Module 10 - Rose Blanche by Roberto Innocenti

Book cover image:


Book Summary:
This story follows a naive German school girl as she experiences the time during WWII, but is unaware of the implications. She lives a normal life with normal struggles until her curiosity leads her to discover what struggling really is.

APA Reference of Book:
Innocenti, R., & McEwan, I. (1985). Rose Blanche. Mankato, MN: Creative Editions.

Impressions: I am not much for historical fiction, but this book really drew me in. The art was realistic as well which is good for a historical fiction story. I really saw the truth in this story, how children who were not directly involved in the war may not notice what is happening around them. Parents choose to keep their children innocent if possible. Her curiosity led her to find a camp and she gave children her food. I think it is interesting the shift of perspective halfway through the book. At first Rose Blanche is talking in first person but then it becomes third person after she first saw the people at the camp. Maybe it is because of the end of the story so we could see a slightly different perspective, but if I were to look at it deeper, Rose Blanche began caring less about her problems and life, and more about what she could do for those who were suffering. The end of the book left me sad for the little girl, and I don't know what the authors intention was there. She came on the desolate camp, destroyed and no more people, and that was a sad picture in itself. But when the realization came that she was going to die, I felt even sadder, I wonder what makes the feeling of following this one character who dies compared to all of the people who died in the camp stronger. Maybe because I was able to see her heart and her personality, while those in the camp we did not get to know.

Professional Review:

"Rose Blanche (Book)
Roberto Innocenti, Author-Illustrator
32 pp. Stewart, Tabori & Chang ISBN 1-55670-207-8 15.95 (Younger,
 Intermediate)

This powerful, disturbing, and unforgettable book is based on the artist's experiences during World War II. A little girl who has been drawn by curiosity to follow the trucks and tanks rumbling through her small German town finds children standing behind a barbed wire fence and begins to bring them food. Although she is finally killed by soldiers, the book's final image of a springtime landscape suggests the promise of resurrection and hope."

[Review of the book Rose Blanche, by I. Roberto]. (1991). Horn Book magazine, 67(3), 362. Retrieved from http://www.hbook.com/

 
Library Uses: During a holocaust remembrance day this book would be good to start with. I think they can relate to the innocence of the girl and may start with an understanding. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry is also a good one for this subject. It does not detail the gruesome story of the holocaust, but can be used as an introduction to this portion of history.

Module 9 - The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

Book Cover



Book Summary:
Janie believes she lives an ordinary life with her parents in her town, but one day she sees a milk carton with her younger self in a polka dot dress on the back claiming that she was a missing child. It described that this girl was taken when she was three years old. She was confused and tried to forget about it, but she began remembering things that were unfamiliar to her. After she finds the polka dot dress from the picture in the attic and things belonging to someone named Hannah she confronts her 'parents' and they explain to her that their daughters name is Hannah and that Janie is her daughter and their granddaughter. Hannah left her with them and went back to the cult and the Johnson's changed their names and moved to another state with Janie to make sure the cult did not come back for her. Janie believed her parents but felt the need to research the kidnapping story and found a family with red hair that matched hers. She wrote a letter to this family but did not send it because she still loved the parents that have raised her. She loses the letter and decides to talk to her parents about it and they are shocked and believe that Hannah must have kidnapped her without them realizing that was a possibility and they agreed that it was necessary to contact this family who have been missing their daughter.

APA Reference of Book:

Cooney, C. B. (1990). The Face on the Milk Carton. New York, NY: Delacorte Press. 

Impressions:
This book was surprising to me, it was a mystery but not in the scary sense. I enjoyed the points in between about her relationship with Reeve and her friendships at school. It showed that this book had more to it than the mystery. This book made you feel things for the parents (Johnsons) as well as the family that lost Janie. The Johnson's were unaware that Janie was a victim of kidnapping and they thought of her like a daughter. They raised her from 3 years old through her high school years. It is amazing that the Mrs. Johnson was strong enough to tell Janie that they needed to contact her real family even though Janie was unsure if she wanted to. Even though it meant that they may lose another daughter. Cooney really drew the reader in even with the cult thrown in there, it is an interesting perspective of a kidnapee who never realized that she was a victim.

Professional Review:
"Gr 7-10 -- The message on the milk carton reads, "Have you seen this child?" Three-year old Jennie Spring was kidnapped 12 years earlier, but Janie Johnson, looking at the photo, suddenly knows that she is that child. Fragments of memory and evidence accumulate, and when she demands to know about her early childhood years, her parents confess what they believe to be true, that she is really their grandchild, the child of their long-missing daughter who had joined a cult. Janie wants to accept this, but she cannot forget Jennie's family and their loss. Finally, almost against her will, she seeks help and confides in her parents. Her mother insists that she call the Spring family, and the book ends as she calls them. Many young people fantasize about having been adopted or even kidnapped, but the decisions Janie must face are painful and complex, and she experiences denial, anger, and guilt while sorting her way toward a solution. Janie's boyfriend -- sensible, funny, with problems of his own -- is an excellent foil for her intensity. Their romance is natural and believable. Cooney again demonstrates an excellent ear for dialogue and a gift for protraying responsible middle-class teenagers trying to come to terms with very real concerns. A good choice for readers of Norma Fox Mazer's Taking Terri Muller (Morrow, 1983) -- Tatiana Castleton, Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library, CA"

Castleton, T. (1990). [Review of the book The Face on the Milk Carton, by C. Cooney]. School Library Journal, 36(2), 109. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com


Library Uses:
Book club discussion

Module 8 - Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Book Cover




Book Summary

Finn is a prisoner of Incarceron the sentient Prison seemingly with a mind of its own. He can't remember anything from before his days of Incarceron which leaves him missing quite a few years of his life. Claudia is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron who set her up for an arranged marriage to which she fully does not want any part of. She was originally betrothed to Prince Giles who supposedly died when they were young.Finn is trying to escape the Prison with his oath brother Keiro, Gildas, and Attia whom they met along the way. He has a key that can contact Claudia and she is trying to help them reach their goal. Of course there are complications on both ends and after an unexpected twist or two the truth about Prince Giles, Incarceron, and the other characters comes out.
 
APA Reference of Book:

Fisher, C. (2007). Incarceron. New York, NY: Penguin Group Inc.

Impressions:

  I was really impressed with this book. To me this story was very unique and interesting. I feel as though a lot of novels follow the same type of storyline but I was surprised by this one. I was interested in the characters throughout the story and that includes the Prison. Which is alive. I appreciated the chapters being from different points of view and understanding the perspective of certain situations through characters besides Finn and Claudia. I also thought it was interesting that they blended old with new, so they are advanced and pretty far in the future, but they are to use the technology they have to make everything look as if they were in an older era, besides items that they really are not supposed to have according to the Protocol set. Often the intensity of what was happening in the Prison was a page turner and it was matched with Claudia's story as the daughter of the warden of Incarceron, and her relationship with Jared, however confusing that may be to us as the reader. I really enjoyed how their stories connected to each other by a key and I appreciate the authors imagination for creating this book. I was really not expecting the twists in this book such as where Claudia came from and the truth about the Prison itself. It's not a perfect book, I'm not completely sure about the supporting characters and the background of the story, but it definitely has a special quality to it and I definitely will read the sequel.

Professional Review:

"FISHER, Catherine. Incarceron. 448p. CIP. Dial. Feb. 2010. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3396-1. LC 2008046254.

Gr 7 Up--Finn is a denizen of Incarceron, a sentient prison in which generations of inmates struggle and fight for survival. Finn, however, is certain he comes from somewhere else. A strange tattoo and vague memories have convinced him that he comes from Outside. Claudia is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron. Technology has been outlawed and society returned to a feudal time replete with rules, including arranged marriages. When the Queen and Claudia's father conspire to have her impending marriage to the heir moved forward, Claudia vows to do whatever it takes to avoid her fate. Finn and Claudia both acquire mysterious crystal keys that allow them to communicate, and it begins to be clear that each may be the other's way out. On the surface, Incarceron is a fast-paced if dense adventure that pits Finn against the prison and his fellow prisoners and Claudia against her father, her fiancé, and her society. If that were all, it would be a truly excellent fantasy novel. By delving into the philosophy of imprisonment and the development of society; discussing how history informs the present; and exploring self-awareness and sentience in nonhuman characters, Incarceron becomes something of a tour de force. The history of both Incarceron and Era are explored through excerpts from imagined legends and archival documents at the start of each chapter. The novel's length and complex plot may be daunting to some, but fans of steampunk and epic fantasy alike will be anxiously flipping pages and awaiting the sequel, already released in the U.K."

Brooks-Reese, K. E. (2010). [Review of the book Incarceron, by C. Fisher]. School Library Journal, 56(2), 110. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com

Library Uses:
Activity - build your own board game to escape Incarceron (complicated activity)

Assignment B - Book Trailers

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky Book Trailer

Music:
Typewriter Sample -

Doxent Zsigmond / CC BY 3.0

 

Song -
Sunset (Kai Engel) / CC BY 4.0

Looking for Alaska by John Green Book Trailer

 

Music:

Database of Problems, Rolodex of Lies (Doctor Turtle) / CC BY 4.0


The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen Book Trailer

Music:

I Will Wait For You (Scott Gratton) / CC BY-NC 4.0

Module 7 - Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Book cover image:
 

Book Summary: (May contain spoilers as I am bad at summarizing without giving things away) This story centers around Annabel Greene "the girl who has everything". So it appears in the ad she modeled in; however, she had a rough summer before her junior year of high school. She and her best friend, Sophie, got in a fight due to a situation that made it look like she was hooking up with Sophie's boyfriend. There is really some darker undertones to what really happened but Annabel kept it to herself and now she is isolated from anyone she was once friends with. She begins eating lunch with, near, Owen, a loner that is always listening to music. Eventually they begin talking, arguing, about his strange taste in music that he plays during his radio show. They develop a friendship and start to have some more than friends feelings for each other. Anabel also has some family problems at home with her sister who has an eating disorder. Emily, one of Anabel's mutual friends with Sophie, comes out saying that she was raped by Sophie's boyfriend. She asks Anabel to testify as she assumes that the same thing happened to her. This throws Anabel off and for a while she stops talking to Owen. She talks to Owen eventually about her experience and testifying and things begin to turn around for her. She  even starting to become friends with her childhood best friend Clarke. 




APA Reference of Book: Dessen, S. (2006). Just Listen. New York, NY: Penguin Group Inc.

Impressions: This book has very intense topics, but I love that there is a sweet undertone with the relationship Annabel has with Owen. I also read The Truth About Forever by the same author and it seems that there is a bit of a formula she follows when writing her books. I enjoyed them both a lot, but this book specifically I appreciated the friendship theme. She was friends with Clarke when she was a kid and then chose Sophie over her, and I understood that feeling from both sides. I can not relate with Annabel as much and I do not know how easy it will be for other readers to relate to her. The situation with Sophie's boyfriend might be something people relate to and understand, but I have never been in a situation like that. Then her family problems I personally have never met someone who suffers from an eating disorder. So there is a lot going on in this book, and maybe everything in this book can be related to. I firmly believe every book has someone that can relate to at least an aspect in it, and that is what makes books powerful. This book is powerful in its own way, it deals with rape, anorexia, loneliness, etc. There is a lot this book can do for a young adult and I think it is definitely worth the read. It has romance, but I do not believe that is the biggest take away from this book. Great read.

Professional Review: "An easily digestible tale about a 17-year-old model who, despite her recent back-to-school clothing commercial, isn't really "[t]he girl who has everything." Annabel secretly wants to quit modeling; one of her sisters has an eating disorder; and their mother's past depression makes expressing any unhappiness feel risky. Underneath Annabel's silence is a secret from the previous spring, a secret that astute readers will decode early on. It's the reason she's a social outcast and it makes her cling extra hard to fake cheerfulness. Oddball schoolmate Owen cracks her shield with candor and music, and Annabel learns to speak her own truth. Readers may be disappointed that after so much buildup to the moments of truth-telling (one to her family, one to Owen), we're not privy to the scenes. Despite dark issues, the overall tone is mild. Dessen's characterizations are glib, each metaphor and major point made explicit. Not deep, but absorbing and enjoyable. (Fiction. YA)"

[Review of the book Just Listen, by S. Dessen]. (2006). Kirkus Reviews, 74(5), 228. Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com


Library Uses: This would be a good book talk, I think maybe paired with Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, talks about important issues.