Module 15: The Hunger Games

Book Summary:

The USA no longer exists, instead we have Panem and 12 districts. Each district is responsible for producing one of the major resources needed for survival. The districts live in strict almost poor conditions while Panem (the capital) lives in riches and luxury. Are the hunger games necessary or just a ploy to keep the districts in line. Is the government their to protect its citizens or is their more to the situation. Does President Snow have the welfare of the country in his best interest?  Life is never fair and things are not always what they seem. Katnis knows that and is determined to make things right.

Book Citation:

Collins, Suzanne, (2010). Hunger Games.Scholastic Book Press: New York

Impressions:

This was the first Dystopian novel I read and I was intrigued with a world that could be so different and yet very similar to the one we live in. It made me think of what is and what could be. As I read about this world I found I wanted to know more and more. I was amazed at how the author could create a world so detailed as this.The story made me question a lot of things, I wondered how a man, a president could run a country like this and not feel bad for those in the districts and let the capital people run around being so careless and shallow.

Reviews:

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up -In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives. Collins's characters are completely realistic and sympathetic as they form alliances and friendships in the face of overwhelming odds; the plot is tense, dramatic, and engrossing. This book will definitely resonate with the generation raised on reality shows like 'Survivor' and 'American Gladiator.' Book one of a planned trilogy.Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Henriksen Baird, Jane. (2010).The Hunger Games. School Library Journal. 55(12).

 Library Uses:

This would be great to include in a unit about dystopia. This could also be used to teach different types of government.

Module 14: True Believer

Book Summary:

 This book is about the oh so crazy and confusing life of teenager LaVaughn. Her mom is getting closer to a new man, and then there is Jody. Does he love me or not?

Book Citation:

Wolff, V. E. (2002). True believer. (Vol. 2). Simon Pulse.

Impressions:

I really enjoyed the story line in this book but what I really liked was the way the author wrote the book, in a poetic style. As I read the words just flowed and the story just went on.

Reviews:

From Publishers Weekly

"Eight years after the publication of her groundbreaking Make Lemonade, Wolff surpasses herself with this sequel," said PW in our Best Books citation. "In delving into LaVaughn's life, the author unmasks the secret thoughts adolescents hold sacred and lets her readers know they are not alone." Ages 12-up. (Oct.) 

Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Library Uses:

This book  can be used  in a unit on poetry. This would also be good to use as an example of realistic fiction.

Module 13: American Born Chinese

Book Summary:

This is a graphic novel about a Chinese boy who just wants to be American. He doesn't want to be different. He tries not to associate with others from his culture thinking that will make him more like everyone else.

Book Citation:

Yang, G. L. (2009). American Born Chinese. (1st ed.). New York: Macmillan.

Impressions:

I like graphic novels a lot. They are a great way of getting the non reader to read. This story is relate able to a lot of teens. Everyone wants to fit in and no one wants to be different, add a girl to the equation and BAM, self consciousness takes over.

Reviews:

Gr 7 Up-lt's hard to talk about today's most serious racial  issues(such as racial prejudice  self-aceptance, or spirituality) with out appearing sanctimonious or sappy. But graphic artist Gene Yang deftly sidesteps that quick- sand in this zippy, heartfelt tale of what it means to grow Asian Ameriean.

American Born Chinese. (2006). School Library Journal, 5266.

Library Uses:

You can use this book too introduce graphic novels to readers. This book can also be paired with a non-fiction book about the Chinese people. This book would be great to use to learn about culture and customs of other.

Module 12: Martin's Big Words

Book Summary:
This book tells about MLK's life through his famous speech. It is simple and easy to follow , even for young children.

Book Citation:

Rappaport, D., & Rappaport, F. (2008). Martin's big words, the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. New York: Jump At The Sun.

                                                                                          Impressions:

This is a great way to introduce MLK to young learners. What I really loved about this book is its illustrations. They are big and bold. They are beautiful. As I read through the book It was like you could feel the flow and the peace come right out of the words. The illustrator did an amazing job bringing MLK's speech to life.

Reviews:

From Publishers Weekly

This picture-book biography provides an ideal introduction to this leader and his works. Juxtaposing original text with quotes from King's writing and speeches, Rappaport's (Escape from Slavery) narrative offers a pastiche of scenes from King's life, beginning with his childhood experience of seeing "White Only" signs sprinkled throughout his hometown. He questions his mother about their meaning, and she assures him, "You are as good as anyone." Listening to his father preach, the boy asserts that "When I grow up, I'm going to get big words, too." Rappaport also touches upon King's role in the Montgomery bus strike that followed Rosa Park's 1955 arrest for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger and his subsequent efforts as a civil rights crusader. After briefly describing the circumstances of his death, the story concludes, quite abruptly, with the statement, "His big words are alive for us today." The author relies on her subject's own words, and his power, passion and pacifism shine through. Collier's (Uptown) striking watercolor and cut paper collage art feature closely focused, lifelike images of King and other individuals against an inventive montage of patterns and textures. The portraits of King exude his spiritual strength and peaceful visage. In the background of some scenes are intricate recreations of stained glass windows, which, Collier explains in an introductory note, he interprets as a metaphor for King's life. An elegant, understated pictorial biography. Ages 5-9.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition. 

Library Uses:

This is a great book to use to expose children to the amazing words of MLK. This would also be great to include in a unit about MLK, especially with older students. They understand the words to degree but now they get to see them in picture form as well.

Module 11: They Call Themselves the KKK

Book Summary:

This book gives a very detailed history of the KKK. It starts off with how and where it began. The book includes personal stories of people who live the KKK.  The book is also riddled with pictures.

Book Citation:

Bartoletti, S. C. (2010). They called themselves the k.k.k., the birth of an american terrorist group. New York: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

Impressions:

This book was really hard to get through due to the first person encounters. It made me really sad to learn some of the things that happened to these poor people. I found it very interesting though and learned a lot of things I didn't know. The pictures in this book made me realize that yes this all happened and no this is not a joke.

Reviews:

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Bartoletti follows multi-award-winning titles such as Hitler Youth (2005) with another standout contribution to youth history shelves. Here, she examines how the Ku Klux Klan formed and grew out of the ashes of the Civil War. Bartoletti, who taught eighth-graders for 18 years, writes in admirably clear, accessible language about one of the most complex periods in U.S. history, and she deftly places the powerfully unsettling events into cultural and political context without oversimplifying. It’s the numerous first-person quotes, though, that give the book its beating heart, and her searing, expertly selected stories of people on all sides of the violent conflicts will give readers a larger understanding of the conditions that incubated the Klan’s terrorism; how profoundly the freed people and their sympathizers suffered; and how the legacy of that fear, racism, and brutality runs through our own time. In an author’s note, Bartoletti describes visiting a contemporary Klan rally as part of her research, and that bold, immersive approach to her subject is evident in every chapter of this thoroughly researched volume. Like the individual stories, the powerful archival images on every page will leave an indelible impression on young readers, who will want to move on to the extensive annotated resources. The adjacent Story behind the Story feature fills in more details about this lucid, important title, which should be required reading for young people as well as the adults in their lives. Grades 7-12. --Gillian Engberg

Library Uses:

This would make a great reference book for research. This would also be good to include in a unit on the KKK or slavery. 

Module 10: Pink and Say

Book Summary:

 This story is about two friends who find each other during the civil only to be separated in the end. History makes its imprint on you when you discover the terrible fate that Say has endured.

Book Citation:

 Polacco, P. (1994). Pink and say. New York, NY: Philomel.

Impressions:


This is a powerful book. I didn't think that a picture book could have such a powerful story and message.  To think that such horrible things happened to even children. The Civil War almost divided this country and many faught and died making sure that did not happen, even children.

Reviews:

From School Library Journal

Grade 4 Up-This picture book set during the Civil War is a departure for Polacco in terms of content and audience. It is certainly the deepest and most serious book she has done. Sheldon Curtis, 15, a white boy, lies badly wounded in a field in Georgia when Pinkus Aylee, an African American Union soldier about Sheldon's age, finds him and carries him home to his mother, Moe Moe Bay. Sheldon, known as Say, is nursed back to health in her nurturing care. But then she is killed by marauders, and the boys return to their units. They are then are captured and taken to Andersonville, where Pink is hanged within hours of their capture. One of the most touching moments is when Pink reads aloud from the Bible to Moe Moe and Say. Say tells them that he can't read, but then he offers something he's very proud of: he once shook Abraham Lincoln's hand. This is a central image in the story, and is what ties the boys together for a final time, as Pink cries, "'Let me touch the hand that touched Mr. Lincoln, Say, just one last time.'" The picture of their clasped hands, with the hands of the soldiers wrenching them apart, is exceptionally moving. Polacco's artwork, in fact, has never been better. She uses dramatic perspectives, dynamic compositions, and faces full of emotion to carry her powerful tale. History comes to life in this remarkable book.
Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.  

 

Persson, L. (1994). Book review: Grades 3-6. School Library Journal, 40(10), 126.

Library Uses:

This book would be a great way to introduce the civil war. You could also use this book to teach about the roles children have played in war time periods. I think this would be a great book to read to older kids to teach them that picture books can be just as powerful as chapter books even at an older age.