Down the Rabbit Hole

Title: Down the Rabbit Hole: An Echo Falls Mystery

Author: Peter Abrahams

Publisher: HarperCollins

Copyright: 2006

ISBN: 0060737034

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In Down the Rabbit Hole, Inrid Levin-Hill is just your normal Sherlock Holmes loving, soccer playing 13 year-old girl...who happens to be the last person to see a murder victim alive. Recently cast as the lead role in the Prescott Players production of Alice in Wonderland, Ingrid realizes the woman who was killed was also a member of the Prescott Players many years before. Faced with the realization that the killer may be closer than anyone realizes, Ingrid has to solve the murder before she finds herself being accused.

I absolutely loved Down the Rabbit Hole. It was a fun mystery that kept me hooked as I got to know Ingrid, her family, friends, and the town of Echo Falls better. The character development was quite good and I'm excited to get to read more about Ingrid's world in the two books that follow. The book was completely appropriate for the age level it was written for, and I would feel good recommending this book to any middle or high school student. I must say that I figured out the killer fairly quickly, but that's probably due in part to being an adult and having read many mysteries with a similar formula. There are two other companion books about Ingrid and the town of Echo Falls.

The Devil's Arithmetic

Title: The Devil's Arithmetic
Author: Jane Yolen
Publisher: Viking
Copyright: 1988
ISBN: 0670810274


In The Devil's Arithmetic, Jane Yolen crosses lines between fantasy and historical fiction to make the Holocaust easier for children to relate to. Hannah, a young Jewish girl, is resentful of her older family members constantly telling her how important it is that she remember her Jewish heritage. At the family's traditional Passover Seder, she is transported back in time and into the lives of a family of Polish Jews. Shortly after she arrives, they are kidnapped by the Nazis and forced into a concentration camp, helping Hannah gain an appreciation for those who've gone before her and giving her an experience she will never forget.

I have always been very interested in the Holocaust and read many books about it as a child, so I was excited to discover this book. The Devil's Arithmetic didn't have quite the same impact on me as other books such as Night and Number the Stars did, but it was definitely a worthwhile read. I found it very interesting to be experiencing the concentration camp as if I was actually there. Another thing I thought was interesting was that Yolen used a modern day child to set up the story, then transported her back in time. While the idea is taken from fantasy, it still makes it easier for children to relate because they probably understand how Hannah is feeling at the beginning of the book. A definite must read for students studying the Holocaust.

Life As We Knew It

Title: Life As We Knew It
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Copyright: 2006
ISBN: 0152058265


Written in diary form, Life As We Knew It chronicles teen girl Miranda and her family in the days following a meteor's crash into the moon. Because the moon is hit so hard, it is knocked out of it's orbit and begins to cause many catastrophic events on earth- namely tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanos. Miranda and her family live in rural Pennsylvania, far enough away from all of the major happenings, yet they are still affected. They must ration food, water, and gas to survive, going for months without electricity. This is an interesting book about one woman's idea of what the world might look like in the event of a natural disaster of catastrophic proportions.

Generally I only review books on this website that I find enjoyable. I am taking a break from that practice to bring you my thoughts on Life As We Knew It. Let me say up front that I found the story interesting. It held my attention throughout the book. The character development was decent and I found myself caring about what happened to Miranda, her family, and friends. The concept was intriguing as well. In the science fiction genre, we often hear about meteors hitting earth or aliens invading and causing epic catastrophe (or better yet being spared by Will Smith,) but I've never given any thought to how a disaster on the moon could affect us here on Earth. In that respect it was original and interesting. I'm not sure how scientific any of this is, but it doesn't really matter, because it's fiction. Because of the interesting plot and solid character development, I'm tempted to read the next two companion books, but because of what I am about to discuss, I'm just not sure if I can.

My problems with the book far outweigh the things I liked about. To be frank, this book seemed nothing more than a platform for Pfeffer to present her political and religious views. I don't believe it is ever appropriate to use a work of fiction in this manner, but especially not a book written for teens! They are still children and do not need the opinions of one jaded author coloring their beliefs. (While this book is considered Young Adult, School Library Journal categorizes it as being appropriate for grades six through eight!) It is very obvious that the author has a problem with Christians. Prior to the meteor crash, Miranda's best friend turns to Christianity to deal with the death of another of their good friends. The minister in the church she attends is portrayed as a sneaky, hypocritical brainwasher and his followers are made out to be kooks. Regardless of one's religious standpoint, I think most would agree that the way she portrayed Christians was completely unnecessary. I actually read a review from an Atheist on amazon.com who said she felt the treatment of Christianity in this book was absolutely unacceptable. Had the story been about an evil Jewish rabbi and his crazy followers, I doubt it would've made it past the editors.

Even if one could overlook the anti-Christian aspect of the novel, it would be impossible to overlook the bias she has against former president George W. Bush. Although fiction, it is obvious that he is who she is referring to when making statements (through Miranda's mother) about how stupid he is, what an idiot he is, etc. At one point she talks about how the president took all of his friends and all the food and went to his ranch in Texas. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out she's not talking about Bill Clinton. While I am less concerned with her political viewpoints being shared than I am about her religious viewpoints, I still feel it is unnecessary to the story and quite inappropriate for children's literature. Most of the kids reading this book aren't even of voting age!

While I would offer this book as well as it's companions on age-appropriate library shelves, I would never recommend this book to anyone at all, much less teenagers. Because of the fact that I wouldn't want my children reading this book, I could not with good conscience use this book in a lesson unless I was teaching about prejudice or bias. This book would definitely be a good example for that!

Realistic Fiction

In every Realistic Fiction novel, there is a problem that the protagonist has to overcome in order to bring resolution to the book. In each of the books that follow, there were different situations and problems that the heroines had to deal with in order to bring peace to whatever was happening in their lives. Read on to find out more about each of their problems and see the significance these books can have in the lives of children today.


Speak
Laurie Halse Anderson

At the beginning of Speak, the reader finds new ninth grader Melinda being treated like a complete outcast by old friends and strangers alike. The book continues on for a while before we begin to see hints that something happened that causes people to treat Melinda this way. As the book progresses, we also see Melinda begin to retreat deeper and deeper into herself. Eventually, we find out that Melinda was raped by an older boy at a party during the summer. After she is raped, she calls the police who come and break up the party, resulting in the arrests of many kids who were there. Instead of telling anyone what happened, she keeps it a secret. Because of the way her former friends are treating her and the problems that her parents are having at home, she feels like she can't share her problem with anyone.

I think that this problem Melinda has- the she has been raped- is sadly a common problem in today's society. Add the rape to the fact that she is still virtually a child and doesn't feel she can tell anyone, and the problem becomes even greater. Unfortunately, this is probably something that many teens can relate to. Whether or not it's a similar situation to this one, sexual abuse is a travesty that probably touches each of us, whether we are aware of it or not. I think this book would be extremely beneficial to girls who have been abused in helping them find their voice to speak up and let someone know what has happened. It would also be good for adults who are working with teens, just to be aware of the realities of what many of them could be dealing with. A secondary problem is that she has been rejected by her peer group, something that happens to most kids at one point or another for various reasons. Just knowing that someone else has dealt with the same thing would be very helpful for teens dealing with this problem.

The way Melinda's problem worked out was mostly realistic. She internalized the problem until she just couldn't handle it anymore. She quit speaking, which should've been a huge warning sign to her parents that something was wrong, but they had their own problems to worry about and probably never thought the issue was as big of a deal as it turned out to be. Melinda found an outlet for her emotion in her art classes and also found a teacher that she respected and could relate to. One day, Melinda realized that she just didn't want to be dark and sad anymore and gradually came our of her depression. She eventually found the courage to speak up about what had happened when she realized that Rachel, her former best friend, was dating Andy, the guy who raped her. Unfortunately, her outcry fell on deaf ears...Rachel's. Eventually, it was found out that Melinda was telling the truth and Andy was caught. This novel teaches many great lessons for high school girls (and boys,) and I absolutely recommend it.


My Louisiana Sky
Kimberly Willis Holt

In My Louisiana Sky, 12 year-old Tiger Ann Parker has several problems to deal with that are all related to each other in one way or another. The first problem we find as we read the book is that Tiger's parents are mentally handicapped. Tiger, however, is very smart, which means that she realizes the mental deficiencies in her parents and feels a sense of shame. The second problem is that because of her parents (and the fact that she prefers the boys to the girls,) she is left out by most of the girls in her class at school. She decides that she wants to be accepted by the girls and therefore stops hanging around with her best friend Jesse Wade. Her newfound desire to be girly causes Jesse Wade to try to kiss her, which embarrasses her and makes her feel like she lost her one friend. To top it all off, her Granny dies of a heart attack and her Aunt Dorie Kay asks her to come live in Baton Rouge. Finally, Tiger has to make the choice of what seems to be best for her or what is best for her family.

Because there are so many different problems in this book, I think that every middle school student could relate with at least one of them. Although the problem of mentally handicapped parents probably isn't too common, shame, responsibility, death, acceptance, and the awkwardness of male/female friendships are common issues that almost everyone deals with at some point. Most of these problems worked themselves out in completely realistic ways. There really wasn't anything in this book that was too far-fetched or solved in a way that didn't make sense. And as in most good books, there were some issues that were left unresolved, letting us make the choice of whether or not we wanted to resolve them and if so, how.


Because of Winn-Dixie
Kate DiCamillo

Because of Winn-Dixie is a book that, while it has it's share of minor problems, teaches us how to find the best in others and the positive in every situation. The overlying problem in Because of Winn-Dixie is that India Opal Buloni and her father the preacher have been abandoned by her mother. Although the abandonment happened years before, Opal is just reaching the age where she really wants to know about her mother and why it was that her mother left. There are also quite a few minor problems in the book. Opal has recently moved to a new town and left all her friends, resulting in her having to make new ones. This in itself isn't really a problem, but as she sets about to make new ones, we get to experience the problems that each of her new friends have as well. A third problem is that of her dog, Winn-Dixie. He doesn't like to be left alone and is scared of storms.

The problems Opal encounters as she meets her friends are mostly solved as the story goes along and she gets to know them better. She realizes the reasons for why each of them are the way they are and she finds the best in them. Winn-Dixie's fear of storms results in her "running away" and Opal and her father have to go out in search of him, eventually realizing that he was right under their noses the whole time. The biggest problem, that of the abandonment, is mostly solved by her father telling her about her mother and letting her know that he loves her and that he is so glad that when her mother left, she left Opal with him. Like My Louisiana Sky, all of the problems aren't completely resolved, but at least addressed.

This book was mostly believable, at least for a small town in the past. There are a few things that happened in the book that probably wouldn't have happened in real life, but the majority of the problems were realistic. Some of the issues might've worked themselves out a little too easily, but because this book was written for elementary aged children, I think it was appropriate.



As long as the problems they are reading about are age-appropriate, students of all ages can greatly benefit from the problems they read about in books. Becoming aware of problems that others face not only prepares children for the way the world is, but it also helps them to be compassionate and understanding of others. If the children reading the books have experienced some of the same problems as the characters they are reading about, it helps them to know they are not the only ones dealing with these certain issues. Preparing our children for the world through the problems of characters in books may also keep them from experiencing some of those same problems, teaching them lessons and potentially saving them from unnecessary heartache later in life.

My Louisiana Sky

Title: My Louisiana Sky
Author: Kimberly Willis Holt
Publisher: Henry Holt
Copyright: 1998
ISBN: 0440415701


My Louisiana Sky is a coming of age story about a young girl named Tiger. Set in 1950's small-town Louisiana, Tiger lives with her grandmother and her mentally handicapped parents. Because of the fact that her parents aren't "normal," Tiger is left out by most of the kids her age. When her grandmother dies, she has to make difficult decisions that will not only affect her, but the people she loves most. My Louisiana Sky is chock-full of lessons about life, love, and acceptance.

I found My Louisiana Sky to be an absolutely beautiful book. Tiger was realistically portrayed as a very loving, yet very conflicted daughter. While she loved her parents, she was also embarrassed that they weren't like the other kids' parents. Her best friend Jesse Wade and her Granny were two confidants, but when Jesse Wade tries to kiss her and Granny dies, she is left with no one but her parents. I felt like all of the situations in this book, while perhaps not common, were entirely possible. I was able to really feel like I was a part of the story and loved experiencing life with Tiger. This book was an easy read and highly recommend it for children ages 9-12.

If I were going to use this book in a library setting, I would do a book talk using similar books from the Realistic Fiction genre. Another book that would go well with this one is Because of Winn Dixie. Both books are set in small towns with an interesting cast of characters. While their problems are a bit different, both books are have young girls who have suffered loss as the protagonist and are written for the same age group. This book would also be great for a read-aloud in a 4th-7th grade classroom.


Reviews for My Louisiana Sky:
"Set in the South in the late 1950s, this coming-of-age story explores a 12 year-old girl's struggle to accept her grandmother's death, her mentally deficient parents, and the changing world around her." --School Library Journal

"This lyrical novel, set in central Louisiana in the 1950s, brings fresh perspective to the guilt and anger and caring that surround the mentally disabled as it focuses on 12 year-old Tiger Ann and the love mixed with shame that she feels for her "retarded" parents. --Booklist

Text and Illustrations

In a successful picture book, the illustrations and text should reinforce each other and create a sense of unity between the visual elements in the story. Here are a few books that I believe do a beautiful job combining the two with excellent results. If you haven't read these books, rush to your nearest library and check them out!

Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School
Mark Teague

On the opening pages of Dear Mrs. LaRue, we read a newspaper article about Ike, canine companion of Mrs. LaRue, who is entering obedience school because of his bad behavior. It looks like an actual newspaper clipping has been cut out and laid on the page. On each spread that follows, there is a letter to Mrs. LaRue from Ike or another newspaper clipping that tells the story. Ike's stories are, of course, just horrible. He says they are treating him terribly and he wants to come home! Accompanying each letter from Ike on the two-page spread are two pictures. One picture is in black and white and illustrates the letter. The other picture is the reality of obedience school, painted in color and showing how plush the place really is! Although there is never a positive word uttered in Ike's letters about the situation, we learn a whole other side to the story from the pictures. Often times in books, we find that the pictures tell the story even more than the words. That is definitely the case with Dear Mrs. LaRue. Teague uses bright colors, juxtaposed against the harsh black and white to let us in on the truth. If we were just reading Ike's words, we would never know what the school was really like and not just the way Ike is perceiving it. Mark Teague is a brilliant artist and a great illustrator who makes great use of color and perspective to tell a fun story.


Julius, the Baby of the World
Kevin Henkes

Julius, the Baby of the World is a charming story that so many of us can relate to. It tells about the relationship between a big sister and little brother immediately following his birth. Lilly is, of course, jealous of Julius and does everything she can think of to get her parents attention off of Julius and back onto her. Henkes use of language in this book is brilliant. I love the dialogue between Lilly, her parents, and Julius. The pictures that Henkes drew illustrate the text well and also give us more detail into what is actually happening. On most of the pages, Henkes has drawn several pictures, each in their own box, in a cartoon-like style. Often, you will even see what Lilly is saying to Julius written above her head, similar to a speech bubble. I think this is one of the most fun details within the illustrations. Lilly's parents tell her that they want Julius to be as extraordinary as she is, so they tell him how beautiful he is and how much they love him all the time. Henkes states next that when no one is looking, Lilly has her own idea. He doesn't tell us what she says through the text, but in the illustration we can see her saying "I hate you" and "You're ugly." He also illustrates pictures that Lilly has drawn within the illustrations to show us how she feels about him. I love his combination of the cartoon style along with the naive style of children's art to tell the story. I am a huge fan of Kevin Henkes' mouse books. They are fun for both children and adults.


Knuffle Bunny
Mo Willems

Knuffle Bunny is a great book not necessarily for the story it tells, but for the way the pictures go so well with the story. Willems won a Caldecott Honor for this book, and for good reason! In Knuffle Bunny, Willems uses a graphic media style which isn't seen quite as often as the painterly style of paint, pencil, and/or ink. Part of this book is done in paint, but it's laid over photographs for a collage effect. This book takes place in New York City and the backdrop of each page is a photograph of some part of the city- the outside of their home, a school, the park, and both the outside and inside of a laundromat. The thing that is so interesting and adds so much pop is that all of the people are hand illustrated in bright colors and then put on top of the photos. While using a cartoon style where the people are fairly simple looking, they have still have great detail so that you can see exactly what emotions they are feeling at that moment. This is an excellent picture book that deserved the Caldecott Honor is received.


Officer Buckle and Gloria
Peggy Rathmann

Caldecott Award-winning book Officer Buckle and Gloria is another classic example of illustrations telling a story that the words could never adequately tell. The story is just plain fun. Officer Buckle is a policeman that goes out to schools and gives safety tips to the kids. Officer Buckle, bless his heart, is actually quite boring and the kids never seem to pay much attention until Gloria, the department's new police dog, begins to accompany him on his visits. While the story never talks much about what Gloria does on those visits, the pictures show us without even needing words. Gloria imitates Officer Buckle and acts out the safety tips as they're being presented. Gloria's actions, as well as the students reactions are evident in the illustrations. Without the pictures in this story, so much would be lost. Rathmann uses a naive/cartoon type of style and bright colors in her work, which is really appealing to children and adults alike.


So You Want to be President?
Judith St. George and David Small

Another Caldecott Award-winner, So You Want to be President? is a bit different than the previous books I talked about. This book is non-fiction, while the others have all been fiction books. It's also illustrated in a surrealistic style, which isn't something I usually gravitate towards. David Small has done an excellent job illustrating all of the interesting and fun facts Judith St. George has written about in this book. While all of his pictures look just like the president(s) being discussed on that page, he uses a caricature-like style to add some humor to them. One of my favorite involves lowering one particular president into his bathtub by a crane and another shows a particularly spry president doing a little jig. I'd never have thought of any of our former presidents in a funny way until I read this book. Seeing them illustrated the way they were helped me to realize that presidents are normal people, just like us! The illustrations work beautifully with the text to make a non-fiction children's book accessible and interesting for children and adults.


One other thing I would like to point out is that of these five books, four of them were illustrated by the same person who wrote them. The fifth is an author/illustrator team that works together quite often. I think there is much to be said for an author who can illustrate his own books. While there have been many good books written that out-source their illustrations, it seems to me that often the text and illustrations are most cohesive when done by the same person or at least by a team who often works together. When the vision an author has for his illustrations can come to life by his own hand, there is just something magical that happens.

Skippyjon Jones

Title: Skippyjon Jones
Author/Illustrator: Judy Schachner
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Copyright: 2003
ISBN: 0525471340


Skippyjon is a Siamese cat with big ears and an even bigger imagination. One morning, his mother finds Skippyjon making mischief and sentences him to his room to do some "thinking." Instead of thinking, Skippyjon decides to do some bouncing. He bounces so high on his bed that he can see himself in his mirror and realizes that he isn't a cat after all. He's a Chihuahua! Donning his best Mexican accent, Skippyjon heads forth through his closet door and into the deserts of Me-hee-co where his alter ego Skippito Friskito saves the day for Chihuahuas everywhere.

Skippyjon Jones is an absolutely fabulous book. Children young and old will love the story of a cat-turned-dog and his great adventure. Schachner's writing is hilarious and her illustrations are just as good. The idea behind this book is so original that it was destined to be a hit before the first words were penned. I believe that Skippyjon Jones will fill the bookshelves of libraries, classrooms, and homes for years to come.

This book would be great for use in a bilingual Spanish/English library because of the use of both languages in this book. I think that children who come from Mexico would think it is very funny because of the silly uses of the Spanish words and they would also enjoy the fact that part of it is set in Mexico, even if only in Skippyjon's imagination. This book would also be a great way to introduce a unit on fiction writing for older students. A librarian could focus on Skippyjon's imagination and the story he tells in order to get kids thinking outside of the box.