Awards: In the Shadow of the Sun

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Award: TLA Lone Star

Evaluation of the book:

Mia and Simon Andrews, the two protagonists of In the Shadow of the Sun, are just two normal kids. They fight like all brothers and sisters; Simon has his fair share of teenage angst; Mia is discovering her own identity. These two characters are extremely relatable, extremely normal, and yet, they go through some pretty incredibly un-relatable experiences. By making her characters so normal, O’Brien helps make the craziness of North Korea’s regime readable for her normal readers.

Because the book is told from the point of view of normal Mia, the flashes to Korean people that are found every once in a while throughout the book help add severity and depth to the overall story. Mia’s relatability helps the reader get into the story; the flashes to Korean misery and difficulty help the reader understand the severity of the story.

Finally, this tension between normal teenagers and severe North Korea help us as readers understand the actual tension that’s going on in North Korea every day. The North Korean citizens are just normal people suffering under a severe regime and cruel leaders. When reading about the horrors of North Korean leaders, it’s easy to forget the normal people who suffer under those horrors. The tension between normal and severity is present in real North Korea, just as it’s present in the pages of this book.

Response:

How did you learn, and how much were your views and opinions challenged or changed by this text, if at all?

I learned a lot about North Korea and the horrors that are present there today. It’s incredible to me that in our 21st century world a regime as cruel as North Korea’s can survive and continue. There are real people suffering in North Korea, and, what’s worse is that some of them don’t even realize the absurdity that is their government. This book taught me that brainwashing is a very scary, very real, thing.

Critique?

Although I found the language and writing style of this book to be a little awkward and difficult to get into at first, I eventually found myself turning the pages as rapidly as I could to see what would happen next. O’Brien manages something very difficult when she takes normal teenagers, puts them through incredible circumstances, and still makes the story believable.

How well did you enjoy the text (or not) as entertainment or as a work of art?

After I overcame my distaste for the writing style and particularly of the voice of Mia, I enjoyed this book very much. I hate to admit that I’ve never really spent much time considering the conditions in North Korea, but this book made me hungry to know more, turning the pages as fast as I could to see if Mia and Simon would make it.

Conclusion:

I’d recommend this book to any middle schooler and above who might be interested in history, but sick of World War stories, or to someone who might want a contemporary, action-filled novel. This book, with its relatable protagonists and incredible descriptions of North Korean cruelty, appeals to both the normal young person and the more historically- or politically-minded young person. Regardless, it’s a good read for anyone to understand the importance of what’s happening on the other side of the world.

APA Style Reference:

O’Brien, A. S. (2017). In the shadow of the sun. New York, NY: Arthur A. Levine Books.

Awards: Educated: A Memoir

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Award: TLA Tayshas

Evaluation of the book:

This book, being a memoir, is told, of course, from the point of view of Tara herself. However, unlike other memoirs or autobiographies that I have read, Tara does not often let out any hints about her future life and what was to come after the difficulties she described on each page. Because of this, the reader learns right along with narrator Tara; we’re right there with her when she’s a kid on the hill, when she begins to sing, when she decides she wants to go to college, when her brother abuses her, when she travels to England the first time, etc. It’s a bumpy road and Tara’s point of view drags us right along.

As Tara’s story gets further and further along, she presents us with flashbacks that keep bringing us back to stories of her deeper past. These flashbacks and the overall timeline of the story let us know that Tara’s past is still very much a part of her, even though she may have overcome the particular difficulties. She doesn’t let us forget that her past is what made her who she is.

Tara’s use of understatement also helps show us what she feels is truly important in her memoir. She mentions only offhand how good her grades are and that she wins scholarships, fellowships, and awards, but her focus is always on her family. We know, based on the fact that we’re reading her very well-written book, that she succeeded academically; what we don’t know is how her familial tensions led her to where she is today. That’s what her memoir shows is important by understating her own academic achievements.

Response:

What does the text have to do with you, personally?

I was homeschooled. Unlike Tara, I used a very structured curriculum and my mother was very attentive to my studies and my father checked in every day to make sure I was doing my schoolwork and learning a lot. That being said, I grew up hearing about “Unschoolers” and “Noschoolers” like the Westovers and was always a bit envious of them. Needless to say, this book made me appreciate the areas of my own homeschooling that made me into the person I am today while also appreciating the structure and care that my parents put into my education.

How much does the text agree or clash with your view of the world, and what you consider right and wrong?

I believe it was right for Tara to break away from her family. In my opinion, she should have done it sooner. However, this book does a good job expressing the difficulties of filial obligation and familial love. Only family can simultaneously drive us insane and yet still be the first people we want to talk to every day. Tara’s family might be crazy, but in them the reader of this book can see bits and pieces of his/her own family and can begin to understand that it’s perfectly normal to have difficulty breaking away in order to be one’s own person.

What is your overall reaction to the text?

My immediate reaction to this text was to be disturbed. But now I find myself recommending it to everyone - especially any of the people I know who have connections to homeschooling. This book sticks with you and teaches valuable lessons on the power of the mind and the strength of familial love and obligation.

Conclusion:

Tara’s story is incredibly unique. Through this memoir, she shows the incredible difficulty of choosing oneself over one’s family, even if that family is a disaster. I’d recommend this book to any reader, high school and above, who might need or want to consider their own familiar and educational situation in a new light. Tara’s story can’t help but make you feel grateful for the good that you have, or hopeful for the good that you know you can achieve.

APA Style Reference:

Westover, T. (2018). Educated: A memoir. New York, NY: Random House.

Award: Number the Stars

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Award: Newbery Medal Winner

Evaluation of the book:

Even though we as readers of Number the Stars and knowers of World War II history know about the Jewish holocaust and Nazi terror, protagonist Annemarie does not. We might be able to guess what will happen or what Annemarie will discover, but Lowry does a good job using understatement to ensure that we are discovering these things all over again through Annemarie’s eyes.

The plot of Number the Stars is a simple World War II narrative, but through it the reader learns a valuable history lesson. Through Annemarie’s story and simple act of courage, the readers of this book learns how the Danish people helped almost all of the Danish Jews escape across the sea to Sweden.

Annemarie’s character is admirable: she is observant, obedient, brave, and a good friend. Even though she is only ten years old, she is an example to her readers of how even the most ordinary of people might be called to perform an extraordinary action. Annemarie, a simple girl, saved her friend by standing up to the soldiers; Denmark, a country, saved its population of Jews by standing up to the Nazis.

Response:

How did you learn, and how much were your views and opinions challenged or changed by this text, if at all?

I learned a lot about Denmark’s actions during World War II. Even though the story was told from the point of view of ten-year-old Annemarie, who knew nothing about the greater repercussions of Nazi terror, my own knowledge of WWII history helped me read between the lines to see just how amazing it was that Danish Jews were able to flee to Sweden with the help of their countrymen.

How well does it address things that you, personally, care about and consider important to the world?

Number the Stars is a beautiful example of the importance of true friendship. Although we don’t have as many opportunities to truly stand up for our friends in the same way that Annemarie stood up for Ellen, we must always remember that a true friendship comes with sacrifice. We must focus a little less on “self care” and remember that our loved ones need some care and attention too.

What is your overall reaction to the text?

This book was beautiful, enlightening, and enjoyable to read. I learned a lot about history and I felt like I became part of the Johansen family and the Danish people. This book helped remind me that sometimes even the smallest moments of bravery can have enormous results.

Conclusion:
By discovering Nazi terror and the Jewish plight through the eyes of Annemarie and her moment of courage, Number the Stars is both a history lesson and a lesson in virtue mixed into one beautiful story. This book should be read by any elementary school class studying World War II history, any child interested in history, and any child who needs help being brave.

APA Style Reference:

Lowry, L. (1989). Number the stars. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Award: Mr. Popper's Penguins

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Award: Newbery Honor Book

Evaluation of the book:

Mr. Popper’s character in Mr. Popper’s Penguins is crazy and unbelievable, but, as one reads the book, it becomes clear that he is beloved by all who meet him. His wife, Mrs. Popper, puts up with his antics even though she worries about practical things; his children adore him and his penguins; Admiral Drake sends him a penguin simply because he wrote a letter; and we, the readers, follow in the other characters’ footsteps by falling in love with Mr. Popper and his craziness, too! Mr. Popper may be absurd, but he certainly knows how to pull on some heartstrings.

There is a tension between the absurdity of story and some very real observations of life that happen simultaneously. For example, when Mr. Popper freezes over the floor in his living room to make an ice skating rink, the narrator notes that “It was hard at first to move the furniture, because the feet of the chairs had frozen into the ice” (p. 72). There is no comment on how ridiculous making an ice rink in the living room is; there is simply the real observation of how hard moving frozen furniture is. These bits of real life thrown into the absurd situations make the story lighthearted and extra fun.

Every couple of pages in this book contain an illustration or two. These illustrations are absolutely adorable and help set the mood by showing Mr. Popper with his ridiculous mustache, Mrs. Popper with her hat and spectacles, frozen living rooms, and the penguins marching, playing, and performing. Just as the story is memorable and beloved for whoever has read it; so too are the images of Mr. Popper, his mustache, and his penguins.

Response:

How did you learn, and how much were your views and opinions challenged or changed by this text, if at all?

This book sings the message that it’s OK to be ridiculous loud and clear. I personally found myself relating to poor Mrs. Popper, always worried about the more practical things in life, Mr. Popper’s antics making me slightly uncomfortable. But, in the end, I found that the book taught me that, even though being ridiculous is not my usual attitude, sometimes it’s a ton of fun.

How well does it address things that you, personally, care about and consider important to the world?

Real issues and complete absurdity are found hand in hand in this book; it’s a good example of real life. If this book were entirely made up of practical observations about how the Poppers were going to afford food, or conversely made up entirely of crazy antics like freezing living rooms it wouldn’t be half as enjoyable. Life, like this book, is filled with craziness and practicality. You can’t have one without the other or else life would be no fun!

How well did you enjoy the text (or not) as entertainment or as a work of art?

Mr. Popper’s Penguins is a classic for good reason - it’s a laugh-out-loud good time read. I enjoyed it immensely as entertainment; it has survived the many years as a classic because of its blending of well-written art and fun-times entertainment.

Conclusion:

Even though there is a tension between the actions of dreamer Mr. Popper and practical Mrs. Popper, the overall tone of the story makes it clear that this book is meant to be entirely lighthearted and fun. I’d recommend this book to any hesitant reader who needs a completely ridiculous, easy-to-read book to nudge them along their reading journey.

APA Style Reference:

Atwater, R., Atwater, F., & Lawson, R. (1994). Mr. Popper’s penguins. New York, NY: Scholastic. (Original work published 1938).

Award: Blueberries for Sal

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Award: Caldecott Honor Book

Evaluation of the book:

Every page of Blueberries for Sal is filled with monochromatic illustrations in, you guessed it, the color blue. In a book titled Blueberries for Sal that tells the story of blueberry picking (and munching!) on Blueberry Hill, the color blue is honestly the only appropriate color for the illustrations.

Onomatopoeia makes up a large and important part of the story. Words and sounds like “kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk,” “caw, caw, caw,” “munch, munch,” “gulp,” and “garumpf” are the only thing that differentiate between the different species in this story. “Kuplink” is the sound that tells the mother bear that it is Sal following behind her; after Sal’s mother discovers the baby bear behind her, the baby bear just continues “munching” away. Sal and the baby bear aren’t bothered by the differences in their mothers; their mothers are bothered by the wrong noises following behind them.

The parallel stories between Sal and her mother and the baby bear and his mother are parallel not just in plot, but in sentence structure as well. One page describes Sal and her mother’s activities, the next page describes, in almost identical language, the baby bear and his mother’s activities. Because of this, when Sal begins to follow the bear and the baby bear begins to follow Sal’s mother, the reader is almost not surprised by the lack of panic in the two infants’ reactions. Their activities and language are so similar; they’re almost not different species at all.

Response:

What does the text have to do with you, personally?

I grew up in Maine and have spent every summer of my life picking blueberries, most of the time with my mother. Although I never encountered a mother bear and/or her baby bear, Sal’s story resonates with me - I, too, usually ate just about every blueberry I could get my hands on. To this day, blueberries are my favorite food and blueberry picking is one of my favorite activities.

Critique?

McLoskey tells a simple story of a simple activity that could seem to get a bit complicated when bears and humans mix up, but happily the story ends well with babies safely returned to the correct mothers. It’s easy to see how this simple, gripping, beautiful story has become an enduring and beloved children’s classic.

What is your overall reaction to the text?

For as long as I can remember, Blueberries for Sal has been a favorite book of mine and now, as an adult, it’s no different. I love blueberry picking; I love reading Blueberries for Sal. I just hope I never encounter a bear!

Conclusion:

I recommend this book to any child, whether they’re from Maine or not. It’s an easy and captivating story that is perfect for parents, teachers, or librarians to read aloud to young children. Children themselves will be caught up in the beautiful, very blue, illustrations. If you’ve never read this book, please do it now.

APA Style Reference:

McCloskey, R. (1976). Blueberries for Sal. New York, NY: Puffin Books.

Award: Hello Lighthouse

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Award: Caldecott Award Winner 2019

Evaluation of the book:

Hello Lighthouse has some of the most gorgeous illustrations that I have ever seen in a children’s picture book. The pages alternate with an illustration of the outside of the lighthouse (always on the left page)and an illustration of the life inside of the lighthouse (always with roundness emphasized). These illustrations serve both to establish the setting - the lighthouse - and the mood - the cyclical, rhythmic, beautiful life within the lighthouse. The lighthouse keeper and his wife feel drawn to the lighthouse; the reader is drawn right into that fascination through these beautiful pages.

The cyclical language of the book also set the mood. Life is simple and rhythmic both inside and outside the lighthouse. Outside, the flashing light calls “hello, hello, hello” and inside, the lighthouse keeper “tends the light and writes in the logbook” every day, no matter what happens.The reader is drawn into this rhythm, because, if either of these stops, the story cannot go on.

The illustrations tell the story of what’s happening more than the words do; the words are cyclical and repetitive, the life that happens in the story, shown by the illustrations, is not. The lighthouse keeper’s world and routine might be small and repetitive, like the words on the page, but his life is full and beautiful, like the illustrations that show it.

Response:

What does the text have to do with you, personally?

I was born and raised in Maine and have always had a deep love for the lighthouses that litter my home state’s coast line. This book was a captivating peek into what life inside of those lighthouses might have been like back in the days of lighthouse keepers and lanterns. Needless to say, this book had me at “Hello Lighthouse.”

How well did you enjoy the text (or not) as entertainment or as a work of art?

I enjoyed every inch of this book, and will be re-reading it when I’m done writing this blog post so that I can study each and every page of beautiful illustrations and captivating, poetic language. This book is 100% a work of art that should be enjoyed by everyone.

What is your overall reaction to the text?

I loved it! There aren’t enough synonyms for “beautiful” to describe it.

Conclusion:

I recommend this as a read aloud in any setting - school, library, or home. The stunning illustrations and poetic language come together to tell a mesmerizing story of life on a lighthouse. Any child’s imagination will come alive when presented with this book.

APA Style Reference:

Blackall, S. (2018). Hello lighthouse. New York, NY: Little, Brown, and Company.

Awards: Saving Winslow

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Award: TLA Texas Bluebonnet Award

Evaluation of the book:

The plot of Saving Winslow is simple enough: Louie’s father brings home a dying baby donkey and Louie, unable to bear the thought of losing another pet, decides to “accept the mission” (p. 4) of keeping the donkey alive. In the end, the donkey Winslow, lives. It’s a straightforward plot (at least on the surface) for its young readers.

In contrast to the plot, the characters in Saving Winslow are rather complex for being so young. Louie, the protagonist of the story who takes in a sickly baby donkey and is determined to nurse it back to health, both misses his brother Gus who is away at the army and struggles with the fact that he too was once a sickly newborn baby fighting for his life. Maybe Louie misses Gus so much because Gus was there to nurse him when he was a baby, and now Louie has to be the one to do the nursing? In addition, Louie and Winslow the donkey befriend Nora, a troubled little girl who also has an experience with a struggling baby - her own baby brother - who, unlike Louie and Winslow, didn’t make it. These issues of life and death are hard ones for any person to deal with, especially young children like Louie and Nora.

The text of the book is primarily dialogue. The voices of Louie, Nora, the adults, and even Winslow tell their own stories. Because the text is mostly dialogue, the reader is reminded again and again that, even though the main characters might be going through some complex stuff as discussed above, they are just children. The dialogue lets the children’s innocence and simplicity shine.

Response:

How did you learn, and how much were your views and opinions challenged or changed by this text, if at all?

It’s easy for adults, like me, to assume that because children are young they are not as affected by serious matters as we are. We don’t include them in our discussions, our grief, our feelings. This book challenged that attitude and made me realize that children, no matter how young, feel things deeply and have the right to be heard when they are going through something difficult.

How well does it address things that you, personally, care about and consider important to the world?

It’s important for the world not to take the strength and determination of a child for granted. Louie decided to accept the mission of keeping Winslow alive and, through his determination and hard work, he did just that. We adults have a lot to learn from this story!

How well did you enjoy the text (or not) as entertainment or as a work of art?

I didn’t personally enjoy the book; I found it overly simplistic in writing, but overly complicated in underlying themes, most of which didn’t seem to be resolved at any point. That being said, the themes are all important ones and the writing, though simple, is clear and good. It’s a cute story, even if I didn’t personally find it entertaining.

Conclusion:

I’d recommend Saving Winslow to any child who might need a mission in life to figure out his or her place in this world. The simple plot and complex characters will attract a reader who wants to see that he or she is not alone in going through difficult things in life. Besides, what child could resist a cute baby donkey?

APA Style Reference:

Creech, S. (2018). Saving Winslow. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children’s.