Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

Schlitz, L.A. (2007). Good Masters! Sweet Ladies. Somerville: Candlewick Press.

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! gives us a glimpse into life in Medieval times. Each character tells his or her story of their life in poetry or prose. These characters are all children, from all levels of medieval society. They share the good and bad about their lives. For many, their lives are harsh. Even those in privilege are not always happy. The author also includes sections of non-fiction to help the reader further understand what each character is talking about. Topics include pilgrimages, the Crusades, falconry, and Judiasm.

This would be a wonderful book to use with Catherine, Called Birdy. The explanations it offers would support the reader as they go through Catherine.

I enjoyed this book, as I am very interested in this time period. I appreciated that the author didn't sugar coat anything. She depicts life as it really was at the time, including death and prejudice.

Rules

Lord, C. (2006). Rules. New York: Scholastic.

Catherine's life is full of rules. With a brother with autism, it has to be. David needs those rules to cope with the world and Catherine needs those rules to cope with David. She feels like David gets all the attention and her needs get pushed to the side. When a new neighbor moves in, Catherine thinks she has a chance to be a normal kid, but her own embarrassment at David keeps her from getting there. Plus there is Jason, the boy at the clinic with Cerebral Palsy. She's making him word cards and talking with him, but when Kristi asks about him, Catherine again is embarrassed. She has to learn not to worry about what she or others think and to speak up for herself.

This book struck a chord with me. You see, my nephew and my son are both autistic. For years, I have worried about them. Would they adjust to school? What would the other children think or say? How many teachers will I have to battle? But I have also worried about their big sisters, especially my niece Kathryn (ironic!). Her brother is very much like David. He echos TV shows that he loves and is constantly being reminded of the rules. Kathryn has spent so much of her life taking care of him, that I have worried about her needs. She, unlike Catherine, never found her voice. My niece ended up in the hospital after a suicide attempt. I wonder if she had seen this book if it would have made a difference in her life.

Wonderstruck

Selznick, B. (2011). Wonderstruck. New York: Scholastic.

This is an unusual book. Two stories are told simultaneously, one through text and the other through beautiful pencil illustrations. The text is a story of Ben. Ben has lost his mother and never known his father. One night, during a storm, he explores his mother's old bedroom. There he finds a clue about his father - a name and a phone number of a book store. As he tries to call, the house is struck by lightning and Ben ,who is holding the phone, is electrocuted. He becomes deaf. After time in the hospital, Ben runs away to New York City to find his father. All of his leads are dead ends and he ends up at the Museum of Natural Science. Ben is befriended by a boy name Jamie whose dad works at the museum. Jamie gives Ben a place to hide, sleep, and brings him food while promising to tell his dad and call Ben's aunt.

In pictures we learn that Rose, who lives in 1927,  loves an actress named Lilian Mayhew. She even sneaks out of the house to watch her in silent films. Later we learn that Rose, like Ben, is deaf. She is not allowed to leave the house and is being forced to learn to speak and lip read. She too runs away to New York City. She is heading to a Broadway show starring Lilian Mayhew. We learn that Lilian is her mother. She tells Lilian that she needs to head home. Rose runs to the Museum of Natural Science, where she is found by a guard in the Cabinet of Wonders. The guard is her brother.

The two stories collide in the Ben's timeline. He has learned that Jamie hasn't been honest with him and isn't really going to help him. He finds the bookstore that he had been searching for and meets Rose and Walter. That's when Ben learns that Rose is his grandmother. The story continues in both words and pictures explaining what happened to Ben's father and Rose. It gives hope for Ben's future, as a child and member of the deaf community.

It is the combination of the two stories, with the text and pictures that makes Wonderstruck so wonderful. Selznick intertwines the two stories so beautifully. I also appreciate his respect for the Deaf culture. He shares that sense of not belonging in the hearing world and looking for where you do belong. He also shares the desires of hearing parents for their deaf child to speak and lip read. Though that may be a choice for some, it is not always the best choice. We cannot force our wants on another, as we see through Rose's story.

The Graveyard Book

Gaiman, N. (2008). The Graveyard Book. New York; Harper.

A horrible murder has occured but there is one survivor. An eighteen month old baby has toddled away from his home and into a graveyard. Found by the ghosts of Mr. and Mrs. Owens, the baby is given the protection of the graveyard and the name Nobody Owens.  There he is raised by the ghostly inhabitants and given a guardian named Silas. Silas is not dead, yet not alive. He walks between worlds and provides protection for Bod ( as he is called) from the murderer who is still looking for him.

Bod is taught all the skills of the ghosts as well as reading and writing. He makes friends with Scarlett, a little girl who plays in the graveyard, but she moves away. Later, school is attempted when Bod is skilled at fading into the background. He cannot draw attention to himself, but fails when he gets involved in bullying issue.

As the years go by, Scarlett returns. She gets lost one day and ends up in the graveyard. There she meets Mr. Frost, a local historian doing grave rubbings for his research. He befriends Scarlett and her mother. Scarlett also finds Bod again. She had thought him to be an imaginary friend as a child, but is please to see that he is real. Bod explains to her about the murder of his family and why he lives in the graveyard. Scarlett starts to research the murder and runs into a dead end. She asks Mr. Frost to help. He invites Scarlett and Bod to his house to share his research. Ironically the house he lives in is Bod's old house. The reason he has information about the murder is that Jack Frost is the man who murdered Bod's family all those years ago and he is here to finish the job. Mr. Frost is part of group called the Jacks of All Trades. It was foretold that a child who walked the border between the living and the dead would be the end of their group. Bod is that child. He must stop the Jacks and save Scarlett and his graveyard.

I first read this book right after it won the Newberry Award. I loved the word choice and how each chapter could stand on its own as a short story. In fact I have used chapters from this book to teach about word choice and imagery with 5th graders. I may use it again with my fourth graders, but I wouldn't go any lower. The vocabulary and content may be too much for younger children.

As a fan of fantasy, I enjoyed the idea of the skills of the graveyard and how Bod used them in the world of the living. I've wondered old graveyards since my first reading of this book and imagined the lives of the residents and their afterlives.

The Watson's Go To Birmingham - 1963

Curtis, C. (1995). The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963. New York: Scholastic

Kenny and his family live in Flint, Michigan, He has an older brother named Byron and a younger sister named Joetta. Kenny is very smart but has eye issues which makes him the target of bullies. On of those bullies is his own brother. Bryon is giving his family a run for their money. He is ditching school, lying, stealing, playing with matches, and gets his hair processed without permission. Bryon is causing so many problems that his parents have decided that he needs to spend time with his grandmother in Birmingham, Alabama.

So the family packs up the car ( the Brown Bomber),complete with ultragilde record player installed the front seat, and start the trip from Michigan to Alabama.  The trip gives glimpses into the racial issues they will face. Momma packs food because they may not be able to eat in a restaurant. They are careful about where they drive and sleep in the car. Upon arriving, the boys learn even more about the racial tension in the South.

Kenny, ignoring his grandmother's warning, has a near drowning experience at Collier's Landing. He is saved by Byron. The near drowning causes Kenny to see a creature he calls the Wool Pooh. A dark, shadowy monster that was there to kill him. This stays with him.

A few days later, Joetta goes to church to Sunday School with the  local children. The entire family hears an explosion. Someone has bombed the church Joetta is in. Despite being told to stay at the house, Kenny runs to the church. There in the rubble he sees a shiny, black shoe just like Joetta's and in the rubble, the Wool Pooh is coming towards him.

Kenny is traumatized by this. After returning to Flint, Kenny hides behind the couch, refusing to speak to anyone. It is finally Byron who convinces Kenny that it will be ok and that he has nothing to be afraid or ashamed of.

This is a very serious story told with lots of humor. Bryon's antics make you want to keep reading and Kenny's trauma keeps you reading. Despite Kenny thinking that his family is weird, they are very normal and relatable. Christopher Paul Curtis tells a wonderful story about a very difficult and horrible time in our history with humor and humanity.

I have taught this book for years. My students love the humor, especially Byron's lips getting stuck to the mirror. The moment when they realize that it is based on a real event is very enlightening. Many know that segregation happened but they don't know the extent of the violence. For many, this is a part of their history they had no idea about.

Bridge to Terabithia

Patterson, K. (1977). Bridge to Terabithia. New York: Harper Collins.

Jess just wants to fit in. He's the only boy in a large farm family of girls. He wants to be the fastest runner in 5th grade so that he will be noticed. He's also a talented artist; a talent his father doesn't appreciate. The he meets Leslie. She doesn't quite fit in either, but she doesn't let it bother her as much. Her parents are writers and she has moved a lot. She doesn't dress like everyone else, doesn't own a TV, and doesn't attend church.

An amazing friendship develops between these two. The create a magical land called Terabithia where they are the rulers. Together in Terabithia, they both belong and can fight the enemies that threaten their kingdom. Outside of Terabithia, they also learn to fight back against those who try to hurt them, especially Janice Avery, the school bully.


Other than Leslie, the other light in Jess's life  is Miss Edmunds. She is the school music teacher and she sees the talent that lies within Jess. She takes Jess one rainy day to Washington DC to the National Gallery. Jess has the most amazing day with her seeing great pieces of art. Upon returning home, Jess learns what happened while he was gone; Leslie went to Terabithia without Jess. The rope that they would swing on broke, and she fell and hit her head. She has died.

Jess has to deal with the loss of his best friend and the idea that if he hadn't gone to Washington DC, she might still be alive.

This is one of my favorite books to teach. I always use the theme of one choice can change your life forever.  If Jess hadn't gone to Washington, Leslie would never had gone across the creek. Or Jess would have gone with her and been the one to fall. Leslie's one choice changed everything.

There is some mild profanity in this book, but nothing more than students hear on the bus or on TV. I just remind them that the author had a reason for using it, and to see why she chose those words instead of others.

Last Stop On Market Street

De La Pena, M.(2015) Last Stop on Market Street. New York: Scholastic

After church, CJ and his Nana hop on the bus to the last stop on Market Street. Along the way, CJ mentions things that they don't have, like a car or an iPod. His Nana wisely points out all the blessing that CJ does have and reminds him to be a witness to the beauty around him. As they arrive at the last stop on Market Street and head to the soup kitchen, CJ starts to see what is really around him.

This summer I was fortunate to have the opportunity to hear Matt De La Pena speak. He talked about the need for literature with children of color and of books with a variety of experiences in them. There are many children being raised by a grandparent, children who ride buses because they don't have cars, and children who wished they had things their parents couldn't afford. This book is relatable for them. He also pointed out that Nana makes a point to sit at the front of the bus, as they always did. I love that he included that nod to the Civil Rights Movement.

My autograph in the front of my copy says "Be a Witness!" May we all learn to witness the beauty around us and appreciate what we have.