Brown Girl Dreaming

Jacqueline Woodson's expertly written memoir of a young African American girl's journey through a childhood in Ohio, South Carolina, and eventually Brooklyn during the Civil Right's movement should be in every 5th to 8th grade classroom, every school library, every "Must Read" shelf at the local library, every family bookshelf. Initially I was surprised by her choice to write Brown Girl Dreaming in free verse, but the quiet simplicity creates stark contrasts. Each verse explodes in turn with joy, heartbreak, circumspection, nostalgia. Even the briefest statement can have huge impact in this form. The entire book is amazing, but part of the beauty of Woodson's book is that individual chapters, verses, even lone sentences could easily fit alongside many Language Arts or American History curricula. In today's world of Common Core with snippets of a variety of texts, many teachers will rejoice to include Woodson's work among the required reading.

Flashback Friday: Caddie Woodlawn

Eleven-year-old Caddie Woodlawn is a tomboy growing up in the 1860s who would rather plow than sew, and she spends the bulk of her time chasing her brothers around the farm, having escapades in the woods. Her mother and sisters do not understand, nor approve, of her rough-and-tumble life. She spends her time stringing one adventure to the next, adventures filled with practical jokes and heartfelt events too. Despite the fun that Caddie has with her brothers, it is eye-opening to see how often death was a part of life back then, between a fall through the ice, settlers planning an attack on the Indians, and a prairie fire. When Caddie's "perfect" cousin Annabelle visits from Boston, Caddie must face her future and the growing up she's always resisted.

Set during the same time period as Little House in the Prairie, there are many parallels to be drawn here. Although the Woodlawns do not face the same suffering that the Ingalls do, from lack of funds, crop failure, and settling in the wrong territory, the pioneering spirit and work ethics are nearly identical. Rather than being a story of survival, like the Little House books, Caddie Woodlawn is more a story of a tomboy's adventure toward adulthood. Caddie Woodlawn is the author's grandmother, who raised her through childhood, and it's easy to see that the author admires Caddie's spirit.

Under the Egg

Laura Marx Fitzgerald's debut novel, Under the Egg, delightfully weaves NYC childhood with urban farming, WWII history, and art history. I'm not sure any other middle grade novels have ever hit quite as many of my own personal interests. Needless to say, Under the Egg was a captivating read that I could not put down until I finished every last chapter. 

Under the Egg begins with Theodora Tenpenny (Theo) relying on her resourcefulness and grit to manage the large NYC house, and accompanying garden, she inherited following her grandfather's death. Theo's mother lives with her, but she clearly has some mental or emotional challenges that prevent her from truly mothering Theo. When Theo accidentally spills rubbing alcohol on one of her grandfather's paintings, a painting that easily rubs off to reveal another older, Renaissance-style painting, Theo's curiosity kicks into high gear. That curiosity leads her on an adventure involving providential new friends, pretentious art experts, Nazi internment camp research, and ultimately, the secret her grandfather was desperate for her to uncover.

Under the Egg blends equal parts mystery and adventure in an engaging romp through NYC with a most clever protagonist. Theo's self-reliance is remarkable, and her determination is admirable. Fitzgerald's writing shines, and the language, content, and dialogue ring with an advanced tone. Despite being marketed as a middle grade read, I thought 11-14 would probably be the ideal ages to read this novel, and it would make a perfect accompaniment to a middle school WWII unit study. I truly wish I could've read Under the Egg to my own 13 year old when she studied WWII last fall.

Under the Egg can be found in the Middle Grade Books section of The Book Children Store.

Zane and the Hurricane

New Hampshire resident, Zane Dupree, agrees to visit his great-grandmother, Miss Trissy, in New Orleans to learn more about his long-deceased father's family history. Miss Trissy raised Zane's father, and despite Zane's misgivings about the trip, he finds Miss Trissy warm, interesting, and full of life. Zane is in New Orleans merely days when the threat of Hurricane Katrina bears down on this lively, historical city. Through a serious of mishaps, Zane ends up abandoned in New Orleans when the hurricane strikes. As the levy breaks, he must climb into the stifling attic to escape the rising floodwaters. Once the hurricane dies down, he punches through the roof to get fresh air, and a canoe, carrying elderly man and small girl, floats nearby and rescues him from the attic. Over the next several days, Zane witnesses the lawlessness of New Orleans during that time, along with the discrimination of poor African Americans who are just trying to find help. Zane discovers there is no medical care to be found, and the conditions at the "shelter of last resort", The Superdome, are abysmal. Eventually, the crew is able to amble its way over the bridge and out of New Orleans, where they finally find the help they so desperately seek.

This wasn't so much an enjoyable read, as it is difficult to find the subject of Hurricane Katrina "enjoyable". It was, however, a riveting account of the hurricane and its aftermath; the pages fairly flew. I found Zane's perspective of the tragic events to be a perfectly appropriate account for the 10-13 year olds for whom it was written. It's hard to believe that now, nearly 9 years out, Hurricane Katrina is considered a historical event. I did find the ending quite abrupt, but clearly the author intended to let the story remain in New Orleans. Overall, I would highly recommend this compelling novel for upper elementary and middle school students learning about Hurricane Katrina's aftermath.

You can find Zane and the Hurricane in the Middle Grades - Historical Fiction section of The Book Children Store.

Fallout

Having heard nothing about Fallout prior to stumbling upon it at the bookstore, I'll admit that I was first drawn to the cover art. There's definitely something to be said for catchy design, even on a middle grade novel.

Set in the Cold War-era NYC suburbs, eleven-year-old Scott Porter is quite aware of the threat of nuclear war. His father is the only one on the block constructing a bomb shelter, much to his mother's annoyance, and rightfully so. In Strasser's reimagined 1962, nuclear war is not averted, and Scott is awakened one night by his frantic father and quickly ushered into the shelter. What follows is a tight narrative of the family's two weeks in the shelter. Scott's father only built and stocked the shelter to accommodate their family of four, not the extra six people that force their way inside during the chaos. The adults bicker and snap at each other, privacy is impossible, one of the adults is racist, and supplies, including food, run low almost immediately. The story of their time in the shelter weaves with flashbacks of the months immediately preceding the nuclear bomb's explosion to give you character development and a sense of history.

Despite the fact that the group suffers greatly during their time in the shelter, and the book is quite descriptive of these sufferings, the story is told from Scott's perspective and is very much appropriate for upper elementary to middle school ages. I was a bit less than thrilled with one character's lack of moral compass. He encourages Scott to drink, steal, look at Playboys, and he's obsessed with breasts. For that reason I wouldn't recommend Fallout to kids under 11. However, the 1960s fear surrounding the Bay of Pigs Invasion and nuclear bomb threat from Russia is noticeably missing from children's historical fiction, and this novel does that time period justice.

You can find Fallout in the Middle Grade Books: Historical Fiction section of The Book Children Store.

My Side of the Mountain

I remember the first thing that Paulie said to me after we finished the first chapter of My Side of the Mountain, "Well, of course he could survive in the wild with all that stuff he had with him." I chuckled under my breath knowing that despite Paulie's initial lack of awe with this inspiring story, eventually he would come to see the beauty, the creativity of this coming-of-age tale.

There are books you read to your children because they are humorous and you want to share a good laugh. There are books you read to your children because they reach into the depths of humanity and you want to share that bit of the human soul with them. There are books you read to your children because you want them to recognize the infinite possibilities available to them in this world, in this life. My Side of the Mountain is all of those books.

Sam Gribley is a quiet but adventurous kid with a thirst to visit and make a life on his grandfather's land. He leaves NYC with nothing but this wish in his heart. Through a kindly neighbor in the woods and a librarian who feeds him information, he realizes his dream and manages to find an wealth of opportunity in the Catskill Mountains. Living in a hollowed tree with a deerskin door and meals such as fish, mussels, onion soup, turnip soup, smoked venison, Sam finds his footing as a wilderness survivor. With an independent spirit and a peregrine falcon as a companion, Sam lives for a year on his grandfather's mountain in the Catskills.

As a parent who takes her children camping and spends a great deal of time out in nature, I appreciate the fact that Jean Craighead George spared no details in her story. Some children might find her descriptions a bit dry. My kids actually absorbed every word hungrily, and we often had conversations about the details following our family readings. Although this book has clear appeal for the tween/teen boy, my teen daughter and 7-year-old son were equally enthralled. 

Don't forget enter the giveaway if you haven't yet! Win one of the Featured This Month books from the new Book Children Store!

Interactive History Adventures

If you have an elementary age child who loves history, they will be delighted with these Choose Your Own adventure type books which lead them as a historical figure through that period in time. If you have a child who is disinterested in reading much about history, these books might just be the catalyst by which they tolerate or even, dare I say it, enjoy learning a bit more about history.

I've read a few of these interactive history adventures as a read-aloud, and my kids have read many of them alone. The last couple of summers as we studied both Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt, I read the accompanying Interactive History Adventure books, several times actually, as we would choose different paths each time. While I wouldn't say they gained a depth of knowledge of those places and periods in history, they certainly covered a few basics, and the enjoyment factor was higher than with other presentations.

Before we went on our road trip last summer, when I knew we would be visiting several historical sights, I bought the Revolutionary War, Battle of the Bull Run, Colonial America, and Civil War adventures for the kids to read before we left. The older kids each took turns trading them around before bedtime, and all were read by each of them by the time we hit the road.

In addition to these, Elizabeth has the Titanic interactive history adventure that she read during her voracious obsession with all things Titanic. When Philip needed a book on the Great Depression, and I wanted him to enjoy his reading, we purchased the interactive history adventure about that topic. And I just purchased the Race to the Moon adventure for Finn to read this summer, now that he's reading chapter books and continues to be preoccupied with all things related to space. Thus far, we have been delighted with all of these books and the portrayal of history within. There are dozens more titles than the ones mentioned here, which means that many periods and events in history are available in this appealingly child-accessible form.

Fever 1793

Elizabeth's class at school has been listening to the teacher read Fever 1793. The book, following the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia, made quite an impression on her, and she has mentioned it and the story several times since they began the book. I asked her to write a review of the book for me and she agreed.

Fever is about a yellow fever epidemic in 1793. A girl named Matilda, also called Mattie, is in Philadelphia when the sickness strikes. At the beginning, she is 13 or 14 years old, and life is easy. She likes the painter, Nathaniel Benson, and has a best friend, Polly, the servant. Polly dies from a strange disease. Not too long after, bodies are piled on a cart to bring to graveyards. Some are mistaken for dead and buried still alive. Sometime in the middle of the book, Mattie sees someone carrying a death cart and dump a woman on the side of the street. She was still alive, and it was Mattie's mother. Mattie must be sent away so she does not get the disease from her mother. Most of Philadelphia is either abandoned by people or the people die. Mattie also gets the fever but survives. At the end of the book, the first frost comes and stops the disease so the rest of the people are saved. Life continues as it was at the beginning.

Elizabeth has even taken an interest in the face on the cover of the book and I've found a few sketches like this one laying around the art shelf. Clearly this book has grabbed her attention!