The Graveyard Book

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Gaiman, Neil; with illustrations by Dave McKean. The Graveyard Book. New York, NY: Harper Collins  Publishers, 2008.

PLOT SUMMARY:
Bod,  a parent less baby, crawls into the most unlikely place, an ancient graveyard. Bod's innocence enables him to be raised in this unlikely atmosphere by Mr. and Mrs. Owens, his transparent (ghost) adoptive parents.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Neil Gaiman introduces the air of mystery with the first sentence, "There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife." With this single statement, accompanied by a menacing ink-wash painting, Neil Gaiman  mysterious story begins. Mr. Gaiman writes with dark overtones and incredible innovation. He takes an unlikely setting, a graveyard, and creates a haven for a baby, who by crawling, escapes a tragic fate. A child raised by ghost? The idea of a child being raised in a cemetery surrounded by well meaning ghosts seems unbelievable. Author, Neil Gaiman, challenges the stereotyping of ghost and cemeteries creating a quaint believable world within the ancient iron fence. Gaiman's writing becomes reality. This one of a kind community is far from cliche and morose. The reader is cleverly immersed into a fascinating story about a young man, in very unusual circumstances, coming of age and solving the uncertainty of his identity. The unusual group of adoptive parents, with the assistance from the oddly strange Silas, provides all the protection and love Bod needs. Unfortunately, surrounding the ghostly "live" resident, besides tomb markers, is a looming cloud of danger from the menacing protagonist the" sleer". The battle between good versus evil anchors the plot and creates Bod's reality.

The Graveyard book is filled with humor and  unexpected twist. Holly Black, co-creator of The Spiderwick Chronicles, writes "You will love it to death". The characters, even those that are translucent, are full of color and depth. Mr. Gaiman redefines co-parenting. In this small world Bod finds great adventure, education, loved ones and allies to see him through whatever circumstances, living or deceased come his way. Bod experiences a full life among the spirits of the dead.



AWARDS WON AND REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booktrust Teenage Prize, 2009 Winner United Kingdom Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, 2009 Honor Book Fiction and Poetry United States
Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2008 Honorable Mention Best Novel for Young Readers That Adults Would Love If They Knew About It United States
Cybils, 2008 Winner Fantasy and Science Fiction (Middle Grade) United States
Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award, 2009 Winner United States
Indies Choice Book Award, 2009 Winner Best Indie Young Adult Buzz Book United States
John Newbery Medal, 2009 Winner United States
Locus Award, 2009 Winner Young Adult Book United States
Los Angeles Times Book Prize, 2008 Finalist Young Adult Literature United States
School Library Journal Battle of the (Kids') Books, 2009 Nominee United States

Nicola Turner (Children's Literature)
Gaiman, famous for his creepy and often scary tales, Coraline and The Wolves in the Wall, has created in his new novel something that is neither creepy nor scary, despite its chilling first chapter and spectral cast of characters. This is a story about the power of family--whatever form it takes--and the potential of a child who is raised with love and a sense of duty. Nobody Owens (Bod) is adopted by a couple of ghosts after narrowly escaping death at the hands of the mysterious man who murdered the rest of his family. After much debate, he is granted the “Freedom of the Graveyard” by its long dead inhabitants. His guardian, Silas, who is neither dead nor alive, brings him food and ensures he is educated in the ways of the dead and the living.
CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices 2009)

On the night his parents and sister were murdered in their beds, a young boy toddled out of his crib and home, and thereby avoided a similar fate. He wanders into the nearby cemetery, where long-dead Mr. and Mrs. Owens vow to adopt and raise him, although the other cemetery spirits are unsure about this plan. In a community meeting, Silas—the child’s soon-to-be mentor and guardian—states: “For good or for evil—and I firmly believe that it is for good—Mrs. Owens and her husband have taken this child under their protection. It is going to take more than just a couple of good-hearted souls to raise this child. It will . . . take a graveyard.”

CONNECTIONS:
Neil Gaiman Website

Additional Works
•Sandman: The Doll's House (1990)
•Lud-in-the-Mist (2002)
•Two Plays for Voices (2002)

Collections:
•Angels and Visitations: A Miscellany (1993)
•Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions (1998)
•Midnight Days (1999)
•Adventures in the Dream Trade (2002)
•Fragile Things: Short Fictions And Wonders (2006)

Anthologies:
•Digital Dreams (1990)
•Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Sixth Annual Collection, the (1992)
•Mammoth Book of Vampires, the (1992)
•Midnight Graffiti (1992)
•Snow White, Blood Red (1993)
•Tales of the White Wolf (1994)
•Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Seventh Annual Collection, the (1994)
•Shadows Over Innsmouth (1994)
•Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears (1995)
•Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Eighth Annual Collection, the (1995)
•David Copperfield's Beyond Imagination (1996)
•Random House Book of Fantasy Stories, the (1996)
•Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Ninth Annual Collection, the (1996)
•Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Tenth Annual Collection, the (1997
•Fortune Teller, the (1997)
•Love In Vein II (1997)
•Dark Terrors 3 (1997)
•Dark Terrors 4 (1998)
•In the Shadow of the Gargoyle (1998)
•Mammoth Book of Comic Fantasy, the (1998)
•Demon Sex (1998)
•Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers: Magical Tales of Love and Seduction (1998)
•Batman: Black and White (1999)
•999: New Stories of Horror and Suspense (1999)
•Silver Birch, Blood Moon (1999)
•Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Twelfth Annual Collection, the (1999)
•Bangs And Whimpers: Stories About the End of the World (1999)
•Murder Most Divine (2000)
•Black Heart, Ivory Bones (2000)
•Wolf at the Door, a (2000)
•Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Thirteenth Annual Collection, the (2000)
•Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Fourteenth Annual Collection, the (2001)
•Green Man, the: Tales from the Mythic Forest (2002)
•Horrible Beginnings (2003)
•McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales (2003)
•Poets' Grimm, the (2003)
•Legends II (2003)
•Shadows Over Baker Street (2003)
•Swan Sister (2003)
•Mojo: Conjure Stories (2003)
•Mammoth Book of Best New Horror: 14, the (2003)
•Gothic!: Ten Original Dark Tales (2004)
•New Magics (2004)
•Faery Reel, the (2004)
•Flights: Extreme Visions of Fantasy (2004)
•Science Fiction: The Best of 2003 (2004)
•Locus Awards: Thirty Years of the Best in Science Fiction and Fantasy, the (2004)
•Year's Best Fantasy 5 (2005)
•Fantasy: The Best of 2004 (2005)
•Nebula Awards Showcase 2005: The Year's Best SF and Fantasy Selected by the Science Fiction Writers of America (2005)
•Living Dead, the (2008)

Novels:
•Good Omens (1990)
•Neverwhere (1997)
•Stardust (1999)
•American Gods (2001)
•Anansi Boys (2005)
•Interworld (2007)
•Graveyard Book, the (2008)
•Odd and the Frost Giants (2008)

Poems:
•Song of the Audience, the (1993)
•Vampire Sestina (1993)
•White Road, the (1995)
•Sea Change, the (1995)
•Queen of Knives (1996)
•Reading the Entrails: A Rondel (1997)
•Desert Wind (1998)
•Going Wodwo (2002)

Short Stories:
•Case of Four and Twenty Blackbirds, the (1984)
•Looking for the Girl (1985)
•Nicholas Was... (1990)
•Virus (1990
•Midsummer Night's Dream, a (1990)
•Murder Mysteries (1992)
•Chivalry (1992)
•Troll Bridge (1993)
•We Can Get Them for You Wholesale (1993)
•Cold Colors (1993)
•Foreign Parts (1993)
•Mouse (1993)
•Babycakes (1993)
•Only the End of the World Again (1994)
•One Life, Furnished in Early Moorcock (1994)
•Snow, Glass, Apples (1995)
•Don't Ask Jack (1995)
•Goldfish Pool and Other Stories, the (1996)
•Daughter of Owls, the (1996)
•Sweeper of Dreams, the (1996)
•In the End (1996)
•Price, the (1997)
•Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch, the (1998)
•Shoggoth’s Old Peculiar (1998)
•Changes (1998)
•Bay Wolf (1998)
•When We Went to See the End of the World (by Dawn Morningside, age 11 1/4) (1998)
•Tastings (1998)
•How Do You Think It Feels? (1998)
•October in the Chair (2002)
•Study in Emerald, a (2003)

Graphic Novels:
•Violent Cases (1987)
•Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes (1990)
•Sandman: The Doll's House (1990)
•Black Orchid (1991)
•Sandman: Season of Mists (1992)
•Sandman: Dream Country (1992)
•Signal to Noise (1992)
•Sandman: A Game of You (1993)
•Death: The High Cost of Living (1993)
•Books of Magic, the (1993)
•Sandman: Fables and Reflections (1994)
•Sandman: Brief Lives (1994)
•Sandman: World's End (1995)
•Sandman: The Kindly Ones (1996)
•Sandman: The Wake (1997)
•Death: The Time of Your Life (1997)
•Sandman: The Dream Hunters (1999)
•Only the End of the World Again (2000)
•Last Temptation, the (2001)
•Harlequin Valentine (2001)
•Murder Mysteries (2002)
•Sandman: Endless Nights (2003)
•Creatures of the Night (2004)
•Marvel 1602 (2004)

Novellas:
•Coraline (2002)
•Monarch of the Glen, the (2003)

Picture Books:
•Mr. Punch (1994)
•Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, the (1996)
•Wolves in the Walls, the (2003)

Series:
•American Gods
•Elric of Melnibone
•Sandman
•Cthulhu Mythos
•Death of the Endless
•Fairy Tale Anthologies
•Murder Most
•Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
•Legends
•Mammoth Anthologies
•Chronicles of Magravandias, the
•Year's Best Fantasy (Eos)
•Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, the
•Dark Terrors
Images credited to:  Chaplin School and Neil Gaiman's Official Website

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Fantasy Book Review
LS 5603.20/Spring 2010
S. Vardell

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Kinney, Jeff. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. New York: Amulet Books, 2007.

PLOT SUMMARY:
Middle school student, Greg Heffley chronicles his year in a diary. He is trust into a new school where size is intimidating, especially if you are a "undersized weakling" like Greg Heffley. Kids lives are tough and Greg cannot seem to get a break. He deals with serious middle school social issues and his attempts; to be popular, continually backfire resulting in a long year.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a realistic depiction of the fear and insecurity felt by kids, all over the world on their first day in a new school. Humour draws young readers in. Kids find Greg's random situations "funny". He lives with his parents, overbearing big bother Rodrick and little brother Manny who can do no wrong. Greg is the quintessential middle child. His character, actions and challenges are relatable. He is stuck between the dopiest unpopular boys, has to wrestle with the kid who made up his own language, cannot get any attention from the girls and ends up with the dreaded "cheese touch" (known as the cooties). The diary is a place he can write things that must go unsaid, when you are a "wimpy" and trying to survive middle school. He torments his "best friend" Rowley by lying and playing cruel tricks. Despite all his attempts "to be somebody" he finds himself on the bottom rung of the social ladder. Greg's contrived efforts for attention backfire. Rowley, on the other hand, gets noticed and makes new friends being who he is. The "good" defeats the conniving and still Greg can not pinpoint the cause of his trouble. The author has created a low fantasy environment for this zany character and readers are with him, laughing, every step of the way.

Author Kinney is responsible for the format and illustration. He bridges the gap between the popular trend of graphic models and appropriate content for kids. His primitive cartoons paired with hand written script contribute to the whimsical story. Mr. Kinney is very clever and as a result creates a character and story that children want to visit again and again. With three more books in the "Wimpy Kid" series combined with the upcoming movie version, Greg, the "Wimpy Kid", has found a permanent place in children's literature.



AWARDS WON AND REVIEW EXCERPTS:
3 Apples Book Award, 2009 Winner Children New York
Borders Original Voices Award, 2007 Winner Young Adult/Independent Reader United States
Buckeye Children's Book Award, 2008 Winner Grades 3-5 Ohio
Children's Choice Book Award, 2008 Finalist Author of the Year United States
Colorado Children's Book Award, 2009 Winner Junior Books Colorado
Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2007 Honorable Mention Hottest Selling Book to Go Out of Stock United States
Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2007 Winner Best Book Title United States
Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2007 Winner Funniest Book United States
Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2008 Winner Favorite Series United States
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award, 2009 Winner Vermont
Golden Archer Award, 2008-2009 Winner Middle/Junior High Wisconsin
Indian Paintbrush Book Award, 2009 Winner Grades 4-6 Wyoming
Kentucky Bluegrass Award, 2009 Winner Grades 3-5
Kentucky Maine Student Book Award, 2009 Winner Maine
National Parenting Publications Award, 2007 Gold Book Ages 9 & Up United States
North Carolina Children's Book Award, 2009 Winner Junior Book North Carolina
Quill Awards, 2007 Nominee Children's Chapter/Middle Grade United

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 5))
First volume of a planned three, this edited version of an ongoing online serial records a middle-school everykid’s triumphs and (more often) tribulations through the course of a school year. Largely through his own fault, mishaps seem to plague Greg at every turn, from the minor freak-outs of finding himself permanently seated in class between two pierced stoners and then being saddled with his mom for a substitute teacher, to being forced to wrestle in gym with a weird classmate who has invited him to view his “secret freckle.” Presented in a mix of legible “hand-lettered” text and lots of simple cartoon illustrations with the punch lines often in dialogue balloons, Greg’s escapades, unwavering self-interest and sardonic commentary are a hoot and a half—certain to elicit both gales of giggles and winces of sympathy (not to mention recognition) from young readers. 2007, Amulet/Abrams, 224p, $14.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 9 to 11. © 2007 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Matt Oldenburg (The ALAN Review, Spring/Summer 2007 (Vol. 34, No. 3))
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is immediately described as a “novel in cartoons,” and that it is. Jeff Kinney transforms his popular web comic of the same name, into a great young adult novel. Greg Heffley, the wimpy kid, begins by telling us that by no means is what we are about to read a diary; it is a journal. He gives us insight into an entire year of his life including everything from wrestling class to trick or treating with his little brother, and of course hilarity ensues. This book is definitely meant to tickle the funny bones inside all of us. Themes include friendship, loyalty, and family, which are all relevant young adult topics. This book is great because it takes these themes and gives them a twist of humor that any young reader is sure to enjoy. Category: Loyalty/Family/Humor. YA--Young Adult. 2007, Abrams/Amulet Books, 224 pp., $14.95. Ages young adult.Muncie, IN

CONNECTIONS:
Jeff Kinney Website

Diary of a Wimpy Kid series
Rodrick Rules
The Last Straw
Dog Days


Images Credited to: Time.com, Jeff Kinney's Website  and Barnes & Noble

how i live now

Fantasy
LS 5603.21/Spring 2010
S. Vardell

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Rosoff, Meg. how i live now. New York: Wendy Lamb Books, Trademark of Random House Books, Inc., 2004.

 PLOT SUMMARY:

New York native Elizabeth, aka "Daisy", visits her unknown maternal English Aunt and cousins unaware of the internal and external consequences she will face.

  CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

Meg Rosoff turns Daisy's life upside down from the moment she steps off a plane in London. She is greeted by cousin Edmond, an under aged driver, and is transported to an unfamiliar place without presence of reliable adult supervision. Daisy's cousins, whom she has never met, welcome her into their dilapidated country home and lives. The authentic setting creates a believable reality for Osbert, Edmond, Isaac, Piper and Daisy. The fictional atmosphere becomes a place of peace and healing for Daisy only to be interrupted by the horrors of war. Ms. Rosoff's how i live now, is written with great depth and emotion. Each character is complex and believable. Adolescent challenges experienced by Daisy are possible and believable. Daisy's imposed controlled self torment becomes altered when her continued existence is at stake . Only a gifted writer can relate this many complex feelings with clear understanding. Ms. Rosoff leads the reader through the journey with her characters as they are changed forever by uncontrollable, yet possible, events. Above all the tale is a love story. Daisy's voyage permits her to feel love for others while discovering love for herself. This first novel is about love, tragedy, loss and redemption. how i live now is written with truth. The chronicle of Daisy's journey deals with mature subjects. Beautifully written words make the most uncomfortable moments of life readable. how i live now, targeted to young adults, is not condescending, it is compelling, and treats young readers with respect. Author Meg Rosoff recognizes the intensity of a young person's feelings, sentiments and passions. Daisy's first love is her reality and is not diminished by her "age". Through growth and perseverance Daisy finds the truth behind her facade.

AWARDS WON AND REVIEW EXCERPTS:
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, 2004 Winner United Kingdom
Los Angeles Times Book Prize, 2004 Finalist Young Adult Fiction United States
Michael L. Printz Award, 2005 Winner United States
Quill Awards, 2005 Nominee Young Adult/Teen United States
Whitbread Children's Book Award, 2004 Shortlist United Kingdom

CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices, 2005)
Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent to live with her cousins in England while her father and new stepmother move on with their lives in New York City. Almost immediately, Daisy’s aunt leaves for business, and terrorists from an unknown country invade England. With no adults around, Daisy and her cousins, Osbert, Edmond, Isaac, and Piper, have only a vague notion of what is happening. They live in a rural area far removed from the initial points of attack in the cities, and events are not close enough to penetrate their sheltered and self-involved lives.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 14))
Manhattanite Daisy, 15, moves to London to stay with an aunt and cousins she's never met. Without preamble or fanfare, an unidentified enemy attacks and war ensues. Her aunt is abroad on a peace mission, meaning that Daisy and her three cousins, with whom she forges a remarkable relationship, must survive almost entirely on their own. This is a very relatable contemporary story, told in honest, raw first-person and filled with humor, love, pathos, and carnage. War, as it will, changes these young people irrevocably, not necessarily for the worse. They and readers know that no one will ever be the same.

CONNECTIONS:
Meg Rosoff Blog
Books by this author at BookBrowse:
The Bride's Farewell
What I Was
Just In Case
Meet Wild Boars
How I Live Now

 Related Subjects from Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD)

• War Fiction.
• Cousins Fiction.
• Family life--England Fiction.
• Farm life--England Fiction.
• Eating disorders Fiction.
• England Fiction.

Libba Bray: 2010 Michael Printz Award Winner

Competency #9
ISAR 5013.20
Google Search/Random House Books Author Link

I have been reading the Michael Printz 2010 Award Winner Going Bovine. Reading the book, lead me to want additional information about the author, Libba Bray, and her other literary works. Numerous authors have websites. Ms. Bray's website stands out with creative innovation. A visual feast and fun to navigate, Libba Bray's website contrasts modern technology with nostalgic "old school" images engaging any who visit. Each search page is clever. libbabray.com will not disappoint. This site is one of the best I have seen.

Screen shot of Bray's home page: http://www.libbabray.com/

The River Between Us

Historical Fiction Book Review
LS 5603.20/Spring 2010
S. Vardell

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Peck, Richard. The River Between Us. New York: Puffin Books, 2003. ISBN 0142403415

PLOT SUMMARY:
Where do you come from? A father, Dr. William"Bill" Hutchings and his sons, take a trip to Grand Tower, Illinois. The year is 1916. Traveling in a Model T Ford Touring Car to the "home place", this journey sets the stage for an emotional journey that will change each of the passengers lives forever.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Set in Pre-Civil War along the Mississippi, prejudice and mystery lead to an unforgettable love story that helps in understanding the branches on this family's tree. "Devil's Backbone" is on a hill straddling the town of Grand Tower. A road that runs between the river and the "Backbone" leads to a weathered farm house, the Pruitt-Hutchings family homestead located in Grand Tower. South of  Grand Tower homestead is the diverse city of New Orleans. As Grand Tower's young men are sent to fight for the Union, others make their way up the Mississippi seeking freedom from the slavery conflict.  Delphine, Native New Orlean  and a striking southern "belle", and her "dark" companion, disembark from a steamboat. A shroud of mystery surrounds the two women. The Pruitt women take them in as boarders unsuspecting that this single act of kindness will change the family's origins forever. This story is cleverly told with a straight forward tenor. Richard Peck allows the mysteries surrounding the family to unfold taking the reader through the realistic landscape of a Pre-Civil War town. Details express the hardship of this time in America. Each Character is fleshed out and contributes actively to the tale. This story spans three generations beginning with the Pruitt Family: Mrs. Pruitt, twins Tilly and Noah and Cass, the mysterious boarders Delphine and Calinda and Tilly's suitor, Howard Leland Hutchings.  Second generation is the son Bill Hutchings and finally, third generation, Bill's children: Howard Leeland, Raymond and Earl.

Peck includes notes on the story's authentic setting of the Mississippi River. Using detailed research, the author accurately weaves his main characters in an out of the tragic events and results of the Civil War. The River that Runs Between us is a metaphorical title. Literally, the Mississippi cuts through the land. The road to the homestead runs between the river and the "Backbone". The conflict of slavery divides the country. Noah is separated from his family to fight the war. Prejudice and social status separates loved ones. No amount of time or reconciliation can remedy the scars of war, love or loss. All who read this can identify with the universal theme of discovering "who we are and where we come from". Readers will glimpse a different time and place allowing a better understanding of the conflict of the Civil War and how our "free" society, in some cases, isn't free at all.

AWARDS WON AND REVIEW EXCERPTS:
Great Lakes Great Books Award, 2004 Finalist Children's Chapter Book Michigan
Los Angeles Times Book Prize, 2003 Finalist Young Adult Fiction United States
National Book Awards , 2003 Finalist Young People's Literature United States
Parents' Choice Award, 2003 Gold Fiction United States
Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, 2004 Winner United States

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2003 (Vol. 71, No. 16))

Imagine an age when there were still people around who'd seen U.S. Grant with their own eyes, and men who'd voted for Lincoln." Fifteen-year-old Howard Leland Hutchings visits his father's family in Grand Tower, Illinois, in 1916, and meets four old people who raised his father. The only thing he knows about them is that they lived through the Civil War. Grandma Tilly, slender as a girl but with a face "wrinkled like a walnut," tells Howard their story. Sitting up on the Devil's Backbone overlooking the Mississippi River, she "handed over the past like a parcel." It's a story of two mysterious women from New Orleans, of ghosts, soldiers, and seers, of quadroons, racism, time, and the river. Peck writes beautifully, bringing history alive through Tilly's marvelous voice and deftly handling themes of family, race, war, and history. A rich tale full of magic, mystery, and surprise. (author's note) 2003, Dial, $16.99. Category: Fiction. Ages 12 up. Starred Review. © 2003 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2004)

A boy's grandmother recounts the story of her teenage years, when a steamboat brought two strangers to Grand Tower, Illinois--glamorous Delphine and her companion Calinda. The townspeople think these "Secesh gals" may be Confederate spies but the truth is far more complicated. The harsh realities of war are honestly related in the always surprising plot. Category: Older Fiction. 2003, Dial, 165pp, $16.99. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 1: Outstanding, noteworthy in style, content, and/or illustration.

CONNECTIONS:
Subject catagories CLCD:
Racially mixed people Fiction.
Family life--Illinois Fiction.
Race relations Fiction.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 Juvenile fiction.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 Fiction.
New Orleans (La.)--Social life and customs--19th century Fiction.
Illinois--History--1778-1865 Fiction.

Number the Stars

Historical Fiction Book Review
LS 5603/Spring 2010
S. Vardell

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989. ISBN 0395510600

PLOT SUMMARY:
In 1940, Denmark surrenders to German under King Christian X. The Danes aided their Jewish Dane neighbors in escaping from Nazi persecution saving nearly 7,000 people by smuggling them to Sweden. Based on true stories told by a friend, Lois Lowery relates the story of fictional Jewish Dane Annemarie Johanson and her family in the novel Number the Stars.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Set in Copenhagen during World War II, fearless, heroic efforts by the Danish people under the leadership of King Christian X, Jewish men, women and children are saved from the persecution of the Nazi Regime. This book is a courageous story of the Danish people who choose to make a difference. Lois Lowery's friendship with Annelise Pratt, a Danish Jewish survivor, lead her on a personal journey to tell a story through  the eyes of Annelise's (the real life reflection of Annemarie), an innocent child suffering against the backdrop of World War II.

"..I created little Annemarie and her family, set them down in a Copenhagen apartment on a street where I have walked myself, and imagined their life there against the real events of 1943"

Lowery employs exposition presenting essential information necessary for readers to experience and appreciate the peril of Annemarie's impossible situation. The first person point of view allows young readers to relate to the events surrounding her. Lowery uses age appropriate language without patronizing readers. This is not a violent account, but a true account of the happenings during the Nazi takeover of Denmark. Lowery's story follows the universal theme of helping others, making sacrifices for what is right, having courage, faith and love for mankind.

The "Afterword" by Lois Lowery is located in the back of the book. Ms. Lowery documents her research and the influences that prompted her to write this book of historical fiction. This is a great novel to use when introducing the young to this reading genre. It is not overwhelming at 132 pages. The language is clear and the chapters manageable.

Finally  she shares a paragraph from the letter written by the  Danish young man, Kim Malth-Bruun to his mother:

"...and I want you all to remember--that you must not dream yourselves back to the times before the war, but the dream for you all, young and old, must be to create an ideal of human decency, and not a narrow-minded and prejudiced one. That is the great gift our country hungers for, something every little peasant boy can look forward to, and with pleasure feel he is a part of-something he can work and fight for."

Danes like Kim Malth-Bruun were those who made up the Danish Resistance. As a result of his dedication to the survival of his Jewish countrymen, women and children,  Kim  was executed by the Nazis at the young age of 21. The truth of this book is palpable and shares the truth of how courage of the few that affected the many. This is the story of a Jewish girl and her family who were seen only as Danes by their peers. This is a story told out of respect and love for people who believed in the value of life. Lois Lowery's Number the Stars affects all readers and leads reader to a personal relationship with the genre of historical fiction.

Images Credited to:
http://www.teachers.saschina.org/
www.bgsu.edu/.../Jewishcitizen.html
http://isurvived.org/Denmark-Holocaust.html
http://www.bredalsparken.dk/~drabssageridanmark/html/drabssager_-_1942_-_1945.html

AWARDS WON AND REVIEW EXCERPTS:

Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award, 1991-1992 Winner Grades 4-6 Arkansas

Charlotte Award, 1992 Winner Grades 3-5 United States

Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award, 1991 Winner Vermont

Golden Archer Award, 1990 Winner The Golden Archer Award Wisconsin

Jane Addams Children's Book Award, 1990 Honor Book United States

John Newbery Medal, 1990 Winner United States

Maine Student Book Award, 1991 Winner Maine

Massachusetts Children's Book Award, 1994 Honor Book Massachusetts

National Jewish Book Awards, 1990 Winner United States

Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award, 1992 Winner Illinois

Sydney Taylor Book Awards, 1989 Winner Older Readers United States

Tammy (BookHive (http://www.bookhive.org/))

Annemarie Johansen lives in Denmark in the year 1943 and there are Nazis occupying her country. One night, Annamarie’s Jewish friend, Ellen, comes to stay in her home. That very night Nazi officers come to the home and the Johansen family pretend that Ellen is Annemarie's sister, Lisle. Since it isn't safe in Copenhagen, the girls go to visit Uncle Henrik in Gilleleje and stay in his house near the sea. It is there that Annemarie discovers her uncle, her mother, and other people are taking Jews across the sea to Sweden, where they can be safe. When the opportunity comes, will Annamarie help, too? This is a moving story of friendship and bravery. Category: Adventure; Award Books; Historical; Realistic Fiction. Grade Level: Intermediate (4th-6th grade). 1989, Houghton Mifflin. Ages 9 to 12.

 Susie Wilde (Children's Literature)

This Newbery-award winning book is the story of a ten-year-old Danish girl who courageously helps to save the family of her Jewish friend. Lowry was inspired by the letter of a young Dane, who, on the eve of his execution, reminded young and old to remember and from that remembering "to create an ideal of human decency." 1994, Houghton Mifflin/Dell, $14.95, $8.40, $4.99, $2.49, $3.99. Ages 10 to 13.

CONNECTIONS:

Lois Lowry Official Website

Additional Subjects provided by CLDC

• World War, 1939-1945--Denmark--Juvenile fiction.
• World War, 1939-1945--Denmark--Fiction.
• World War, 1939-1945--Jews--Rescue--Fiction.
• Friendship--Fiction.
• Denmark--Fiction.

Teaching / Literature Guides:

• A literature unit for Number the stars by Lois Lowry. 1993 written by Kathy Jordan ; illustrated by Sue Fullam and Keith Vasconcelles. Teacher Created Materials, Huntington Beach, CA : U.S.A.
• Teaching guide for Lois Lowry's Number the stars.1995 Haggerty, Brian A. [ ] Addison-Wesley Pub., Nurturing intelligences core literature series

 

Reading Level Comparison: Basal, Guided Reading, Reading Recovery, Developmental Reading, Lexile Framework and AR(ATOS)

Competency #8

ISAR 5013.20

Search Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD)

Children and Young Adult literature interest me. Right now, my daughter is in first grade, is developing her reading comprehension.  Although I taught fourth grade language, the students came to me, most, reading fluently. Watching my daughter transition from a non-reader to a reader has fascinated me. Reading level is included in the six week report. As a result, I wanted to see where her level fell on the DRA chart. I found this table on the database I am analyzing and have used it to track her progress. I like this visual because it has the DRA rating, as well as, Basal, Guided Reading, Reading Recovery, Lexile and AR (ATOS) side by side. I have printed it out and placed it on my refrigerator as a reference.