Stitches

Title: Stitches
Author and Illustrator: David Small
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
Publication Date: September, 2009
Genre/Format: Memoir/Graphic Novel
GoodReads Summary: One day David Small awoke from a supposedly harmless operation to discover that he had been transformed into a virtual mute. A vocal cord removed, his throat slashed and stitched together like a bloody boot, the fourteen-year-old boy had not been told that he had cancer and was expected to die. 

In Stitches, Small, the award-winning children’s illustrator and author, re-creates this terrifying event in a life story that might have been imagined by Kafka. As the images painfully tumble out, one by one, we gain a ringside seat at a gothic family drama where David—a highly anxious yet supremely talented child—all too often became the unwitting object of his parents’ buried frustration and rage. 

Believing that they were trying to do their best, David’s parents did just the reverse. Edward Small, a Detroit physician, who vented his own anger by hitting a punching bag, was convinced that he could cure his young son’s respiratory problems with heavy doses of radiation, possibly causing David’s cancer. Elizabeth, David’s mother, tyrannically stingy and excessively scolding, ran the Small household under a cone of silence where emotions, especially her own, were hidden. 

Depicting this coming-of-age story with dazzling, kaleidoscopic images that turn nightmare into fairy tale, Small tells us of his journey from sickly child to cancer patient, to the troubled teen whose risky decision to run away from home at sixteen—with nothing more than the dream of becoming an artist—will resonate as the ultimate survival statement. 

A silent movie masquerading as a book, Stitches renders a broken world suddenly seamless and beautiful again. 
What Jen Thinks:  I read Stitches before seeing David Small speak at the Anderson's Children's Literature Breakfast in February. After reading this book, I listened to him speak with a completely different perspective. I marveled at his ability to talk in the first place, and that he has become, what seems to me, a really nice man. It is amazing to think of all that he went through as a child. His drawings really brought his childhood to life for me. Only recently, after reading so many books, have I really started to visualize what is happening when I read a book. I know some people who are able to visualize everything clearly but for me it's doesn't come naturally. This book speaks to the power of a graphic novel to tell a story with the drawings. I will definitely use this with high school students to demonstrate how a format can be any genre. It still seems rare for a graphic novel to be nonfiction - even though I know there are plenty non-fiction graphic novels out there. This book seems much more poignant because it is an memoir that belongs to the illustrator and the story is so haunting.
What Kellee Thinks: This is one of the hardest books I've ever read. I thought that a graphic novel about such a dark topic would be easier than a standard book, but I think it was actually the opposite.  The illustrations added another level to the intensity of the story. It is a haunting novel dealing with resilience against abuse, cancer and insanity.
Read Together: Grades 9 - 12
Read Alone: Grades 9 - 12
Read With: A Long Way Home by Ishmael Beah, Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
Snatch of Text: 

Mentor Text for: Making Inferences, Asking Questions, Making Connections, Personal Narrative, Memoir, Tone, Mood
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you felt frustrated with another person. How did you deal with the situation. Write about a time in your life when you felt overwhelmed. 
Topics Covered: Cancer, Child Abuse, Insanity

Jen and Kellee *heart* it

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The Way We Fall

Title: The Way We Fall

Author: Megan Crewe

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Publication Date: January, 2012

Genre/Format: Sci-Fi Dystopian/Novel

Summary: Kaelyn lives on a small island off the coast of Canada. The only way to leave and return is on a ferry. Kaelyn returned to the island after living on the mainland and hasn't really seemed to fit in. So, Kaelyn has decided to turn over a new leaf. She doesn't want to be the quiet, weird girl in class anymore so she has started being more friendly to everyone in her class. And it is going really well. But then her friend Rachel's dad gets sick. Very sick. First he had a cough and was sneezing. Then it seemed like the illness took over his brain and he wanted to socialize, but had no inhibitions. Finally he is found in the yard screaming and hallucinating. Then he died. Just like that. Kaelyn's dad, a microbiologist, tells them all to stay away from anyone who has the symptoms because no one knows how to control it. This ends Kaelyn's resolution and starts an epidemic that takes over causing the government to quarantine the island. No longer is Kaelyn's life about making friends; it is about keeping her family safe, figuring out who her true friends are and surviving.

What I Think: I had trouble putting this book down. You get so caught up in the epidemic and rooting for survival that you have to know what happens to not only Kaelyn and her family and friends, but the whole community. The novel, written as an open letter to a friend of Kaelyn's who has left the island, really captured the emotions that would be feeling when an epidemic like this would take over a community. As Kaelyn's emotions change or envelop her, you feel them as well. But the truly terrifying aspect of this novel is that it could easily happen. We saw with the H1N1 pandemic of 2009 that the flu is relentless and that fear quickly takes over. In Kaelyn's story, the epidemic not only affects people who have the virus, but everyone in the community quickly showing all who are the good and the bad people in town. Fear becomes the emotion that controls too many instead of hope and kindness.

Read Alone: Grades 7 to 12

 

Back When You Were Easier to Love

Title: Back When You Were Easier to Love

Author: Emily Wing Smith

Publisher: Dutton Childrens Books

Publication Date: April, 2011

Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction-Romance/Novel

Summary: Zan is gone. He left with no good bye, no explanation, no anything. Joy doesn't understand why he left and she misses him. So, Joy feels like she must go find Zan and get closure. 

What I Think: I think that teenage Kellee would have loved this book a lot more than I did. Most teenagers at some point fall into what they feel is the love of their life. I did. This is a story about that. And about obsession and heart break. I think many, many teenage girls will connect with this book. 

But there are some things about it that will limit the connections and some things about it that I didn't like. The what I don't like gives away the ending, so I, unfortunately, can't rant and rave about it, but I can explain the other thing. 

Joy is Mormon. And I truly believe there needs to be a variety of protagonists and a variety of religions represented in literature (specifically YA), but as someone who doesn't know much about being Mormon, I felt disconnected from the characters because I didn't feel like it was explained very well. You were thrown into this town where everything is different than every where else and with a protagonist that doesn't like it, but I just never got it. I never got why Zan would want to leave. I never got why Joy didn't feel connected. I never got why she thought Noah was a bad guy. I just never got it. I wanted to and I kept reading hoping that I would, but the connection for me was just not there. 

What I did LOVE about this book was the way it was set up. It was set up as a mix of narration, flashbacks, lists, poetry and vignettes. The vignettes were my favorite! So beautifully written. This format is what made the book a 3 star-er for me instead of a 2. 

Lastly, I did like that Joy was a book lover and a good girl. I like that her love is clean and this book is available.  She IS really quite different than any other girl protagonist, but this story shows that no matter how different you are, girls still can fall head over heels in love with the wrong guy.

Read Together: Grades 8 to 10

Read Alone: Grades 7 to 12

Read With: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins, Let it Snow by John Green/Maureen Johnson/Lauren Myracle

Snatch of Text: 

"I want to hold onto Zan the way a junkie resists rehab, or a dieter rationalizes a chocolate eclair; the way forbidden lovers run from inevitable consequence. The instant gratification of one last time makes me shake with satisfaction. But when his memory is gone I feel the aching return like a bruise that won't heal." (p. 91)

"I saw the best minds of my generation wasted

By conformity, dreams fading to black and

White. Cutouts

Dragging themselves through the pristine streets of a cardboard town looking for a 

Savior

There was a cardboard girl there, in the cardboard world, but I felt no connection

Even tearing down the walls

Each shard breathed promise they'd never know

They cry stagnant, hollow tears." (p. 197) 

Mentor Text for: Format, Flashback

Writing Prompts: Throughout Back When there are vignettes where Joy answers "People Ask Me What I Miss Most" which always ends with "I never had this. I miss it anyway."- in a similar format as Joy, write your own vignette focusing on what you miss most that you never had.

Topics Covered: Love, Obsession, Religion, Identity

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 3/19/12

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…who knows, you might discover that next “must read” book!

After doing the meme for a couple of weeks, we realized this would be a fun meme to start up with a kidlit focus - anyone reading and reviewing books in children's literature - it can be picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, you name it in the world of kidlit and it's in! We have loved being a part of this meme and we hope you do too!  We encourage everyone participating to go and visit the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and to comment on as many posts as you can. We love talking books and believe in sharing and discussing what we're reading. We hope you join us!

Last Week's Book Adventures:

Jen Says: Wow! Last week was a really long week! I can't believe how much I read compared to what I thought I would read. I finished Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys and then also finished If I Stay by Gayle Forman (both on audio).

For real book reading, I read Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood an interesting look at Freedom Summer, love the spunk Glory has in the book. Next, I read The Humming Room by Ellen Potter. I love her writing. It was unique because it's based on The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett so I already had a sense of what was going to happen. It's the same but different. I loved Curveball by Jordan Sonnenblick. Another great addition to his list of awesome books. I zipped through The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler, too. This one was a crazy flashback to high school because I was the same age as the characters in 1997. It was wild. Very fun. I'll be curious to hear what now teens think of it. Finally, Peanut and I are listening to the first in the Geronimo Stilton series. 

Kellee Says: Like I predicted, it was a slow reading week. With going to Future Problem Solving state competition this week (I am so nervous!!) and missing 3 days at the end of the nine weeks- I had a TON of work to do at work.  But, luckily, what I did read was awesome! I read both May Amelia books- wow! That Jenni Holm can truly write a great book about a sassy young lady. 

Reviewed Last Week:

   

Just click on any picture above to go read the review

Upcoming Book Adventures: 

Jen Says: On audio, I listened to the first two tracks of The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai which I'm sure will take me most of the week. The real life book that I started today is See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles. I am enjoying it and am anxious to see how all Fern's relationships develop and change. Already there are lots of interesting storylines I can see developing. I also have Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum by Meghan McCarthy to read in my library bag that looks like a lot of fun. 

Kellee Says: I am writing this early Sunday before I leave for the competition and I still hope to get some reading done tonight.  I hope to read a pile of picture books I have from the library including Grandpa Green, Extra Yarn, A River of Words, Little Beauty, Here Come the Girl Scouts, Art, and 2 Kadir Nelson books.  My spring break starts at the end of this week and I cannot wait to do #bookaday with all my Tweeps.  My break will start with seeing Hunger Games (in IMAX!) at midnight- what a great way to start!!  Then I will begin reading- lots and lots of reading. I have way too many piles that I know I will not get through and I need to prioritize at some point.  The piles are a mix of books I need to read for reviews, middle grade books I've heard great things about, and sequels to books that I loved.  I also have 2 adult books I want to read- the 5th book in the Spellman series by Lisa Lutz (love them! If you haven't read The Spellman Files, you really should) and The Paris Wife which my dad gave me for Christmas.  Oh, and a pile of graphic novels from the library.  So, we'll see how it goes! 

This Week's Reviews:

       

Check back throughout the week to hear about these books. 
This week we will also be introducing our It's A-Okay to Reread in April challenge! Don't forget that on 3/31/12 we're celebrating the end of our Dystopian vs. Post-Apocalyptic series! We will have a blog hop so you can write your own post or book review about the topic and link up here.  

So, what are you reading this week? 

Please link up below and don't forget to check out other blogs to see what they are reading!

Happy reading this week!

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Read Along on I-94 - Same Sun Here - Part 3

Colby and I are continuing our discussion/game of Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani this week. This month we are looking for quotes from the following pages: 2, 77, 87, 145, 189, 206, 250, 253, 262 in the book.You can read Part 1 and Part 2 if you need to catch up or review and then see if you can find the quotes and read our discussion. 

COLBY: p. 145
“One time when I got a bad grade at school, Dadi told me how much it hurt that she was not able to go to school as a child. All her brothers were allowed to go but because she was a girl, her father said she didn’t need to learn. She went with her mother into the forest, and worked. She used to try to read her brother’s books, but she could not understand them.” -Meena

“Once when Dadi was pregnant with my uncle, a man cheated her out of 300 rupees. The man took her money and gave her a piece of paper. He said it was a prescription that would make her baby strong. But when she brought the paper to the pharmacy, they said it wasn’t real. All the paper said was, “This woman is stupid.” Dadi had kept the paper all those years and she showed it to me. She said she was cheated because she could not read or write. She said she did not want something like that to happen to me. I have never gotten a bad grade since she told me that.” -Meena

JEN: Both are great quotes...but the second one is the one I copied down. Ding ding ding ding! In one paragraph, Neela Vaswani made me feel like I had been punched in the stomach. How horrible is that man to take Dadi’s money? And then how horrible do you think Dadi felt when she found out she had been tricked? It reminds me of my spelling bee catastrophe. It’s just such a horrible feeling.

This story is a perfect example of why it’s important to tell stories. We need to hear what other people have been through. We need to know where we have come from and what we can do to make the world a better place. We need to learn from each other’s mistakes.

Meena also realizes never to take her education for granted. There are lots of kids today who take things for granted - lots of adults, too. I try to be thankful for everything I have, good or bad, every day. Even something like a messy kitchen - I’m lucky to have a kitchen with dishes and food that needs to be cleaned up.  

COLBY: I really like learning/reading about moments in people’s lives that are turning points. Hearing this story was a turning point for Meena. I think reading a book like R.J. Palacio’s Wonder will cause many readers to think deeply about the way they view and treat others.

JEN: I agree. I can’t imagine someone reading Wonder and not being moved by the story. When I booktalked it to two classes last week and described Auggie, there were gasps and comments when I explained that he says he looks like ET or Darth Sidious. It was interesting how they reacted and I explained to them to remember that he is a real person and the same as them on the inside. I hope that after they read the book, they would think about how they respond to seeing someone like Auggie or anyone who is different.

COLBY: p. 189
“They were all surprised that we are best friends but we haven’t ever met. Ms. Beldsoe said that’s what happens when you find a ‘kindred spirit.’” -Meena

JEN: Right again! Sometimes, when I try to explain the relationships I have developed with people I have met through Twitter, people just don’t understand. One time, I explained that I felt I had found “like-minded” people on  Twitter...but the person I was talking to suggested that it’s better to spend time with people who don’t think like you and who stretch your thinking. So “like-minded” isn’t the word I really wanted. I really think I have found people who share a similar passion for books and literacy. I love Meena’s term - that I have found kindred spirits.

COLBY: I think that finding “like-minded” people on Twitter has helped push me as a reading teacher. My students benefit from the  conversations and relationships that I have because of Twitter.

JEN: I totally agree but I like Meen’a term better. I love that eveyone I know on Twitter has a different perspective on the books that I’m reading. Look at how different-minded we were about I Want My Hat Back but how we were able to talk about it and stretch our minds. I feel like I have found kindred spirits in Twitter friends. We share the same excitement and love of reading and writing and working with students but we are all unique at the same time.


COLBY: p. 206
“So then I thought about what it meant, to be watching something so historic. The first black person to become president. If he could overcome the odds, then so could a hillbilly, or an Indian, or anybody. And it made me feel like anything was possible. People are always saying how you can be anything you want in America, but I had never really believed it, or even thought that much about it. But when Obama was sworn in, I DID believe it. And I think that’s why everyone had those tears in their eyes, because they knew that, too. I’ll never forget that moment.” -River

JEN: I love that this book becomes recent historical fiction. I think there are lots of kids who will remember when Obama was sworn in, and if they don’t, they will be able to relive the event through this book. I’m glad this is already in a book. Sometimes I feel like it takes forever for something historical to pop up in historical fiction so I’m glad this book is already talking about Obama being sworn in.

I actually really liked the paragraph before this, too:

“Nobody said a word the entire time, but when Obama was sworn in, I heard someone let out a little weeping sound and I looked around and there was Dr. Patel. I hadn’t even known he was there. He had tears in his eyes. So then I looked at every single person and MOST of them had tears in their eyes. Mark’s mom kept her hand over her mouth like she was amazed. This little old woman sitting in a plastic waiting room chair beside me dotted a wad of Kleenex to her eyes. It was the strangest thing.” -River

Doesn’t it just seem like time is standing still? I love it. Do you remember where you were when President Obama was sworn in? I was teaching at one of my middle schools and the TVs were on in all the rooms. I got to watch it with a 7th grade class I had been working with.

COLBY: I was teaching fourth graders when Obama was sworn in. We watched it together as a class. I’m not sure many of them understood the significance, but I’m glad that they got an opportunity to watch it live.

I too, am happy to see Obama’s inauguration already in a book like it is in Same Sun Here. My fourth graders were only first graders when Obama was sworn in. I’m guessing they don’t remember it at all. So often, we don’t think of history as being something that happened in our lives, we think of it as something that happened before our time.

JEN: One of my 3rd graders was reading a Guinness Book of World Records book and he found a page that had a picture of Obama being sworn in. The heading explained that he was the first African-American president. I’m glad our kids will grow up with the sense that it’s normal for an African-American person to be president. It’s interesting to already see how their perspective on things might be different just because of how times are different.

You are a rockstar at finding quotes! Overall, you are six for six. I love this book. What’s crazy is I don’t think we have given that much about the plot of the story away. This book is about Meena and River’s lives but also about friends and how we build relationships at the same time. Awesomeness.

 

Dystopian vs. Post-Apocalyptic Week 10: A Trio of Distinction

No introduction needed. 

Warning: Get ready to chuckle.  

Kellee, in her excellent intro to this blog series, points out the difference between post-apocalyptic and dystopian works. I want to expand on that and illustrate the differences with three short stories. You ready? Here goes:

Apocalyptic Fiction:

Fred: Hey, everything’s peachy keen.

Joe: Yep, sure is. Who says peachy keen anymore, anyway?

Fred: OMG, it’s an asteroid/supervolcano/rapture/giant snuggee knitted by aliens to warm the earth!

Joe: Run! We’re all going to die!

The rest of the book: Fred and Joe struggle to survive while falling in love.

Post-Apocalyptic Fiction

Fred: Everything sucks since the aliens wrapped the earth in a giant snuggee.

Joe: Yep.

Fred: Let’s rebuild civilization.

Joe: Why?

Fred: We could brew beer.

Joe: Right-on!

The rest of the book: Fred and Joe rebuild civilization for the same reason we built it the first time: to brew beer. (Note to students: This is a historical fact, not an endorsement of beer. Your teachers and parents would be very upset with me if I endorsed beer. Although it did probably create civilization. And presumably your teachers and parents are pro-civilization. Here’s a good overview of the role of beer in civilization, for those who are interested.)

Dystopian Fiction

Fred: Everything sucks.

Joe: Shh, they’re listening.

Fred: Let’s overthrow the government.

Joe: Why?

Fred: I heard they’re going to ban beer next week.

Joe: Where’s my gun?       

The rest of the book: Fred and Joe overthrow the evil dystopian government while falling in love and preserving their favorite beer recipe for future generations. (Note to students: This is also not an endorsement of beer. Except by Fred, who is a fictional character. If you follow directions from fictional characters, beer is the least of your problems.)

And there you have it, the difference between Apocalyptic, Post-Apocalyptic, and Dystopian stories according to Mike Mullin. And their similarities: they’re all about beer.

Mike Mullin’s first job was scraping the gum off the undersides of desks at his high school. From there, things went steadily downhill. He almost got fired by the owner of a bookstore due to his poor taste in earrings. He worked at a place that showed slides of poopy diapers during lunch (it did cut down on the cafeteria budget). The hazing process at the next company included eating live termites raised by the resident entomologist, so that didn’t last long either. For a while Mike juggled bottles at a wine shop, sometimes to disastrous effect. Oh, and then there was the job where swarms of wasps occasionally tried to chase him off ladders. So he’s really hoping this writing thing works out. Mike holds a black belt in Songahm Taekwondo. He lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with his wife and her three cats. 

 

Ashfall is his first novel.   The first two chapters are available on his website: www.mikemullinauthor.com. You may reprint the first two chapters in whole or in part on your website so long as you do not charge anyone anything to access them.

 

You can access Jen and my review of Ashfall by clicking on the cover photo above. 

Also, remember on 3/31 Jen and I will be hosting a Dystopian vs. Post-Apocalyptic blog hop where you can write your own post about the topic and link back here. Hope you can join us!!

and   

Be Intentional

Take a few minutes and think of your best and worst memories of reading. 

Keep these memories in mind, we’re going to need them in a few paragraphs!

It’s hard for me to pinpoint my most favorite reading memory because, lucky for me, I have great experiences with reading. One comes vividly to mind right now though. When I was in 6^th grade, I remember asking my teacher to recommend a book for me to read. She walked over to her teacher desk and handed me The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi. I don’t remember her exact words, but the gist was that it was a challenging book but that she thought I was a strong enough reader to read it.

 I loved that book. It’s a great story of adventure and suspense but part of my love for that book was the teacher’s message. She thought I was worthy of the book. To kids, what a teacher or other adult mentor tells them about themselves matters. Some kids might pretend it doesn’t matter, but, frankly, in the deepest part of their heart it does. Kids want and need our support. They need someone to believe in them and encourage them. She boosted my self-esteem that day when she gave me that particular book and said it might be a challenge but that I was up to it.

My worst reading memory is of reading The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce in my junior year high school English class. My close-to-retirement teacher would stand at the front of the class behind her podium and lead discussions about the reading from the night before. I can vividly remember the bright red lipstick that lined her lips and the way she would nudge her glasses onto her face when they started to slip down her nose. How she would switch her weight from one foot to the other as she talked. I read, I listened, I tried to participate, I wrote papers. I also despised The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. How did this teacher help and support me and my reading? Did she value me as a student by making me, a 16-year-old girl in 1997, read a rambling, horribly dry book about an Irish dude that was first published in 1916? Did she ever step away from her podium and learn about who I was, what I might like to read, what I really needed as a reader? Did she even see me as a person? An individual?

In both of my memories, teachers are prevalent. There are many experiences in and out of school that shape who we are as readers, but it’s undeniable that teachers are pivotal in helping children develop as readers and can make a deep and lasting impact on students.

I would love for you to share your best and worst memories of reading with me! I’m curious how much other people – teachers or not – play a role in these memories. When we look at what makes a reading memory stand out as great versus one that stands out as horrible, what do we notice?

In mine, I recognize the power of words and actions. My 6^th grader teacher knew me, knew me as a reader, and knew a book I might connect with that would challenge me. And she believed in me when she gave me that book that day. My junior year English teacher didn’t know me, didn’t value me as a reader to let me (or anyone else in my class) read what we wanted to read, didn’t help give me what I needed at my level to understand the book.

My purpose for writing this is to ask you to also look closely at how you interact with kids everyday. If you are a teacher, does your teaching and interaction with readers show them that you value them personally? Does it show them that you believe in them? Does it show them that you love books and you want them to, too?

If we ever hold students back from reading:

telling them it’s “not at their level”

or it’s not part of a system that is in place

or that there isn’t a comprehension quiz for that particular book

or that reading poetry only counts as half a book on a reading log

or that they can only read that book during a rare “free reading week”

aren’t we also sending the message that we don’t believe in books or in them as readers?

We don’t trust them to choose a just right book.

We don’t value books that aren’t part of the system.

We don’t believe they have actually read it if they can’t answer questions on a quiz.

We don’t respect poetry or novels in verse.
We don’t care about their interests.

We don't understand what it means to be a real-life reader.
We don’t believe in books or in them as readers.

I hope no one in education intentionally wants to send this message to students but we do need to reflect on our actions to make sure we don’t unintentionally send this message to them. Let kids read what they want to read, get to know them, talk with them about what they are reading, make recommendations based on what you know about them, challenge them to read great books, empower kids to be the best readers they can. Show them we believe in books and we believe in them as readers!

(Psst...here's one way to show kids we believe in them as readers! They can vote for the books they want to win the Children's Choice Book Awards in May! Click here to vote!)

 

The One and Only Ivan

Title: The One and Only Ivan
Author: Katherine Applegate
Illustrator: Patricia Castelao 
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: January, 2012
Genre/Format: Animal-Fiction-Fantasy/Novel
GoodReads Summary: Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all. 

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line. 

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better. Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope.
What Kellee Thinks: My introduction to Ivan started 6 years ago when I began teaching and I was introduced to a story about Willie B., the oldest living Atlanta gorilla, and I became fascinated with apes in general. I found a National Geographic video called "The Urban Gorilla" that had Willie B. in it, but it also had a gorilla named Ivan who had been introduced to the zoo 7 years after the Atlanta zoo made their Ford African Rain Forest which now exhibits the largest gorilla collection. This introduction to Willie B. and then Ivan began a journey into a love for all great apes which has really become a passion for me.

So, as you can see, I am a sucker for this book. And I even fell more in love by how beautifully it was written and put together. This book is almost a novel in vignettes. The way that Katherine Applegate wrote for Ivan is straight to the point but deep at the same time which I really feel fits a gorilla's personality.  I can picture Ivan sitting, alone, for hours feeling just the way that Katherine Applegate wrote for him.  But just like in Willie B.'s story that I read for the first time 6 years ago, it is the end when he gets to Zoo Atlanta that got me. What redemption for Ivan after a life of restraint. The beauty of the prose mixed with the simple, realistic illustrations made for a brilliant book about friendship, loss, and making a difference.
What Jen Thinks: I really wasn't familiar with the real life Ivan but I love that this story came from a true story with a happy ending. When I saw Katherine Applegate (see pic!) talk about Ivan at the Children's Literature Breakfast this year, I was struck by her comment that this is a chapter book with possibly the shortest first chapter. She also commented that throughout the book there is a lot of white space so it should be appealing to students who might be overwhelmed by a book. I love that she gets it when it comes to struggling readers.

The other part of her presentation that really stood out to me is that she urged people to think twice before taking their kids to a circus. She explained that there is a large disconnect between what people do and what goes on behind the scenes to be able to get animals trained to perform tricks. I am so proud of her for saying that in front of so many people. To me, that's what Ivan's story is about. It's about recognizing how we treat animals and paying attention to what it means for an animal to be entertainment for humans. As a vegan, I think there is also a huge disconnect between what people are eating and where it comes from and what the animal has been through to get to their plates.


The One and Only Ivan is told from the eyes of Ivan. I love how Katherine captures his personality and his voice. She also really tells his story: where he came from and what has shaped who he is and, most importantly, why he cares so much about Ruby to try to make a difference. It really is a sad story and she eases us into it but also takes the reader along as Ivan begins to find some hope in changing his situation. I can't imagine you reading this book and not falling in love with Ivan.

John Schu shares the wonderful but haunting book trailer for Ivan here.
Read Together: Grades 3 - 6
Read Alone: Grades 4 - 7
Read With: Nonfiction books about gorillas, Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell, Mountain Gorillas by Gene Eckhart, Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby, Good Morning, Gorillas (Magic Treehouse #26) by Mary Pope Osborne, The Last Mountain Gorilla by Gary Ponzo, Looking for Miza by Craig Hatkoff, Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen (adult)
Snatch of Text: 

"names

People call me the Freeway Gorilla.  The Ape at Exit 8. The One and Only Ivan, Mighty Silverback.

The names are mine, but they're not me. I am Ivan, just Ivan, only Ivan. 

Humans waste words. They toss them like banana peels and leave them to rot. 

Everyone knows peels are the best part. 

I suppose you think gorillas can't understand you.
Of course, you also probably think we can't walk upright. 

Try knuckle walking for an hour.  You tell me: Which way is more fun?" (p. 2)

Mentor Text for: Vignettes, Point of View, Characterization, Mood, Personal Narrative
Writing Prompts: Write about at time in your life when you felt helpless. What were you able to do about the situation? What was frustrating about feeling like you couldn't do anything?
Topics Covered: Gorillas, Friendship, Loss, Death, Freedom, Greed, Determination, Hope, Family

Jen and Kellee *heart* it

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Me...Jane

Title: Me... Jane
Author & Illustrator: Patrick McDonnell
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April, 2011
Genre/Format: Biography/Picture Book
Summary: Jane Goodall is one of the most important advocates for chimpanzees and an amazing primatologist and anthropologist.  In this beautiful picture book, Patrick McDonnell introduces us to a young Jane and her chimp Jubilee and shows us the curiosity that helped give us the Jane that we know and love today.
What Jen Thinks: I love animals and am in awe of the work Jane Gooddall has done to support chimpanzees. I love the sweet, muted illustrations that accompany this story of her childhood. The text is really simple but it tells the story of what seems like such a nice, caring person. I love the mood of this book and from looking at pictures of Jane Goodall it just seems like it represents her.
My favorite part of this book is when it shows her imagination and creativity. There is a two-page spread that shows drawings and activities she created for herself when she was little. I love how she created these to keep herself busy and that they were included in the book. I love to read non-fiction and remind myself all the way through that these things really happened. By adding her drawings and work into the book, I felt even more moved that it really happened and was really representing her and her childhood. I love how this book can start a discussion about so many things from Jane Gooddall and other famous people to animals and the caring for the environment.
What Kellee Thinks: Anyone who knows me knows that I love chimpanzees. I teach Hurt Go Happy yearly and visit my friends at The Center for Great Apes. Chimpanzees are amazing creatures and it is because of the work of Jane Goodall that we know to what extent of amazing they are. 

This book is simple at first glance, but it is so powerful. It shows the power of a dream and the power of a brilliant woman.  This book is truly an advocate for imagination & curiosity and reaching for your dream. 

Read Together: Grades 1 - 8
Read Alone: Grades 2 - 5
Read With:  The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps by Jeanette Winter, Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby, My Life with Chimpanzees by Jane Goodall, The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, Can We Save the Tiger? by Martin Jenkins
Snatch of Text:  

"With the wind in her hair, she read and reread

the books about Tarzan of the Apes,

in which another girl, also named Jane,

lived in the jungles of Africa."

Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections
Writing Strategies to Practice: Personal Narrative, Expository
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you were really curious about something or wanted to know more about a topic. What did you do to feed your curiosity? Choose an endangered animal and write about the animal itself and what people can do to help save that animal.
Topics Covered: Biography, Dreams, Curiosity, Imagination, Caring, Animals

Jen *hearts* it

Kellee *hearts* it

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 3/12/12

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…who knows, you might discover that next “must read” book!

After doing the meme for a couple of weeks, we realized this would be a fun meme to start up with a kidlit focus - anyone reading and reviewing books in children's literature - it can be picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, you name it in the world of kidlit and it's in! We have loved being a part of this meme and we hope you do too!  We encourage everyone participating to go and visit the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and to comment on as many posts as you can. We love talking books and believe in sharing and discussing what we're reading. We hope you join us!

Last Week's Book Adventures:

Jen Says: I finished The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy. I love how he developed all the characters - and there were lots of characters. They were all really unique and I found myself thinking about which actors would play the characters if it was a movie. Very fun! I also listened to Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. I didn't expect to listen to it, but I didn't have Between Shades of Gray when I was ready to listen to it so I started Before I Fall. After seeing Groundhog Day (the movie) and reading 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass, I was disappointed to find out it was one of those books where the character gets to relive the same day again and again until she gets it "right" but it was actually really good. I think a teen would really enjoy it and the ending really made me think. I did start Between Shades of Gray and will keep listening to it this week. I also finished reading Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai. I was excited to read a novel in verse because it seems like it's been a while since I have.

During our state testing, I took some time to read Mentor Texts by Dorman and Capelli. I got some really great ideas for looking super closely at mentor texts. I have a student who is deaf and needs to strengthen his understanding of how words work in a sentence - like where parts of speech go in a sentence - and I'm going to use one of their activities with Kite Day by Will Hillenbrand. Most of the sentences are simple noun + verb structure but he uses some great words. We're going to first think of words to describe the illustrations and then read the story and see what words the author uses. I'm excited!

Picture books I loved this week was Up High and Long by Ethan Long and Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! by Jack Prelutsky and Lane Smith. 

Kellee Says: I had a less eventful reading week then I wanted, but it was overall good reading. I have had a pretty busy week at school and at home, so bedtime has meant sleeping instead of reading and then this weekend was my wedding anniversary! :)   


I did finish The One and Only Ivan as well as 2 Babymouse graphic novels: A Very Babymouse Christmas and Camp Babymouse.  Babymouse is so much fun! The more I read the more I like her. I also read the first 3 books of The Elsewhere Chronicles graphic novel series.  I didn't love them as much as I wanted to, but they were pretty interesting and the art was beautiful.  Lastly, I read a Jane Goodall biography by Denise Rinaldo.  Everything I read about her is fascinating and this was no different and the early reader biography would be a great introduction to the genre.  As for audio, I gave up on Bloody Jack because my library only had a playaway and I began listening to the 3rd book in Kenneth Oppel's Matt Cruse series, Starclimber.  

Reviewed Last Week:

Just click on any picture above to go read the review

And don't forget to see what we did for World Read Aloud Day & what our favorite read alouds are.

Upcoming Book Adventures: 

Jen Says:  I'll keep listening to Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys which I'm thinking will take me most of the week. I grabbed Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood because it was sitting on my countertop staring at me so I'll finish that this week. I also have The Humming Room by Ellen Potter that I will finally start, too. You know what else I have to read??? Curveball the newest book by Jordan Sonnenblick. I so love him and am excited to read another book by him!

Kellee Says: Tonight I am going to start Our Only May Amelia and will most likely read the sequel as well. I also have a pile of picture books and graphic novels from the library to read and my pile of novels in waiting that I'll share anything that I truly enjoy.  My busy time at school will continue through the beginning of this week, but I hope to fit more reading in this week mostly before I go to the Future Problem Solvers state competition March 18-21 where I will be chaperoning a group of kids all day and will probably not have much time to read.  However, the best news is that the week after that is Spring Break! 

This Week's Reviews:

   

Check back throughout the week to hear about these books. 

So, what are you reading this week? 

Please link up below and don't forget to check out other blogs to see what they are reading!

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