Module 10 - The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things

THE EARTH, MY BUTT, AND OTHER BIG ROUND THINGS

Bibliographic Information

•           Mackler, C. (2003). The earth, my butt, and other big, round things. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Summary
Ginny is a girl who thinks she is too fat, and does not want to be seen as fat.  She does have a boyfriend and friends at school, but Ginny wears baggy clothes so that she will not be perceived as fat.  Her mother is a psychologist who obsesses over Ginny's weight, and her father is a lech who compliments skinny girls.  Ginny's older brother, who she loves, gets in trouble when he is accused of date rape.  Ginny's perceptions begin to change at that point.  She confronts her mother about the weight obsession, leaves town to visit friends without permission, dyes her hair and gets body piercings.  Her body begins to change through her kickboxing lessons, and she discovers that she was strong all along.

My Impressions
This book was banned for some frank language and graphic situations, but it is an alright book.  I have been a little disappointed in my last few books I have read for the blog, because they all seem to be feminine driven and about a very uncomfortable time in life for everyone.  This book is no exception.  I was glad to see Ginny take control of her life and find an independent spirit inside herself, but it was not as inspirational to me as it might be to a female.

Reviews
Todd, T. (2004). The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things (Book). [Review of The earth, my butt, and other big round things, by C. Mackler]. Booklist, 101(7), 678.

From the title, one might think there’s a ribbon of humor running through the plot, but this 2004 Michael L. Printz Honor Book is a fairly serious coming-of-age tale. Parker does a good job with the material, bringing the characters to life with a light touch. Their stories are so rich and sophisticated that Parker wisely does not
embellish their parts. Even when the characters’ emotions run high, Parker is careful to smolder rather than rant. At the plot’s center is 15-year-old Virginia Shreve, who transforms from an overweight, insecure
outsider to a confident risk-taker just when her family seems to be falling apart. Parker allows Virginia’s development to unfold quietly and subtly, as blossoming often does. Very smart. --Traci Todd

Library Usage
This book could be used to provide a different take on growing up and body image to a student reader that is either advance, struggling with this issue, or both.

Module 10 - Into the Volcano

INTO THE VOLCANO

Bibliographic Information

•           Wood, D. (2008). Into the volcano. New York: Blue Sky Books.

Summary
Two brothers travel to an island in Hawaii to visit a relative, and discover that their aunt is not as kind and gentle as they believed.  The brothers explore a local volcano with a group of strangers they do not trust completely, and must face scalding lava, open crevices and fear of death to escape the volcano's fury.

My Impressions
This was another book I was indifferent toward.  The graphic novel format is pretty cool, and I have liked Don and Audrey Wood's books in the past.  I just felt like the plot was a little thin and that it was meant to look spooky but doesn't deliver much.  The opposition to this book about the danger the young boys were placed in by others that should know better is a good academic argument, but I saw no more danger in this book than in other graphic novels or action movies.

Reviews
Hunt, J. (2008). Into the Volcano. [Review of Into the volcano, by D. Wood]. Horn Book Magazine, 84(5), 600-601.

Wood, the latest picture-book illustrator to cross over to the graphic novel format, delivers a story with everything a boy could wish for: an exotic setting, a colorful cast of characters, a suspenseful mystery, and a heart-stopping adventure with opportunities for bravery and heroism at each twist of the plot. It's a tried-and-true formula that has worked for everything from the Hardy Boys to Tintin, and it works here, too. While visiting relatives on a remote island, two brothers embark on a seemingly harmless camping/hiking trip that quickly turns into a dangerous game of treachery, kidnapping, double-crosses, and spectacular natural danger. When their journey into the heart of an erupting volcano grows increasingly bizarre, the boys suspect their aunt and cousin of foul play and run away. Unexpectedly reunited with their mother, a renowned volcanologist secretly working to extract a precious new substance from the volcano, they finally get answers to their questions. The pictures are perfectly suited to the story, vividly capturing plot, characters, and setting with bold lines, dramatic colors, and creative special effects that make tangible the brothers' peril. This is Wood's first foray into the medium of comics; let's hope that it won't be his last. --Johnathan Hunt

Library Usage
I would use this book in an author study or illustrator study of Don and Audrey Wood's books, and how their choice of genre is not limited.

Module 9 - A Bad Boy can be Good for a Girl

A BAD BOY CAN BE GOOD FOR A GIRL

Bibliographic Information

•           Stone, T. L. (2006). A bad boy can be good for a girl. New York: Wendy Lamb.

Summary
This is the story of three teenage girls who catch the attention of a senior boy, who has bad intentions.  The free verse novel tells the story from each girl's perspective as the boy teases them, flirts with them, uses them, and the ostracism that follows.  They bond together to support each other against his schemes and advances, going as far to leave each other notes in library books.

My Impressions
Wow, where do I begin to say how much I disliked this book?  I know there will be students who want to read it, and I am bound to let them see it if they are in the appropriate age range.  However, this book is graphic in some of its descriptions, the behavior is not laudable in any way, and my head still hurts from trying to read this in free verse.  Maybe it is because I am a guy and a father, but I could not imagine what a parent might say if this book came home with their student.

Reviews
Heppermann, C. M. (2006). A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl. [Review of A bad boy can be good for a girl, by T. L. Stone]. Horn Book Magazine, 82(1), 90.

“Stupid / humiliated / foolish / stung / heartbroken / pissed off / and a little / bit / wiser.” High school freshman Josie sums up how she feels after falling for an only-out-for-one-thing senior, and she isn’t alone. The three (very different) teen girl narrators in this candid free-verse novel form a chorus of varied perspectives on how a “bad boy”—the same boy for all three—causes them to lose control before they even realize what’s
happening. Stone’s portrayal of the object of their (dis)affection is stereotyped, but the three girls are distinct characters, and she conveys the way the girls’ bodies and brains respond to the unnamed everyjerk in
electrically charged (and sexually explicit) detail. Finally returning to her senses, Josie decides to post warnings about her ex in the back of the school library’s copy of Judy Blume’s Forever . . . because “every girl reads it eventually.” Others add their own caveats in a reassuring show of sisterhood. As this scribbled “support group” illustrates, even the most careful and self-aware among us sometimes gets bitten by the
snake in the grass. --Christine Heppermann

Library Usage
I am not sure I would have much use for this book other than having it on the shelves for interested readers.  I think there are better and more appropriate free verse novels available.

Module 9 - The Llama Who had No Pajama

THE LLAMA WHO HAD NO PAJAMA

Bibliographic Information

•           Hoberman, M. A., & Fraser, B. (1998). The llama who had no pajama. San Diego: Browndeer Press.

Summary
Hoberman includes one hundred favorite poems in this children's collection of poetry.  The included poetry includes works about animals, people, vehicles and many other things children see and experience.  Expertly illustrated in a Mary Englebreit-style collage, the book is intended to introduce children to poetic basics like rhyme, rhythm, meter and word choice.

My Impressions
This is a very cute collection of poetry for early to middle elementary students.  The vocabulary used is not terribly difficult, but beyond the reading level of a typical kindergarten or first grade student.  Some of the poems are wistful, some are funny, but they are all short enough to use to teach basic poetry concepts.

Reviews
Parravano, M. V. (1998). The Llama Who Had No Pajama: 100 Favorite Poems. [Review of The llama who had no pajama, by M. A. Hoberman, & B. Fraser]. Horn Book Magazine, 74(2), 228.

Although perhaps best taken in small doses, this collection of some forty years of Hoberman verse is a charmer. The poems--peppy verses immediately identifiable as Hoberman's by their use of alliteration and repeated words and lines--seem to cover every subject under the sun; all are dependably child-centered. There are insect riddles ("A big buzz / In a little fuzz") and animal tongue-twisters ("O gaze on the graceful gazelle as it grazes") as well as an ode to slippers and a paean to the versatility of applesauce. The ordering of poems is pleasingly informal but thoughtful. Further bonuses are Betty Fraser's delicate yet merry watercolors (Fraser also illustrated Hoberman's classic A House Is a House for Me) and the varied, imaginative page design that never overwhelms the text. Indexes.
Most of the books are recommended; all of them are subject to the qualification in the notes. [g] indicates that the books was read in gallery of page proof. The publisher's price is the general retail price and does not indicate a possible discount to libraries. Age levels are only suggestions; the individual child is the real criterion. --Martha Parravano

Library Usage
Good resource for early learning about poetry and rhymes to young elementary students.  Good read aloud book for that age as well, but can be used as introductory examples to older students learning to analyze and compose poetry.