A Review of The Scorpio Races (Audiobook)

By Maggie Stiefvater

* Note: This blog fulfills a course requirement at TWU.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Stiefvater, Maggie. The Scorpio Races. Read by Steve West and Fiona Hardingham. Scholastic Audio Books. 2011 ISBN:  0545357020

PLOT SUMMARY

The Scorpio Races is set on a small island called Thisby. The book opens with a prologue featuring Sean Kendrick, a 10-year-old boy on the beach helping his father get his capall uisce (water horse) ready for the big annual race. Water horses are dangerous and often kill and eat their riders. Sean notices his father is scared and he wishes that the red horse they are preparing for the race does not eat his dad. However, it is a gray horse that attacks and eats his father and Sean says, “Nothing is as red as the sea that day” (Prologue). Sean vows never to be afraid again. Fast forward nine years, and readers meet Kate “Puck” Connolly, who along with Sean, are the joint protagonists of this story. Puck has her own horse, a real horse named Dove. Puck and her brother Finn race to the beach and see one of the water horses emerge from the water. Readers find out that Puck and Finn’s parents were killed by water horses. Sean is now working on a farm as a stable boy when he hears that the water horses have surfaced, which means the Scorpio Races are getting close. Sean rides his water horse, Corr, every year in the race, so this is good news. Sean catches, trains, and sometimes kills water horses, so he is very familiar with them. Puck’s oldest brother, Gabe, tells her and Finn that he is leaving the island and not taking his two siblings with him. In order to get him to stay, Puck suggests that she will ride a water horse in the race, which will earn money for her and her siblings if she wins. Gabe decides to stay through the race. Puck is the first girl to enter the race and the men are reluctant to sell her a water horse, so she decides to ride her land horse, Dove, in the race. The village is totally against Puck entering the race. Puck and Sean meet and grow close; perhaps falling in love, but only one of them can win the race. The climax of the story is the exciting, albeit terrifying race with an ultimate winner. The ending is stunning and will have the reader thinking about it for hours after the book is over. Highly recommended!

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Steve West and Fiona Hardingham both do an outstanding job of narrating the parts of Sean Kendrick and Puck Connolly and bringing those characters to life. Both characters are strong resilient young people. Stiefvater writing style is captivating. The setting indicates that the island of Thisby is Irish because of several references to traditional Irish culture. The reader is exposed to the violence of the water horses and the fear they cause. Family is an important theme, whether it is Puck trying to keep what’s left of her family together or Sean and Puck’s relationship with their horses. Gender plays an important role since the Scorpio Races has never allowed a woman to race before Puck and she has to overcome adversity in order to compete. This also ties in to tradition because the women in the village do not want Puck to compete either, as one woman says to Puck, “I’m all for women, but this isn’t a woman’s game” (Chapter 10). This is a completely different book than I have encountered. For a fantasy genre book, it takes the reader into a fictional world that is easy to become enraptured with. The Scorpio Races makes me want to investigate other books by Maggie Stiefvater.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

·         Michael L. Printz Award Honor, 2012

·         The Odyssey Honor Award 2012 for Best Audio Production

·         Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books of 2011

·         Amazon's Best Books for Teens 2011

·         School Library Journal's Best Books of the Year

·         Kirkus' Best Teen Books of the Year (2011)

·         Horn Book Best Books of 2011

·         Children's Book Committee 2012 Best Children's Books of the Year

·         YALSA Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults, 2012

The New York Times Book Review - “Stiefvater not only steps out of the young adult fantasy box with “The Scorpio Races” but crushes it with pounding hooves…. If “The Scorpio Races” sounds like nothing you've ever read, that's because it is.”

School Library Journal - “Upon the sea-battered and wind-swept isle of Thisby, fall brings the famed and feared capaill uisce, or water horses, and with them, death . . . The author takes great liberties with the Celtic myth, but the result is marvelous.”

Horn Book Review - “Stiefvater's novel, inspired by Manx, Irish, and Scottish legends of beautiful but deadly fairy horses that emerge from the sea each autumn, begins rivetingly and gets better and better . . . all the way, in fact, to best.”

CONNECTIONS

Read other books by Maggie Stiefvater, including:

·         Stiefvater, Maggie. The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle). 2012. ISBN: 0545424925.

·         Stiefvater, Maggie. Shiver. 2009. ISBN: 0545123267.

·         Stiefvater, Maggie. Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie. 2009. ISBN: 0738714844.

Ø  Many of Stiefvater’s books are series, such as Shiver and the Raven Boys mentioned above, so if you like the first one, chances are that you will enjoy the others as well.

Ø  Scorpio Races is being made into a movie from Warner Brothers.

A Review of The Arrival

By Shaun Tan

* Note: This blog fulfills a course requirement at TWU.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Tan, Shaun. The Arrival. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books. 2007. ISBN: 0439895294

PLOT SUMMARY

This critically acclaimed book is a wordless story of a man who leaves his wife and daughter behind in an impoverished country to travel across the ocean to an unnamed country to seek a better life for himself and his family. The man enters a strange new world with odd-looking creatures, boats that sail in the sky, floating objects, and strange languages. This strange setting serves as a metaphor for those immigrants that arrive in a country where everything is different, and somewhat stranger than their country of origin. Tan’s illustrations are fantasy mixed with reality and convey a message of being someone who is overwhelmed by new, unfamiliar surroundings. He arrives with nothing but a suitcase and a small amount of money. He struggles to adjust, but several strangers help him along the way and he finally finds a job at a dehumanizing factory working in an assembly line separating things into piles. He discovers that almost all of the people he worked with were immigrants as well. Even though he starts out as the new guy in a new world, he gets used to his surroundings and directs other “new people” where to go. The man sent his daughter letters as a bird-shaped origami and finally, his wife and daughter sent him a letter saying they were coming to be with him. By the end, the family had settled into their new life and the last page, the picture is of the man’s daughter is giving directions to a new person. Even though there are no words, the pictures say a lot!

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Tan uses sepia-toned illustrations that often look like old photographs. His illustrations place human beings in surreal, often bizarre environments, which enhance the feeling of the protagonist being overwhelmed. However, Tan presents a diverse ethnic population that exhibit a sense of friendliness and caring for each other regardless of race or background  on each page. Creative use of panel size on every page helps tell a more complete story filled with emotion and compassion. Tan uses visual metaphors to show how it feels to miss family, dehumanizing working conditions, and suppression, while also conveying the kindness that people can show one another even through trying times. This book is a beautiful work of art!

REVIEW EXCERPTS

New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2007

New York Times Notable Children's Book of 2007
World Fantasy Award 2007, Best Artist
Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2007
School Library Journal Best Book of 2007
Booklist Editors' Choice for 2007

School Library Journal – “Young readers will be fascinated by the strange new world the artist creates, complete with floating elevators and unusual creatures, but may not realize the depth of meaning or understand what the man's journey symbolizes. More sophisticated readers, however, will grasp the sense of strangeness and find themselves participating in the man's experiences. They will linger over the details in the beautiful sepia pictures and will likely pick up the book to pore over it again and again.”

Booklist – “Strong visual metaphors convey personal longing, political suppression, and totalitarian control; imaginative use of panel size and shape powerfully depicts sensations and ideas as diverse as interminable waiting, awe-inspiring majesty, and forlorn memories; delicate alterations in light and color saturate the pages with a sense of time and place. Soft brushstrokes and grand Art Deco-style architecture evoke a time long ago, but the story's immediacy and fantasy elements will appeal even to readers younger than the target audience, though they may miss many of the complexities.”

CONNECTIONS

Enjoy other Shaun Tan Books, including:

·         Tan, Shaun. Sketches from a Nameless Land: The Art of the Arrival. (2012). ISBN: 0734411642.

·         Tan, Shaun. The Bird King: An Artist's Notebook. (2013). ISBN: 0545465133.

·         Tan, Shaun. Tales from Outer Suburbia. (2009). ISBN: 0545055873.

·         Tan, Shaun. Rules of Summer. (2014). ISBN: 0545639123.

And others …

A Review of Feathers

By Jacqueline Woodson

* Note: This blog fulfills a course requirement at TWU.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Woodson, Jacqueline. Feathers. New York: The Penguin Group. 2007. ISBN: 9780399239892

PLOT SUMMARY

This story revolves around the life of the protagonist, Frannie, a sixth grade girl. She attends an urban all African American school in 1971 where she deals with racism, disability (her brother is deaf), faith, and, perhaps more importantly, hope. The title of the book is derived from an Emily Dickinson poem that reads: “Hope is the thing with feathers, which perches in the soul, and sings the tune — without words, and never stops at all” (“Feathers” – Inside cover). This poem is the driving force behind this wonderfully-written book. Frannie loved the poem and viewed it as “hope getting inside you and never stopping” (p. 3). A white boy comes to school and Trevor, the classroom bully, quickly refers to him as “Jesus Boy” because of his long hair and white skin. Frannie’s best friend and preacher’s daughter, Samantha, begins to believe he really might be Jesus. The way Jesus Boy acts with a sense of calm makes Frannie wonder if there is any truth to her best friend’s feelings; however, Frannie is more grounded and has faced sadness in her life, from her brother’s deafness to her mother’s two miscarriages. Frannie learned how to sign from her brother at an early age and the two communicated beautifully. Jesus Boy surprises her because he knows how to sign as well, but does not remember how he learned. Trevor continues to pick on Jesus Boy until finally one day; Jesus Boy retaliates and reveals he is human. Samantha is disappointed that he is indeed, not Jesus and questions her faith. However, Frannie comes to a different conclusion that perhaps Jesus Boy is Jesus and that “Maybe there’s a little bit of Jesus inside all of us … Maybe Jesus is the hope [we feel]” (p. 109). Hope … that thing with feathers!

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Frannie is a delightful character that is easy to like. Her family is close-knit and the reader understands the emphasis on family that the author stresses. This comes through when Frannie describes her daddy as a man with a “smile that came into a room a full minute before he did”
(p. 49). She describes her pregnant mother, “I wake to find [mama] in the rocker … staring out into the sun. She looks beautiful sitting there with all the light around her” (p. 116). She says of her brother, “He’s so beautiful – all tall and dark with pretty eyes and a nice big-brother smile” (p. 42). The themes that arise include race, faith, disability, and hope. The most important theme is hope, which, when found, is so eloquently narrated and explained by Frannie. This book can speak to those young people who struggle with faith, hope and prejudice. The setting is a town racially divided by a highway where whites live on one side and African-Americans live on the other. There are separate schools, which is indicative of the time (1971), seven years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that was supposed to stop segregated schools and the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which was directed at fair housing ordinances for all races. Many schools were slow to integrate and one of the reasons was the neighborhoods were segregated as in this story. Jacqueline Woodson is a four-time Newberry Award Winner and her work is highly recommended!

REVIEW EXCERPTS

2008 Newberry Honor Book Winner

Publisher’s Weekly – “Set in 1971, Woodson's novel skillfully weaves in the music and events surrounding the rising opposition to the Vietnam War, giving this gentle, timeless story depth. She raises important questions about God, racial segregation and issues surrounding the hearing-impaired with a light and thoughtful touch.”

School Library Journal - “Woodson creates in Frannie a strong protagonist who thinks for herself and recognizes the value and meaning of family. The story ends with hope and thoughtfulness while speaking to those adolescents who struggle with race, faith, and prejudice. They will appreciate its wisdom and positive connections.”

CONNECTIONS

Read more of Jacqueline Woodson’s Newberry Award Winners:

·         Woodson, Jacqueline. After Tupac and D Foster. (2010). ISBN: 0142413992.

·         Woodson, Jacqueline. Brown Girl Dreaming. (2014). ISBN: 0399252517.

·         Woodson, Jacqueline. Show Way. (2005). ISBN: 0399237492.

As well as her 2001 Coretta Scott King Award-Winning book:

·         Woodson, Jacqueline. Miracle Boys. (2010). ISBN: 0142415537.

A Review of The Green Glass Sea (Audiobook)

By Ellen Klages

* Note: This blog fulfills a course requirement at TWU.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Klages, Ellen. The Green Glass Sea. Read by Julie Dretzin. Prince Frederick, MD: Recorded Books (Audio). 2008. ISBN: 1428146396

PLOT SUMMARY

Dewey Kerrigan is an 11 year-old girl in 1943 on a train to New Mexico to live with her father. Her father is working on a top secret project and the corporal who picks Dewey up does not know where in New Mexico she is headed. World War II is going on and many things are secret. She arrives in Los Alamos, New Mexico, a town that does not officially exist. Top scientists and mathematicians, including Dewey’s father, from all over America and Europe are there working on a top-secret project that everyone refers to only as “the gadget.”  Dewey is very mechanically inclined and quite intelligent. During her time there, Dewey befriends many of the scientists at Los Alamos and even begins working on her gadgets. She initially butts heads with a young artist named Suze Gordon, but they eventually become close friends. When her father is called to Washington DC, Dewey moves in with the Suze and her family. Finally, “the gadget” is complete and it is revealed to be a powerful bomb that would end World War II, even though the bomb would cause devastation never before witnessed. At the end, the Gordon’s visit the blast site of the test bomb and the “The Green Glass Sea” is revealed to the reader.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The book is written with the Manhattan Project, or the creation of the atom bomb, as a backdrop to the story. This was a top secret project and Klages adds much authenticity to the story since this was such an important part of American history. Klages is a brilliant writer who paints wonderful pictures with words of the scenery in New Mexico, including yucca plants, cactuses, the desert sand, colorful sky, mountains, and adobe homes. She describes Los Alamos perfectly as the place chosen to work on this project. The narration is expertly done by Julie Dretzin who changes her voice to match the character she is portraying. Klages creates characters the reader can feel close to, particularly Dewey. Highly recommended!

REVIEW EXCERPTS

2007 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction

2007 Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature

2007 New Mexico State Book Award (YA)

Publisher’s Weekly – “An impressive debut … provides much insight into the controversies surrounding the making of the bomb and brings to life the tensions of war experienced by adults and children alike.”

Horn Book Magazine – “An intense but accessible page-turner … history and story are drawn together with confidence.”

CONNECTIONS

Read other books by Ellen Klages including the sequel to The Green Glass Sea:

Klages, Ellen. White Sands, Red Menace. 2010. ISBN: 0142415189

And others such as:

Klages, Ellen. Portable Childhoods. 2007. ISBN: 1892391457

Klages, Ellen. In the House of the Seven Librarians. 2012. ISBN: 1933500980

A Review of Gingersnap (Audiobook)

By Patricia Reilly Giff

* Note: This blog fulfills a course requirement at TWU.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Giff, Patricia Reilly. Gingersnap. Read by Olivia Campbell. New York: Listening Library (Audio) 2013. ISBN: 0385361319

PLOT SUMMARY

The year is 1944 and World War II is ongoing. Jayna is a young girl who lost her mom and dad in an automobile accident before she had any memories of them. Her mom had nicknamed her “Gingersnap” because of her unruly red hair. After living in a series of foster homes, her brother Rob came of age and took her into his home. Unfortunately, Rob is called to war and the next door neighbor, Selene, took in Jayna, and Rob sent her money from his military salary to help her with the costs. Shortly, Rob was reported missing in action and this devastated Jayna. She found a box Rob had told her about before he left and it had pictures of her parents and a recipe book with an address in Brooklyn. She was befriended by a ghost that I believe to be her conscience who helped her to decide to go to Brooklyn and hope that the person at the address would be family. She arrived at a bakery and the owner, Elise, seemed that she might be family. She was not, but was a friend of her mother and knew who she was. She invited her to stay with her in hopes that her brother would return one day. Selene came and visited to make sure that Gingersnap was okay. She discovered that Jayna was happy and returned home, but as soon as she returned, she got a message from Rob that he was returning and he was okay, All of the people that were in Jayna’s life (including the turtle and the lost and recovered recipe book) kept her hopes alive and they were rewarded with the beautiful ending!

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This was a beautifully written and narrated book! The narration was lovingly done by Olivia Campbell who painted a brilliant picture of the main character, Jayna. This is a book for anyone who has known hardship and persevered.  Giff highlighted the authenticity of this story against the backdrop of World War II, bringing up the high cost of victory at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Her characters were rich in depth and accentuated the lovely writing. This was my first audiobook and I highly recommend it to everyone! A beautiful story told by a master of storytelling!

REVIEW EXCERPTS

School Library Journal - “Giff's well-told story is narrated by Olivia Campbell who perfectly portrays Jayna. However, on occasion she drops the bakery owner's French accent. Fans of Giff's other World War II novels like Lily's Crossing, All the Way Home, and Willow Run, will be delighted with this story of family during wartime.”

Booklist – “Giff offers an accessible chapter book with highly individual characters and a convincing picture of life on the home front. Jayna often makes soup, and related recipes appear between chapters. Though parts of the story seem as improbable as daydreams, readers will be swept along by Jayna’s first-person narrative and moved by the novel’s ending.”

CONNECTIONS

I highly recommend other Patricia Reilly Giff books including:

·               Giff, Patricia Reilly. Water Street. 2008. ISBN: 9780440419211

• Giff, Patricia Reilly. Nory Ryan’s Song. 2002. ISBN: 9780440418290

Ø  ALA Best Book for Young Adults in 2003.

·             Giff, Patricia Reilly. Maggie’s Door. 2005. ISBN: 0440415810.

And many others…

A Review of Penny from Heaven

By Jennifer L. Holm

* Note: This blog fulfills a course requirement at TWU.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Holm, Jennifer L. Penny from Heaven. New York: Random House, 2006. ISBN: 0375836896

PLOT SUMMARY

Penny is a nickname for this 11 year-old girl actually named Barbara Ann Falucci, given to her by her deceased father because he loved the song “Pennies from Heaven” by Bing Crosby. The setting is during the summer in 1953 in New Jersey. Penny lives with her mother and her mother’s parents whom she calls “Me-me” and “Pop-pop” and her 15-year-old poodle named Scarlett O’Hara. Her father’s large Italian family lives nearby and she spends a lot of time with them as well. Penny’s favorite uncle, Dominic, lives in his car parked outside grandmother Falucci or “Nonny’s” house. Dominic gives her a magic bean to bring her luck which she holds onto dearly. She goes to Sunday dinners at her grandmother Nonny's house, plays with her cousin Frankie. Her Uncle Ralphie offers her and her cousin, Frankie, a job delivering groceries from his store.  Penny is struggling to accept her mother’s new relationship with the milkman, Mr. Mulligan.  A terrible accident occurs when Penny is supposedly under the supervision of her Uncle Dominic when her arm gets stuck in the wringer of the washing machine.  Her mother is angry at Uncle Dominic.  Penny, ultimately, ends up finding out the truth about the circumstances surrounding her father’s death.  Penny finds more inner peace since she has found out how her father died.  Penny’s father was sent to an internment camp due to the actions of Uncle Dominic where he died. She eventually forgives Uncle Dominic and loves him.  All the family gathers at her mom’s and Mr. Mulligan’s wedding, including the Italian side of Penny’s family.  Penny accepts her situation and is ready to move in life with her new father.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This is a well-told, sweet story that introduces readers to Italian-Americans and their culture. Holm adds authenticity to this work of historical fiction by adding historian, Lawrence DiStasi to explain and give voice to Italian-American during and shortly after World War II and the references to the Brooklyn Dodgers during this time. Her characters are rich and cultural differences are noted. Several times she uses Italian phrases, such as “tesoro mio” which means “my treasure” and is what her Nonny calls her, or a “sfogliatelle” which is an Italian pastry with ricotta cheese inside. The reader gains valuable insight into this time period and the cultural differences that make us all uniquely American.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

School Library Journal – “Take a trip back to 1953 in Jennifer L. Holm's charming story (Random, 2006). Eleven-year-old Penny lives in New Jersey and walks a tightrope between two families. On one side are her widowed mother, her irascible grandfather, and her cooking-disabled grandmother with whom she lives. On the other side are her deceased father's Italian family with an abundance of loving aunts and uncles and a Nonny who makes the best cannoli around.”

Booklist - “Holm impressively wraps pathos with comedy in this coming-of-age story, populated by a cast of vivid characters (a burping, farting grandpa; an eccentric uncle who lives in his car--"not exactly normal for people in New Jersey"). Concluding with a photo-illustrated endnote explaining Holm's inspirations in family history, this languidly paced novel will appeal most to readers who appreciate gentle, episodic tales with a nostalgic flavor.”

CONNECTIONS

Newberry Award Winning Book

Enjoy other Jennifer L. Holms books, including:

·         Holms, Jennifer L. Our Only May Amelia (Harper Trophy Book and Newberry Honor Book) 2001. ISBN:  0064408566

·         Holms, Jennifer L. The Fourteenth Goldfish. 2014. ISBN:  0375870644

·         Holms, Jennifer L. The Trouble with May Amelia. 2012. ISBN: 1416913742

And many more …