Anastasia Krupnik

Lowry, L. (1979). Anastasia Krupnik. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers.

Summary

Anastasia Krupnik is ten years old and learning about life. To help her get by, she keeps a green notebook handy to write lists of interesting words, important things that happen to her, and a list of things she loves and hates. Like most ten-year-olds, the things on this particular list—like her parents, her teacher, and boys—change frequently, often jumping from one side of the page to the other and back again. She is astonished to learn that her parents are having a baby—at their age, for pete's sake!—and plans to name him something truly awful. She is also experiencing conflicting emotions about her grandmother who, because of Alzheimer's, does not even know who Anastasia is. Anastasia learns many life lessons about friendship, first loves, and family as she waits for her baby brother to arrive.

Worth a bookmark?

Anastasia is a quirky character with dynamic emotions and ideas that any kid could relate to. What I like most about this book is the realism in the way her parents interact with Anastasia and each other. Instead of being a model of perfect parents who only exist in books, they make comments to each other she isn't supposed to get, indulge Anastasia in her crazy ideas instead of chastising or talking her out of them, and sometimes get impatient or frustrated. There is nothing sugar coated about this book; instead the reader gets to experience realistic emotions, ideas, and struggles through the characters. This is a great book for older elementary-aged kids because they can relate to many of the ups and downs in Anastasia's life—and get a good laugh along the way.

In my library…

This book is perfectly suitable for any elementary school library. Although it has been labeled as challenged or controversial, I did not see anything inappropriate or questionable about it. There were a few references to past relationships her parents had, and also the sensitive issue of dealing with aging grandparents, but these scenarios are real life and okay—even beneficial—for kids to read about. In my library this would be a great book talk for realistic fiction, or a recommendation for a student struggling with similar issues in his or her own life.

Reviews

To Anastasia Krupnik, being ten is very confusing. For one thing, she has this awful teacher who can't understand why Anastasia doesn't capitalize or punctuate her poems. Then, there's Washburn Cummings, a very interesting sixth-grade boy who doesn't even know she is alive. Even her parents have become difficult. They insist she visit her 92-year-old grandmother who can never remember Anastasia's name. On top of that, they're going to have a baby — at their age! It's enough to make a kid want to do something terrible. Anastasia knows that if she didn't have her secret green notebook to write in, she would never make it to her eleventh birthday.

"The well-turned phrase amuses, and the unexpected turn of events surprises in a plot that is tightly strung."

Scranimals

Prelutsky, J. (2002). Scranimals. USA: Greenwillow Books.

Summary

Scranimal Island is a magical place filled with unusual creatures that are a scrambled mix of either two animals (like a PARROTTER) or a plant and animal (like a BANANACONDA). Scranimals is a book of poems depicting two children's journey to Scranimal Island. The children invite the reader to sail with them to Scranimal Island, and the poems describe the animals they see and how the two things they are made of work together to make the animal special. For example, the CARDINALBACORE (cardinal and albacore) struggles to keep its tail in the water but its head out, "yet the CARDINALBACORE/ seems undaunted by the fact/ that its life is nothing more/ than a full-time circus act" (p. 14). As the children leave Scranimal Island, they see a pair of AVOCADODOS, (avocado and dodo bird), who are sadly extinct because of their lack of speed, strength, and brain. At the end of the book, the children reminisce about their time on the Island, wondering if perhaps someday they can return to discover more Scranimals.

Worth a bookmark?

Scranimals is a clever book of poetry that is whimsical and funny. The illustrations that accompany each poem do an excellent job depicting the scrambled animals; without them, many scranimals—like the PORCUPINEAPPLE or POTATOAD—would be hard to visualize and understand. It was fun to try to figure out what two things were combining to make each animal, and even more fun to try to pronounce their names! The pronunciation guides at the bottom of each poem were very helpful. I also like the back of the book that illustrates putting the two things together like a pictorial math problem (hippo + mushroom = HIPPOPOTAMUSHROOM). Overall, Scranimals is a great addition to any poetry collection!

In my library…

This book would be great for story time for elementary aged kids. After reading the poems students could create their own scranimal, draw it, and write a poem describing what it is or what it can do. This activity could be adapted for both upper and lower elementary.

Reviews

The meisters of madcap are at it again. This time, Prelutsky and Sis (The Dragons Are Singing Tonight) head off on safari to Scranimal Island, an exotic spot full of odd hybrid creatures just ripe for their devious brand of silliness. Whether tracking a caravan of Camelberta Peaches ("All have humpy, bumpy backs, Stocked with water, juice, and snacks, So the creatures never need Wonder where to drink or feed"), avoiding the clutches of the dread Radishark ("Its appalling, bulbous body Is astonishingly red, And its fangs are sharp and gleaming In its huge and horrid head") or spying on the Bananaconda ("How sinuous and sly you are, How slippery, how yellow"), they scramble up a smorgasbord of flora and fauna. Prelutsky tweaks language with his characteristic glee, wedging in plenty of humor ("Poor Avocadodos, Ungainly and green, You're gone from today's Biological scene") and, as always when Si s is on board, his exquisite artistry raises the bar, adding depth to Prelutsky's light verse. Plying his trademark delicate line and crosshatching, Si s sets off the fantastic creatures against spare, expansive vistas, investing the muted ink-and-watercolor illustrations with a quizzically visionary style. A pair of brightly clad young explorers lurk at the edge of each scene, adding a droll visual grace note. All ages. (Sept.) (Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information-Publishers Weekly)

The Not-So-Jolly Roger

Scieszka, J. (1991). The time warp trio: The not-so-jolly roger. New York: Viking.

Summary

Sam, Joe, and Fred take their second adventure through time to find The Not-So-Jolly-Roger. For his birthday, Joe's magician uncle gave him The Book, a magical book that can warp the boys to another time with a few flicks of the pages and special words. Unfortunately, they are still trying to figure out exactly how it works when Fred wishes they could go somewhere cool to find buried treasure. The boys find themselves in the tops of coconut trees on a deserted island, watching in horror as Blackbeard himself shoots and buries two prisoners to "guard" his newest treasure. When Blackbeard finds them and takes them captive on his ship, Queen Anne's Revenge, they are desperate to find a way to find a special book that will take them back home. Fred, Joe, and Sam have to use every trick they can think of to get out of this one alive—or face walking the plank!

Worth a bookmark?

This is the first Time Warp Trio book I have read, and I really enjoyed it. A lot of kids—especially boys—would get a kick out of Blackbeard's character because he acts like a stereotypical pirate, singing songs about dead man's chests and drunken sailors all while drinking rum and shooting things with his pistol. For readers who have read all of the Magic Tree House series, or just want a break from Jack and Annie for something more colorful, Time Warp Trio is the perfect solution. I have read and loved other books by Jon Scieszka because of their humor, crazy plots, weird illustrations, and wacky characters, and this series lives up to all those expectations!

In my library…

Because this book is fast paced and quirky, I think boys would really get into it. In my library, this would be a book I'd recommend to boys in second or third grade as a first chapter book. This series would also be great for a book club for third or fourth grade boys because there are so many historical and cultural links that could be made for discussions and projects.

Reviews

Scieszka and his comic cohort, Smith, support the vision of kids in The Not-So-Jolly Roger, one of the "Time Warp Trio" series. Joe, Fred and Sam are three wild and crazy guys who travel in time. All Scieszka's skinny time travel novels are fat with adventure, laughs, and tension. Their seventy-plus pages feature wacky heroes who are consistently kid-like and each book fulfills a promise of wild adventure and giggles galore while making history come alive. (Children's Literature)

If I Only Had a Horn: Young Louis Armstrong

Orgrill, R. (1997). If I only had a horn: Young Louis Armstrong. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Summary

As a boy Louis Armstrong fell in love with the rhythms and music he heard on the streets near his home in New Orleans. Drums, singing, and dancing appealed to Louis, but one sound in particular—the wah-wah of the cornet—really made his heart sing. Lying in his bed at night, he dreamed of one day having a horn and making his own music.

If I could sing

I could bring

Home pennies

Play slow drag blues

Tap happy feet blues

Till the sun rose

If I only had a horn

On New Year's Eve, Louis and his friends were singing in the street to sounds of music, firecrackers, and gun fire celebrating the transition from the old year to the new. Innocently, Louis shot an old .38 into the air in response to a kid across the street. Suddenly the strong arms of the law grab him and drag him away to jail. Louis spent the next several months living in the Colored Waifs' Home, away from his family, friends, and the jazz music he so loved. He yearned to join the Waifs' Home's band, and after six long months of waiting he was finally allowed to join. He steadily worked his way up through the ranks of the band until Mr. Davis, the band director, gave him a battered but polished cornet—his very first horn. Finally, he was able to make his own music as he led the band in a parade through Perdido Street.

Worth a bookmark?

This book tells one small part of Louis Armstrong's childhood as he aspires to be a great jazz musician. The author's goal was to use several personal accounts from Armstrong and other biographies to write a story from a new perspective that demonstrates the spirit of Louis Armstrong. The illustrations are unique and add a lot of dimension to the emotions and moods felt by the characters. The tale is told in a story-teller's format and leaves a lot to the imagination. There is no indication of the year this happened so the time period is vague, and we do not know how long Louis had to stay in the Waifs' Home. Even though this book was not intended to be a comprehensive biography, it left out a lot of details that leaves readers with unanswered questions.

In my library…

This book would be great in a larger study of Louis Armstrong to add some color and dimension to his character. It would allow students doing a lot of research about his life and career to read a story about him as a kid, allowing them to connect with him as a real person. It could also fit into larger themes in a library, such as great musicians or Black History Month.

Reviews

Roxann Orgill has written a fine picture book about Louis Armstrong. Poverty was the way of life on Perdido Street, but for Louis it was the music that sustained him. He and his friends sang and beat out tunes to earn a few pennies. They called him "Dippermouth," a name that stuck. When he accidentally shoots off a gun, he is sent to the Colored Waif's Home. The best thing about this experience was that there was a band director who spotted Louis's talent. When he finally gets a cornet, his joy is complete. He can play like his hero Joe Oliver. Strong, evocative paintings create the atmosphere of New Orleans, circa 1910. Tip: You also must play Armstrong's music, or this story will fall on deaf ears. (Children's
Literature)

What If You Met a Pirate?

Adkins, J. (2004). What if you met a pirate? New Milford, Connecticut: Roaring Brook Press.

Summary

Kids love pirates, but the image they have of what a pirate is and does is often far from the truth. The "facts" people often know about pirates come not from research but from fictional characters in books, movies, and TV shows. In this book, Adkins presents common myths about pirates then dispels them by showing or telling the truth about pirates. For example, the first pages of the book show a diagram of a "typical" pirate that most readers identify with their idea of a pirate: fancy clothes and hat, eye patch, wooden peg leg, parrot on the shoulder, brandishing swords, etc. Adkins then dispels this stereotype by showing how someone dressed like this would be ineffective as a real pirate: "That pirate can't be very fast with a wooden leg. He can't see very well with one eye…if he did grab the pistols, the parrot and all those rings would get in the way. He'd probably shoot his other foot" (p. 2). The book continues to address many aspects of a pirate's life, like the ships they sailed, reasons for becoming a pirate, daily life on a pirate ship, buried treasure, and includes facts about pirates who really lived.

Worth a bookmark?

This book is great for any kid interested in pirates. The diagrams and pictures are great for illustrating the ideas explained in the text. The book is organized so that a reader has the option to read just certain topics he or she is interested in with full understanding, or can choose to read the book from cover to cover. Each two-page spread is dedicated to answering a common question kids might ask about pirates using their own background knowledge. An added bonus: this book is not only full of interesting facts, it's also really funny! On the back cover of the book are "reviews" of the book that are attributed to famous people who would have been involved with pirates, like Queen Elizabeth I and Captain William Kidd. This book is a great addition to a library for all ages.

In my library…

What If You Met a Pirate? is a great book for both research and pleasure reading. For mature readers, this book would be useful in a study comparing myths or stereotypes to reality and facts. In my library, I would use this book and others like it to entice reluctant readers to dive into a good book. Because the layout of the book allows a reader to read as in-depth as he or she chooses, it can be less intimidating and easier to read. Besides, what kid isn't interested in pirates and buried treasure?!

Reviews

Adkins rejects the conventional glamorous image of the pirate to construct a scruffier, though only slightly less romanticized, one in this sweeping history of privateers, buccaneers, freebooters, and similar nautical nogoodnicks. Though he may characterize them as "violent, wicked criminals," he downplays the more lurid tales of their bad behavior, focusing instead on generalities about their habits, hygiene ("Most pirates had bad teeth, and not very many of them"), and seamanship. He also introduces Sir Francis Drake, William Kidd, Henry Morgan, and other piratical luminaries-often so that he can go on about their bad ends. Scattering loosely drawn but practiced vignettes of men and ships around snippets of historical fact, Adkins offers nothing new beyond a distinctly personal tone, but the topic is hot just now, and there's enough about ships and sailing here to draw more than narrowly focused pirate fans. (Picture book/nonfiction. 8-10) (Kirkus Reviews)

Pink and Say

Polacco, P. (1994). Pink and Say. New York: Scholastic.

Summary

Sheldon Russell Curtis, known as Say, was only fifteen when he joined the Union Army as a flag bearer during the Civil War. Lying wounded and dying in a field in Georgia, he was found by Pinkus Aylee, a former slave who had joined the Union Forty-eighth Colored division, and no older than Say. Pink carried Say home to him mother who nursed both boys back to health with good food, clean clothes, and lots of love. Say, who once shook President Abraham Lincoln's hand, unexpectedly finds friendship and safety in the arms of Pink and his mother. The author tells this true story passed down through her family about her great-great-grandfather, Say, learning firsthand the difficult truths of the Civil War and the suffering of those who knew that "when you owned, you ain't got no name of your own".

Worth a bookmark?

Patricia Polacco has long been one of my favorite authors, but this book was new to me. Her style of writing is so appealing because she tells her stories from the heart, using authentic dialogue and dialects, and creates vivid illustrations that add so much emotion to the story. Her stories are always enthralling because of the truth that rings through them, truth coming from stories of her own life. This book was particularly gripping because it tells the story of how Polacco's great-great-grandfather was saved as a young boy serving in the Civil War. It is amazing to think of events, both large and small, that completely alter the course of a person's life. Without Pinkus Aylee, without this story, there would be no Patricia Polacco.

In my library…

A picture book written for older readers, Pink and Say would be an excellent addition to any study of the Civil War because it skips the dates and battles to focus on the people who lived, fought, suffered, and died during that time. As Pink tries to make Say understand why he must go back to the war instead of staying with his mother, readers come to understand the heart of the reason America warred in the first place.

Reviews

The heart-wrenching true story of Civil War valor in which a 15-year old Yankee soldier, Say, alone and bleeding, is dragged to safety by a fellow Union soldier from the Forty-eighth colored regiment. They are ultimately captured and separated, and Say survived to pass the story down through the author's family.

"Unglamorized details of the conventions and atrocities of the Civil War target readers well beyond customary picture book age." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.

Shattering Glass

Giles, G. (2003). Shattering Glass. New York: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.

Summary

Popularity. Football. Cheerleaders. Parties. Friends. Enemies. Love. Drama. It's the stuff good high school stories are made of.

Rob quickly made a name for himself when he arrived at his new school his junior year. His charisma, charm, and good looks earned him top spot in the popularity game; he was eager to encourage and help his new friends whenever he could, and even stuck up for other kids others usually picked on. Now, in their senior year, Rob proposes a project for his buddies: turn Simon Glass, the school's nerdiest, most hopeless scapegoat, into Prince Charming by the end of the year. Although it seems altruistic at first, his mission soon absorbs many people who end up doing things they would never have done if Rob hadn't convinced them it was the right thing to do. As Simon begins gaining popularity, his shy, vulnerable exterior begins to fade away to reveal a sinister confidence that challenges Rob's role as ring-leader, revealing a side of Rob that no one imagined existed. A clash and explosion is inevitable in Shattering Glass.

Worth a bookmark?

This mystery was a definite page-turner. Most of the characters appear flat at first, filling the stereotypical high school character roles. But as the story unfolds, the reader finds that these "typical" characters are hiding darker secrets and problems behind a blissful façade. I really liked that each chapter provided a bit of foreshadowing from the perspective of various minor characters. You know tragedy is inevitable, but you are kept guessing about when and how it will take place. The ending is explosive and shocking, and the way the characters develop through the story is incredible.

In my library…

This book is best suited for a high school library because of the mature issues it deals with. I would include this book in a series of booktalks or commercials promoting mysteries. Appealing for a book club of both boys and girls, great discussion could focus on the different characters and how they are not exactly what they appear to be, then applying that to real-life situations of the consequences of getting caught up in peer pressure.

Reviews

This dark and suspense-filled teen drama introduces us to Simon Glass, who is a world-class school nerd. Rob, Mr. Charisma, is out to turn Simon into Prince Charming by the end of the year. And it looks like he just might pull off the feat. The narrator, Young Steward, has fallen under Rob's spell and finds himself a pawn in Rob's game. Though he feels a personal repulsion toward Simon, Young goes along with Rob's plans, even sacrificing his own girlfriend in the process. What makes this novel fascinating is that the author lets us know at the outset that something tragic is going to result, but keeps us guessing as to the form the tragedy will take. Each chapter is preceded by a quotation from one of the characters that deftly foreshadows oncoming doom. The device works to perfection, catapulting this novel above those in the mainstream. The disturbingly violent yet satisfying climax lives up to the hype. Gail Giles is an author worth watching. (Christopher Moning - Children's Literature)