SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson

Bibliography
Anderson, Laurie Halse. 1999. SPEAK. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux. ISBN: 9780142414736

Plot Summary
Just before the start of her freshman year in high school, Melinda calls the police during a party.  This causes her to be the outcast once school starts.  She has no friends and hardly speaks to anyone, but Melinda has a secret.   Something awful happened at the party, and she struggles to find the courage to tell someone.

Critical Analysis
The protagonist of this contemporary fiction novel is Melinda Sordino.  She is a a freshman outcast at Merryweather High  for calling the cops during a party just prior to the beginning of the school year.  What everyone doesn't know is the reason she called the police is because a popular senior named Andy Evans raped her.  She keeps this to herself while trying to go through the motions of school.  Her grades suffer and the only friend she makes is a new girl from Ohio named Heather who ends up ditching her, because she wants to be part of a popular social club known as the "Marthas."  Even Melinda's former best friend, Rachel, will not talk to her.  However, Melinda does find some peace in Mr. Freeman's art class where she is slowly able to work through her trauma.

Melinda's story takes place at her school which is Merryweather High in Syracuse, NY, but it may very well be any high school in America.  The descriptions of the "clans" are typical of any of today's high schools such as cheerleaders, jocks, thespians, and goths.  As Melinda goes through the school year, she has issues with the principal, guidance counselor, and her parents for being late, skipping school, and poor grades.  She even makes herself a safe haven in an old janitor's closet, but Melinda can't escape "IT."  "IT" is Andy Evans.  Yes, her attacker goes to her school and continues to torment her by giving her looks and making comments.  The last straw is when Melinda notices that her ex best friend Rachel is interested in Andy.  She feels obligated to warn her.  Melinda finally speaks up and tells Rachel what happened, writes a note in the girl's bathroom warning people about Andy, and when Andy attacks her on one of the last days of the school year she is able to scream, fight back, and say no.  Although it seems as though things are definitely going to be better for Melinda, the story is left with an open ending.

The main theme of this story is strength.  Although Melinda temporarily shuts down and loses her ability to communicate, she eventually finds the will to fight and believe in herself again.  Laurie Halse Anderson writes prose that is descriptive and captivating. This book is definitely an eye-opener that many high school students can relate to. SPEAK is narrated in the first person by Melinda in the present tense which helps make the reader feel as though they are encountering everything alongside Melinda.  The book is divided into four sections labeled "Marking Periods,"  and also includes brief chapters that do not begin on new pages, but instead are separated by titles in all capital letters. This book will connect with students as it depicts a realistic portrayal of high school life.

Review Excerpt(s)
2000 Michael L. Printz Award Nominee
2000 Edgar Allan Poe Awards Nominee
1999 National Book Awards Nominee
1999 School Library Journal Best Books of the Year Award Winner

BOOKLIST review: "Having broken up an end-of-summer party by calling the police, high-school freshman Melinda Sordino begins the school year as a social outcast. She's the only person who knows the real reason behind her call: she was raped at the party by Andy Evans, a popular senior at her school. Slowly, with the help of an eccentric and understanding art teacher, she begins to recover from the trauma, only to find Andy threatening her again. Melinda's voice is distinct, unusual, and very real as she recounts her past and present experiences in bitterly ironic, occasionally even amusing vignettes. In her YA fiction debut, Anderson perfectly captures the harsh conformity of high-school cliques and one teen's struggle to find acceptance from her peers. Melinda's sarcastic wit, honesty, and courage make her a memorable character whose ultimate triumph will inspire and empower readers."

KIRKUS review: "A frightening and sobering look at the cruelty and viciousness that pervade much of contemporary high school life, as real as today’s headlines. . . . The plot is gripping and the characters are powerfully drawn . . . a novel that will be hard for readers to forget."

LIBRARY JOURNAL review: "A ninth grader becomes a social pariah when she calls the police to bust a summer bash and spends the year coming to terms with the secret fact that she was raped during the party. A story told with acute insight, acid wit, and affecting prose."

Starred review in PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: "In a stunning first novel, Anderson uses keen observations and vivid imagery to pull readers into the head of an isolated teenager. . . . Yet Anderson infuses the narrative with a wit that sustains the heroine through her pain and holds readers’ empathy. . . . But the book’s overall gritty realism and Melinda’s hard-won metamorphosis will leave readers touched and inspired."

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL review: "Melinda’s pain is palpable, and readers will totally empathize with her. This is a compelling book, with sharp, crisp writing that draws readers in, engulfing them in the story."

Connections

• Hopefully this book will encourage teens to tell someone about any traumatic events that happen to them instead of keeping the pain bottled up.
• Readers can watch the 2004 film also titled SPEAK based on this book.

Other books by Laurie Halse Anderson:

• Anderson, Laurie Halse. 2002. CATALYST. New York: Viking. ISBN: 9780670035663
• Anderson, Laurie Halse. 2009. WINTERGIRLS. New York: Viking. ISBN: 9780670011100

WHEN YOU REACH ME by Rebecca Stead

Bibliography

Stead, Rebecca. 2009. WHEN YOU REACH ME. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN: 9780385737425

Plot Summary

Miranda is a 12-year-old who lives in New York City.  Her mother is preparing to appear on the television game show called the $20,000 Pyramid.  Everything is pretty routine in Miranda's life until one day, while walking home from school, Miranda's best friend Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason.  Things start becoming peculiar from that point on.  The spare key she and her mother hid in the fire hose disappears, and she starts receiving mysterious notes in random places.  It is up to Miranda to figure out the importance of these notes because someone's life is in danger.

Critical Analysis

WHEN YOU REACH ME is an example of a low fantasy book as it is set in New York City during the late seventies.  This story is told in the first person by the protagonist Miranda.  The book starts out with letting the reader know that Miranda's mother is going to be a contestant on the $20,000 Pyramid.  Throughout the story, Miranda and Richard (Miranda's mother's boyfriend) help Miranda's mother practice before she is set to appear on the show on April 27, 1979.  

Miranda is in sixth grade and her best friend is Sal.  He is lives in her building with his mother Louisa, and they've known each other almost their whole lives.  Everyday they walk to school together and pass by a strange homeless man who Miranda refers to as the "Laughing Man."  One day while walking home from school a boy named Marcus punches Sal and then just walks away.  After this happened, Sal stopped hanging out with Miranda, so she started hanging out with school friends Colin and Annemarie.  They even got a job at a sandwich shop where they worked during lunch.  Miranda's favorite book which she reads over and over is A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L'Engle.  One day Miranda confronts the boy who punched Sal (Marcus), and they start talking about time travel which is the theme of both this book and a A WRINKLE OF TIME.  Marcus confuses Miranda when explaining his theory on time travel, but she doesn't care because she doesn't believe it is actually possible.

One day Miranda finds a mysterious note sticking out of her library book.  The note was addressed to "M," so she wasn't sure if it was to her, but it was strange that the note asked about her spare apartment key a few days after their spare key had been stolen.  A second note appears, but this time it is addressed to Miranda and whoever wrote it knows she told her mother about it.  This note asks her not to share it with others.  They also remind Miranda to write them a letter and that her letter must tell a story.  On the first really cold day of December, Miranda's mom tells her she needs to wear her hooded jacket, and Miranda finds the third note in the pocket.  The note has clues, but Miranda doesn't know what they mean.  It won't be until later that all of the clues on this note will make sense.  One afternoon, Miranda was walking home from school and noticed Marcus trying to catch up to Sal, because he wanted to apologize for punching him.  Sal believes Marcus is going to hurt him, so he starts running.  He runs into the street and the laughing man kicks Sal out of the way of a moving truck.  The laughing man is hit by the truck.  As all of this is happening, Miranda finds a shoe containing the last note.  Miranda eventually figures out what the notes mean after thinking about past events and conversations.  She figures all of this out during the 55 seconds it took her mom "to guess six categories and win ten thousand dollars."

WHEN YOU REACH ME will appeal to readers interested in science fiction and time travel.  It is well written in very brief chapters with the majority of the chapters cleverly titled in a $20,000 Pyramid theme.  The author reveals each piece of the mystery in a way readers can discover what happens as Miranda discovers it.  The style of writing is conversational and includes a great deal of dialogue of the many characters in the book.  Besides the element of time travel, the story is very realistic and has a universal theme of the importance of friendship and the bond between mother and daughter.

Review Excerpt(s)

2010 Newbery Medal Winner

2010 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Winner

2010 Book Sense Book of the Year Award Winner

2009 Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books Award Winner

2009 School Library Journal Best Books of the Year Award Winner

Starred review in BOOKLIST: "If this book makes your head hurt, you're not alone. Sixth-grader Miranda admits that the events she relates make her head hurt, too. Time travel will do that to you. The story takes place in 1979, though time frames, as readers learn, are relative. Miranda and Sal have been best friends since way before that. They both live in a tired Manhattan apartment building and walk home together from school. One day everything changes. Sal is kicked and punched by a schoolmate and afterward barely acknowledges Miranda. Which leaves her to make new friends, even as she continues to reread her ratty copy of A Wrinkle in Time and tutor her mother for a chance to compete on The $20,000 Pyramid. She also ponders a puzzling, even alarming series of events that begins with a note: I am coming to save your friend's life, and my own . . . you must write me a letter. Miranda's first-person narrative is the letter she is sending to the future. Or is it the past? It's hard to know if the key events ultimately make sense (head hurting!), and it seems the whys, if not the hows, of a pivotal character's actions are not truly explained. Yet everything else is quite wonderful. The '70s New York setting is an honest reverberation of the era; the mental gymnastics required of readers are invigorating; and the characters, children and adults, are honest bits of humanity no matter in what place or time their souls rest. Just as Miranda rereads L'Engle, children will return to this."

Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Miranda lives in 1978 New York City with her mother, and her life compass is Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. When she receives a series of enigmatic notes that claim to want to save her life, she comes to believe that they are from someone who knows the future. Miranda spends considerable time observing a raving vagrant who her mother calls the laughing man and trying to find the connection between the notes and her everyday life. Discerning readers will realize the ties between Miranda's mystery and L'Engle's plot, but will enjoy hints of fantasy and descriptions of middle school dynamics. Stead's novel is as much about character as story. Miranda's voice rings true with its faltering attempts at maturity and observation. The story builds slowly, emerging naturally from a sturdy premise. As Miranda reminisces, the time sequencing is somewhat challenging, but in an intriguing way. The setting is consistently strong. The stores and even the streets–in Miranda's neighborhood act as physical entities and impact the plot in tangible ways. This unusual, thought-provoking mystery will appeal to several types of readers."

Connections

• Students could talk about their views on the possibility of time travel.
• Readers of this book may want to also read A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L'Engle.

Other books by Rebecca Stead:

• Stead, Rebecca. 2007. FIRST LIGHT. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN: 9780375840173
• Stead, Rebecca. 2012. LIAR & SPY. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN: 9780385737432

BABYMOUSE #5: HEARTBREAKER by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

Bibliography

Holm, Jennifer L., and Matthew Holm. 2006. BABYMOUSE #5: HEARTBREAKER. New York: Random House Children's Books. ISBN: 9780375837982

Plot Summary

Babymouse is a girl mouse who loves to daydream.  When someone reminds her it's almost Valentine's Day, she becomes excited as it is her favorite holiday.  However, when she finds out her school is hosting a Valentine's Day dance Babymouse panics, because she is afraid she will not be able to find a date.

Critical Analysis

BABYMOUSE: HEARTBREAKER features Babymouse as the protagonist in this cute and funny graphic novel.  She is a school age girl mouse that faces problems with mean girls, uncooperative lockers, and gym class like everyone else.  This time her dilemma is finding a date to her school's Valentine's Day dance.  At first she is excited about the dance, and is certain someone will ask her.  She sees other girls being asked to the dance, so she consults her beauty magazines for tips, but it backfires.  During this whole process, Babymouse's vivid daydreaming is illustrated humorously throughout the book.  A friend suggests she ask someone to the dance herself, so she does, but unfortunately everyone she asks already has a date.  Babymouse's parents suggest that she go to the dance alone, so she does, but at first it seems as though it was a bad idea until Georgie asks her why she isn't dancing.  It turns out Georgie wanted to go to the dance with Babymouse, but he didn't ask her to the dance because he thought she already had a date.  He asks her to dance, and they end up being each other's date.  This made Babymouse very happy.

The illustrations in this book are in black and white with hints of pink throughout the book.  The illustrations do a great job of showing Babymouse's school life as well as her daydreams.  Several examples of onomatopoeia accompany illustrations throughout the book.  Even the page numbers are within pink hearts on every page.  This is only one book in a series of BABYMOUSE graphic novels, so readers who enjoy this book will be able to read more about Babymouse's adventures.

Review Excerpt(s) 

Books For Growing Minds-November/December 2006

BOOKLIST review: "Cute, smart, sassy Babymouse is fun and funny, and this book, like its predecessors, will draw reluctant readers as well as Babymouse fans."

THE BULLETIN review: "An almost absurdly likeable heroine."

THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES review: "Move over, Superman, here comes Babymouse"

THE HORN BOOK review: "Nobody puts Babymouse in the corner!"

Connections

• This book could prompt a discussion about school dances and dating.
• This would be a fun book for kids to read on Valentine's Day.

Related books:

• Holm, Jennifer L., and Matthew Holm. BABYMOUSE: QUEEN OF THE WORLD!  New York: Random House Children's Books. ISBN: 9780375932298
• Krosoczka, Jarrett. 2012. LUNCH LADY AND THE PICTURE DAY PERIL. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN: 9780375870354

ONE CRAZY SUMMER by Rita Williams-Garcia

Bibliography
Williams-Garcia, Rita. 2010. ONE CRAZY SUMMER. New York: Amistad. ISBN: 9780060760885

Plot Summary
ONE CRAZY SUMMER is a historical fiction novel that takes place during the summer of 1968.  Three young sisters, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern travel from Brooklyn, NY to Oakland, CA to visit a mother they hardly know, because she left them when they were babies.  This book tells the story of their experiences that summer in California where they expected to meet movie stars and go to fun places like Disneyland, but what they got is not what they expected.

Critical Analysis
Seven years has gone by and eleven-year-old Delphine, nine-year old Vonetta, and seven-year-old Fern have not seen their mother Cecile since she left them and moved to Oakland.  She left them in Brooklyn with their father, who the girls call Pa, and their grandmother Big Ma.  In the summer of 1968, Pa thinks it is a good time for the girls to visit Cecile and try and reconnect with her.  Big Ma does not believe it is a good idea as she has a very low opinion of Cecile, but the girls go anyway.  At the airport, Pa and Big Ma tell Delphine to take good care of her two younger sisters.  Delphine has always been quiet and responsible and agrees to do a good job.  When they arrive at the airport in Oakland, they see their mother dressed suspiciously and reluctant to claim them, but they point her out to the flight attendant, and so Cecile takes them to her house.  Cecile is not very nice and acts strange to the girls, so they see her as crazy.  As soon as they get to her house Cecile sends them out to go get fast food by themselves.  Again, the girls find this behavior crazy, but they go to Ming's for Chinese food as instructed by their mother.  The following morning, the girls are sent to get breakfast at the People's Center not knowing this is where they would spend the majority of their time that summer.  It turns out the People's Center is where the Black Panthers have meetings.  They have a program for kids and Dephine, Vonetta, and Fern spend a lot of time there and meet and see a lot of new interesting things.  Delphine had seen Black Panthers on TV, but they usually had guns.  These Black Panthers did not have any guns and are helping the community.  Delphine has a new perspective on the Black Panthers.  This book mentions Huey Newton and Bobby Seale who were the co-founders of the Black Panthers.  While at the People's Center, the girls help color a poster that says, "Free Huey."

As the book continues, the girls continue to struggle to get to know their mother since all she seems to care about is her poetry and her printing machine.  Delphine takes it upon herself to make sure they eat well and have at least one fun excursion which in their case is to San Francisco.  Delphine wants to protect her sisters and struggles with the idea of participating in the "Rally for Bobby" organized by the Black Panthers.  She feels it might be dangerous for her sisters, but they insist on participating.  They even tell their mother, so Delphine has no choice but to continue taking the girls to the People's Center.  Upon returning from their trip from San Francisco, the girls arrive to see the police arresting their mother.  Their mother pretends they are not her daughters, so the police do not take them away too.  Delphine does not call Pa since she believes Cecile will come home shortly.  During this time, the girls are alone in the house, clean up their mother's kitchen, and read her poetry.  They find a poem they feel would be appropriate for the rally.  Cecile sees them recite her slightly altered poem at the rally and gives them some recognition, but still no hugs.  The book concludes with Cecile taking them to the airport, so they can return to Brooklyn.  While in line to board the plane, the girls can't resist but to run to their mother and hug her.  Despite their differences, the girls and Cecile were able to bond with each other in their own special way.

The author, Rita Williams-Garcia, includes an "Acknowledgments" section at the end of the book listing the people who inspired her to write this book.  She describes how she couldn't have written this book "without having read books, articles, and interviews that cover this period."  She also says, "I specifically could not have felt the climate of the times from Black Panther accounts and perspectives without David Hilliard's THE BLACK PANTHER INTERCOMMUNAL NEWS SERVICE."  ONE CRAZY SUMMER gives readers a view of what it was like for "children who witnessed and were part of a necessary change."  It also shows the exceptional bond between three young sisters that many children may be able to relate to.

Review Excerpt(s)
2011 American Library Association Notable Books for Children Award Winner
2011 Coretta Scott King Award Winner
2011 Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award Winner
2011 Newbery Medal Nominee
2010 School Library Journal Best Books of the Year Award Winner
2010 National Book Award Nominee

Starred review in BOOKLIST: "Eleven-year-old Delphine has only a few fragmented memories of her mother, Cecile, a poet who wrote verses on walls and cereal boxes, played smoky jazz records, and abandoned the family in Brooklyn after giving birth to her third daughter. In the summer of 1968, Delphine’s father decides that seeing Cecile is “something whose time had come,” and Delphine boards a plane with her sisters to Cecile’s home in Oakland. What they find there is far from their California dreams of Disneyland and movie stars. “No one told y’all to come out here,” Cecile says. “No one wants you out here making a mess, stopping my work.” Like the rest of her life, Cecile’s work is a mystery conducted behind the doors of the kitchen that she forbids her daughters to enter. For meals, Cecile sends the girls to a Chinese restaurant or to the local, Black Panther–run community center, where Cecile is known as Sister Inzilla and where the girls begin to attend youth programs. Regimented, responsible, strong-willed Delphine narrates in an unforgettable voice, but each of the sisters emerges as a distinct, memorable character, whose hard-won, tenuous connections with their mother build to an aching, triumphant conclusion. Set during a pivotal moment in African American history, this vibrant novel shows the subtle ways that political movements affect personal lives; but just as memorable is the finely drawn, universal story of children reclaiming a reluctant parent’s love."

Starred review in HORN BOOK: "The setting and time period are as vividly realized as the characters, and readers will want to know more about Delphine and her sisters after they return to Brooklyn..."

Starred review in KIRKUS: "Delphine is the pitch-perfect older sister, wise beyond her years, an expert at handling her siblings...while the girls are caught up in the difficulties of adults, their resilience is celebrated and energetically told with writing that snaps off the page."

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY review: "Emotionally challenging and beautifully written, this book immerses readers in a time and place and raises difficult questions of cultural and ethnic identity and personal responsibility. With memorable characters (all three girls have engaging, strong voices) and a powerful story, this is a book well worth reading and rereading."

Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Emotionally challenging and beautifully written, this book immerses readers in a time and place and raises difficult questions of cultural and ethnic identity and personal responsibility. With memorable characters (all three girls have engaging, strong voices) and a powerful story, this is a book well worth reading and rereading."

Connections

• This book could prompt students to want to learn more about the history of the Black Panthers.
• Students could research the City of San Francisco and all of the tourist attractions it has to offer.
• This book could inspire readers to write poetry.

Other books by Rita Williams-Garcia:

• Williams-Garcia, Rita. 1988. BLUE TIGHTS. New York: Lodestar Books. ISBN: 9780525672340
• Williams-Garcia, Rita. 1995. LAKE SISTERS ON THE HOMEFRONT. New York: Lodestar Books. ISBN: 9780525674658
• Williams-Garcia, Rita. 2013. P.S. BE ELEVEN. New York: Amistad/HarperCollins. ISBN: 9780061938627

HIROSHIMA: A NOVELLA by Laurence Yep

Bibliography
Yep, Laurence. 1995. HIROSHIMA: A NOVELLA. New York: Scholastic. ISBN: 0590208322

Plot Summary
HIROSHIMA: A NOVELLA takes place on August 6, 1945, the day the United States was forced to drop the atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima.  The book describes the experiences of the crew of the Enola Gay as well as the experience of 12-year-old Sachi who lives in Hiroshima with her sister Riko.  This book discusses the repercussions the atomic bomb had on the two sisters and the other people in Hiroshima, Japan.

Critical Analysis
This historical fiction novel is told in the third person by author Laurence Yep.  He narrates it in the present tense switching back and forth from the crew of the Enola Gay and 12-year-old Sachi who lives in Hiroshima.  The book begins during the morning of August 6, 1945 with the crew of the Enola Gay searching for the best place to drop the atom bomb.  People in Hiroshima see the U.S. plane named the Straight Flush fly over and then leave, so they resume their day thinking they are safe, but a little while later the Enola Gay flies over and drops the bomb.  A detailed description of how the bomb works and detonates is given.  Details of the destruction the bomb causes are also given.  For example, "Out of 76,327 buildings, over 50,000 are destroyed."  Minutes later, Sachi awakes to view the panic and destruction.  Sachi is badly burned on her face and arm, and her sister Riko is killed.  Throughout the year, Sachi sees many people die due to radiation exposure caused from the bomb, and she also learns of her father's death in combat on an island in the Pacific.  Sachi knows more people are going to continue to die from the radiation.  For three years, Sachi hides in her home to avoid teasing from the other children about her scars, but fortunately Sachi is chosen as one of "the Hiroshima Maidens."  In 1955, along with 24 other women, Sachi is flown to America to receive a series of surgeries to repair her face and arm.  While in America, Sachi has new experiences such as learning English and making new friends.  After 18 months, it is time for Sachi to return home to Japan, but she is going home with hope and a new found trust.  Her suffering has made her understand the suffering of others, and she wants to help the victims at home.

Yep goes on to describe the great fear the atom bomb has instilled in people all over the world, but despite this fear, several countries develop their own atomic bombs.  He discusses the cost of the atomic bombs and newer weapons being developed.  He mentions how in 1987 the United States and the Soviet Union come to an agreement to destroy all of their medium-range missiles.  He describes to readers in great detail the devastating toll all of this weaponry could possibly have on our planet.  In the afterword, Yep tells readers, "Sachi is a composite of several children who were in Hiroshima when the bomb dropped who later came to the United States."  He wants readers to draw lessons from their suffering and their courage.  Laurence Yep used 21 different sources and consulted with specialists at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution and the National Atomic Museum to assist him with accuracy of the historical facts within his novel.  Readers will be moved by Sachi's story and will also learn many details concerning the atom bomb and the toll it took on the city of Hiroshima.

Review Excerpt(s)
BOOKLIST review: "In quiet, simple prose, Yep tells what happens when the atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. He tells it in short chapters in the present tense, switching from crewmen on the Enola Gay to children in a Hiroshima classroom; then he describes the attack, the mushroom cloud, and the destruction of the city; finally, he talks about the aftermath, immediate and long term, including the arms race and the movement for peace. One chapter explains the physics of the explosion and of radiation. The facts are so dramatic and told with such controlled intensity that we barely need the spare fictionalization about a young Hiroshima child who is there when the bomb falls and who later comes to the U.S. for treatment (Yep says in an afterword that she's a composite of several children). The account is fair, nonhectoring, and totally devastating. Though accessible to middle-grade readers, this will also interest older readers, who will find nothing condescending in content or format. Fifty years later, the event is still the focus of furious controversy (even the numbers are in dispute), and this novella will start classroom discussion across the curriculum. There's a bibliography for further reading."

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL review: "Through a stacatto, present-tense narration that moves back and forth between the experiences of a 12-year-old girl and the men on the Enola Gay, Yep's novella tells the events of the day the first atomic bomb was dropped and its aftermath. Sachi survives but is badly burned; her sister dies and her soldier father is killed in action. For three years the girl spends most of her time indoors, as newcomers to the city fear the scarred survivors. Then she travels to America for plastic surgery, which enables her to take part in her society again. She returns to Japan, hoping to help other victims. Yep ends with two chapters on the destructive potential of nuclear warfare and on some of the efforts being made toward disarmament. His words are powerful and compelling, and the facts he presents make readers realize the horrors of that day and its impact beyond. As a fictional character, Sachi never becomes much more than a name, but even so, readers will be moved by her tale. Hiroshima has a more adult format than Junko Morimoto's more personal My Hiroshima (Viking, 1990) or Toshi Maruki's Hiroshima No Pika (Lothrop, 1982), both of which tell the story in pictures as well as in words."

Connections

• This book could prompt a discussion about World War II and the atom bomb.
• This book could prompt students to want to learn more about Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Pearl Harbor.
• Kids could learn how to fold paper cranes like the girls did in this bok. This would introduce them to origami.

Other books by Laurence Yep:

• Yep, Laurence. 2008. THE DRAGON'S CHILD: A STORY OF ANGEL ISLAND. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN: 9780060276928
• Yep, Laurence. 2006. THE EARTH DRAGON AWAKES: THE SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE OF 1906. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN: 9780060275242
• Yep, Laurence. 2000. THE JOURNAL OF WONG MING-CHUNG: A CHINESE MINER. New York: Scholastic. ISBN: 9780590386074

BREAKING STALIN'S NOSE by Eugene Yelchin

Bibliography
Yelchin, Eugene. 2011. BREAKING STALIN'S NOSE. New York: Henry Holt. ISBN: 9780805092165

Plot Summary
This book is about a young boy named Sasha Zaichik who is growing up in the Soviet Union during the Stalin era.  He is a devoted Communist just like his father who is a member of the State Security (secret police).  One day when the police take his father away without explanation, Sasha realizes Communism is not as great as he once thought.

Critical Analysis
This historical fiction which is told in the first person takes place over the course of two days during the Stalin era in the Soviet Union.  The protagonist and narrator in this story is Sasha Zaichik, a 10-year old boy who wants to be a loyal Communist just like his father.  Throughout the story, Sasha talks about his way of life which is the Communist way of life.  He describes how he lives in a communal apartment or "komunalka" with 12 other families, but thinks it's great.  All he has ever been taught is how great Communism is and pities those who live in capitalist societies.

The book starts out with Sasha writing a letter to Stalin thanking him for being a great leader and letting him know his dream is to become a Young Soviet Pioneer. Sasha's dream is about to come true the following day, and his father who is a member of the State Security or secret police, is going to be the guest of honor at the school ceremony.

Unfortunately, later that evening, police take Sasha's father away without explanation leaving him confused and worried.  His father told him earlier that if anything were to happen to him to go to his aunt's apartment, so that is was Sasha does, but she turns him away in fear that she and her family will get in trouble.  Naive Sasha continues to believe what has happened to his father is a huge mistake and Comrade Stalin will fix it immediately and hopefully in time for the Young Pioneers ceremony.

Sasha manages to get to school the following morning and acts as if everything is fine.  The rest of the story takes place at school and describes how quickly his peers are to accuse people of treason.  His teacher, Nina Petrovna is only nice to Sasha and students who are sons or daughters of those believed to be good Communists.  The teacher along with Sasha's other classmates are mean to students such as Borka Finkelstein simply because he is Jewish.  Another student named Vovka Sobakin who was once thought of very highly by the teacher is now treated unfairly because his father had been accused of being an enemy of the people.

When Sasha is sent to retrieve the Young Pioneers banner, he accidentally hits a statue of Stalin and the nose breaks off.  This is a very serious offense, and Sasha is terrified he will be arrested and now knows his chances of becoming a Young Pioneer are over.  When the teacher finds out about the statue, she asks the class to write down who they believe broke the statue and advises them to choose the offender simply by their character and no other facts.  She also frightens the kids by letting them know if they are wrong then there could be consequences for them.  Ultimately Finkelstein lies and says he broke it, so he will be sent to the jail where he believes his mother and father are located.  Later Vovka is able to frame the teacher, and she is the one who gets in trouble for breaking Stalin's nose, but Sasha feels guilty and tries to confess to Principal Ivanych.  The principal knows that Sasha's father was arrested and locks Sasha in a storage room until it is time for him to be sent to an orphanage, but while in the storage room Sasha encounters the officer who arrested his father.  The officer had read Sasha's letter to Stalin and gives Sasha the chance to become a Young Pioneer if he agrees to report suspicious activity.  Frightened Sasha reluctantly agrees and is told to carry the banner at the rally, but as he is walking to the main hall he decides to leave the banner and the school.  He decides to go to Lubyanka prison to find his father.  He finds a line of thousands of people waiting to see loved ones who were unjustly arrested.  In the end, Sasha has a painful understanding of what it really means to be a Communist.  He realizes it is unfair and sees how people are living in constant fear of being arrested for no reason.

This book is sad, but it is written in a way children can understand.  The book contains black and white illustrations that help add to the story.  Most young readers will relate to the strong bond between Sasha and his father.  This book also does a great job of historically dictating the life of a child in the Soviet Union during the reign of Stalin.  BREAKING STALIN'S NOSE will help American children realize the amazing freedom we have in the United States.  Eugene Yelchin includes an author's note at the end of the book describing the similarities between his life and the book.  He was born and educated in Russia and lived a life very similar to Sasha's.

Review Excerpt(s)
2012 American Library Association Notable Books for Children Award Winner
2012 Newbery Medal Nominee
2012 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
2012 Judy Lopez Memorial Award Nominee
2011 California Books Award Nominee

Starred review in THE HORN BOOK MAGAZINE: "…this brief novel gets at the heart of a society that asks its citizens, even its children, to report on relatives and friends. Appropriately menacing illustrations by first-time novelist Yelchin add a sinister tone."

KIRKUS review: "Yelchin’s graphite illustrations are an effective complement to his prose, which unfurls in Sasha’s steady, first-person voice, and together they tell an important tale."

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY review: "Picture book author/illustrator Yelchin (Won Ton) makes an impressive middle-grade debut with this compact novel about a devoted young Communist in Stalin-era Russia, illustrated with dramatically lit spot art."

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE review: "A miracle of brevity, this affecting novel zeroes in on two days and one boy to personalize Stalin's killing machine of the '30s. …black-and-white drawings march across the pages to juxtapose hope and fear, truth and tyranny, small moments and historical forces, innocence and evil. This Newbery Honor book offers timeless lessons about dictatorship, disillusionment and personal choice."

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL review: "Yelchin skillfully combines narrative with dramatic black-and-white illustrations to tell the story of life in the Soviet Union under Stalin."

Connections

• This book introduces children to historical fiction.
• This book could encourage students to want to learn more about the history of the Soviet Union.
• It could prompt a discussion about the different types of economic systems such as capitalism, socialism, and communism.

Related books:

• Sepetys, Rudy. 2011. BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY. New York: Philomel Books. ISBN: 9780399254123
• Sis, Peter. 2007. THE WALL: GROWING UP BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN: 9780374347017

HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER'S SHADOW by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Bibliography

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2005. HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER'S SHADOW. New York: Scholastic Nonfiction. ISBN: 9780439353793

Plot Summary

HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER'S SHADOW is an informational book about what it was like to be a teenager during the reign of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany.  Included are the accounts of those who were proud members of the Hitler Youth as well as those who opposed the Nazi Party.

Critical Analysis
Bartoletti uses multiple resources such as diaries and letters, as well as personal interviews with Holocaust survivors, Hitler Youth, resisters, and bystanders to write this social history from the viewpoints of young individuals who lived in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945.  The book begins with a two page spread about 12 young Germans that includes a brief bio and photo of each person.  The foreword on the next page lets the reader know the book is not about Adolf Hitler, but rather the "children and teenagers who followed Hitler and the Nazi Party."  The introduction precedes 10 chapters that are  followed by an epilogue, time line of the Hitler Youth, author's note, photograph information, quote sources, a bibliography, acknowledgments, and an index.  The page numbers for all of these sections are listed in the table of contents located in the front of the book.  This book was very well researched by Bartoletti, and it shows through all of the documentation listed in the back of the book.  Every quote used in the book is listed in the quote sources section along with the page number and corresponding bibliography entry listed in parenthesis.  In her note to the readers she describes what prompted her to want to write this book and gives details on how she obtained the information she needed to write it.  All of the photographs shown throughout the book have a description and a photo credit.  Bartoletti also gives further details about the photographs in a special section titled "About the Photographs."  Her bibliography includes over 100 sources that are grouped into different sections with subject headers.

The book itself is rather large similar to a coffee table book which makes you want to pick it up and flip through it.  The pages are creme colored with an easy to read black colored text.  I believe young adults will find the book inviting, because it has photographs on almost every page that complement the stories.  Since the photographs are so interesting, I believe they will make anyone who sees them want to read the text to find out more about them.  With her extensive research, Bartoletti managed to write a fascinating book about a sensitive subject from a perspective young adults can relate to. The different points of view in this book will make the reader experience a variety of emotions.

Review Excerpt(s)
2006 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award Nominee
2006 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Nominee
2006 Newbery Medal Nominee
2006 American Library Association Notable Books for Children Award Winner
2005 School Library Journal Best Books of the Year Award Winner

Starred review in BOOKLIST: "What was it like to be a teenager in Germany under Hitler? Bartoletti draws on oral histories, diaries, letters, and her own extensive interviews with Holocaust survivors, Hitler Youth, resisters, and bystanders to tell the history from the viewpoints of people who were there. Most of the accounts and photos bring close the experiences of those who followed Hitler and fought for the Nazis, revealing why they joined, how Hitler used them, what it was like. Henry Mentelmann, for example, talks about Kristallnacht, when Hitler Youth and Storm Troopers wrecked Jewish homes and stores, and remembers thinking that the victims deserved what they got. The stirring photos tell more of the story. One particularly moving picture shows young Germans undergoing de-Nazification by watching images of people in the camps. The handsome book design, with black-and-white historical photos on every double-page spread, will draw in readers and help spark deep discussion, which will extend beyond the Holocaust curriculum. The extensive back matter is a part of the gripping narrative."

Starred review in KIRKUS: "Case studies of actual participants root the work in specifics, and clear prose, thorough documentation and an attractive format with well-chosen archival photographs make this nonfiction writing at its best….Superb."

Starred review in PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: "Bartoletti (Kids on Strike!) offers a unique and riveting perspective on WWII by focusing on the young people who followed Hitler from 1933-1945….Bartoletti's portrait of individuals within the Hitler Youth who failed to realize that they served “a mass murderer” is convincing, and while it does not excuse the atrocities, it certainly will allow readers to comprehend the circumstances that led to the formation of Hitler's youngest zealots."

Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Hitler's plans for the future of Germany relied significantly on its young people, and this excellent history shows how he attempted to carry out his mission with the establishment of the Hitler Youth....Bartoletti lets many of the subjects' words, emotions, and deeds speak for themselves, bringing them together clearly to tell this story unlike anyone else has."

Connections

• This book could prompt students to want to learn more about World War II and the Holocaust.
• Students could use this book as a reference for assignments related to World War II and the Holocaust.
• This book could prompt a discussion about morality.

Other books by Susan Campbell Bartoletti:

• Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2001. BLACK POTATOES: THE STORY OF THE GREAT IRISH FAMINE, 1845-1850. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 9780618002719
• Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 1999. KIDS ON STRIKE! Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 9780395888926
• Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2010. THEY CALLED THEMSELVES THE K.K.K.: THE BIRTH OF AN AMERICAN TERRORIST GROUP. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 9780618440337