Tag Archives: realistic fiction

Aug24

Summer Reading: The Great Unexpected

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http://www.sharoncreech.com/books/the-great-unexpected

The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech. Realistic Fiction/Mystery/Folklore.

Naomi and Lizzie find their friendship tested when a body falling out of a tree turns out to be Finn, a boy who captures hearts.  Meanwhile, across the ocean, Mrs. Kavanaugh and Miss Pilpenny discuss murder and plot revenge.

Themes/Content: Friendship, family, orphans, tragedy, death, revenge, relationships, forgiveness, Ireland, Irish folklore, Finn McCoul, symbolism, setting, reality, fear, coping, connectedness, crows (rooks)

Recommended for: Grades 5 and up, discussing symbolism, discussing author’s craft and word choice, readers who like a bit of sadness, but not sobbing tear-jerkers, readers who like a mystery, readers who are able to trust a story, discussing characterization, discussing parallelism

My Two Cents:  It was very hard to assign a genre to this book.  In some respects it felt like a mystery… Who (or what) is Finn?  What kind of devious revenge are the spinsters planning? In some respects this felt like folklore/fantasy… Is Finn a ghost?  What’s with all of the crows (rooks)?  Is there really fairy gold?  I think though that this is mostly a story about relationships, which I think makes it fall best under realistic fiction.  Reading the themes and content above you may get the impression that this is a dark depressing book, but in fact it is not.

For the many Sharon Creech fans out there, the writing won’t disappoint.  She just has such a unique style that on every page I was delighted with her little gems of word choice.  This was also a book I had a hard time putting down, for several reasons.  Of course her word choice is incentive enough to keep reading, but I really loved Naomi, Lizzie, and all of the characters in the book.  Naomi is down to earth and a little sarcastic (which I can always appreciate.) Lizzie is a little more needy and formal, and a chatterbox!  They make an unusual pair, but when their friendship is tested you find yourself hoping that they will overcome the challenge.  Finn is a charmer, and a mystery and the source of friction between the girls.  The odd thing is that even after finishing the book he is still a mystery to me.  The secondary characters in both Blackbird tree and “Across the Ocean” are just as interesting, each one with a unique quirk or personality.

This book could be challenging for some readers.  It is the kind of book in which you have to have a little blind faith that the confusion at the beginning of the story will work itself out by the time you reach the end.  That confusion was part of what kept me glued to this book.  I kept reading because wanted to make sense of the story.  Creech is masterful in the way that she reveals essential plot points little by little along the way.  This could work as a read aloud, but might be difficult because of the way the dialog is written (at times,) and the Irish brogue.

Here is a short video in which Sharon Creech discusses The Great Unexpected:

Similar/Paired Books from EHUE Library:

  • Blashfield, Jean F. Ireland. New York: Children’s Press, 2002. Print.
  • Burns, Batt. The King with Horse’s Ears and Other Irish Folktales. New York: Sterling, 2009. Print.
  • De Valera, Sinéad. The Magic Gifts. Dublin, Ireland: Wolfhound Press, 2000. Print.
  • Doyle, Roddy. A Greyhound of a Girl. New York: Amulet Books, 2012. Print.
  • Krull, Kathleen. A Pot o’ Gold : a Treasury of Irish Stories, Poetry, Folklore, and (of course) Blarney. New York: Hyperion Books, 2009. Print.
  • Spilsbury, Richard, and Louise Spilsbury. A Murder of Crows. Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2003. Print.
  • White, Ruth. Way Down Deep. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. Print.

Favorite Quote: (There were so many it was hard to choose!)

“Her companion, Miss Pilpenny, recapped the pen. ‘Yes, Sybil, a fine and clever revenge.’

‘Shall we have a murder tonight?’

‘Indeed Sybil, splendid notion.’

‘And then perhaps a little jam and bread.'”

(Creech, Sharon. The Great Unexpected. New York: Joanna Cotler Books, 2012. 10. Print.)

The Final Word(s): Beautiful writing! Stick with it! 😀

Aug12

Summer Reading: Twerp

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http://www.markgoldblatt.com/p/books.html

http://www.markgoldblatt.com/p/books.html

Twerp by Mark Goldblatt.  Realistic Fiction.

As penance for his actions, Julian Twerski’s English teacher, Mr. Selkirk, requires him to write about the event that caused his recent suspension from school.  The project stretches through the school year as Julian avoids studying Shakespeare and avoids discussing the topic.

Themes/Content: Friendship, family, regret, bullying, writing, school, first person narratives, foreshadowing, Shakespeare, running (track), self image, Judiasm

Recommended for: Grades 6 and up, boys, reluctant readers, teaching foreshadowing

My Two Cents: This is a compelling story, set in the late 1960’s, about a boy who knows he’s done something wrong, but doesn’t want to admit it.  Each chapter chronicles another misadventure in which he tries to show that what he did to cause his suspension was not as bad as some of other things he has done in the past.  Julian is a very likable character and even though he makes a lot of poor choices, he also makes his best effort to make amends.  I can really relate to Julian because he communicates much better in writing than he does orally.  As the story progresses you can see the writing on the wall (no pun intended) as he documents his conversations.  You feel for him, when those conversations lead to misunderstandings.

The events in the story focus on Julian and his friends, all sixth graders.  Consequently there is a lot of action revolving around sixth grade boys doing typical “sixth-grade-boy” things.  There are dangerous stunts, and budding romances, and there is some language that you might expect from sixth graders out of earshot of adults.  A few of the passages might not be appropriate for some readers, but as a whole the story is very appropriate for sixth graders.

This is a good book for teaching foreshadowing because you know something bad as happened but Julian skirts the issue, leaving the reader curious about what he did.  As the story progresses, Goldblatt drops little bits and pieces of information that change your perspective about what has been written previously.  The historical backdrop does not play a very big role in this story so I put this in the category of realistic fiction rather than historical fiction.  I can recommend this a read-aloud for the right class, provided you are comfortable with the pubescent passages and text.

Similar/Paired Books from EHUE Library:

  • Aliki. William Shakespeare & the Globe. New York: HarperCollins, 1999. Print.
  • Buyea, Rob. Because of Mr. Terupt. New York: Delacorte Press, 2010. Print.
  • Canfield, Jack, and Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Hansen and Iren. Chicken soup for the preteen soul : 101 stories of changes, choices, and growing up for kids 9-13. New York: Scholastic, 2000. Print.
  • Clements, Andrew, and Mark Elliott. Trouble-maker. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011. Print.
  • Preller, James. Bystander. New York, NY: Feiwel and Friends, 2009. Print.
  • Schmidt, Gary D. The Wednesday wars. New York: Clarion Books, 2007. Print.
  • Shakespeare, William, David S. Kastan, and Marina Kastan. William Shakespeare. New York: Sterling, 2000. Print.
  • Shakespeare, William, William Rosen, and Barbara Rosen. The tragedy of Julius Caesar : with new and updated critical essays and a revised bibliography. New York: Signet Classic, 1998. Print.

Favorite Quote:  “Sometimes when you brace yourself for a storm, you get a gentle breeze.  The storm only comes when you’re braced for nothing whatsoever.” (Goldblatt, Mark. Twerp. NY: Random House, 2013. 16. Print.)

Final Word(s): Julian’s an honest character.  Read this one! 🙂

Jul24

Summer Reading: Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie

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Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie by Julie Sternberg.  Illustrated by Matthew Cordell (@cordellmatthew). Realistic Fiction.

http://www.juliesternberg.com/pickle.html

Eleanor’s awful August begins with the devastating news that Bibi, her babysitter, is moving far away.  After Bibi leaves, everything reminds her of Bibi and makes her sad.  Eleanor wonders how her life will ever be the same.

Themes/Content: Babysitters, friendship, change, family, coping, loss, novels in prose, first person

Recommended for: Primary grades, students with friends/relatives moving away, introducing prose novels

My Two Cents:  This is a short, sweet book that makes the reader realize that the magnitude of a problem is in the eye of the beholder.  To an adult, a friend moving away may seem like a minor loss compared to other situations, but to a third grader this is a great tragedy.  Eleanor’s new babysitter handles the situation with compassion, not trying to step into Bibi’s shoes, but finding her own path into Eleanor’s heart.

Although the novel is written in free verse, there is not a lot of figurative language.  This might be a good way to introduce free verse because the text is so direct.   Cordell’s illustrations are on nearly every page and work well to draw attention to specific lines of the text.  As much as I don’t like to stereotype a book, I think that this book will probably appeal more to girls than boys, and therefore might not be the best choice for a read aloud.

Similar/Paired Books in EHUE Library:

  • Bowe, Julie. My last best friend. New York: Scholastic, 2007. Print.
  • Bryant, Annie. Bad news/good news. New York: Aladdin Mix, 2008. Print.
  • Cabot, Meg. Moving day /#1. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. Print.
  • Carbone, Elisa L. Starting school with an enemy. New York: Knopf, 1998. Print.
  • Danziger, Paula. Amber Brown is not a crayon. New York: Putnam’s, 1994. Print.
  • Krishnaswami, Uma. The grand plan to fix everything. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011. Print.
  • Mattox, Wendy A. Babysitting skills : traits and training for success. Mankato, Minn.: Capstone Press, 2007. Print.
  • Sternberg, Julie. Like bug juice on a burger. 2013. Print.

Favorite Quote:

“Natalie saw a plastic grocery bag,

hanging from the branch of  a tree, swaying.

‘like a magnolia,’ she said.

‘A plastic grocery bag magnolia.'”

Final Word: Cute for the right audience.  😐

Jul21

Summer Reading: Hold Fast

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Hold Fast by Blue Balliett.  (@BlueBalliett) Realistic Fiction/Mystery

http://www.blueballiettbooks.com/holdfast.html

Early Pearl and her family dream of one day owning a home of their own.  Their plans are crimped however, when her father mysteriously disappears, and her apartment is ransacked and robbed.  She, her mother, Sum, and brother, Jubie, have no choice but to seek refuge at a homeless shelter.

Themes/Content: Family, home, homelessness, Langston Hughes, poetry, onomatopoeia, figurative language, etymology, vocabulary, quotes, libraries, theft, shelters, rhythm, writing, writer’s craft, text features

Recommended for: Grades 5 and up.  Learning about the plight of the homeless, learning about figurative language, teaching poetry, students who love a good mystery, discussing words and word origins, students who like books with some drama, read aloud

My Two Cents:  Donalyn Miller (@donalynbooks) writes, “How would children see reading differently if we taught language arts as an art appreciation class?”  Blue Balliett has created a masterful work of art filled with the commitment and courage, repetition and rhythm.  From the very first pages I wanted the Pearl family to find their dream.  They are such strong and loving family, with intelligent and compassionate parents who are providing the best for their children even though they can afford very few “material things.” They have a plan, and they hold each other up as they work toward putting that plan into action.  When Dash disappears and their home is robbed the family is shocked and devastated.  This family holds fast to each other as they persevere and face the toughest challenges they could imagine.

Balliett deftly crafts this story.  She draws on the poetry and rhythms of Langston Hughes in several ways.  Hughes writing provides the Pearls their smooth soulful voices.  Every conversation is poetry.  Hughes’ poetry and writing also play a significant role in the mystery of Dash’s disappearance. Balliett does a brilliant job of weaving the story with word play and figurative language.  Words are tossed and twisted and taken apart.  You’ll have blast finding those gems.

This book would make a great dramatic read aloud.

Similar/Paired books from EHUE Library:

  • Bauer, Joan. Almost home. New York: Viking, 2012. Print.
  • Bunting, Eve. Fly away home. New York: Clarion Books, 1991. Print.
  • Burleigh, Robert. Langston’s train ride. New York: Orchard Books, 2004. Print.
  • Carlson, Natalie S. The family under the bridge. New York: Harper/Trophy, 1958. Print.
  • Clements, Andrew. Room one : a mystery or two. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2006. Print.
  • Cooper, Floyd. Coming home : from the life of Langston Hughes. New York: Putnam & Grosset, 1998. Print.
  • DiCamillo, Kate. Great joy. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2007. Print.
  • Hughes, Langston. The dream keeper and other poems : including seven additional poems. New York: Knopf, 1994. Print.
  • Langston Hughes. New York: Sterling Pub., 2006. Print.
  • Lewis, Barbara A. The kid’s guide to service projects : over 500 service ideas for young people who want to make a difference. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Pub., 2009. Print.
  • O’Connor, Barbara. How to steal a dog : a novel. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. Print.
  • Perdomo, Willie. Visiting Langston. New York: H. Holt, 2002. Print.
  • Perkovich, Olugbemisola R. 8th grade superzero. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2010. Print.

Favorite Quote: “Reading is a tool no one can take away.  A million bad things may happen in life and it’ll still be with you, like a flashlight that never needs a battery.  Reading can offer a crack of light on the blackest of nights.”  (Balliett, Blue. Hold fast. New York: Scholastic Press, 2013. 166. Print.)

The Final Word(s): Wow-ow! Read it! 😀