Elijah of Buxton

Bibliography

Curtis, Christopher Paul. 2007. Elijah of Buxton. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 9780439023443

Plot

Elijah Buxton is the first born free child in Buxton, Canada. Buxton is a settlement that was started as a safe place for former slaves in 1849. Elijah learns about the burdens of those that are stuck in slavery as he hears tales from every one of the adults living in Buxton who had physical and emotional scars from their past. When Elijah is forced to accompany Mr. Leroy to Michagan in an effort to save his family Elijah is face to face with the terrible condition of the slaves and is forced to make a decision most eleven year olds would never have to make.

Critical Ananlysis

In Elijah of Buxton we are introduced to an eleven year old that is much like every eleven year we have ever met. He has a sense of humor, a skill that some would find useless (chunking rocks), is a magnet to mischeif and a pro at finding a way to not have to be responsible. He's very different from the eleven year olds of today though because he is the first born free child in a community estabolished for former slaves just over the Michigan border in Canada. While Elijah has grown up hearing tales of slavery, and in turn the reader hears them too, it isn't until he, and the reader, experience the terror themselves that the freedom he has is really appreciated.

Christopher Paul Curtis introduces the reader to a setting that is filled with hope and warmth within the members of the Buxton Community as they welcome in newcomers to the community. Family ties are strong and community members work together to create a support system, helping to overcome the battles the adults have all faced in their pasts. While the community is tight knit, they must deal with the threats of those that are ignorant and still believe in the ideas of slavery.

While hope and family are a central theme in the book, perhaps the most important theme, and the theme that educates the reader is that of racism and slavery. Elijah, who is aware of the struggles those around him faced, grows up in front of the reader as he steps up to the plate to do what is right for Mr. Leroy and his family, making a decision most eleven year olds would never even dream of. The authenticity of the the novel, from the stereotypes to the forming of such settlements gives the reader a history lesson they are sure to enjoy.

Review Excerpts

Awards:

-A Newbery Honor Book

-Coretta Scott King Award Winner

-A School Library Journal Best Book

-Parent's Choice Gold Award Winner

-NAACP Image Award Nominee

Reviews:

"Inexperienced and prone to mistakes, yet kind, courageous, and understanding, Elijah has the distinction of being the first child born in the Buxton Settlement, which was founded in Ontario in 1849 as a haven for former slaves. Narrator Elijah tells an episodic story that builds a broad picture of Buxton's residents before plunging into the dramatic events that take him out of Buxton and, quite possibly, out of his depth. In the author's note, Curtis relates the difficulty of tackling the subject of slavery realistically through a child's first-person perspective. Here, readers learn about conditions in slavery at a distance, though the horrors become increasingly apparent. Among the more memorable scenes are those in which Elijah meets escaped slaves—first, those who have made it to Canada and, later, those who have been retaken by slave catchers. Central to the story, these scenes show an emotional range and a subtlety unusual in children's fiction. Many readers drawn to the book by humor will find themselves at times on the edges of their seats in suspense and, at other moments, moved to tears. A fine, original novel from a gifted storyteller." - Booklist

"Christopher Paul Curtis knows how to write characters so engaging and believable you want to meet them in person. In fact, after reading his books, you feel like you have...Readers will slip into the story as they, along with eleven-year-old Elijah, assume a life of freedom, but this is the 1850's and slavery still exists in America, alarmingly close to the freed slave community of Buxton, Canada...Elijah's heroism is believable, growing from almost accidental, to faltering, to determined, albeit limited, saving one tiny soul rather than a whole group, which is all that can be expected of a child. Indeed, giving a child the opportunity to learn the horrors of the past but understand the hope of the future is the most we can ask of a character—and of an author." -Children's Literature

Connections

Other books by Christopher Paul Curtis:

-The Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963

-Bud, Not Buddy

-Mr. Chikee's Funny Money

-Bucking the Sarge

Discussion guide for Elijah of Buxton

Literature Unit including games, vocabulary puzzles and quizes

-Have students research other notable figures from slave backgrounds

-Track the underground railroad and other routes slaves would take to freedom

Al Capone Does My Shirts

Bibliography

Choldenko, Gennifer. 2004. Al Capone Does My Shirts. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0439674328

Plot Summary

Al Capone Does My Shirts introduces us to Mosse Flanagan, a twelve year old boy growing up in the 1930's who has just found him living on the island of Alcatraz. As if life on a rock that houses some of the country's biggest criminals isn't hard enough, Moose has a sister that adds to the difficulty of life. While balancing annoying children sharing space on The Rock with him and trying to make new friends at his school, he is expected to babysit his 16 year old autistic sister while their mother works to get Natalie into a special school for autistic children. Through some twists and turns in the story, Moose finds that Al Capone could possibly play an important role in the lives of Moose and Natalie.

Critical Analaysis

Moose is your typical 12 year old which makes this novel and easy one for students to enjoy. He has a mother and father that sometimes expects more from him than he feels that they should and he has a sister who he loves, but is hard to deal with. He plays basketball, is annoyed by the seven year old that constantly shows up unnexpected and a bossy girl named Piper who gets him involved in a scheme to make some money. What kid can't relate to Moose? While he is relateable by children of this generation, he shows the reader the simplicity of his generation.

Throughout the plot of this story Gennifer Choldenko gives us a subtle history lesson on Alcatraz in its hayday and the mobster metality of Al Capone. Perhaps one of the biggest history lessons we learn about in Al Capone Does My Shirt is the lack of knowledge of Autistic children then, something that is diagnosed and dealt with on an everyday basis today. We also become a part of the stuggle Moose faces trying to decide right from wrong when it comes to the care of his sister. Does he stay in the apartment with with his sister like he knows he should, does he take her with him as he explores the ins and outs of Alcatraz with the other children and risk losing track of Natalie. The battle of right from wrong is tested, and he learns some lessons the hard way.

The diary style of writing makes the relationship between Moose and the reader a more intimate relatioship, making the reader want to pour over every page. Without a doubt, the tid bits of history Moose reveals in his entries will make the reader want to absorb even more about the Mobster days of Al Capone.

Review Excerpts

Awards:

-Newbery Honor Book

-2005 CBC-NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People

-ALA Notable Book

-American Literacy Corporation Literary Choice Award

-Best Book for Young Adults

-Book Sense PIck of the List Summer 2004

Reviews:

"Basing her sotry on the actual experience of those who supported the prison in the '30s-when Al Capone was an inmate-Choldenko's pacing is exquisite, balancing the tense family dynamics alongside the often humorous and riviting school story of peer pressure and friendship." -Kirkus

"The Flanagan family is believable...Moose makes a sympathetic main character....the story, told with skill and humor, will fascinate readers with an interest in what it was like for the children of prison guards and other workers to actually grow up on Alcatraz Island." -School Library Journal

Connections

Other books by Gennifer Choldenko:

-Al Capone Shines my Shoes

-Moonstruck

-No Passengers Beyond This Point

Al Capone Does My Shirt Webquest

Aids for Teachers

-Research other mobsters of the era

Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles

Bibliography

Lasky, Kathryn. 2000. Marie Anoinette: Princess of Versailles. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 04390766678

Plot Summary

Marie Antoinette is a 13 year old girl with many more problems than typical teenage girls. She is set to be the queen of France and has much to learn before that happens. Not to mention she has a proposal from Dauphin Louis XVI coming her way. The princess Diaries gives us a peek into Marie's life as she learns everything from reading and writing in English and French to how to dance and gamble. We watch her grow from a young child of 13 to a young woman at the age of 15 as she gets to know her Dauphin and learns the ins and outs of prepping to be a Queen.

Critical Analysis

This tale introduces the reader, intended to be a 5th-9th grader, to a headstrong, independent Marie Antoinette. While Marie grew up in a different time, country and is on track to be a queen, she is a character that the reader can relate to. She argues with her mother, has a love/hate relationship with her siblings, dislikes her lessons and is nervous about meeting the boy she is promised to.

While dealing with the ups and downs she is presented with, Marie grows from a young girl to a young woman. She struggles with the cultural changes she faces while she prepares herself for life in the French Court, a very different atmosphere than that of the Austrian lifestyle she has grown up in. While some of the new adventures excite her, she must deal with those that scare her as well.

Written in the style of a diary, the reader is introduced to the history of the time period in a way that a middle school aged student can understand and enjoy. Terms and situations are broken down and described as to keep the reader from feeling overwhelmed. With this writing style, readers are sure to learn more than expected about 18th century Austria and France and the etiquette of the French Court.

At the end of the novel, the reader will find an epilogue and historical note which gives a peek into Marie's reign as Queen of France. This also helps to feed our appetite for more informationon the decadance of Marie's life. The author has also included a detailed Habsburg-Bourbe Family tree and images of Marie Antoinette throughout her life, including a portrait of her done while being led to the guillotine for her execution.

Review Excerpts

"Lasky takes historical fact and weaves it into a sympathetic account of an adolescent Marie Antoinette." -School Library Journal

"The descriptions of the fantastic hair styles and dresses and the elaborate rituals and etiquette required at the Court of Versailles should fascinate today's young adults. The author's depiction of the political and dynastic reasons for the marriage of the young royals establishes the historical context of the novel that engages young readers learning about this period in history." -VOYA

"This book entertains and teaches at the same time. It's great for a study of the French Revolution, and it's a fun book to read as well." -Parent Council Reviews

Connections:

Other books by Kathryn Lasky:
-Lost Tales of Ga' Hoole
-Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor
-Mary, Queen of Scotts: Queen Without a Country

-Use novel as a jump start on research of Marie Antoinette
-Read other novels in the series to compare and contrast the women

Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream

Bibliography

Stone, Tanya Lee. 2009. Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763636111

Plot Summary

Almost Astronauts tells the story of 13 women fighting to be admitted into the NASA space program. While they all had a background in flying, some clocking more flight hours than John Glenn, these women were not able to pursue the path they wanted to because of the fact they were women. This book tells us of the fight these women fought for gender equality in the space program as well as introducing the reader to the fight for gender equality and women’s rights across the country in the 1960’s. While these women didn’t find their way into the NASA space program, they paved the way for those women to follow.

Critical Analysis

Almost Astronauts is the epitome of a traditional nonfiction text. This well researched text introduces the reader to a group of women that worked to get gender equality into the NASA space program. The book, backed by the curator of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is well researched and presented in a manner that keeps a reader’s attention while delivering facts.

As with many traditional nonfiction texts, Almost Astronauts is one that does not need to be read from cover to cover, while it is enjoyable enough to be done this way. The reader is presented with a table of contents and an index to help the reader locate the specific information they may be looking for. Sources are broken down chapter by chapter in the back of the book to assist in locating more information if this text is being used for research purposes.

While this text can be used easily for research, with the passion shared by Stone and the rich photographs included keep the reader wanting to read not only about the 13 women themselves, but the ideology of the United States in the 1960s and the women that were ultimately able to partake in the NASA space program due to the path the “Mercury 13” paved.

Review Excerpts

Awards:
2010 Sibert Medal Award Winner
YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Honor
Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor
NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor
Bank Street Flora Stieglitz Straus Award

Reviews:
“Space gals. Astronettes. Astrodolls . . . Who do these women think they are?” The media mocked them. Male astronauts did not want them, and neither did then vice-president Lyndon Johnson. If they were to let women into the space program, blacks and other minorities would be next. Nearly 20 years before the U.S. officially admitted women into the astronaut program, 13 women, known as the Mercury 13, fought for the right to soar into space. This dramatic, large-size photo-essay covers their stories, along with the exciting politics of the women’s liberation struggle in the 1950s and ’60s (“What is a woman’s place?”) and the breakthrough science and technology surrounding space exploration, including details of the would-be astronauts’ tests and training. The chatty, immediate style (“Picture this”) and full-page photos make for a fast read, and the crucial civil-rights history will stay with readers. The long, spacious back matter is part of the story, with detailed chapter notes and a bibliography.” –Booklist

“Stone adopts a tone of righteous indignation in chronicling the quixotic efforts of 13 women to win admission into NASA's initial astronaut training program in the early 1960s. The women were all pilots (one, Jerrie Cobb, had more hours in the air than John Glenn or Scott Carpenter), earned high scores in preliminary tests, and even counted a senator's wife among their number. But resistance came from all directions—including NASA regulations, which were weighted toward men; media coverage that reflected contemporary gender expectations; political maneuvering by then vice president LBJ and other officials; and the crushing opposition expressed by renowned aviatrix Jackie Cochran in a 1962 Congressional hearing. Properly noting, however, that losing "depends on where you draw the finish line," the author closes with chapters on how women did ultimately win their way into space—not only as mission specialists, but also as pilots and commanders. Illustrated with sheaves of photos, and based on published sources, recently discovered documents, and original interviews with surviving members of the "Mercury 13," this passionately written account of a classic but little-known challenge to established gender prejudices also introduces readers to a select group of courageous, independent women.” –School Library Journal

Poetry Bonus Material by the author

Reading/Discussion Guide

-Have students research women astronauths such as Mae Jemison that were inspired by the "Mercury 13"

Down, Down, Down

Bibliography

Jenkins, Steve. 2009. Down, Down, Down. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780618966363

Plot Summary

In Down, Down, Down, readers are taken on a journey to the bottom of the sea where they learn facts and get a creative, eye catching glimpse of the creatures found on more than half of the earth. With the ocean covering more than two-thirds of the earth, and being up to seven miles deep in places there are tons of interesting creatures to learn about. Steve Jenkins teaches us all about a place that even less people have visited than the moon.

Critical Analysis

Steve Jenkins has once again presented readers with facts while feeding us eye candy with his elaborate paper cut collages in the Bluebonnet Award Nominee, Down, Down, Down. If the reputation Jenkins has made for himself with the over one million copies of nonfiction picture books wasn’t enough to trust the accuracy of his facts, a bibliography is found in the back of the book along with more detailed explanations of the previous pages. This bibliography is an excellent resource for those students that are sucked in to the world under the sea and longing for more information.

While many nonfiction books can be read out of sequence, Down, Down, Down is best read from cover to cover. The picture book begins by introducing us to the creatures found at the surface of the water. Our greatest ocean fear is immediately introduced to use as we are presented with a great white shark jumping out of the ocean. With each turn on the page, readers are taken further and further beneath the surface. Their attention is kept with the introduction of stranger and weirder creatures the further and further we go. It is obvious that Mr. Jenkins has done his research and has a strong passion for the information presented. He has shared his knowledge in a manner that is easily read independently by an emerging reader and easily understood with little assistance to beginning readers and loved by adults. It is no wonder that this selection was picked as a Texas Bluebonnet Nominee book.

Review Excerpts:

Awards:
Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee
ALA Notable Book 2010
2009 Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book
New York Times –one of the eight most Notable Children’s Books of 2009
2011 Beehive Book Award Nominee

Reviews:
“For capturing the scale and biological richness of the ocean in a picture book, it seems hard to do better than “Down, Down, Down.” Through the almost magical use of cut paper, Jenkins takes the reaser on a voyage from the surface to the sunlit shallows to the very bottom of the sea.” –New York Times Book Review

“In this plunge into the deep, Jenkins displays his usual keen awareness of what is fascinating about biology and imparts it without sensationalism –the facts speak for themselves.” – Booklist

“Depicted in Jenkins’s signature handsome collages, the denizens of each level swim again ever-darkening backgrounds ranging from sunny blue to deepest black.” –School Library Journal

Connections:

Other books by Steve Jenkins:
-Bones
-Actual Size
-Biggest, Fastest, Strongest
-What Do You Do With a Tail Like This

-Have students create a collage in the style of Steve Jenkins

-Pick one animal introduced in Down, Down, Down to research further

What to do About Alice?

Bibliography

Kerley, Barbara. 2008. What to do About Alice. Ill. by Edwin Fotheringham. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780439922319

Plot Summary

Alice Roosevelt was a small, large problem for her father Theodore Roosevelt. She didn’t like to live by the rules and the world loved her for it. She stole the heart of the nation as she showed us all that women can step outside of the expectations of women in the 1900’s and still be a smart, educated productive member of society. This biography, with its whimsical illustrations and tidbits of information is a spunky as Alice Roosevelt herself.

Critical Analysis

Barbara Kerley has created a story about Alice Lee Roosevelt that is both accurate and catching to the intended audience of young readers. As we follow Alice while she “eats up the world” the reader is introduced to easy to understand tidbits of information about a woman who caught the attention and hearts of Americans in the early 1900s. If the reputation of Barbara Kerley isn’t enough to give the book accreditation for the accuracy of information, the author has included author’s notes and works cited at the end of the story, including the name of her fact checker, Carol Felsenthal.

Being a biography, the book is one that follows a logical sequence of events taking us through the life of Alice and the struggles of Teddy as she grows and discovers what she likes and how she wants to live. The design of the book is just as lively as Alice herself. The illustrations grab the attention of the reader and the font and layout of the text keeps the reader flowing from one page to another.

The combination of large, colorful illustrations, vintage style fonts and the authors choice of words creates a story as lively as Alice’s personality. The interest the author has in Alice is transferred to the reader as I found myself wanting to learn even more about her. While the book was written for young readers using a language and vocabulary they can easily comprehend, older students and adults are left satisfied as well.

Review Excerpts:

Awards:
Sibert Honor Book
Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
Irma Black Award Honor Book
Parents Choice Award
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
An ALA Notable Book
New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

Reviews:

"Irrepressible Alice Roosevelt gets a treatment every bit as attractive and exuberant as she was....The large format gives Fotheringham, in his debut, plenty of room for spectacular art." --Starred Review, Booklist

"Theodore Roosevelt s irrepressible oldest child receives an appropriately vivacious appreciation in this superb picture book.... Kerley s precise text presents readers with a devilishly smart, strong-willed girl who was determined to live life on her own terms and largely succeeded." --Starred Review, Kirkus

"Kerley s text gallops along with a vitality to match her subject s antics, as the girl greets White House visitors accompanied by her pet snake, refuses to let leg braces cramp her style, dives fully clothed into a ship s swimming pool, and also earns her place in history as one of her father s trusted advisers. Fotheringham s digitally rendered, retro-style illustrations are a superb match for the text." --Starred Review, School Library Journal

Connections

Other books by Barbara Kerley:Greetings from Planet Earth
A Little Peace
The Extraordinary Mark Twain…


A list of research links
Think-Pair-Share with What to do About Alice?
Use as an introduction for student written biographies

Tippintown

Bibliography

Brown, Calef. 2003. Tippintown. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0618149724

Plot Summary

Calef Brown introduces the reader to the fantasy town of Tippintown. In Tippintown things are a little unique. Instead of hide and seek, one my play in a game of hide and shriek. Enormous heads have something to say and porpoises have a proper education. While the journey through Tippintown has to end sometime, our tour guide promises that tomorrow’s tour is sure to be your greatest journey yet.

Critical Analysis

The rhythm of this poem picture book was created with a longer, rhyming stanza on the left page, followed by a one-line, droll coda on the right side of the page. This rhythm can be difficult to read at first. Before reading it out loud to a group of students I had to read through it in my head several times. Students enjoying the book were never able to get the timing quite right. The use of rhyming words was helpful to the reader for developing the intended rhythm.

Brown’s language found in the poem helps to create a mystical word, but the words are able to be understood by the young reader the book is intended for. While the illustrations Calef included in the book help to create an understanding of a magical world, the poem stands alone encouraging the imagination to run wild while picturing assortment trees with flower and fruits of various sizes and shapes or gargoyles enjoying a day on the town.

Review Excerpts

“Brown is… similarly quirky and irreverent, a satirist without insult… A gleeful book for solo or shared reading.” –School Library Journal

“What an imagination Brown has! His often metrically challenged rhyming text doesn't tell much of a story, but it does provide a whimsical launching pad for his double-page pictures, which, though occasionally a wee bit too evocative of Maira Kalman, are, nevertheless, diverting in their offer of a pleasant excursion for the imagination.” –Booklist

Connections

Have students visualize their own illustrations before seeing Calef Brown's.
Official Calef Brown website

Other books by Calef Brown:
-Soup for Breakfast
-Dutch Sneakers and Fleakeepers
-Flamingo on the Roof: Poems and Paintings
-Polkabats and Octopus Pants