Fantasy: Serafina and the Black Cloak

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Evaluation of the book:
Robert Beatty, author of Serafina and the Black Cloak, experiments with different uses of language in this book. For example, Beatty attempts to use understatement to hint at Serafina’s cat-like tendencies. Words like “scurrying” (p.49) and “scampered” (p. 67) that Beatty uses to describe Serafina’s movements are not natural for humans; the reader picks up pretty quickly on the fact that Serafina isn’t a normal human. By the time the revelation of her catamount origins happens at the end of the book, the reader has (most likely) already guessed at the truth. The understatement and little hints throughout keep the reader engaged and guessing until the very end.

Unfortunately, Beatty’s forays into experimental language have a more generally awkward outcome. He tries to express the different personalities of his characters through their dialogue, but what results is his characters being so different that they don’t seem to belong in the same house. Serafina’s pa’s harsh brogue is hard to read and makes him difficult to relate to. Serafina’s dialogue changes depending on who she’s talking to; with her pa she’s rough and brogue-ish but with young master Braedan she talks perfectly normally. These inconsistencies and oversights in dialogue make the language of the novel a little discombobulating.

Finally, the vocabulary of the novel itself is inconsistent. Beatty uses words like “apocalyptic” (p. 139) when Serafina is describing a scene internally, but later in the novel Serafina doesn’t understand the word “asunder” (p. 273). The intended audience of this novel are children around the same age as Serafina. If she doesn’t understand the vocabulary used, how are they supposed to understand?

Response:
I personally was not a huge fan of this novel. I tried to imagine myself as a child reading it and, from that perspective, I can see how the thrill of the mystery of the black cloak would be enough to keep me reading. However, the inconsistencies in language, shallowness of characters, and somewhat random fantastic folklore would have frustrated me even as a young reader. A book should go beyond a thrill; there should be just a little more substance than in this one.

Conclusion:
While I don’t think Serafina and the Black Cloak is at a level of being potentially dangerous for early childhood literacy development, I also don’t see it as being a particularly useful novel when trying to help children on their reading journey. That being said, reading is important, no matter the source. If a child is attracted to the story of cat-like Serafina saving the day, by all means, let them read!

APA Style Reference:
Beatty, R. (2015). Serafina and the black cloak. New York, NY: Disney-Hyperion.

Fantasy: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

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Evaluation of the book:
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the famous story of siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy who discover the land of Narnia in the back of a wardrobe. The book is written in simple, clear prose that clearly points to children as its intended readers. The simplicity and elegance of the prose compliment the exciting and adventurous story, letting young readers enjoy the experience of reading this book without being bogged down by overly complicated writing.

In addition to the simple prose, the book is filled with little, simple illustrations. These small, black and white sketches of creatures in Narnia remind the reader that the beings described in the book are not human - they’re beavers, fauns, lions, etc. The book contains a lot of dialogue; it’s easy to forget who’s - or what’s - talking. The illustrations are a little reminder to the reader that they have entered a fantastical world, Narnia.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe contains many exemplary, virtuous characters (Mr. Tumnus, Aslan, the Beavers, Lucy, etc.) for young readers to imitate. The distinction between good and evil is clearly drawn; the witches, wolves, and ogres are the bad guys while the humans, lions, and beavers are the good guys. That being said, the book is not overly didactic in tone, it simply illustrates good vs. evil in a way that children can observe and learn from, if they choose.

Response:
As a Christian, I see (and agree with/believe in!) all the parallels C.S. Lewis draws to salvation history in this book. Aslan as a Christ figure coming to save the world from the White Witch (sin), Lucy and Susan (the women on the road to calvary) accompanying Aslan to his death, etc. The Christian overtones are hardly veiled (sacrificial death of the main character is a bit too dramatic to hide completely), but the book can also be enjoyed by non-Christians because of its engaging, fast-paced plot and its virtuous characters. Well-written and fun, even if simple, the Chronicles of Narnia is an excellent, wholesome series of books. I loved the stories as a kid; I enjoyed revisiting as an adult.

Conclusion:
Even though this book is written in simple prose and contains simple illustrations, its story is far from a simple one, nor does it attract a simple audience. Children are drawn to exciting stories like those of Narnia; C. S. Lewis does a good job hiding a few lessons in virtue in his pages so that the book might contain more than a simple story. I’d recommend this book to any child, but especially those who might be more hesitant readers. I bet a story with talking beavers, an evil witch, and heroic children could draw in even the most solid anti-reader - and the simplicity of the prose won’t scare anyone away!

APA Style Reference:

Lewis, C. S. (1994). The lion, the witch, and the wardrobe. New York, NY: HarperTrophy.

Romance: The Sun is Also a Star

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Evaluation of the book:

The pages of The Sun is Also a Star are filled with excellent prose that uses understatement and other literary devices to accurately express what each character experiences without bogging the reader down with unnecessary details. “I BLOW on my coffee, SIP it, STIR it, playing the part of an actual human teenage boy having an actual beverage called coffee” (p. 70). Simply by using capital letters, Yoon expresses the awkwardness that Daniel feels on his first date with Natasha.

In addition to the pristine prose, Yoon uses alternating first person points of view to help Daniel and Natasha’s personalities shine. For example, in Daniel’s chapters there is a lot of parenthetical asides. Daniel adds these asides to his normal thinking; this points to his creative and poetic nature, interpreting the world around him. In Natasha’s chapters, however, the reader finds a lot of “observable facts.” These asides show that Natasha is pragmatic and more scientific in her outlook on life.

In between chapters told from Daniel’s and Natasha’s points of view, Yoon adds short chapters describing peripheral characters and situations. These short additions add depth to the story and, in the end, come together to show that everyone is connected, no matter how obscure that connection.

Response:

I loved this book. It’s a well-written, fun, and poignant image of young love and immigration difficulties. Yoon has a strong sense of what being a teenager in love is like and that sense shines through her writing. Like Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the characters in this book observe some pretty real stuff in a pretty real way: “Watching them makes me unreasonably happy. I guess the cliche is true. People in love want everyone else to be in love” (p. 250). This story touches on so many important issues - parent-child relationships, immigration, cultural distinctions, racism, depression and suicide, extra-marital affairs, family, etc. - and yet somehow manages to do it without being in-your-face. The Sun is Also a Star has left a lasting reaction in me; I find myself pondering its little details and extraneous asides even days after I’ve finished it. Yoon wove together a beautiful tapestry of people’s lives and managed to weave mine right into it!

Conclusion:

Not only is the writing impeccable in The Sun is Also a Star, but the story is fun, fast paced, and adorable. The messages and lessons contained in its pages are deep and complicated, but the story makes them easy to ponder. I’d recommend that any teenager read this book, whether they relate personally to the difficulties expressed on these pages or not.


APA Style Reference:

Yoon, N. (2016). The sun is also a star. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.

Romance: Little House on the Prairie

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Evaluation of the book:

The story of Little House on the Prairie is a familiar one to most adult readers. Little Laura travels with her family of Ma, Pa, Mary, and baby Carrie to the wild west where they settle on the prairie to begin a new life. The book shares the trials of this journey and new life from the point of view of young Laura in a simple and childlike way. The writing is simple; the book is clearly meant to be read by young children. To further encourage its younger readers, the book is illustrated every couple pages with simple, black and white sketches of Laura’s adventures. The book’s simple language and simple illustrations are an interesting way to express the more complicated story of life on the prairie, making the story approachable to a young audience.

Little House on the Prairie teaches many lessons about history to its reader. Specifically, it relates what daily life on the prairie was like from the perspective of a very young child. The child reader can learn a lot about history from little Laura. The childlike simplicity of the story makes the history approachable and helps the child reader imagine what it would have been like to live back then, on the prairie with the Ingalls.

In addition to its historical lessons, Little House on the Prairie’s pages are filled with didactic lessons on how little girls ought to behave. A couple examples: “ ‘Oh, sing it again, Pa! Sing it again!’ she cried, before she remembered that children must be seen and not heard. Then she was quiet” (p. 66); “Laura didn’t want to say anything. She wanted to keep those pretty beads. Her chest felt all hot inside, and she wished with all her might that Mary wouldn’t always be such a good girl” (p. 179); “In a minute they would have remembered, but before they did, Ma said, gently, ‘Aren’t you going to thank Mr. Edwards?’” (p. 250). For better or for worse, this didacticism makes up the heart and soul of the book.

Response:

Although Little House on the Prairie is an adorably beloved classic story, it is a bit too didactic in its tone. It is easy to tell, even for a very young reader, that the story is told by an adult who is trying to reach down to the child’s level, rather than an adult who actually understands children. That being said, the historical significance of this book is not to be overlooked. It teaches lessons of America’s history at a level that children can grasp and understand. I enjoyed this book, and the others in its series, immensely when I was growing up and I enjoyed reading it again now as an adult, despite noticing its overly didactic tone and simplistic writing.

Conclusion:

A simple telling of a complicated history is never to be overestimated. Little House on the Prairie brings life on the prairie down to a level that today’s children can imagine and learn from. Its overly didactic tone (not to mention politically incorrect descriptions of Native Americans) aside, this book is an innocent and adorable story of little Laura and her family on the prairie. Whether for school or for pleasure, young children should be encouraged to read this book to see what their ancestors had to live through in order to fulfill the American dream.

APA Style Reference: 

Wilder, L. I. (1971). Little house on the prairie. New York, NY: HarperTrophy.

Multicultural & International: Islandborn

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Evaluation of the book:

There is so much to be said when evaluating Islandborn by Junot Diaz and illustrated by Leo Espinosa. First and foremost, it is important to note the beautiful illustrations that go above and beyond the story-line. The story is simple enough: an immigrant girl named Lola needs to draw a picture of her country of origin for a school assignment but she can’t remember it, so she goes around asking other people from the same island to describe it. The illustrations show this story while also adding to it by illustrating Lola’s interpretations of the other people’s words. Her cousin describes bats as big as blankets; Lola interprets them - and the illustrations show them - as blankets-turned-bats. These gorgeous illustrations celebrate the beauty of a child’s imagination.

In addition, the illustrations show the layers of immigrant life in all its complexities. In the background of the illustrations is depicted a normal American life (buildings, houses, barber shops, schools, etc.) in normal colors. Layered on top of that life are the brightly colored images of Lola’s imaginations of the Island. The combination of the solid, steady background with the bright, exotic imaginings gives a beautiful illustration of the layers of an immigrant’s life. Both new home and old home should be celebrated together as one beautiful story-line, just as it is in this picture book.

Finally, although the illustrations are stunning and incredible, there is much to be said about the beautiful words of the story too. Most importantly, the words and descriptions are just vague and general enough that they could be applied to any child. Lola’s island is never named; it’s simply called the “Island.” Any child, whether immigrant or not, could put his own past life into that “Island” and thus relate to Lola’s story. Lola’s declaration, “The Island is me” is an important one for every child to understand. It’s a beautiful thing to embrace one’s culture, whether it’s learned through personal experience or learned through others’ experiences. We are all diverse; we come from somewhere. It’s important to celebrate that fact.

Response:

I personally don’t have any experience being an immigrant or not remembering where I come from, but living in Portland, ME and being surrounded by immigrants, this story helped me put myself in their shoes and see the beauty of the cultures I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by. I think it’s important for children to learn at a young age to celebrate diversity and to celebrate what makes them different. Islandborn is just that, a beautiful celebration of what it is to be unique and to come from somewhere special. I enjoyed every page of this book; the illustrations were stunning and the story was well written. I want to read it over and over, lingering on each page to soak it all in.

Conclusion:

Islandborn is filled with glorious illustrations of Lola’s imaginations that beautifully express cultural layers of immigrant life. The story is relevant to any child, immigrant or not, and is a celebration of diversity at its finest. All children should be introduced to this book in order to experience the beauty of diversity and the power of imagination.

APA Style Reference:

Diaz, J. & Espinosa, L. (2018). Islandborn. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.

Mystery/Suspense: Paper Towns

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Evaluation of the book:

Even though Paper Towns is classified as a mystery or suspense novel, it is, above all, a realistic story about characters who are very much just normal teenagers living (relatively) normal lives. The cast of characters from protagonist Quentin, to his quirky band member friends, to adventurous Margo, are all vividly depicted and very realistic. I could imagine flying down to Florida and meeting any one of them in the local Publix. Teenagers reading this novel will easily see themselves or their friends in these well-written characters.

The theme of the novel is just as relatable as the characters themselves. It is a story of teenagers figuring out how to live their lives in the moments between childhood and adulthood. Most importantly, these teenagers learn that every person is different and, even if high school or parents put certain labels on you, every person must live their own lives and allow those around them to do the same. We are constantly putting labels or defining those around us; John Green’s novel asks simply that we take a step back and let those around us be their own person.

The tone of the novel is overall lighthearted. Even though it carries an important message and touches on some darker themes, Paper Towns is very much just an enjoyable, lighthearted novel about a few teenagers living their lives, stumbling upon a mystery, and going on a great adventure of discovery - both of self and of others. Green’s lighthearted tone helps him avoid an overly didactic outcome to his novel.

Response:

I learned a lot from this novel about how often we fall into the trap of defining those around us. With Quentin, I learned “what a treacherous thing it is to believe that a person is more than a person” (p.282). Too often we idolize the people we love and, in doing so, we do not give them a chance to be themselves, simply a person. Although I’m not normally a John Green fan, I really enjoyed this novel. It taught important lessons while being extremely fun to read. I was honored to roadtrip alongside Quentin and his friends as they journeyed to find Margo. John Green writes well and his deep understanding of the teenage mind shines through his narrative.

Conclusion:

Its strong characters, important theme, and lighthearted tone make John Green’s Paper Towns an excellent YA novel. It neither hides nor lingers on the dirty side of growing up, but it lets the reader live a realistic, fun teenage life alongside the quirky, adolescent characters. I’d recommend this novel to any teenager in high school who might be struggling with self discovery and having difficulty relating to those around him/her. The message is clear: live and let live.

APA Style Reference:

Green, J. (2012). Paper towns. New York, NY: SPEAK.

Mystery/Suspense: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

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Evaluation of the book:

Layered with tension, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is an absolute page turner. Beginning with the mysterious death of protagonist Jake’s grandfather in the first few pages, the story takes the reader - and Jake - on an adventure to figure out who exactly Jake’s grandpa is. Jake doesn’t know who or what his grandfather is and, as it turns out, he doesn’t know who or what he himself is, either. The reader follows Jake into the unknown and the layers of tension keep building: we don’t know what we’ll discover on the mysterious island in Scotland; we don’t know when or if or how the hollows (the bad guys) will come; we don’t know whether Emma will fall for Jake even though she used to be in love with his grandfather. The reader keeps turning the pages, faster and faster, in an attempt to learn more and to appease the building tensions.

The buildup of tension is further helped along by the first person point of view of the story. Told from Jake’s point of view, the story has a necessary air of mystery and suspense because we the readers don’t know any more than Jake does about his situation and what is to come. We experience each of the tensions noted above in real time as Jake discovers and lives through them. Jake doesn’t know what’s to come; neither do we. But we sure want to find out!

Finally, the book is laced with spooky images that are like a cherry on top of the already suspenseful and spooky story and tone. Author Riggs will vividly describe peculiar people and setting and then, on the very next page, the reader discovers a black and white photograph of that exact setting or person. The photos are eery and creepy and help cement the spooky mood of the book.

Response:

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is the perfect Young Adult novel. It’s well-written, exciting, and perfectly paced. It’s characters are well-developed and realistic; it’s easy to relate to them, even if the story itself is fantastic. The photographs throughout give the perfect finishing touch of spookiness. I enjoyed this book immensely as an adult, but I can see anyone from age 12 and up enjoying it thoroughly. It truly spans the entire age range of what makes up a “Young Adult” reader. Mystery & suspense are not my go-to genres, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.

Conclusion:

Suspenseful, well-written, and visually exciting, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is an excellent novel. I recommend that anyone, even those who normally steer clear of fantastical or suspenseful mystery novels, give this novel a chance because I believe that they, like me, will be pleasantly surprised. I’m eagerly waiting for the day when I’ll have time to read the second book in Riggs’ Peculiar Children series because I want to journey alongside Jake and his friends as they continue their adventures.

APA Style Reference:

Riggs, R. (2013). Miss Peregrine’s home for peculiar children. Philadelphia, PA: Quirk Books.