinces Silas that it would be a good idea. (It isn’t.) While he is growing up, the evil forces represented by “the man Jack” are still at work, hunting for him and eventually finding him.

Analysis:
If readers ever wondered about the nightlife in a disused graveyard tucked in a corner of London, this novel would be perfect. Its descriptions are vivid, and its characters from different times in London’s past all reflect their periods and social classes. He uses humor as Charles Dickens did to enliven a colorful cast of characters and situations. When introducing a graveyard resident, he uses the epitaph from that person’s tombstone. The Persson Family is remembered as “They sleep to walk again” (186), while Mr. Thomas Pennyworth has “here he lyes in the certainty of the moft glorious refurrection” (104). Josiah Worthington, someone whose opinion holds sway among the dead, is referred to as “Josiah Worthington, Bart.,” the traditional abbreviation for a baronet.

Subtly, with the graveyard as his setting, Gaiman reminds his readers that death unites all members of all classes of the human race. While Josiah Worthington, Bart. and Caius Pompeius may have been important personages in their respective lives, in the graveyard they are two more voices, even if they do put on airs. This feature of the novel also allows Gaiman an opportunity to transport his readers through England’s rich past, from the time of the Romans until the Victorian period. While younger readers may miss the history and humor here, it certainly appeals to those with experience in English literature and history.

Even if readers would miss some of the subtlety, Gaiman tells an excellent story. He opens the novel dramatically: “There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife” (2). The hand belonged to “the man Jack” who virtually disappears from the novel after his unsuccessful attempt to get the boy out of the graveyard in the first chapter. Without a primary antagonist, readers focus on Bod’s story as he grows (quickly), matures and learns about life inside and outside of the graveyard.

The colorful, almost Dickensian characters and situations turn this into a coming-of-age story. He makes and loses a friend in Scarlett Perkins, and in doing so learns about the Sleer. Later, an eight-year-old Bod wants to give a headstone to Liza, a young witch he has befriended. He steals a brooch and takes it to a local shop, whose owner, Abanazer Bolger, just happens to be in league with “the man Jack. Bolger sees an opportunity to satisfy his greed doubly, with the boy and the valuable brooch. Bod escapes by using a spell he’s had difficulty learning, but this situation forshadows the return of “the man Jack.” When Bod encounters the “night gaunts,” he escapes from a cast of criminals introduced as the 33rd President of the United States, the Emperor of China and the writer Victor Hugo. As a youngster in Dickens would, he uses his wits, learning and a bit of luck to wriggle out of difficult situations. Later, when he goes to school, Bod shows his maturity and sense of justice by standing up to the class bullies and barely manages to survive his foray into the “real” world.

Gaiman also introduces an overarching concept of good and evil as both distinct from and related to Bod and his story of growing up. Silas and the stern Miss Lupescu, Silas’s stand-in as a teacher and caregiver for Bod, are members of a team attempting to counteract the evil Brotherhood as represented by “the man Jack.” Silas and Miss Lupescu (whose cooking and teaching style Bod detests) are out fighting larger, unseen battles. Bod matures in the graveyard and its immediate surroundings, but his maturity and learning about life are merely preparation for something larger. Ultimately, Bod must fight his own battle against the man Jack, learning the true story of his past and preparing himself for an independent future outside of the graveyard.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (Grade 6 and up)

Review Excerpts:
This is an utterly captivating tale that is cleverly told through an entertaining cast of ghostly characters. There is plenty of darkness, but the novel's ultimate message is strong and life affirming. Although marketed to the younger YA set, this is a rich story with broad appeal and is highly recommended for teens of all ages. (Booklist, September 15, 2008)

The author riffs on the Jungle Book, folklore, nursery rhymes and history; he tosses in werewolves and hints at vampires--and he makes these figures seem like metaphors for transitions in childhood and youth. (Publishers Weekly, September 29, 2008)

Childhood fears take solid shape in the nursery-rhyme–inspired villains, while heroism is its own, often bitter, reward. Closer in tone to American Gods than to Coraline, but permeated with Bod's innocence, this needs to be read by anyone who is or has ever been a child. (Kirkus Reviews)

In this novel of wonder, Neil Gaiman follows in the footsteps of long-ago storytellers, weaving a tale of unforgettable enchantment. (New York Times, October 27, 2009)

Readers quickly begin to care about Bod and the graveyard residents… Everyone who reads this book will hope fervently that the very busy author gets around to writing one soon. (Voice of Youth Advocates, August 1, 2008)

Gaiman has created a rich, surprising, and sometimes disturbing tale of dreams, ghouls, murderers, trickery, and family. (School Library Journal, October 1, 2008)

Reviews retrieved from Bowker’s Books in Print database, September 10, 2011.

Awards & Recognition:
Newbery Medal, 2009
ALA Notable Book for Children, 2009

Module 1: The Chocolate War

Cormier, Robert. 1974. THE CHOCOLATE WAR. New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf. ISBN: 0-440-94459-7.

These are tense times at the Trinity School, a private day school catering to the middle class boys. Brother Leon, the Assistant Headmaster who has become the acting Headmaster, needs to sell chocolates to raise money for the school. A Trinity tradition, the chocolate selling happens every year, and every year its students all meet the school goal of selling 10,000 boxes. Naturally, in this story, this year is different. Recognizing that the school does not have the endowments of elite schools catering to the wealthy, Brother Leon commits its students to a goal of 20,000 boxes so that the school can survive. He gets a good deal on chocolates from the previous Mother’s Day and enlists the help of Archie Costello, “The Assigner” of a secret group at Trinity called The Vigils. Everyone at school plays along, except for Jerry Renault, a freshman with aspirations of playing quarterback on the school football team. Originally, his “assignment” for The Vigils is to refuse to sell the chocolates for 10 days, but after his assignment is finished, he remains obstinate in not selling the chocolates, creating a dark conflict with Brother Leon and the shady Vigils.

Analysis:
Cormier deftly characterizes all of his main characters. Brother Leon is single-minded in his pursuit of the chocolates, and Costello, though he is not the president of The Vigils, is equally heavy-handed in ruling the campus and silencing any dissent. Other members of The Vigils question his actions, and Roland “The Goober” Goubert, even goes so far as to regret his participation in one of The Vigils’ (often savage) “practical jokes,” assigned of course by Costello.

Until Jerry Renault comes along, no one even begins to stand up to the vicious character of Costello, whose actions throughout the book are tacitly if not overtly accepted and even encouraged by Brother Leon. Costello seems to view Brother Leon as an annoyance, while Brother Leon seems to think The Vigils’ support will somehow help Trinity.

Through such characterization of Brother Leon, the Goober and the members of The Vigils, Cormier seems to be reminding readers that complaining is not a substitute for action. They complain, but the vows of silence they take for their participation means they do not take steps to stop Costello or Brother Leon. Renault does so, but readers never fully understand his motivation. Is it because he lost his mother? Is it because he questions how his father lives his life? Is it because of the sign in his locker: “Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?” Is it because of his encounter with the “hippie” in the town commons that leads him to ask the simple but dangerous question: “Why?”

What motivates Renault is not the story of this book, however. The real story is how Costello and his henchmen attempt to change Renault’s mind. The tone and plot of the book are dark, with nighttime phone calls and visits to the street outside Renault’s house, ruined schoolwork, phony signs presumed to come from Renault, attacks in the park, and a final ride for Renault in an ambulance. Though some of the students and teachers may disagree with the extent of The Vigils’ actions against Renault, he is doomed. It is a gang attack on a person who happens to think and act differently than others.

Cormier does not sugar-coat the ending to make it more palatable to readers, even if they are pushing for the demise of Archie Costello and Brother Leon. The climax is brutal and evokes the killing of Piggy in LORD OF THE FLIES. In the end, though, the two triumph, and even Obie’s threat of “Someday, Archie, you’ll get yours” (263) feels empty. Brother Leon sees what happened to Renault as a victory for Trinity and its traditions, but Archie Costello understands it for what it truly is: a reminder to all readers that standing up to evil often involves paying a heavy price, and that those in power want to keep it.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (Grade 8 and up)

Review Excerpt:
Mature young readers will respect the uncompromising ending that dares disturb the upbeat universe of juvenile books. (Kirkus Reviews)

Review retrieved from Bowker’s Books in Print database, September 10, 2011.

Awards & Recognition:
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year

LS 5623: Welcome Back!

I'll use this blog for all of my work relating to LS 5623, Advanced Literature for Young Adults at Texas Woman's University.

Based on the picture, it's safe to say that the main issue for me will probably be staying awake long enough to finish all the work.