Den of Thieves by Julia Golding

DISCUSSION GUIDE

Discussion Questions:

1. Throughout the novel, keep a chart or discussion thread based on the reading strategy SCAMPER - see graphic organizer below

• Setting - keep track of the setting and consider how both time and place affect the plot.
  • For instance, how would this story be different if it took place today? In Africa instead of Europe?
  • Why do you think authors often choose to set novels during times of momentous events or change?
  • Compare/contrast descriptions of Cat's hometown London and Paris. See example below. Use text evidence to support your comparison. These cities and the culture within them play an important role in the novel. Could you make the argument that the cities are also characters in the novel?
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  • There is also a comparison of city vs. country in the novel. What are the pros and cons of living in the city according to Cat? the country? Do you agree/disagree? Why?

• Character - Cat has a lot of friends and enemies in this novel, most of whom are male. Make a chart of all the men/boys in Cat's life and jot down characteristics of her relationship to them. See example below. Consider:
• What does Cat think of them? Use text evidence to support your answer
• What do they think of Cat?
• What motivates them?
• Are they similar to/different from Cat? How so?

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2. Extension Activities:

• Art:
  • make a cockade to support the French Revolution, find instructions at
  • create your own cover of the next installment of the "Tales of Cat of Drury Lane" using the following examples from GoogleBooks and the example on p. 111.
    • 
      
• Dance:
  • go to a ballet performance or have ballet instruction brought to the library,
  • have ballet students visit and present/interview.
  • read articles -
  • read graphic novel -
• Theater: Cat is a child of the theater, and on the pages just before the Prologue, she has named the principal characters in the play that is her life.
  • Take one scene from the story and turn it into a script (either one to be acted or a Reader's Theater script) and perform. Think about how writing a script is different from writing a novel. What changes? What remains the same?
  • Here are some resources on script writing:
    • 
      
• History:
  • Research the French Revolution. How is it similar to/different from the American Revolution?
• Language Arts:
  • Write a letter as if you were JF in answer to Cat's on pp. 411-413
  • Invite a French teacher or native speaker of French to give a lesson or two on the French language
  • Join an epals group with students from Paris to learn about the language and culture
• Culinary Arts:
  • In the novel, JF was quite a good cook. Research French recipes from the time of the Revolution and have a French feast - cook recipes and enjoy a potluck. Compile recipes into a "Cat's Cookbook."

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Book Review: THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Kelly, Jacqueline. 2009. THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.

AWARDS/KUDOS: GMA's Best Books for Summer Reading, Amazon.com Best Books of 2009...so far.

FAN SITE: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Evolution-of-Calpurnia-Tate/90270728036?v=feed Give the author your ideas for a sequel!

PLOT SUMMARY:
In central Texas in 1899, 11-year-old Callie Vee tate is instructed to be a lady by her mother, learns about love from the older three brothers, and studies the natural world with her grandfather, leading to an important discovery.


REFLECTIONS:
It is fitting that I would read THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE in the middle of a Central Texas summer heatwave, because the novel starts with a statement that is still true today, "By 1899, we had learned to tame the darkness but not the Texas heat." Sitting in the shade of a pecan tree reading the novel, I longed to be like Callie Vee, to strip down to my chemise, jump in the river, enjoy the cool water, becoming "a river cloud, turning gently in the eddies." With details such as the chemise and colorful dialect, author Jacqueline Kelly masterfully intertwines details revealing all that has changed in 100+ years, contrasting it with all that remains the same. Although THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE is a historical novel of central Texas, it is also a timeless story of growing up and self-discovery.

What has changed is the technology; in the novel, Callie Vee's family gets a "wind machine," the town gets a telephone, and an automobile arrives at the county fair. This new technology and the dawn of a new century brings a shift in ideas about what roles men and women should play in society. What hasn't changed is the mix of excitement and trepidation that comes with growing up: recognizing first love, finding out what interests you, discovering that friends and family grow apart, learning to be more independent, and realizing that society may have expectations of you that you may need to challenge. It turns out, for instance, with hilarious complications, that three of Callie's brothers are sweet on her best friend, who seems more fit for romance than the science-loving protagonist, accelerating her own quest to figure out where she fits in the brave new world. Fortunately for Calpernia Virginia Tate, during this hot summer on the verge of a new milennium, she also discovers a kindred spirit and a strong ally in her grandfather.

For anyone who has had a special relationship with a grandparent or extended family member, THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE will ring so true that you'll find yourself setting the book down to reminisce and your heart will fill with even more love for that person. On one of their first nature walks together, Callie Vee and her grandfather are still trying to negotiate the uncharted territory of their newfound friendship when she takes his hand for support. "I...slipped my hand into his. The palm was calloused and weathered, the nails thick and curved, a miraculous construction of leather and horn. My grandfather looked startled, then pleased, I think, although I couldn't tell for sure. Nevertheless, his hand closed on mine."

It is in the relationship with Captain Tate, Callie Vee's grandfather that the novel takes on an unusual character, in that it describes in detail, how to be a naturalist and scientist. As with the historical and setting-specific details, the author has a light touch, so that the reader doesn't feel that he or she is being lectured to about the scientific method, but rather that, like Callie Vee, we are soaking up all the wisdom that grandfather can impart. As she begins to observe the natural world more closely, her family also comes into sharper focus, and Callie Vee ends the year much wiser and happier than she started the summer.

I won't give away the great discoveries that the pair make both in science and life, but the reading public has discovered an entertaining and thoughtful new voice in Jacqueline Kennedy. Her own expertise in science (she is a physician in Austin), I think, aids in the naturalness of the description in the novel, and her wry humor often transcends the young adult genre, so that I think both young adults and adults alike would enjoy the book. As a girl, I loved Little House on the Prarie, and THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE reminded me of it to the extent that Callie's voice is so entertaining, and that all the characters are strongly drawn that I hope she will write a sequel. I'd like to know whether Harry goes to university or ditches it all for the lovely Fern, whether Lula does indeed fall for one of Callie's brothers, whether grandfather gets to ride in an automobile after all, and whether Callie can check off any of her New Year's resolutions.

So, although THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE is a historical novel, it transcends its setting, revealing a timeless character in Callie Vee, whose sense of humor and good-hearted gumption will leave you wanting more. Bring on the sequel!

CONNECTIONS:
*General: This would be a fantastic book for an all-city One Book or community read. It would appeal to young adults, upper elementary, and adults alike, especially those of us who live in or have lived in rural Texas communities.
*Science and Critical Thinking: The descriptions of Texas wildlife and the scientific method lend themselves to reading the book aloud (in particular the passage beginning on p. 103 which describes collecting and looking at pond water through a microscope, taking detailed notes, then researching in the library), and then conducting field research around the school. A good companion book would be FROG SCIENTIST which details Dr. Tyrone Hayes and his students studying frogs in the field.
*Social Studies and Critical Thinking: This book is packed with anecdotes from Texas History - from the description of Austin in 1899, to a story about a bat caught in a battle along the Sabine River (p.40), along with the well-researched details of daily life in Texas at that time. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the cotton harvest and gin (p. 197), and it would be great to take 7th grade students out to Burton, TX to see the running of the oldest operational cotton gin in America. See http://www.cottonginfestival.com/ for more information.

Book Review: IF THE WITNESS LIED
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Cooney, Caroline B. 2009. IF THE WITNESS LIED. New York, NY: Random House Children’s Books.

2. PLOT SUMMARY:
The four Fountain children are orphans. First, their mother dies of cancer shortly after the birth of her fourth child, Tris, and because she chose to have the baby rather than chemo, Tris’s birth becomes a media flashpoint. Then, soon after the mother’s death, the father is killed in a freak accident by Tris, turning the toddler into an even bigger headline. But with the family disintegrating and the children’s guardian selling the story to make a docudrama, the three older siblings don’t know who to trust or how to protect little Tris from the true evil lurking in their lives.

3. REFLECTIONS:
Caroline B. Cooney, famed author of THE FACE ON THE MILK CARTON, has penned another tightly packed thriller in this realistic drama. Somehow, she has managed to create a story which both unwinds and winds up at the same time. By offering different perspectives on the Fountain family’s tragedies (each sibling, the siblings’ friends, Tris’s babysitter, school officials, and the media) details of both the mother’s slow death during her pregnancy with Tris, and the sudden death of Tris’s father in a freak accident, unwind the story which has been twisted by TV, and each brother or sister’s feelings of guilt. At the same time, Tris’s two sisters, Madison and Smith, and brother Jack become bound more and more tightly by the realization that their “Aunt” Cheryl has not only sold their story to a TV show intent on presenting it as a “docudrama,” but also may have killed their father, then lied about it to make Tris caused the accident.

A master storyteller, Cooney winds up the tension as the three kids, along with their friend and Tris’s babysitter try to solve the crime while protecting Tris from the TV spotlight and “Aunt” Cheryl. I found myself rooting right along with “Team Tris” as they call themselves, and trying to figure out how four high school kids could possibly thwart an evil adult who has legal custody of the family and evade the media at the same time. By the end, the book is impossible to put down, and although some critics have lamented that the title gives away Aunt Cheryl’s crime and that the ending is a bit too tidy, this isn’t really a mystery, but rather a thriller, so the question isn’t what did the aunt do, but why and how can the kids prove it. As far as the tidy ending is concerned, the entire novel hints at divine intervention – the fact that Tris’s two older sisters decide to come home on the same day, and that Jack decides to cut school and go home, fearing that Cheryl will throw out treasured possessions that belonged to the parents – possessions which ultimately the aunt’s true crimes. Each sibling wonders at some point if the parents are trying to send them a message, and an underlying theme of the book is faith, so when the grandparents show up at the end to help save the day, it may just be another example of heavenly help.

Regardless, IF THE WITNESS LIED is more about the strength of family and friends, healing and trust, and less about a crime and how it’s solved, so inconsistencies and tidy resolutions can be, in my opinion, dismissed. The novel also brings up many ethical questions about the role of the media in the lives of ordinary people who have suffered a tragedy. Reading IF THE WITNESS LIED during the coverage and frenzy surrounding the early passing of Michael Jackson led me to think again and again of his children and how they will manage to heal under the seemingly insatiable public eye. Hopefully, young adults who read the novel will come away having been entertained, but also with empathy for those who end up front page news.
IF THE WITNESS LIED will appeal to anyone who enjoys realistic thrillers/dramas, such as April Henry’s SHOCKPOINT, Sarah Dessen’s novels, or THE BLUFORD HIGH series.


4. CONNECTIONS:
*Science and Critical Thinking: While reading the book, students could chart the clues and use a series such as 24/7: Science Behind the Scenes Forensic Files to write a continuation of the story, building a legal case against “Aunt” Cheryl with the evidence found by the characters in IF THE WITNESS LIED.

*ELA and Critical Thinking: IF THE WITNESS LIED brings up a bevy of questions about the ethics of media coverage and the rights of minors. After brainstorming the questions raised by the novel, students could form teams and research issues such as who gets custody of children after the death of parents, at what age should a sibling be allowed to become guardian of a younger sibling, what laws could protect minors from unscrupulous guardians, how can minors be protected from invasive media coverage, what should/shouldn’t the media cover, etc. The topics could then be discussed in terms of pros and cons and the class could engage in a debate. It would be an excellent way to get students to use text/factual evidence to support opinions.

Book Review: PETRONELLA SAVES NEARLY EVERYONE
Book One in the series: The Entomological Tales of Augustus T. Percival
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Low, Dene. 2009. PETRONELLA SAVES NEARLY EVERYONE: ENTOMOLOGICAL TALES OF AUGUSTUS T. PERCIVAL. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

2. PLOT SUMMARY:
16-year-old upper-class English girl Petronella Arbuthnot only has thoughts of her coming out party and her best friend Jane’s dreamy older brother James, when her whole world is turned upside down by a double kidnapping, ransom notes, and the strange bug-eating behavior of her uncle and guardian, Augustus T. Percival. What ensues is a wonderful romp through British manners and mores as Petronella, her friends, her uncle, assorted relatives, and even her butler attempt to apprehend the kidnappers, avoid an international incident, and save the day.

3. REFLECTIONS:
Mysteries are not normally my genre, but PETRONELLA SAVES NEARLY EVERYONE is charming, funny, and filled with enough non-stop action that any reader who enjoys a spunky heroine will love it. Set in Victorian England, the mystery pokes good-natured fun at the manners and mores of the British, while touching on historical events such as the building of the Panama Canal, the invention of the telephone, and the discovery that mosquitoes carried yellow fever and malaria.

Having lived in England during my own middle school years, I enjoyed the setting and the dialogue immensely. The author captures the dialect of both the upper and lower classes well. For instance, the thoroughly aristocratic love interest James has a penchant for calling people “old egg” and “old stick” and teasing the main character by saying, “…you have said nothing about my hirsute splendor. Your curls, by the way, are ravishing, and if I were not currently enamored of a chit playing the part of Isabelle in the West End, I would be in danger of losing my heart.” (p.10) Other characters, such as a street vendor, speak with a heavy Cockney accent, remarking to Petronella, “Laws, no, dearie. Sorry to say, I ain’t seen no one like that. ‘Ope you finds ‘im, I do.” Petronella’s own narration is as funny and astute as any of the characters’, and readers who enjoy witty wordplay will find themselves chuckling out loud.

PETRONELLA SAVES NEARLY EVERYONE isn’t simply a historical mystery, however. Much like Meg Cabot’s series THE MEDIATOR, author Dene Low deftly weaves humor and romance into the story, making it at once a fun and “frothy” romp (in the words of reviewer Caroline Severmer) that many of the middle grade girls who crave smart romance without the mean girls and gossip of other series will enjoy.

Sadly, while Petronella saves nearly everyone (you’ll have to read to find out why only nearly everyone is saved), she doesn’t get the boy, James, although there is enough handholding, accidental embracing, and eye-gazing to give us all hope that in the books to come the mystery and romance will only increase!

4. CONNECTIONS:
*Science: As an “entomological tale,” the novel introduces many fascinating facts about bugs, the first of which is that bugs are regularly eaten in some cultures, and sometimes by unsuspecting British uncles! It would be great to pair the novel with IT’S DISGUSTING AND WE ATE IT by James Solheim.

This short nonfiction title has eye-catching illustrations and tells the history of strange things eaten by cultures around the world. (Thank you to Cheri Cowart for donating a copy to the TMS library!) In addition, science teachers could incorporate a webquest or even field trip (if in the Austin, Texas area) of the Texas Natural Science Museum’s exhibit “Winged Wonders” which explains not only the science of winged flight, but also how insects produce the beautiful and diverse colors we see on their wings. (http://www.utexas.edu/tmm/exhibits/winged_wonders/index.html)

Book Review: THE KILLING SEA

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Lewis, Richard. 2006. THE KILLING SEA. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

2. PLOT SUMMARY:
In the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in Sumatra, two teenagers, American Sara and Acehnese Ruslan, meet and continue together their arduous climb inland, where Ruslan hopes to find his father and sarah seeks a doctor for her brother.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

On one level, I dreaded reading this book. On another, I knew that, as a Junior Library Guild pick, the novel would be well-written, but each time I tried to pick it up, images of the 2004 tsunami flashed in my head. Well, I shouldn't have hesitated; THE KILLING SEA is a wonderful novel filled with love, friendship, courage, family, and yes, tragedy. Author Richard Lewis doesn't spare the reader realistic descriptions of the death and destruction wrought by the tsunami, but he weaves it into such a story of love and survival, that the overall sense is one of love and hope.

At the story's beginning, Sarah and Ruslan meet, and this encounter clearly highlights how completely different their worlds are. Soon their paths part, with each one's story being told in alternating chapters. This allows us to get to know both Sarah and Ruslan, their talents, weaknesses, dreams and fears. By the time they find each other again in the aftermath of the disaster, their worlds have changed, and they now live in an unimaginable place of death and danger. As Ruslan's faith in God is tested, Sarah's faith in family is renewed, and both find comfort in each other's strength. Their friendship and will to survive will leave you laughing and crying in turns.

I recommend this novel for anyone who likes adventure, survival stories, or stories of family and friendship. If you liked HATCHET or THE SHE, you'll like THE KILLING SEA.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S):
BOOKLIST: Drawing from his own experience as a rescue worker, Lewis creates a powerful fictional tale of survival and cooperation in the wake of the 2004 tsunami that killed nearly a quarter of a million people and devastated much of the Southeast Asian coastline....Although many of Lewis' descriptions are horrifyingly vivid, Ruslan's resilience and Sarah's emotional numbness will give readers some shielding.

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: The author treats cultural differences with a gentle and honest touch. He also creates a vivid picture of the many horrors and challenges faced in the immediate aftermath of a large-scale natural disaster. Despite drawbacks, this book will appeal to fans of survival adventures like Gary Paulsen's Hatchet

5. CONNECTIONS
* 7th Grade SCIENCE - This novel, along with Plum-Ucci's THE SHE have sections that would be great read-alouds when studying earthquakes and tsunamis. The dramatic retelling of what happens would help students visualize the physical process. (pp. 18-42)

* 6th Grade SOCIAL STUDIES - Indonesia is not only a country torn apart by a natural disaster, but also one which is torn apart by a civil war fought by a dictatorial military government and rebel armies. THE KILLING SEA addresses both, along with the customs of the country's Muslim people. This novel would be an outstanding read-aloud while studying Indonesia.

* 6th-8th ELA - Structurally, THE KILLING SEA makes a good example of telling a story by starting with two main characters together, then splitting them in two by using alternating chapters, and bringing them together just before the climax and resolution. It is realistic fiction that also shows the importance of research. There are some really good examples of how to weave factual information (pp. 12-15, 32, 58-59 about tsunamis, the ocean, and leeches) into a fictional piece.

Book Review: PARANOID PARK

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Nelson, Blake. PARANOID PARK. 2006. New York, NY: Viking Juvenile.

2. PLOT SUMMARY:
A 16-year-old skater knows he's taking a risk in going to Paranoid Park, a tough unofficial street skating "park" on the bad side of town, but he never thinks the night will end in murder. When it does, he keeps it secret, but, as a result, his life begins to unravel.

3. REFLECTIONS:
This is a gritty novel which is recommended by the School Library Journal for 7th grade and up. Nelson's first-person narrator is completely believable, and I spent the whole novel feeling depressed and tense as I sympathized with him.

As my students all know, "Mrs. K" likes fantasy more than realistic fiction, so I can't say that I enjoyed the novel, but I would recommend this title to those who like to read books that tend to be darker and more soul-searching. If you like Edgar Allen Poe or Dostoevsky, PARANOID PARK may scratch the morbid little itch that's been bothering you.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S):
Booklist: "Readers will have a visceral reaction to this story, but on a literary level, they'll also appreciate Nelson's clever plotting and spot-on characterizations...Nonstop page turning until the surprising conclusion."

School Library Journal: " Thus, this novel, which probes the cultural divide separating the narrator from the rough-and-tumble Streeters, examines the chasm separating moral responsibility from the eternal damnation of keeping a horrible secret. The story is less resolved than Michael Cadnum's Calling Home (Viking, 1991), but many teens will relate on one level or another to this teen's terrible dilemma."

5. CONNECTIONS
*This would pair well with classics such as CRIME AND PUNISHMENT by Dostoevsky or CALLING HOME by Michael Cadnum.
* This novel also deals with the alienation caused by divorce and would be a good choice for a literature group discussion of alienation, divorce, or moral dilemmas.

Book Review: GABRIEL'S HORSES and GABRIEL'S TRIUMPH

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Hart, Alison. GABRIEL'S HORSES. 2007. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishers.

2. PLOT SUMMARY:
12-year-old Gabriel lives as a slave on a plantation in Kentucky during the Civil War. While Gabriel's father fights to buy his mother's freedom, Gabriel hopes to use his skill riding horses to win enough money to buy his own freedom, too. But when the plantation owner hires a new horse trainer who is cruel to both slaves and horses alike, he sees his dream dying. Will he have the courage to risk his life by standing up for himself and his horses?

3. REFLECTIONS:
The first two novels of this trilogy are fast-paced, short, and very well researched. Considering the slim size of the books, the author manages to pack in a lot of historical material about slaves, the civil war, and the Kentucky horse racing tradition without slowing down the plot or bogging down the lively characters.

I read each novel in less than six hours (I know this, because I read them during a road trip of about that length!) and the endearing character of Gabriel captured my imagination so much that not only didn't I get car sick, but I couldn't help but tear up at the end of the book! Hart does a wonderful job of creating dialect which is at once of the period and very believable. The conversation between characters flows naturally, and the descriptions of the races were riveting.

GABRIEL'S HORSES and GABRIEL'S TRIUMPH will appeal to all level of readers, both advanced and reluctant, and will have special appeal to young adults who enjoy reading about horses, the Civil War, and African-American history.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S):
Booklist: "The boy's first-person, present-tense narrative brings close the thrilling horse racing––on the plantation, at the race course, and in the war––and the African American history in all its complexity."

School Library Journal: "The author grounds this fast-paced tale in historical fact by providing a nonfiction epilogue. Readers will find this wonderful blend of history and horses appealing."

5. CONNECTIONS
* At Taylor Middle School, 8th grade students study the Civil War in both ELA and Social Studies classes. This novel would be great to read as a class novel or part of a literature circle.
* In the month of February, we celebrate Black History Month, and this series would be a welcome addition to a display of books by and about African-Americans.

Book Review: THE BURN JOURNALS
*Note: this blog was created for a class at TWU

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Runyon, Brent. 2005. THE BURN JOURNALS. New York, NY: Random House Books.

2. PLOT SUMMARY:
Brent Runyon's memoir describes the year he attempted suicide by setting himself on fire from the depression he felt in the days leading up to it, to the excruciating months of hospitalization and physical therapy he underwent until he was able to return to public school.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
THE BURN JOURNALS are shocking, demoralizing, and beautiful all at once. Runyon begins his memoir with the day leading up to his suicide attempt, and the prose reveals a smart, funny, popular kid, who is deeply anxious and depressed about his life and actions. Like his family and friends, the reader is shocked when he pours gasoline on himself and lights it on fire. When he wakes up in the hospital, the prose is short, painfully broken, reflecting his physical state, and I found myself holding my breath, concerned that he wouldn't make it.

As Runyon begins to heal, his entries slowly regain some humor, but it isn't until almost three quarters of the way into THE BURN JOURNALS that he really begins to deal with the depression and guilt he feels for putting his family through everything. The fact that the journals don't try to have the pacing of a Disney movie is one of the aspects that keeps the memoir honest. Brent isn't always insightful or grateful to be alive. He's sometimes petty and stubborn, and fails to recognize how much his life and his family's life have changed as a result of "the accident."

Although at the end of the memoir, Brent is just beginning to attend public school again, and will face many challenges in the future, THE BURN JOURNALS leave the reader with a sense of hope for Brent's future, and a profound respect for his will to survive. At the end of the book, Brent thanks his editor for keeping him honest, and for forcing him to write the book. He also advises anyone who is depressed to get help and admits that depression is something with which he will always struggle. The website http://www.burnjournals.com/content.htmlhas resources for those with depression and who may be considering suicide as well as a photo gallery and information about what Brent is doing now.

THE BURN JOURNALS have been banned in some schools, and while we don't have it in our middle school library, it is available at the high school, and I have recommended it to 8th grade students on an individual basis. Sometimes it is compared with RUNNING WITH SCISSORS, a book which I felt contained a lot of details intended purely for shock value, and I wondered if parts had been exaggerated. In my opinion, THE BURN JOURNALS have much more merit, and should not be put in the same category.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S):
Booklist (starred review): "Runyon has, perhaps, written the defining book of a new genre, one that gazes as unflinchingly at boys on the emotional edge as Zibby O'Neal's The Language of Goldfish (1980) and Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak (1999) do at girls. Some excruciatingly painful moments notwithstanding, this can and should be read by young adults, as much for its literary merit as for its authentic perspective on what it means to attempt suicide, and, despite the resulting scars, be unable to remember why."

5. CONNECTIONS
* This book could be paired with FIREGIRL by Tony Abbott, which compassionately describes the (fictional) experience of a boy who befriends Jessica, a new girl in school who has been badly burned in an accident. The two books together reveal the effects of such a tragedy from different perspectives.

Book Review: ELSEWHERE
*Note: this blog was created for a class at TWU

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Zevin, Gabrielle. 2005. ELSEWHERE. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

2. PLOT SUMMARY:
Fifteen-year-old Liz Hall just wants to be invited to the prom and get her driver's permit, but when she is hit by a taxi and killed, sending her "elsewhere," to a place both like and unlike Earth where the dead grow younger every year until they return as babies to begin a new life, she must learn how to "live" all over again.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
This is, by far, the most difficult analysis of all the books I've read this semester. Why? Because, unlike the reviewers, I only kind of liked the book, and yet I can't put my finger on why. So, let me start by talking about two books which I liked better, and which came to mind while I was reading ELSEWHERE.

One is a slim novel by Gary Soto entitled THE AFTERLIFE. There are two immediate reasons why I prefer this novel to ELSEWHERE. First, the voice of the protagonist, Chuy, is distinct, clear, and intriguing. He peppers his conversation with Spanish, he reveals more curiosity, and offers more humor. Second, Chuy explores the afterlife more actively and expresses a lot more love and forgiveness. Although he may have taken a lot for granted while he was living, he's a lot less selfish than Liz. And although some critics have called Zevin's prose poetic, Gary Soto is the master of the beautiful phrase ("the sun rose pink as a scar" and "laundry hung like faded flags of defeated nations") Soto's story has been criticized for not really have a strong plot structure, but I think that was inevitable if you've got a character who can't really dictate where he is going. ELSEWHERE bogs down in a similar way, but I still enjoyed THE AFTERLIFE more, maybe because it is shorter?

The second is THE LIFE OF PI by Yann Martel. While it's true that Pi doesn't die in the novel, the world which he knew before being stranded in the ocean certainly did. Like Liz, he loses everything and everyone he knew, but unlike Liz, he has a much more unique voice, an incredible imagination, and a ton of faith. Martel really delved into the philosophical implications of life, death, faith, and fate, and didn't just use the afterlife as a neato setting for a romance novel.

ELSEWHERE on the other hand, has a petulant, flat, boring protagonist, who, while bemoaning the mundane nature of her life on Earth, her funeral, her last words (that was pretty funny, that her last word was "Um," - and maybe that's the point and a sum of her character), she still couldn't break out of her pettiness to embrace things like her grandmother's unusual wardrobe. Just as Liz found Elsewhere boring, I found that I was bored and couldn't really get myself to care what she learned in the afterlife.

Nor do I think ELSEWHERE was as "fresh" and "inventive" as it was touted. There are lots of books, not to mention soap operas that use the afterlife, the spirit world, purgatory, heaven, or hell as a setting. (I remember one whole season of General Hospital in which purgatory played an important role.) And although the whole Canine language thing was my favorite part because the dogs had the strongest voices of all the characters in the book, that's not a new idea either (FIRESTORM, HARRY POTTER, just to name a couple).

Sorry to be so personal, but I was truly disappointed in ELSEWHERE because I liked the premise so much!

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S):
Booklist (starred review): "Far more than just a vehicle for a cosmology, this inventive novel slices right to the bone of human yearning, offering up an indelible vision of life and death as equally rich sides of the same coin."

Horn Book (starred review): "With an intriguing and well-developed premise, thoughtful characterization, and refreshing style, Zevin's poignant novel rewards readers with a view of death that celebrates the rich complexities of being alive."

5. CONNECTIONS
* Compare the narrator's view of life and death with that of Chuy in THE AFTERLIFE and Susie in THE LOVELY BONES.

Book Review: HITLER YOUTH
*Note: this blog was created for a class at TWU

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2005. HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER'S SHADOW. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

2. PLOT SUMMARY:
Through research, eyewitness interviews, anecdotal accounts, and photographs, Susan Campbell Bartoletti reveals the story of the young people who lived through Nazi rule, whether as Hitler Youth, Resistance Swing Youth, soldiers, or prisoners.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
In the Author's Note at the end of HITLER YOUTH, Susan Campbell Bartoletti explains the impetus for the book. After reading an article about how the Nazis "rode to power on the shoulders of politically active youth," her heart turned over and she wondered about these young people. Were they willing participants, brainwashed victims, or something in-between?

These questions led her on a journey to Washington, DC, Berlin, and Nuremburg. Bartoletti's research, interviewing, and reflecting took two years, and in the end, she wrote a book which she says is her "attempt to make sense out of the fact that adults taught young people to hate, to kill, and to feel superior over others. After all, the Hitler Youth weren't born Nazis; they became Nazis." As she says, the stories in HITLER YOUTH are complicated and they include the stories of "Aryans and Jews, devoted Nazis and Nazi resisters, leaders and followers, oppressors and victims."

HITLER YOUTH isn't easy to read, but the stories in it are told so honestly, and so openly that they really do make your heart turn over. Like Russell Freedman in his biography of Marian Anderson, Bartoletti doesn't start with a chronological history of Nazi Youth organizations, but with a snapshot of one incident, the murder of Hitler Youth Herbert Norkus at the hands of the Reds, a gang of Communist boys. Anyone who has ever run from bullies instantly knows how Herbert must have felt when running from the Reds. By personalizing the story of German youths, the author allows the reader to feel empathy for them. This empathy is necessary later, when the hate-filled acts condoned and even perpetrated by these youth are described. Yes, many were brainwashed and others were terribly afraid, but many were also swept up by the nationalism and charisma of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Yet it wasn't all hate, either. Bartoletti depicts the fun and adventure that many enjoyed at the youth camps, showing smiling campers, boys with accordions, and girls dancing. She also describes the combat conditions the young soldiers and medics endured. And finally, the author describes life after the war, including the deNazification process and punishment many of the youth went through.

Reading the accounts is emotionally wrenching, and would not be complete without also reading the Epilogue, in which we learn what became of the young people featured in HITLER YOUTH. Like their stories, their fates were diverse, some wrote books about their experiences, others have difficulty talking about them, some bear guilt over telling on parents and family members even as adults, and still others did not survive the war, leaving only their stories behind.

HITLER YOUTH was a Newbery, Orbis Pictus, and Sibert Honor book, and the 2005 Parents' Gold Choice Award winner. This book is a must read for everyone, because it is a lesson in forgiveness and a reminder to be constantly vigilant against the insidious ways in which hate can creep into our lives.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S):
School Library Journal (starred review): "The final chapter superbly summarizes the weighty significance of this part of the 20th century and challenges young readers to prevent history from repeating itself. 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."

Booklist (starred review): "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."

5. CONNECTIONS
* HITLER YOUTH has many social studies curriculum connections. At our middle school, students complete an interdisciplinary study of Holocaust in 8th grade social studies and read THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK in language arts class. This book would be a great addition to the reading list for the Holocaust unit along with novels such as THE BOOK THIEF by Marcus Zusak, DANIEL HALF-HUMAN by David Chotjewitz, MILKWEED by Jerry Spinelli, NUMBER THE STARS by Lois Lowry, and SOLDIER X by Don Wulffson, and would be an option for readers who prefer nonfiction to fiction.