FORGED BY FIRE
Bibliography
Draper, Sharon M. 1997. FORGED BY FIRE. New York, NY: Simon Pulse. ISBN 068980699X.
Plot Summary
Gerald is a toddler when the story begins. He is left alone in the apartment by his mother, and while she is gone the young Gerald finds a cigarette lighter and starts the apartment on fire. He is saved by a teenage neighbor. His mother is sent off to jail for abandonment and Gerald goes to live with Aunt Queen. Aunt Queen is a loving and nurturing woman and at the same time she is a force to be reckoned with. Under her care and guidance Gerald is living a happy and secure life, with only occasional flashbacks. His happy life comes crashing down around him on his ninth birthday. On this day his mother, Monique, comes back into his life. She is coming to see him and is bringing a surprise. She has a daughter, who is Gerald’s half sister. This meeting is very stressful especially since she brings her husband Jordon Sparks with her. Gerald instantly bonds with his fragile little sister, but the day goes from bad to worse. While Gerald and his little sister are outside playing Aunt Queen has a heart attack and dies. Monique and Jordan take Gerald back to live with them. Jordon is very abusive to all of them and Monique lives in complete denial. The story goes on to tell about how Gerald goes on to struggle and survive and actually come out on top in the end against all odds.
Critical Analysis
This well written story show’s the difficult struggle that many children of all cultures and races can face. Physical, emotional and sexual abuse is present in all cultures. The story is written through the eyes of a young African-American male. The characters are authentic and believable. The plot of the story is gripping because the characters are so well defined and believable. The character of Aunt Queen is very well defined. She could be found in any culture. The take charge woman with a heart of gold. The author is well aware of many stereo types and often addresses them in the dialog. In the following excerpt Aunt Queen is having a discussion with Gerald’s doctor after the first fire. The doctor says “Are you his only relative? Does he have a father?” Aunt Queen replies: “Of course he has a father!” “Don’t you have a father? I know you doctors are getting pretty good at making test-tube babies, but the last I checked, it still took a mother and a father to make a baby” “What I meant was---“ “I know what you meant. Since this kid is poor and black and his mother is living alone and unmarried, his father must be long gone. Well, I’m here to tell you that not all black men are like that. There’s zillions of black families with a mama and a daddy and two kids like the ‘average’ American family.” “But unfortunately, this ain’t one of them. I don’t know where the boy’s daddy is. I just didn’t want you to assume. You coulda been wrong, you know?” The reader at once feels that if Aunt Queen is going to be in charge that all will be right with the world. Unfortunately Aunt Queen dies. We definitely see how Aunt Queen influenced Gerald throughout the story. The same way that Aunt Queen saved Gerald, we see Gerald save Angel. The language flows naturally, and when the teens talk to each other they sound like typical teens. The author does a good job of accurately portraying the type of life that an inner-city child might have. We see the good the bad and the ugly. We see some very good heroes in this story. Even though life is not easy for them they continue to persevere and come out strong and courageous. The ending leaves the readers with a feeling of hopefulness at the end. I wouldn’t call it a happy ending, but it had a good ending that leaves the readers to believe that even though bad things happen, people can go on and live productive lives.
Book Excerpts
School Library Journal(March 1, 1997; 0-689-80699-X; 978-0-689-80699-5)Gr 7-10¿Gerald, a battered and neglected African-American child, is severely burned in a fire at the age of three, having been left home alone by his single mother, Monique. Upon leaving the hospital he goes to live with his warm and caring Aunt Queen. When he is nine, his mother reenters his life for the first time since the accident. Monique introduces him to Angel, his four-year-old half-sister, and Jordan Sparks, Angel's surly father. When Aunt Queen dies suddenly of a heart attack, Gerald is returned to his mother and takes on the role of loving protector of his little sister. He soon learns that Sparks, who mentally and physically abuses all of the family, is sexually abusing Angel. Gerald and Angel's testimony helps send Sparks to prison, but upon his release six years later, he returns to the family, with the blessing of Monique, whose own life is checkered with bouts of substance abuse. A terse confrontation erupts into a fiery climax when Sparks again attempts to molest Angel. The riveting first chapter was originally published as a short story in Ebony magazine under the title "One Small Touch." While the rest of the book does not sustain the mood and pace of the initial chapter, Forged by Fire is a grim look at an inner-city home where abuse and addiction are a way of life and the children are the victims. There's no all's-well ending, but readers will have hope for Gerald and Angel, who have survived a number of gut-wrenching ordeals by relying on their constant love and caring for one another.¿Tom S. Hurlburt, La Crosse Public Library, WI
Booklist(February 15, 1997; 0-689-80699-X; 978-0-689-80699-5)Gr. 7^-10. Gerald Nickelby, a minor character in Tears of a Tiger (1994), emerges full-fledged and courageous in this companion story. His stable life with a firm but loving aunt (who is caring for him while his mother serves a prison sentence for child neglect) is shattered when his mother returns to claim him on his ninth birthday. With her is a young daughter, Angel, to whom Gerald is drawn, and her husband, Jordan, whom Gerald instinctively dislikes. When Gerald learns that Jordan is sexually abusing Angel, he risks physical assault and public embarrassment to rescue her. Although written in a more conventional form than the earlier novel, the dialogue is still convincing, and the affection between Angel and Gerald rings true. With so much tragedy here (the car crash and death of Gerald's friend Rob in Tears are again recounted, though Draper, thankfully, stops before Andy Jackson's suicide), there is some danger of overloading the reader. Nevertheless, Draper faces some big issues (abuse, death, drugs) and provides concrete options and a positive African American role model in Gerald. --Candace Smith
Connections
Students can research abuse and neglect- The National Child Abuse Hotline is given at the end of the book
Students can read these other books by the author Sharon M. Draper:
TEARS OF A TIGER
DARKNESS BEFORE DAWN
ROMIETTE AND JULIO
Saturday, June 21, 2008
CULTURE 2
JOHN HENRY
Biblioghraphy
Lester, Julius. 1994. JOHN HENRY. Ill. Jerry Pinkney. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 059053937X.
Plot Summary
This is the folktale of an extraordinary man called John Henry. John Henry is so special that when he is born animals from all over come to see him. Both the sun and the moon come to see him. He grows so big on his first day of life that his head went straight through the roof. He is an extraordinarily hard worked with a big heart. One day he decides to go off into the world and his parents give him two sledgehammers that belonged to his granddaddy. He is easily able to chip away rocks and boulders. He was able to swing his hammers so fast that he created a rainbow that stayed around his shoulders. One day he gets into contest against a new piece of machinery called a steam drill. The magnificent John Henry easily wins the contest, but after giving it his all he dies. The folktale goes on to say that some people say he was buried on the White House lawn.
Critical Analysis
This intriguing folktale is told in a way that demonstrates all the good qualities of life such as strength and determination without being preachy about it. The writing is very poetic in places and there is a song that is repeated throughout the tale. “I got a rainbow RINGGGG! RINGGGG! Tied round my shoulder RINGGGG! RINGGGG! It ain’t gon’ rain, No, it ain’t gon’ rain. RINGGGG! RINGGGG!” The text is well written and stays within the context of the times. His poetic use of words adds to the drama. He says things that can make you stop and think, such as “What he saw was a mountain as big as hurt feelings”. The beautiful pictures that help to tell the story were done with pencil, colored pencils, and watercolor. The illustrations are done in mostly earthy tones with splashes of color. The people are dressed in the appropriate clothes for the time period. The hairstyles look correct for the time period. Some things look exaggerated, but it is because it is a folktale and things are supposed to be larger than life. Overall the pictures and text tell a beautiful, well written story.
Review Excerpts
Horn Book Magazine(; 0-8037-1606-0; 978-0-8037-1606-3)The original legend of John Henry and how he beat the steam drill with his sledgehammer has been enhanced and enriched, in Lester's retelling, with wonderful contemporary details and poetic similes that add humor, beauty, and strength. Pinkney's evocative illustrations -- especially the landscapes, splotchy and impressionistic, yet very solid and vigorous -- are little short of magnificent. With source notes. From HORN BOOK 1994, Copyright © The Horn Book, used with permission.
Booklist(; 0-8037-1607-9; 978-0-8037-1607-0)/*STARRED REVIEW*/ Ages 4 and up. Based on the popular black folk ballad about the contest between John Henry and the steam drill, this picture-book version is a tall tale and a heroic myth, a celebration of the human spirit. Like Lester's great collections of the Uncle Remus tales, also illustrated by Pinkney, the story is told with rhythm and wit, humor and exaggeration, and with a heart-catching immediacy that connects the human and the natural world. ("This was no ordinary boulder. It was as hard as anger . . . a mountain as big as hurt feelings"). The dramatic climax of the story is set at the time of the building of the railroad through the Allegheny Mountains in West Virginia, but Lester begins with the hero's birth, when all the birds and animals come to see the baby and the sun is so excited it forgets to go to bed. Pinkney's dappled pencil-and-watercolor illustrations capture the individuality of the great working man, who is part of the human community and who has the strength of rock and wind. John Henry swings his hammer so fast, he makes a rainbow around his shoulders, and the pictures show that light everywhere, "shining and shimmering in the dust and grit like hope that never dies." (Reviewed June 1994)0803716060Hazel Rochman
Connections
Read and discuss a variety of Folktales
Discuss the qualities that make John Henry a hero
Write a folktale
Biblioghraphy
Lester, Julius. 1994. JOHN HENRY. Ill. Jerry Pinkney. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 059053937X.
Plot Summary
This is the folktale of an extraordinary man called John Henry. John Henry is so special that when he is born animals from all over come to see him. Both the sun and the moon come to see him. He grows so big on his first day of life that his head went straight through the roof. He is an extraordinarily hard worked with a big heart. One day he decides to go off into the world and his parents give him two sledgehammers that belonged to his granddaddy. He is easily able to chip away rocks and boulders. He was able to swing his hammers so fast that he created a rainbow that stayed around his shoulders. One day he gets into contest against a new piece of machinery called a steam drill. The magnificent John Henry easily wins the contest, but after giving it his all he dies. The folktale goes on to say that some people say he was buried on the White House lawn.
Critical Analysis
This intriguing folktale is told in a way that demonstrates all the good qualities of life such as strength and determination without being preachy about it. The writing is very poetic in places and there is a song that is repeated throughout the tale. “I got a rainbow RINGGGG! RINGGGG! Tied round my shoulder RINGGGG! RINGGGG! It ain’t gon’ rain, No, it ain’t gon’ rain. RINGGGG! RINGGGG!” The text is well written and stays within the context of the times. His poetic use of words adds to the drama. He says things that can make you stop and think, such as “What he saw was a mountain as big as hurt feelings”. The beautiful pictures that help to tell the story were done with pencil, colored pencils, and watercolor. The illustrations are done in mostly earthy tones with splashes of color. The people are dressed in the appropriate clothes for the time period. The hairstyles look correct for the time period. Some things look exaggerated, but it is because it is a folktale and things are supposed to be larger than life. Overall the pictures and text tell a beautiful, well written story.
Review Excerpts
Horn Book Magazine(; 0-8037-1606-0; 978-0-8037-1606-3)The original legend of John Henry and how he beat the steam drill with his sledgehammer has been enhanced and enriched, in Lester's retelling, with wonderful contemporary details and poetic similes that add humor, beauty, and strength. Pinkney's evocative illustrations -- especially the landscapes, splotchy and impressionistic, yet very solid and vigorous -- are little short of magnificent. With source notes. From HORN BOOK 1994, Copyright © The Horn Book, used with permission.
Booklist(; 0-8037-1607-9; 978-0-8037-1607-0)/*STARRED REVIEW*/ Ages 4 and up. Based on the popular black folk ballad about the contest between John Henry and the steam drill, this picture-book version is a tall tale and a heroic myth, a celebration of the human spirit. Like Lester's great collections of the Uncle Remus tales, also illustrated by Pinkney, the story is told with rhythm and wit, humor and exaggeration, and with a heart-catching immediacy that connects the human and the natural world. ("This was no ordinary boulder. It was as hard as anger . . . a mountain as big as hurt feelings"). The dramatic climax of the story is set at the time of the building of the railroad through the Allegheny Mountains in West Virginia, but Lester begins with the hero's birth, when all the birds and animals come to see the baby and the sun is so excited it forgets to go to bed. Pinkney's dappled pencil-and-watercolor illustrations capture the individuality of the great working man, who is part of the human community and who has the strength of rock and wind. John Henry swings his hammer so fast, he makes a rainbow around his shoulders, and the pictures show that light everywhere, "shining and shimmering in the dust and grit like hope that never dies." (Reviewed June 1994)0803716060Hazel Rochman
Connections
Read and discuss a variety of Folktales
Discuss the qualities that make John Henry a hero
Write a folktale
CULTURE 2
THE FIRST PART LAST
Bibliography
Johnson, Angela. 2003. THE FIRST PART LAST. New York, NY: Simon Pulse. ISBN 0689849222.
Plot Summary
This is the story of a teenage dad named Bobby. The story unfolds in a dramatic way. The chapters are labeled Now and Then. When the story begins Bobby is talking about his baby, Feather. As the chapters go back and forth we see how we are starting with the story of how Feather came to be, and we keep going back and forth between the present and the past. We see how Bobby struggles with so many things, and how his parents are supportive, but do not take over parenting for him. This tough love turns Bobby into the parent that they know he can be. We find out through the flashbacks that Bobby is a single parent because the mother of Feather, Nia, is in a coma due to complications during birth.
Critical Analysis
This is a very realistic portrayal of single parenthood. Many times we see the girl as the single parent, but in this story it is the teenage boy who is the single parent. The way that the story unfolds keeps the reader turning the pages. It is written almost poetically. Most of the language sounds like how real teenagers talk. They speak politely to adults and then they use slang language with their friends and peers. Much of the book centers on what is going on inside Bobby’s head. His thoughts and feelings are all put out there for us. The way he loves his baby is so absolutely touching and so very real. We also see him struggle with the day to day routines and sleep deprivation that come with being a new parent. I loved how since his mother didn’t take over complete care of the baby that Bobby knows it and feels it when “Feather only wants Daddy”. He can fix her, not grandma. Here is one bit of poetry from the story:
“The rules. If she hollers, she is mine.
If she needs to be changed, she is always mine.
In the dictionary next to “sitter,” there is not a
Picture of Grandma.
It’s time to grow up.
Too late, you’re out of time. Be a grown-up.”
I love it that it is Bobby’s dad who is like a mom. Bobby’s father is very loving and nurturing. Bobby’s parents are divorced and at one point Bobby takes Feather and goes to live with his father who meets them at the door with a blanket for Feather in one hand and a cup of coffee for Bobby in the other. The only illustration in the book is the front cover. It shows an African American teenage male holding a baby. It is a modern representation. The hairstyle and clothing look representative of our current society. It received the Coretta Scott King Award and the Printz Award.
Review Excerpts
From School Library JournalGrade 8 Up-Brief, poetic, and absolutely riveting, this gem of a novel tells the story of a young father struggling to raise an infant. Bobby, 16, is a sensitive and intelligent narrator. His parents are supportive but refuse to take over the child-care duties, so he struggles to balance parenting, school, and friends who don't comprehend his new role. Alternate chapters go back to the story of Bobby's relationship with his girlfriend Nia and how parents and friends reacted to the news of her pregnancy. Bobby's parents are well-developed characters, Nia's upper-class family somewhat less so. Flashbacks lead to the revelation in the final chapters that Nia is in an irreversible coma caused by eclampsia. This twist, which explains why Bobby is raising Feather on his own against the advice of both families, seems melodramatic. So does a chapter in which Bobby snaps from the pressure and spends an entire day spray painting a picture on a brick wall, only to be arrested for vandalism. However, any flaws in the plot are overshadowed by the beautiful writing. Scenes in which Bobby expresses his love for his daughter are breathtaking. Teens who enjoyed Margaret Bechard's Hanging on to Max (Millbrook, 2002) will love this book, too, despite very different conclusions. The attractive cover photo of a young black man cradling an infant will attract readers.Miranda Doyle, San Francisco Public Library
Horn Book Magazine(July 1, 2003; 0-689-84922-2; 978-0-689-84922-0)(High School) Feather's birth has completely changed sixteen-year-old Bobby's life. He and his girlfriend, Nia, had planned to put up the baby for adoption, but Feather becomes impossible to relinquish after, as the reader learns at book's end, pregnancy-related eclampsia leaves Nia in an irreversible coma. What elevates this scenario above melodrama is Johnson's unique storytelling strategy: she follows the arc of Bobby's consciousness in alternating short chapters labeled ""then"" (before Feather's birth) and ""now."" This allows the reader to measure how far sleep-starved single dad Bobby has fallen, psychically--and how far he's come. While this prequel to the Coretta Scott King Award-winning Heaven isn't bereft of humor (Nia's parents' home is ""so neat and clean you could probably make soup in the toilet""), what resonates are the sacrifices Bobby makes for Feather's sake. Copyright 2003 of The Horn Book, Inc.
Connections
Teen parents can be discussed and researched.
Discuss the Author Angela Johnson, noting that she is a three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner.
Read HEAVEN and LOOKING FOR RED by Angela Johnson.
Bibliography
Johnson, Angela. 2003. THE FIRST PART LAST. New York, NY: Simon Pulse. ISBN 0689849222.
Plot Summary
This is the story of a teenage dad named Bobby. The story unfolds in a dramatic way. The chapters are labeled Now and Then. When the story begins Bobby is talking about his baby, Feather. As the chapters go back and forth we see how we are starting with the story of how Feather came to be, and we keep going back and forth between the present and the past. We see how Bobby struggles with so many things, and how his parents are supportive, but do not take over parenting for him. This tough love turns Bobby into the parent that they know he can be. We find out through the flashbacks that Bobby is a single parent because the mother of Feather, Nia, is in a coma due to complications during birth.
Critical Analysis
This is a very realistic portrayal of single parenthood. Many times we see the girl as the single parent, but in this story it is the teenage boy who is the single parent. The way that the story unfolds keeps the reader turning the pages. It is written almost poetically. Most of the language sounds like how real teenagers talk. They speak politely to adults and then they use slang language with their friends and peers. Much of the book centers on what is going on inside Bobby’s head. His thoughts and feelings are all put out there for us. The way he loves his baby is so absolutely touching and so very real. We also see him struggle with the day to day routines and sleep deprivation that come with being a new parent. I loved how since his mother didn’t take over complete care of the baby that Bobby knows it and feels it when “Feather only wants Daddy”. He can fix her, not grandma. Here is one bit of poetry from the story:
“The rules. If she hollers, she is mine.
If she needs to be changed, she is always mine.
In the dictionary next to “sitter,” there is not a
Picture of Grandma.
It’s time to grow up.
Too late, you’re out of time. Be a grown-up.”
I love it that it is Bobby’s dad who is like a mom. Bobby’s father is very loving and nurturing. Bobby’s parents are divorced and at one point Bobby takes Feather and goes to live with his father who meets them at the door with a blanket for Feather in one hand and a cup of coffee for Bobby in the other. The only illustration in the book is the front cover. It shows an African American teenage male holding a baby. It is a modern representation. The hairstyle and clothing look representative of our current society. It received the Coretta Scott King Award and the Printz Award.
Review Excerpts
From School Library JournalGrade 8 Up-Brief, poetic, and absolutely riveting, this gem of a novel tells the story of a young father struggling to raise an infant. Bobby, 16, is a sensitive and intelligent narrator. His parents are supportive but refuse to take over the child-care duties, so he struggles to balance parenting, school, and friends who don't comprehend his new role. Alternate chapters go back to the story of Bobby's relationship with his girlfriend Nia and how parents and friends reacted to the news of her pregnancy. Bobby's parents are well-developed characters, Nia's upper-class family somewhat less so. Flashbacks lead to the revelation in the final chapters that Nia is in an irreversible coma caused by eclampsia. This twist, which explains why Bobby is raising Feather on his own against the advice of both families, seems melodramatic. So does a chapter in which Bobby snaps from the pressure and spends an entire day spray painting a picture on a brick wall, only to be arrested for vandalism. However, any flaws in the plot are overshadowed by the beautiful writing. Scenes in which Bobby expresses his love for his daughter are breathtaking. Teens who enjoyed Margaret Bechard's Hanging on to Max (Millbrook, 2002) will love this book, too, despite very different conclusions. The attractive cover photo of a young black man cradling an infant will attract readers.Miranda Doyle, San Francisco Public Library
Horn Book Magazine(July 1, 2003; 0-689-84922-2; 978-0-689-84922-0)(High School) Feather's birth has completely changed sixteen-year-old Bobby's life. He and his girlfriend, Nia, had planned to put up the baby for adoption, but Feather becomes impossible to relinquish after, as the reader learns at book's end, pregnancy-related eclampsia leaves Nia in an irreversible coma. What elevates this scenario above melodrama is Johnson's unique storytelling strategy: she follows the arc of Bobby's consciousness in alternating short chapters labeled ""then"" (before Feather's birth) and ""now."" This allows the reader to measure how far sleep-starved single dad Bobby has fallen, psychically--and how far he's come. While this prequel to the Coretta Scott King Award-winning Heaven isn't bereft of humor (Nia's parents' home is ""so neat and clean you could probably make soup in the toilet""), what resonates are the sacrifices Bobby makes for Feather's sake. Copyright 2003 of The Horn Book, Inc.
Connections
Teen parents can be discussed and researched.
Discuss the Author Angela Johnson, noting that she is a three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner.
Read HEAVEN and LOOKING FOR RED by Angela Johnson.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
The Heaven Shop
The Heaven Shop
Bibliography
Ellis, Deborah. 2004. The Heaven Shop. Allston, MA: Fitzhenry & Whiteside. ISBN 1550419080.
Plot Summary
This is the story of a family that is deeply affected by the AIDS academic in Malawi. The main character of the story is Binti Phiri. She starts out as a happy go lucky child who is actually a bit snobby and thinks of herself as “special” since she has a part on a radio show. Binti has an older sister and a younger brother and they all start the story as a fairly happy family. They have already lost their mother to an illness, and they live with their loving and caring father in a home that is attached to the father’s work place. He is a coffin builder and his shop is called The Heaven Shop. In basically the space of a week Binti and her sibling’s world comes crashing down around them. They are living a nice life with a house, nice clothes and private school education. The next thing they know their father gets sick and dies. They have very little money and their father had nothing saved for them since whenever he had extra money he would send it to the “cousins”. Some of Binti’s awful relatives come to get the children. They divide the children up, and take all their money and most of their possessions. Binti has a difficult time accepting her new position in life. She cannot believe how she could go from being so special, to becoming an Aids outcast. The relatives that she goes to live with treat her as an Aids outcast since they believe the children must have Aids, since both their parents have died from the disease. She eventually runs away from the aunt and uncle’s house and finds her grandma “Gogo”. Gogo is a smart and strong woman who is disgusted with the treatment that her children have bestowed on her grandchildren, and declares that she wants nothing more to do with them, and that all her good children have died. Binti is thrilled to be living with her grandmother that loves her, but the situation she is in still far from good. Her grandmother takes in Aids orphans and there is barely enough food and shelter to go around. At this point we discover that these are the cousins that the father had been sending his extra money to. Binti has many things to learn at Gogo’s and she is not always easy to live with. We see her truly become a strong and good person as she begins to see that the world does not revolve around Binti. She has to learn many lessons the hard way, but she comes out a stronger and more caring person because of her life’s twists and turns. She is able to find her brother and her sister, and when Gogo dies she is able, along with several of the “cousins”, to figure out how to keep the place going and provide for her new and extended family. The story ends with the three siblings being together again and opening a coffin building business called The Heaven Shop.
Critical Analysis
Ellis paints a very real picture of the Aids epidemic in Africa without being preachy about it. Her portrayal of this family and the difficulties that they experience makes the story not about Aids, but about people. The life and culture appears to be authentic and feels real. The author incorporates many words seamlessly into the story such as noting that when someone asks Binti if she has a Gogo, that the text explains that Gogo is what Malawians called their grandmothers. Even though the story is fictional the places in the book are real places. In the author’s note at the end, a map is shown of the places that were talked about in the story. She also gives some information about HIV and Aids in the author’s note. The theme throughout the book is that all people need compassion and dignity. Her characters show that it doesn’t matter what race people are, that there will be the good along with the bad, and that the need to belong and be loved is present in all people.
Review Excerpts
From School Library JournalGrade 6-9–When 13-year-old Binti Phiri's coffin-making father dies, a grandmother she hardly knows says what no one in Malawi likes to admit: the man, like his wife, died of AIDS. Now orphaned, Binti and her siblings are sent to relatives far from home. A Cinderella-like existence with an uncle whose family ostracizes them and steals their money proves so intolerable that her older sister runs away. Binti, too, escapes and makes her way to her grandmother's village. There she discovers her Gogo surrounded by children, cousins and pretend cousins, all dealing with the effects of the epidemic. A local AIDS activist eventually finds Binti's brother, in jail, and her sister, working as a prostitute. Reunited, the young people open their own coffin shop. The author's travel in the area informs her work, but the message, though important, threatens to overwhelm the story. Binti is a well-developed character, but the others and the events of their lives seem to have been introduced in service to plot; they don't come alive the way the Afghans do in Ellis's "Breadwinner" trilogy (Groundwood) or the way the AIDS victims and their relatives do in Alan Stratton's Chanda's Secret (Annick, 2004). Readers with an interest in faraway places won't mind, though; they will cheer as Binti, self-centered and self-important when life is good, learns through adversity and through the model of her grandmother to think and behave more generously. Teachers and librarians looking for fiction about sub-Saharan Africa will find this title a useful addition.–Kathleen Isaacs, Edmund Burke School, Washington, DC Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From BooklistGr. 5-8. Like Allan Stratton's Chanda's Secrets [BKL Jl 04], but for a younger audience, this is a poignant story of a child caught up in the AIDS crisis in southern Africa. Binti, 13, lives in a city in Malawi, attends a private church school, and stars in a weekly radio show. Her mother is dead, and then her father dies. No one talks about why until her tough grandmother, Gogo, announces that they died of AIDS. Binti is taken in by cruel relatives, her sister becomes a prostitute, and her brother lands in prison, but they finally reunite with Gogo in a poor rural community. The plot is contrived, and Binti speaks like a Western child at times. But Ellis, who has written about children in crisis in Afghanistan, Israel, and Palestine, and visited Malawi, creates a vivid sense of the place and characters that are angry, kind, brave, and real. The facts about AIDS--the statistics, denial, discrimination, and ignorance--drive the story. Proceeds from book sales go to UNICEF. Hazel RochmanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Connections
Age appropriate research on the Aids epidemic in the U.S.A. and in Africa can be done.
Middle school age students can read other books about teens in Africa and the aids epidemic such as :
Chanda’ s Secret by Allan Stratton
Bibliography
Ellis, Deborah. 2004. The Heaven Shop. Allston, MA: Fitzhenry & Whiteside. ISBN 1550419080.
Plot Summary
This is the story of a family that is deeply affected by the AIDS academic in Malawi. The main character of the story is Binti Phiri. She starts out as a happy go lucky child who is actually a bit snobby and thinks of herself as “special” since she has a part on a radio show. Binti has an older sister and a younger brother and they all start the story as a fairly happy family. They have already lost their mother to an illness, and they live with their loving and caring father in a home that is attached to the father’s work place. He is a coffin builder and his shop is called The Heaven Shop. In basically the space of a week Binti and her sibling’s world comes crashing down around them. They are living a nice life with a house, nice clothes and private school education. The next thing they know their father gets sick and dies. They have very little money and their father had nothing saved for them since whenever he had extra money he would send it to the “cousins”. Some of Binti’s awful relatives come to get the children. They divide the children up, and take all their money and most of their possessions. Binti has a difficult time accepting her new position in life. She cannot believe how she could go from being so special, to becoming an Aids outcast. The relatives that she goes to live with treat her as an Aids outcast since they believe the children must have Aids, since both their parents have died from the disease. She eventually runs away from the aunt and uncle’s house and finds her grandma “Gogo”. Gogo is a smart and strong woman who is disgusted with the treatment that her children have bestowed on her grandchildren, and declares that she wants nothing more to do with them, and that all her good children have died. Binti is thrilled to be living with her grandmother that loves her, but the situation she is in still far from good. Her grandmother takes in Aids orphans and there is barely enough food and shelter to go around. At this point we discover that these are the cousins that the father had been sending his extra money to. Binti has many things to learn at Gogo’s and she is not always easy to live with. We see her truly become a strong and good person as she begins to see that the world does not revolve around Binti. She has to learn many lessons the hard way, but she comes out a stronger and more caring person because of her life’s twists and turns. She is able to find her brother and her sister, and when Gogo dies she is able, along with several of the “cousins”, to figure out how to keep the place going and provide for her new and extended family. The story ends with the three siblings being together again and opening a coffin building business called The Heaven Shop.
Critical Analysis
Ellis paints a very real picture of the Aids epidemic in Africa without being preachy about it. Her portrayal of this family and the difficulties that they experience makes the story not about Aids, but about people. The life and culture appears to be authentic and feels real. The author incorporates many words seamlessly into the story such as noting that when someone asks Binti if she has a Gogo, that the text explains that Gogo is what Malawians called their grandmothers. Even though the story is fictional the places in the book are real places. In the author’s note at the end, a map is shown of the places that were talked about in the story. She also gives some information about HIV and Aids in the author’s note. The theme throughout the book is that all people need compassion and dignity. Her characters show that it doesn’t matter what race people are, that there will be the good along with the bad, and that the need to belong and be loved is present in all people.
Review Excerpts
From School Library JournalGrade 6-9–When 13-year-old Binti Phiri's coffin-making father dies, a grandmother she hardly knows says what no one in Malawi likes to admit: the man, like his wife, died of AIDS. Now orphaned, Binti and her siblings are sent to relatives far from home. A Cinderella-like existence with an uncle whose family ostracizes them and steals their money proves so intolerable that her older sister runs away. Binti, too, escapes and makes her way to her grandmother's village. There she discovers her Gogo surrounded by children, cousins and pretend cousins, all dealing with the effects of the epidemic. A local AIDS activist eventually finds Binti's brother, in jail, and her sister, working as a prostitute. Reunited, the young people open their own coffin shop. The author's travel in the area informs her work, but the message, though important, threatens to overwhelm the story. Binti is a well-developed character, but the others and the events of their lives seem to have been introduced in service to plot; they don't come alive the way the Afghans do in Ellis's "Breadwinner" trilogy (Groundwood) or the way the AIDS victims and their relatives do in Alan Stratton's Chanda's Secret (Annick, 2004). Readers with an interest in faraway places won't mind, though; they will cheer as Binti, self-centered and self-important when life is good, learns through adversity and through the model of her grandmother to think and behave more generously. Teachers and librarians looking for fiction about sub-Saharan Africa will find this title a useful addition.–Kathleen Isaacs, Edmund Burke School, Washington, DC Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From BooklistGr. 5-8. Like Allan Stratton's Chanda's Secrets [BKL Jl 04], but for a younger audience, this is a poignant story of a child caught up in the AIDS crisis in southern Africa. Binti, 13, lives in a city in Malawi, attends a private church school, and stars in a weekly radio show. Her mother is dead, and then her father dies. No one talks about why until her tough grandmother, Gogo, announces that they died of AIDS. Binti is taken in by cruel relatives, her sister becomes a prostitute, and her brother lands in prison, but they finally reunite with Gogo in a poor rural community. The plot is contrived, and Binti speaks like a Western child at times. But Ellis, who has written about children in crisis in Afghanistan, Israel, and Palestine, and visited Malawi, creates a vivid sense of the place and characters that are angry, kind, brave, and real. The facts about AIDS--the statistics, denial, discrimination, and ignorance--drive the story. Proceeds from book sales go to UNICEF. Hazel RochmanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Connections
Age appropriate research on the Aids epidemic in the U.S.A. and in Africa can be done.
Middle school age students can read other books about teens in Africa and the aids epidemic such as :
Chanda’ s Secret by Allan Stratton
Possum Magic
Bibliography
Fox, Mem. 1983. POSSUM MAGIC. Ill. By Julie Vivas. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. ISBN 0152632247.
Plot Summary
Possum Magic is the engaging story of a young possum named Hush and his grandma Poss. Grandma Poss was able to do all sorts of magic. She could turn wombats blue and kookaburras pink. The magical Grandma Poss works her magic on Hush and turns her invisible. In the beginning of the story Hush is perfectly happy being invisible, but she ends up wanting to be able to see herself. This is where the adventure begins. Grandma Poss wants to turn Hush back to normal, but can’t remember the exact magic that she will need. She eventually remembers that it has something to do with people food. So Grandma Poss and Hush set out to find the people food that will turn Hush back to normal. They travel all over Australia looking for the magic foods.
Critical Analysis
This Australian based story incorporates many Australian components. All the animals in the story such as wombats, kookaburras and dingoes are native to Australia. The talking animals are adorably done in beautiful watercolors adding to the flow and magic of the story. The plot keeps us wondering and moving forward as we try to find out if Hush will ever be made visible again. The setting takes place in Australia. The characters go from city to city searching for the people foods that will turn Hush back to normal. They find in Darwin a Vegemite sandwich and suddenly Hush’s tail appears. As they eat new foods in the various Australian cities Hush slowly returns to normal. The story is written with text that has the possums speaking, yet it is also very lyrical with rhyming verses like this one;
“She looked into this book and she looked into that.
There was magic for thin and magic for fat,
magic for tall and magic for small,
but the magic she was looking for wasn’t there at all.”
This keeps the book flowing and entertaining and makes it a great story to be read aloud. The last page of the book shows a map of Australia and the trail of the journey that the possums took as they went from city to city. It also includes a glossary of Australian terms. All of these things put together make a wonderful children’s story that children from any country would enjoy.
Review Excerpts
From School Library JournalPreSchool-Grade 2 Grandma Poss uses bush magic to make Hush invisible, but when Hush wants to see herself again, Grandma can't remember which particular Australian food is needed to reverse the spell. Traveling around the continent in search of an antidote, Grandma and Hush sample Anzac biscuits, mornay, vegemite, and pavlova until the right delicacy is found. Although the characters, locales, and vocabulary are thoroughly Australian, Possum Magic has universal appeal. Fox chooses her words carefully, making readers believe that certain foods just might be magical. Vivas uses a variety of techniques, including splatter painting and washes to create full- and double-page watercolor illustrations which complement the text and will entrance readers. A perfect choice for storytimes, but also useful for curriculum enrichment, thanks to a simplified map and glossary. Jeanette Larson, Mesquite Public Library, Tex.
Horn Book Guide 3/1/1991
Fiction: PB by Abingdon. Mem Fox and Julie Vivas provide a delightful story about the trials of an invisible possum as they take readers on a romp all over Australia. They fuse text and illustrations together so masterfully that it seems like a sleight of hand. Presto change-o: one enchanting book. Horn Rating: Superior, well above average.
Connections
Research the animals in the story to see what the actual animals look like.
Read Mem Fox’s other Australian stories: Koala Lou
Hattie and the Fox
Hunwick’s Egg
Fox, Mem. 1983. POSSUM MAGIC. Ill. By Julie Vivas. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. ISBN 0152632247.
Plot Summary
Possum Magic is the engaging story of a young possum named Hush and his grandma Poss. Grandma Poss was able to do all sorts of magic. She could turn wombats blue and kookaburras pink. The magical Grandma Poss works her magic on Hush and turns her invisible. In the beginning of the story Hush is perfectly happy being invisible, but she ends up wanting to be able to see herself. This is where the adventure begins. Grandma Poss wants to turn Hush back to normal, but can’t remember the exact magic that she will need. She eventually remembers that it has something to do with people food. So Grandma Poss and Hush set out to find the people food that will turn Hush back to normal. They travel all over Australia looking for the magic foods.
Critical Analysis
This Australian based story incorporates many Australian components. All the animals in the story such as wombats, kookaburras and dingoes are native to Australia. The talking animals are adorably done in beautiful watercolors adding to the flow and magic of the story. The plot keeps us wondering and moving forward as we try to find out if Hush will ever be made visible again. The setting takes place in Australia. The characters go from city to city searching for the people foods that will turn Hush back to normal. They find in Darwin a Vegemite sandwich and suddenly Hush’s tail appears. As they eat new foods in the various Australian cities Hush slowly returns to normal. The story is written with text that has the possums speaking, yet it is also very lyrical with rhyming verses like this one;
“She looked into this book and she looked into that.
There was magic for thin and magic for fat,
magic for tall and magic for small,
but the magic she was looking for wasn’t there at all.”
This keeps the book flowing and entertaining and makes it a great story to be read aloud. The last page of the book shows a map of Australia and the trail of the journey that the possums took as they went from city to city. It also includes a glossary of Australian terms. All of these things put together make a wonderful children’s story that children from any country would enjoy.
Review Excerpts
From School Library JournalPreSchool-Grade 2 Grandma Poss uses bush magic to make Hush invisible, but when Hush wants to see herself again, Grandma can't remember which particular Australian food is needed to reverse the spell. Traveling around the continent in search of an antidote, Grandma and Hush sample Anzac biscuits, mornay, vegemite, and pavlova until the right delicacy is found. Although the characters, locales, and vocabulary are thoroughly Australian, Possum Magic has universal appeal. Fox chooses her words carefully, making readers believe that certain foods just might be magical. Vivas uses a variety of techniques, including splatter painting and washes to create full- and double-page watercolor illustrations which complement the text and will entrance readers. A perfect choice for storytimes, but also useful for curriculum enrichment, thanks to a simplified map and glossary. Jeanette Larson, Mesquite Public Library, Tex.
Horn Book Guide 3/1/1991
Fiction: PB by Abingdon. Mem Fox and Julie Vivas provide a delightful story about the trials of an invisible possum as they take readers on a romp all over Australia. They fuse text and illustrations together so masterfully that it seems like a sleight of hand. Presto change-o: one enchanting book. Horn Rating: Superior, well above average.
Connections
Research the animals in the story to see what the actual animals look like.
Read Mem Fox’s other Australian stories: Koala Lou
Hattie and the Fox
Hunwick’s Egg
Friday, June 13, 2008
Culture 1 International Lit
THE SHADOWS OF GHADAMES
Bibliography
Stolz, Joёlle. 2004. THE SHADOWS OF GHADAMES. New York, NY: Delecorte Press. ISBN 0385901313.
Plot Summary
This is the story of a young girl that lives in the city of Ghadames. Malika is a young girl that is nearly twelve years old. She is a Muslim girl and therefore expected to live a very secluded life. In Ghadames the men and the women live almost in two separate worlds. The world of the men, which has limitless possibilities, and the world of the women, which is secluded and confined to the rooftops. Even though the women have a secluded life they are able to live quite efficiently in their world. Malika is suddenly thrust into a situation that changes her entire outlook on life. One night while her father is away the women in her house take in an injured stranger. The story is written from Malika’s perspective and we are able to enter into her world through her thoughts. We see how she feels about the blended family that she lives in. Her father has two wives. His first wife is Meriem, and this is Malika’s mother. His second wife is Bilkisu and she is the mother of Jasim, who is her half brother. Meriem is very traditional and content in the Muslim ways, while Bilkisu is more open minded. Even though it seems to be an unusual family arrangement to have this type of blended family, we see that for the most part they all function as a loving family and that Bilkisu and Malika have a very special and close relationship. This relationship is an interesting part of the story. Malika often wonders about the relationship between her two mothers, and the fact that they do not feel a constant jealousy towards one another. The plot centers around the activities of the women as they conceal this man. Malika is taught how to read by the stranger, and the stranger comes to appreciate the women of Ghadames. They all come away from the experience enlightened in some special way.
Critical Analysis
This story immediately draws the reader into the world of a young Muslim girl. We see how women are treated in this culture and we immediately relate to this young girl and her search for something more in life. The Muslim culture is presented through the eyes of a young girl. She has many questions about the life she is destined to live and through these questions the reader learns the meaning of many cultural traditions and rituals. It appears that the author has done her homework. Many traditions and customs are meticulously explained. Many terms in the story are explained through the context of Milaka watching something, and then explaining it. Often times the words are italicized. An example of this occurs in the following text from the story: “Facing east, toward Islam’s holy places, the laborers have started threshing the sheaves that are arranged in a circle. Each one is holding a kerna, the wide, hard base of a palm tree branch, and is beating the stalks to separate the grain.”
The names of the characters appear to be authentic. The setting takes place in the city of Ghadames. We see the way that the city is built and how life is lived for the males and the females. The women live on the rooftops, while the men live in the streets. Malika questions the fairness of the two different lifestyles. As the story progresses we learn that there is loss on both sides. Malika reaches the age where she is no longer allowed in the streets as a child, and her brother reaches the age where he is no longer allowed on the rooftops. This story, which is set at the end of the nineteenth century, is a well written and fascinating piece of literature. We are pulled into another time and place and we see that even in unusual circumstances it is the people and the relationships that matter the most.
Review Excerpts
From School Library JournalGrade 5-8–In Libya at the end of the 19th century, upper-class women were confined to their homes and rooftops, leading a quiet life filled with household tasks. Nearly 12, Malika is about to enter that world, although not without regret for the loss of freedom and the education her brother has. Her father's two wives offer her good models: her upper-class mother, the "wife from home," who calmly runs the household, and her brother's mother, the "wife from the journey," who moves more freely about the city, still veiled and hiding in dark alleys when a man appears. In spite of their upbringing and their husband's departure on business, the two women rescue a man injured outside their home. Abdelkarim remains hidden with them while they nurse his wounds, and as he recovers, he and Malika come to see that the world of women is richer than they thought. He teaches Malika her alphabet before he is smuggled away, and her mother, admitting that times are changing, finally agrees to let her learn to read. This quiet story is notable for the intimate picture of the traditional Muslim world that it conveys; unfortunately, not until the author's note at the end is the time period made evident. The imprecise use of language may make it difficult for readers to visualize this distant world and to understand the characters' motivations. Still, this novel would be useful in schools studying this part of the world.–Kathleen Isaacs, Edmund Burke School, Washington, DC Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist*Starred Review* Gr. 6-10. In the Libyan city of Ghadames at the end of the nineteenth century, Malika is dreading her twelfth birthday. That is the time when, according to her family's Berber customs, she will be close to marriageable age and confined to the world of women. In Ghadames that means restriction to the rooftops, "a city above the city, an open sunny town for women only, where . . . they never talk to men." Malika longs to live beyond the segregated city and travel, like her father, a trader. But the wider world comes to Malika after her father's two wives agree to harbor, in secret, a wounded stranger. The story of an outsider who unsettles a household and helps a young person to grow is certainly nothing new, and some of the lessons here are purposeful. But Stolz invigorates her tale with elegant prose and a deft portrayal of a girl verging on adolescence. The vivid backdrop is intoxicating, but the story's universal concerns will touch readers most: sibling jealously, confusion about adult customs, and a growing interest in a world beyond family. Gillian EngbergCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Connections
Students can compare life in the United States during the end of the nineteenth century. Noting what life was like for men compared to that of women.
Students can discuss the changes, or lack of change that has occurred since this time period.
Students can read a variety of books regarding Muslim women and families.
Bibliography
Stolz, Joёlle. 2004. THE SHADOWS OF GHADAMES. New York, NY: Delecorte Press. ISBN 0385901313.
Plot Summary
This is the story of a young girl that lives in the city of Ghadames. Malika is a young girl that is nearly twelve years old. She is a Muslim girl and therefore expected to live a very secluded life. In Ghadames the men and the women live almost in two separate worlds. The world of the men, which has limitless possibilities, and the world of the women, which is secluded and confined to the rooftops. Even though the women have a secluded life they are able to live quite efficiently in their world. Malika is suddenly thrust into a situation that changes her entire outlook on life. One night while her father is away the women in her house take in an injured stranger. The story is written from Malika’s perspective and we are able to enter into her world through her thoughts. We see how she feels about the blended family that she lives in. Her father has two wives. His first wife is Meriem, and this is Malika’s mother. His second wife is Bilkisu and she is the mother of Jasim, who is her half brother. Meriem is very traditional and content in the Muslim ways, while Bilkisu is more open minded. Even though it seems to be an unusual family arrangement to have this type of blended family, we see that for the most part they all function as a loving family and that Bilkisu and Malika have a very special and close relationship. This relationship is an interesting part of the story. Malika often wonders about the relationship between her two mothers, and the fact that they do not feel a constant jealousy towards one another. The plot centers around the activities of the women as they conceal this man. Malika is taught how to read by the stranger, and the stranger comes to appreciate the women of Ghadames. They all come away from the experience enlightened in some special way.
Critical Analysis
This story immediately draws the reader into the world of a young Muslim girl. We see how women are treated in this culture and we immediately relate to this young girl and her search for something more in life. The Muslim culture is presented through the eyes of a young girl. She has many questions about the life she is destined to live and through these questions the reader learns the meaning of many cultural traditions and rituals. It appears that the author has done her homework. Many traditions and customs are meticulously explained. Many terms in the story are explained through the context of Milaka watching something, and then explaining it. Often times the words are italicized. An example of this occurs in the following text from the story: “Facing east, toward Islam’s holy places, the laborers have started threshing the sheaves that are arranged in a circle. Each one is holding a kerna, the wide, hard base of a palm tree branch, and is beating the stalks to separate the grain.”
The names of the characters appear to be authentic. The setting takes place in the city of Ghadames. We see the way that the city is built and how life is lived for the males and the females. The women live on the rooftops, while the men live in the streets. Malika questions the fairness of the two different lifestyles. As the story progresses we learn that there is loss on both sides. Malika reaches the age where she is no longer allowed in the streets as a child, and her brother reaches the age where he is no longer allowed on the rooftops. This story, which is set at the end of the nineteenth century, is a well written and fascinating piece of literature. We are pulled into another time and place and we see that even in unusual circumstances it is the people and the relationships that matter the most.
Review Excerpts
From School Library JournalGrade 5-8–In Libya at the end of the 19th century, upper-class women were confined to their homes and rooftops, leading a quiet life filled with household tasks. Nearly 12, Malika is about to enter that world, although not without regret for the loss of freedom and the education her brother has. Her father's two wives offer her good models: her upper-class mother, the "wife from home," who calmly runs the household, and her brother's mother, the "wife from the journey," who moves more freely about the city, still veiled and hiding in dark alleys when a man appears. In spite of their upbringing and their husband's departure on business, the two women rescue a man injured outside their home. Abdelkarim remains hidden with them while they nurse his wounds, and as he recovers, he and Malika come to see that the world of women is richer than they thought. He teaches Malika her alphabet before he is smuggled away, and her mother, admitting that times are changing, finally agrees to let her learn to read. This quiet story is notable for the intimate picture of the traditional Muslim world that it conveys; unfortunately, not until the author's note at the end is the time period made evident. The imprecise use of language may make it difficult for readers to visualize this distant world and to understand the characters' motivations. Still, this novel would be useful in schools studying this part of the world.–Kathleen Isaacs, Edmund Burke School, Washington, DC Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist*Starred Review* Gr. 6-10. In the Libyan city of Ghadames at the end of the nineteenth century, Malika is dreading her twelfth birthday. That is the time when, according to her family's Berber customs, she will be close to marriageable age and confined to the world of women. In Ghadames that means restriction to the rooftops, "a city above the city, an open sunny town for women only, where . . . they never talk to men." Malika longs to live beyond the segregated city and travel, like her father, a trader. But the wider world comes to Malika after her father's two wives agree to harbor, in secret, a wounded stranger. The story of an outsider who unsettles a household and helps a young person to grow is certainly nothing new, and some of the lessons here are purposeful. But Stolz invigorates her tale with elegant prose and a deft portrayal of a girl verging on adolescence. The vivid backdrop is intoxicating, but the story's universal concerns will touch readers most: sibling jealously, confusion about adult customs, and a growing interest in a world beyond family. Gillian EngbergCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Connections
Students can compare life in the United States during the end of the nineteenth century. Noting what life was like for men compared to that of women.
Students can discuss the changes, or lack of change that has occurred since this time period.
Students can read a variety of books regarding Muslim women and families.
Friday, June 6, 2008
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