Kid Lit Review: The Secret Zoo

What would you do if you started to receive strange clues from Zoo animals about your sister's disappearance?  Think you were seeing things?  Investigate the Zoo?  Call on the other Action Scouts (friends) to help you figure it out?  That's what Noah does when his sister, Megan, disappears.  Noah, Ellie and Richie find themselves being noticed by the Zoo animals, as if the animals know who they are.  The animals seem to be helping the Action Scouts try to find Megan.

A secret world is opened up to the Scouts--where they befriend a polar bear named Blizzard, a penguin named Podgy, and a kingfisher named Marlo.  The Secret Zoo by Bryan Chick is both wondrous and dangerous with adventure and wild animals lurking at every turn.  It won't be an easy task for the Action Scouts to find Megan.

I enjoyed this story because I loved reading about the animals befriending and helping the children.  Who wouldn't want to go the Zoo and have one of the animals recognize you and come up to you?!  The author says when he was 9, he "wondered what it would be like if zoo exhibits had secret passages that allowed kids to get in and animals to get out."  There are also themes of conservation and stewardship of the animals in our world.

Read a preview of the book here.



Image from bryanchick.com

Book Review: Five Flavors of Dumb

The book title is SOOOO good, I don't even need to think of a quirky title for my post.  As I was reading this book by Antony John, I kept thinking my 5th graders would love this book...except there is cursing in the book.  I would recommend this book for middle school students and above.  It is an enjoyable read and there were nights I didn't want to go to bed just so I could get a little peek at the next event in Piper's life.

The story centers on high schooler, Piper, who criticizes a hot new school rock band, Dumb, then ends up being their manager.  The catch, Piper is deaf.  The band gives her the challenge of landing them a paying gig within one month of her managerial position.  The other catch, Piper has NO idea about hard rock.  

The other players in the story:
Josh, pretty boy/lead singer
Tash, punk rocker/guitar
Will, silent type/guitar
Ed, member of chess club with Piper & eventual drummer
Kallie, eye candy & eventual "can't quite cut it" guitar
Finn, Piper's younger brother, guitar mentor to Kallie & Tash

The reader really gets to understand Piper's relationships with the band and at home.  Her parents throw a slap in her face when they take money out of her college fund to provide cochlear implants for their youngest daughter, Grace.  She is becoming more distant from her mother and to top it off her father never learned signed language (which is her preferred method of communication) even though she can read lips and her hearing aids work somewhat in completely quiet areas.

I really don't even know how to sum up more of the story other than to say, Dumb is Piper's new beginning even if the band breaks up, gets back together, breaks up...well, you get the picture.

Antony John did his research well!  I loved reading the author's note talking about the different people in my hometown of St. Louis that he wanted to thank for assisting him in the history of rock and roll, what it is like for a deaf person in society, hearing aids, and ASL classes.  


Book cover taken from antonyjohn.net

The Invisible Hero? Captain Nobody Book Review

After I finished wiping my tears away because this was such a good read, I wanted to shout from the rooftops that I would like to be Newt Newman's friend.  Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford is a story about Newt's relationships with those around him and especially with himself.  Newt is a 10-year-old growing up in a high school football lovin' town and of course his brother, Chris, happens to be the star player on the team.  At the big game, Chris is knocked into a coma and is sent to recuperate in the hospital.  Newt is distraught because this is his big brother who he admires and thinks the world of him.

Meanwhile, Newt's friends, Cecil and JJ, decide they want to try and help him take his mind off his brother.  The three friends feel invisible to the world and plan on getting noticed.  A plan is hatched for Halloween--put together a unique costume that will get you noticed.  The invigorating feeling Newt feels once he puts on random odds and ends of his brother's sports equipment gives him a new lease on life.

Feeling a sense of security, Newt decides to keep his Captain Nobody costume on the day after Halloween.  Cecil and JJ decide that Newt really will be some type of superhero, so they decide to use walkies and send distress calls to Newt.  One distress call involves JJ wanting the jewelry store to correct their grammar on signs!  But, when Newt goes in to inform the store owners of their grammatical mistake, he actually foils a robbery!!  Captain Nobody is coming to the rescue?!

Newt has several other unbelievable incidences that he plays hero to, but the one he most needs to help he doesn't seem to know how...can he wake up Chris?

I listened to this story on audio and I would stay in my car after I parked just to hear the end of some situations.  I was ripe with tears at the end of this story and it left me with a good feeling days after.

Dean Pitchford's site has chapter and audio samples, as well as a study guide for you to download.


Image courtesy of http://deanpitchford.com/on-the-page/captain-nobody

Doll Bones Book Review

The debate was whether we get the title for a lit set or not.  The cover, though relevant to the story, makes one think the book is "girly" (even if the doll looks a bit creepy).  That sadly enough nixed the book--in which case, I had to read it because I wanted to know what it was about.  The actual plot of Doll Bones by Holly Black--three middle school friends embark on an adventure to find out the truth about the mysterious doll known as the "queen."  Zach, Poppy, and Alice turn the story from imaginary kid play to a full-on traveling adventure.

What helps balance the story is that its 3rd person perspective follows Zach, a middle school boy, struggling between playing a game using imaginative stories through "doll play" with his friends, Poppy and Alice or taking on a more stereotypical middle school boy persona and hanging out with his basketball teammates.  There's a moment of harsh reality when his deadbeat father trashes his dolls telling him it's for his own good.  I could feel Zach's anger radiate off the page...that's descriptive character writing.

The story progresses into an adventure because of Zach's secondary reaction to his dolls being destroyed, which is to tell Poppy and Alice he doesn't want to play the game anymore.  The next thing you know is that Alice and Poppy are standing underneath Zach's window telling him the ghost of the "queen" has spoken to Poppy and she wants them to bury her in her lost grave.  The journey the three friends find themselves on is wrought with mystery, suspense, and the challenge of facing adulthood.

Needless to say, I'm recommending it as a lit set. 


Image from blackholly.com.

Inferencing Your Way to Freedom

Recommended for grades 2-5

You may think Freedom Summer tells a story heard over and over again about Black History.  To some extent it does, but the way the story is told makes quite the difference.  First off, Deborah Wiles states in ‘A Note About the Text’ that she is a white author trying to convey the uncertain feelings of the 1960s from a child’s perspective.  I made sure to read that section to my students to build some background knowledge.  Honestly, I wasn’t even aware they named the movement to help Blacks register to vote, “Freedom Summer” until I read that note.  I also wanted my students to understand that even though The Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed, that it doesn’t mean certain Southern White folks didn't still hold prejudices.

Wiles story focuses on two young boys—the protagonist, Joe and his best friend, John Henry.  The reader experiences their light-hearted playful summer days, filled with swimming, imagining themselves as firemen, and games.  Then, you find out that the boys play in the creek because John Henry isn’t allowed to swim at the pool…because he’s black.  You soon find out that John Henry’s mother is the maid at Joe’s house.  One day, Joe is sitting down to dinner when he finds out that all people, no matter their color will be able to swim in the pool and go anywhere else they like for that matter.  Joe cannot stay still in his excitement and rushes into the kitchen to let John Henry know.  They make plans to visit the pool the next day.

The story itself never explicitly tells you that The Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed.

First inferencing question: Why are all people, no matter their color, allowed to go to places like the pool now?

The next day, the boys walk to the pool and discover that it’s being tarred over.

The reader is never told that the White owner closed the pool instead of complying with The Civil Rights Act.

Second inferencing question:  Why is the pool being tarred over? 

Joe and John Henry become frustrated at not being able to do this simple summer activity together—Joe is markedly upset because he wants to be able to see things through John Henry’s eyes.  As they are walking past the general store, Joe pulls out two dimes and asks John Henry if he wants an ice pop.  John Henry lets him know he has his own money and the two walk side by side into the store.

The story stops at this point, so logically the next question I asked my students was: What are Joe and John Henry going to do once they are in the store?

This is a nicely told story to add to any Civil Rights Era Collection and definitely to your list of books to teach inferencing.

Wiles, D. (2001). Freedom summer. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

This Book Is More Than The Sum Of Its Parts

.…or I’ve Flipped for Flipped

Recommended for grades 6-9

I was so excited to find out that Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen had been made into a movie, which is odd because I’ve never read the book. But, like all good books, its reputation preceded itself—I knew I would get around to reading the story. I really wanted to see the movie, especially after watching the preview (not gonna lie, probably watched it upwards of five times that first time). I counted down the days till it would hit theaters. Then, I started searching all the internet movie sites determined to find what local theater it would be in…it was showing in ZELCH! Come on now!! Not even the independent theaters were showing it and trust me, I checked for several weeks, hoping that eventually it would make it to a theater near me. It never did.

Well, with that disappointment, I decided I would just be one of the first people to check it out from the library. I watched it this past week and loved every minute of that movie! The two young actors portraying Juli and Bryce were wonderful and so was the supporting cast. The movie guaranteed that I would be reading the book within a week’s time (library, here I come!). So, not only do I have to buy the movie because I liked it so much, I now have to buy the book because I liked it so much and want to be able to read it yearly. I just have to point out that I ONLY buy movies that are my favorites and will stand the test of time of me watching them over and over again.

Flipped is a coming of age story that ventures a little into first love (or crazy first crushes…we’ve all been there), but Van Draanen keeps the balance well, by alternating chapters between Bryce and Juli. The book begins the summer before Bryce and Juli go into second grade. Juli sees Bryce (who just moved into the neighborhood) and right away she’s “flipped” for “those blue eyes.” On the other hand, Bryce wants nothing to do with Juli. This continues for several years, but along the way you find out what a strong-spirited individual Juli is and what a confused individual Bryce turns out to be. They live right across the street from each other, but their families couldn’t be any more different—Bryce’s family is well-off, but not stable, whereas Juli’s family might not be rich, but they are close knit.

Then it happens, in eighth grade, Juli finally discovers what a “coward” Bryce can be and really wants nothing to do with him (for the most part), but at the same time Bryce finally opens his eyes and sees Juli, I mean really sees Juli and what do you know, he’s “flipped” for her…funny how the story’s title works on several levels. The reader knows that Bryce isn’t all that bad and the story ends on a sweet note with Bryce’s noble act and Juli thinking that maybe she and Bryce can be friends after all.

One of my favorite lines in the book comes from Chet, Bryce’s wise grandfather, who says, “Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin, some in gloss…But every once in a while you find someone who’s iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare.” I feel the same way about books.

Van Draanen, W. (2001). Flipped. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

All You Need Is Love, Humor, And Friendship

Recommended for grades 8-12

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg should be read by every high school girl--whether they are in a relationship, plan on it, or not. Humor, truth, friendship, The Beatles, and remaining true to yourself—this is one awesome and refreshing book!

The protagonist, Penny Lane (yes, she is named after the Beatles song), has decided she is fed up with high school boys and dating. During the summer before her junior year, she finally got to have a relationship with Nate, the boy she thought was the one. He said all the right things and made her feel special, but Penny catches him cheating—he blames her for it. Penny decides enough is enough!

Penny decides to start The Lonely Hearts Club, referencing the Beatles—she is the solo member. Pretty soon, Diane, who was Penny’s best friend up until 7^th grade, when she dropped everything (including Penny) to date Ryan, asks to join (Ryan secretly dumped her at the end of their sophomore year, but they remain friends). Soon after, Penny’s current loud-mouth, opinionated best friend, Tracy decides to join. Before you know it, more and more girls want to know about the club and join—a revolution has begun!

Club rules are established, meetings are held on Saturday nights, the girls eat lunch together at school, decide to go to Homecoming together (and are a HIT at Homecoming), and support each other through difficult decisions. Diane, Penny, and Tracy are the friends every high school girl should have—I would have loved being friends with them. The way the girls stand up for each other and problem solve, and support each other through many issues is incredible.

But what should Penny do when one of the nicest and not to mention cutest guys at school starts to show an interest? Is Penny in over her head? What’s a girl to do? Well, there’s no chance she will lose herself for a guy, she has plenty of friends to make sure that doesn’t happen.

What a great way to start my winter break from school!

Eulberg, E. (2009). The Lonely hearts club. New York City, NY: Scholastic Point.

The Lost Pieces To Her Life

Recommended for grades 9-12

“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” -Elizabeth Stone

Does this feeling as a parent give due cause to make life and death decisions for your child? Decisions that could forever affect the way the child feels about him/herself. This is one of the many questions to consider while reading The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson. The book chronicles the life of 17-year-old Jenna Fox, who has just woken from a year-long coma. She doesn’t remember a thing, her family has moved across the U.S., and she senses her parents are keeping something from her.

Written from Jenna’s point-of-view, even the text is structured to make the reader feel Jenna’s slight disorientation to the world she has re-entered. Short and somewhat choppy sentences, mixed with definitions of words Jenna has had to look up to remember exactly what they mean, her thoughts don’t relay any emotions quite yet.

Jenna soon finds out about the accident she was in that cost the lives of her two best friends. Jenna also finds out that she is only 10% of her original self. Only 10% of her brain survived the accident, the rest of her is bio-engineered. Jenna must deal with this overwhelming information. Her parents try to convince her it was the only choice they had, “Someday, when you have a child of your own, you’ll finally understand what a parent will do to save their child (Pearson, p. 137)”.

This book brings up many ethical issues. Jenna presents many of them: is she really human anymore; what does it mean to be human? To what extent does body reconstruction become too much? Would you make the same choice as Jenna’s parents when you have a child? Do you think parents can adore their child too much? Were Jenna’s parents right for keeping information from her at the beginning?

The book is suspenseful and thought-provoking. Readers will fall in like and sympathize with Jenna Fox’s character.

*Discussion questions and author interview included in the back of the book. Click here for book's website.