Book Talks


Locomotion, by Jacqueline Woodson

His real name’s Lonnie C. Motion, but you can call him Locomotion—every one else does. It started because of that silly dance which he used to like to do with his mom as a kid, but as we soon find out in this story, he doesn’t get to hang out with his mom or his dad anymore, since they’ve both died. In fact, he hardly gets to hang out with his sister Lily—since they’re both foster kids, and when you’re a foster kid, it’s not guaranteed that you’ll get to stay with your siblings. So even though Locomotion hasn’t had the easiest life, he has a pretty decent foster mom at the moment, and a pretty decent teacher too, who’s trying to teach him how to write poetry. This book is the story of him trying to figure stuff in his life out—through poems. Really, really easy to understand and relate to. I cannot tell you how much I love this book, and how easy it is to read. Just read it!




Amulet, by Kazu Kibuishi

Finally--a graphic novel! And a really cool one at that. I have to warn you though--this book starts out really sad! We are introduced to the main character, Emily, just as a family tragedy happens. After the tragedy, she, her brother Navin, and their mom move away to an old, old family house in the middle of nowhere. And this of course is where she finds the amulet. Once she puts the necklace with the amulet on, crazy things start happening: first, the amulet lights up and starts speaking to her in the middle of the night, telling her, Your family is in danger...and then, their mother is kidnapped by a strange monster. Emily and Navin run after to try to rescue her...and after that, nothing is the same! The artwork and the color in this book are amazing, and it really is like you're watching an action-packed movie--you're just reading it! There's also a second, and a third volume of the series, with the adventures getting more and more in-depth with each one. Many of you have been asking about the fourth one--from what information I can find online, it should be coming out in summer of 2011. If you just can't wait, maybe check out some of his other work--find out more by clicking on the Bolt City link below.

More info: Amazon.com ;  BoltCity.com





We Are The Ship, by Kadir Nelson &
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, by Phillip Hoose

Hello, Black History Month, and hello, nonfiction! I brought in a bunch of different books this week to show you, but these are two of my favorites from the bunch. They are both biographies, and they both deal with important African-American history, but they are also both very different. We Are the Ship tells the story of the Negro Baseball League, an exciting, ground-breaking sports league that existed before Jackie Robinson, before any black players were allowed to play in the white major leagues. Nelson uses a really interesting point of view in his storytelling, though--everything in the book is "we did this, we did that," as if all the players from the league together are jumping out of history to tell you their story. It's really, really fun to read, and in addition to that, there are amaaaaazing paintings throughout the whole book. It is one of my favorite books in years!

Then, there's Claudette Colvin, who you may never have heard of--which is okay, because most people have never heard of her. But you've probably heard of Rosa Parks, right? Well, Claudette Colvin actually refused to give up her bus seat, and was arrested and dragged to jail for it, before Rosa Parks did. And she was a young teenager, just a little older than you. But she had a strong, opinionated personality, and she soon became pregnant without being married, and she wasn't seen as the ideal spokesperson for the Civil Rights Movement. Her story is fascinating and inspiring and shows that even people your age can make a difference in history by standing up for what's right.

More info, We Are the Ship: Amazon.com ; KadirNelson.com
More info, Claudette Colvin: Amazon.com ; PhillipHoose.com



Amiri & Odette, by Walter Dean Myers

One week I brought in a variety of picture books to show you, to show that picture books are not just for little kids! Telling stories through pictures (along with words) can be a powerful format for all ages. Although I brought in a few different picture books to class, it would take too long to describe them all here, so I'll just highlight this one! You might have heard of the name Walter Dean Myers, he's a very accomplished and powerful author of books for your age group. Amiri & Odette tells the story of Swan Lake, a very famous ballet you might have heard of, but takes the story to the inner city. To create more of a hard-city-feel, the artist, Javaka Steptoe, did all of the paintings on pieces of ripped up sidewalk concrete. Cool stuff!

More info: Amazon.com ; WalterDeanMyers.net


 
Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson

You can tell a lot about this book from the cover. From the picture and from the title of the book, you might guess it's about slavery, which it is. I can also tell you it takes place during a war--but what war? Most people associate slavery just with the Civil War, but if you study the markings on those two birds--one stands for America, and one stands for Great Britain. This book actually takes during the Revolutionary War. Many of our Founding Fathers had slaves, and it's a hard thing to think about our past. This book deals with a young girl, Isabel, whose future looks bright at the start of the book--her master has just died, but had promised freedom for her and her younger sister, Ruth, in her will. However, the master's closest living relative comes into town, and doesn't really care what the will says--and sells them to another master anyway. They end up in New York City with a harsh Loyalist family--meaning, they are loyal to the British Empire. But Isabel ends up befriending and then spying for some Revolutionaries--putting both her and Ruth's lives in danger. There are some gruesome details of war in this book, so be warned--but it's a fascinating and exciting story.

ORCA Intermediate Division Nominee 2010-2011
National Book Award, Young People's Division, Nominee 2008
Scott O'Dell Book Award for Historical Fiction Winner 2009

More info: Amazon.com ; Madwomanintheforest.com



Schooled, by Gordon Korman

Imagine meeting someone in eighth grade who had never watched television. Never eaten pizza. Never gone to a real doctor. Never gotten a haircut. Never gone to a mall, the movies, or public school. Now imagine that he is suddenly your eighth grade class PRESIDENT! Meet Capricorn Anderson, the main character in Gordon Korman’s Schooled. Capricorn – or ‘Cap’ for short – has lived his entire life as a hippie in his grandmother’s commune – a group of people with similar interests living together in a shared space, often a farm or other type of rural setting – as if he were still trapped in the 60’s. You’ve all seen things about the 60’s – tie dyed shirts, bell bottoms, the Beatles and Woodstock. Now imagine you still thought that was all still happening -- today. That’s Cap, who due to a series of circumstances is moved from his commune to the local town and local public school--and has to deal with all the changes which come his way.

Young Readers Choice Award (now ORCA) Intermediate Division Winner 2010

More info: Amazon.com ; GordonKorman.com



Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and some other things...
...That Aren't as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray Cellphones, Creatures from the Sky, Parents Who Disappear in Peru, a Man Named Lars Farf, and One Other Story We Couldn't Quite Finish, So Maybe You Could Help Us Out

Yes--this is actually the book's full title! This a collection of short stories published by a cool publishing company called McSweeney's, and it includes stories by a bunch of great authors, along with an introduction by Lemony Snicket. This, along with other short story collections I will bring in, would be a great idea to pick up if you've forgotten to bring the book you're reading to class, or don't know what to read next. There are some funny stories and some quite creepy ones, some longer ones and some really short ones, along with a comic or two. Along with the stories, there are some REALLY cool illustrations, as well, so flip through it and check it all out!

More info: Amazon.com

 
Alphabet of Dreams, by Susan Fletcher 

This is a historical fiction book that deals both with the holiday season that’s coming up (Christmas) and an area of the world that you’ve been studying in social studies (the Middle East). Although the history in this book is even older than the Middle Ages. It takes place in Ancient Persia, which today is basically the country of Iran, although at one point the Persian Empire extended to Egypt and Russia and throughout Europe. You might have also heard of the story of the Magi, also known as the Three Wisemen, or the Three Kings. Although this has to do with that story in the Bible, it is not a religious story at all. The story deals with the girl Mitra and her brother Babak, who can see a person’s dreams by sleeping with an item from that person. Due to a number of events in their lives, Mita and Babak are on the run, searching for their family. What's really neat about this story is that it's written by a local author--Susan Fletcher lives right here in Oregon, in Wilsonville!

More info: Amazon.com ; SusanFletcher.com


 

After Tupac & D Foster, by Jacqueline Woodson

You've probably already heard of Tupac. He was a smart, talented guy, and California Love is still one of the greatest songs of all time. So we got the Tupac part of the title, now there’s D Foster. Have you ever met somebody who makes you just automatically think: That person is so cool. I want to be friends with them real bad. Well that’s how the main character feels when she meets D Foster, and this book is the story of their friendship, while it lasted. It takes place in the 90s in New York, in the time period when Tupac was making great music but also being a victim of violence, as well as being arrested and put on trial, all of which had a big affect on his fans and the African American community.

Newbery Honor Book 2009
ORCA Intermediate Division Nominee 2010-2011

More info: Amazon.com ; JacquelineWoodson.com


 

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman
Imagine you’re just a baby, okay, and a stranger has come into your house and killed your entire family while you were in your crib. But--somehow!--you manage to make your way out of the crib, out of the window and out of the house, and you crawl up the big hill next to your house to the graveyard that’s there, and you sneak between the bars of the big iron gates. But the stranger—the man Jack—knows where you’ve gone and follows you, and he can break open the fence or climb over it and so you’re pretty much a goner—until the ghosts of the graveyard rise up from their graves and decide to protect you. You spend the rest of your childhood in that graveyard, raised by people who are no longer living--but the man Jack still hunts for you.

Newbery Award Winner 2009
ORCA Intermediate Division Nominee 2010-2011

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