Bibliography
Nye, Naomi Shihab. 1997. HABIBI. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0689801491.
Plot Summary
In this story fourteen year old Liyana Abboud moves with her family, her parents and her brother, from America to Palestine. Her mother is an American and her father is an Arab. Liyana is very upset about moving to Jerusalem. She doesn’t want to leave her friends and grandmother and move to the other side of the world. Her father is very excited about moving back and thinks that things have changed over there and that it is more peaceful now. Once they arrive in Jerusalem they find out that it is not as peaceful as her father believed. We see how the family must adjust to this new way of life and how Liyana is able to come to love her new homeland.
Critical Analysis
Seeing the world through the eyes of a fourteen year old girl can be very enlightening. Liyana is a refreshing character with unusual insights. She was raised in America and has to adjust to a new life that is completely different from her old life. She must learn a new language and eat new foods. Even transportations is different. She has a unique perspective because as she explains in Arabic she is “Nos-nos” which means half-half. The characters physical descriptions are another cultural marker. The only reference to skin color takes place when she sees the relatives looking at her mother. She starts by describing her mother as an inch taller than Poppy, and her skin two shades lighter. She goes on to say that her and her brother had inherited her Poppy’s olive skin. She also mentions that her mother has long hair, just like all of her women relatives.
Much of the setting is in Jerusalem. Some of the political struggles of this area are played out in this story. Liyana’s father, Poppy, has his own personal views, and Liyana has hers. The one thing they agree on is that would like to have peace in this area. Liyana meets a Jewish boy, and they become friends. It is difficult for her father to accept this even though he had Jewish friends as a child.
The plot keeps moving through Liyana’s life. There is always an underlying tension and element of danger. Most of the plot moves along with Liyana’s explorations of the city and her life in her new school. At one point a friend of hers gets shot by the police because of a rumor, and her father ends up going to jail for trying to stop it. Her father is a doctor and was still put in jail. They learn that the American way of “innocent until proven guilty” is not a way of life in the Middle East. After this incident her father decides he needs to take a stand and become more active in trying to attain peace in this area.
Most of the characters in the story are American, Arab or Jewish. Many of the people in the story speak at least some English. Liyana has to go to a school where several languages are learned and spoken. For lessons in Arabic she has to go and sit in the Kindergarten class. Her father wants her to learn to love two countries like he does, at first Liyana really dislikes Palestine, but by the end of the story her opinions change. The strong theme of family is central to this story. Liyana’s immediate family is very important and so is her new and extended family. Religion is also an important theme in this story. Various religions beliefs are talked about. The main characters in the story however do not have a particular religion. They do believe in God and describe their religious beliefs as spirituality.
Language is an important part of the cultural authenticity of the story. Liyana’s father must do most of the translating for the family, but Liyana and her brother are both learning to speak Arabic. The author uses many words and phrases in Arabic. She usually seamlessly writes them into the text. The words or phrases are often italicized and then the explanation or translation is given. For example when Liyana is in a bakery the text go like this “Liyana liked katayef best--a small, folded-over pancake stuffed with cinnamon and nuts and soaked in syrup. She took home three half-moons of katayef in a white cardboard box.” Food and eating are also central cultural themes in this story. They often eat as a family and the food is usually talked about. Some of the foods mentioned are: falafel, baba ghanouj, baklava and hummus. The name of the story is also explained in one of the chapters. Habibi means darling, a dearly loved person, a favorite, a charmer. Liyana says her father used the word often and they always new they were loved. Her mother used the English word precious.
This culturally authentic book would be a great addition to any library collection.
Review Excerpts
From School Library JournalGrade 5-9. An important first novel from a distinguished anthologist and poet. When Liyana's doctor father, a native Palestinian, decides to move his contemporary Arab-American family back to Jerusalem from St. Louis, 14-year-old Liyana is unenthusiastic. Arriving in Jerusalem, the girl and her family are gathered in by their colorful, warmhearted Palestinian relatives and immersed in a culture where only tourists wear shorts and there is a prohibition against boy/girl relationships. When Liyana falls in love with Omer, a Jewish boy, she challenges family, culture, and tradition, but her homesickness fades. Constantly lurking in the background of the novel is violence between Palestinian and Jew. It builds from minor bureaucratic annoyances and humiliations, to the surprisingly shocking destruction of grandmother's bathroom by Israeli soldiers, to a bomb set off in a Jewish marketplace by Palestinians. It exacts a reprisal in which Liyana's friend is shot and her father jailed. Nye introduces readers to unforgettable characters. The setting is both sensory and tangible: from the grandmother's village to a Bedouin camp. Above all, there is Jerusalem itself, where ancient tensions seep out of cracks and Liyana explores the streets practicing her Arabic vocabulary. Though the story begins at a leisurely pace, readers will be engaged by the characters, the romance, and the foreshadowed danger. Poetically imaged and leavened with humor, the story renders layered and complex history understandable through character and incident. Habibi succeeds in making the hope for peace compellingly personal and concrete...as long as individual citizens like Liyana's grandmother Sitti can say, "I never lost my peace inside."?Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CTCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
The New York Times Book Review, Karen LeggettAdolescence magnifies the joys and anxieties of growing up even as it radically simplifies the complexities of the adult world. The poet and anthologist Naomi Shibab Nye is meticulously sensitive to this rainbow of emotion in her autobiographical novel, Habibi…. Habibi gives a reader all the sweet richness of a Mediterranean dessert, while leaving some of the historic complexities open to interpretation. (Ages 10 and older) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Kirkus Reviews
Liyana Abboud, 14, and her family make a tremendous adjustment when they move to Jerusalem from St. Louis. All she and her younger brother, Rafik, know of their Palestinian father's culture come from his reminiscences of growing up and the fighting they see on television. In Jerusalem, she is the only ``outsider'' at an Armenian school; her easygoing father, Poppy, finds himself having to remind her--often against his own common sense--of rules for ``appropriate'' behavior; and snug shops replace supermarket shopping--the malls of her upbringing are unheard of. Worst of all, Poppy is jailed for getting in the middle of a dispute between Israeli soldiers and a teenage refugee. In her first novel, Nye (with Paul Janeczko, I Feel a Little Jumpy Around You, 1996, etc.) shows all of the charms and flaws of the old city through unique, short-story-like chapters and poetic language. The sights, sounds, and smells of Jerusalem drift through the pages and readers glean a sense of current Palestinian-Israeli relations and the region's troubled history. In the process, some of the passages become quite ponderous while the human story- -Liyana's emotional adjustments in the later chapters and her American mother's reactions overall--fall away from the plot. However, Liyana's romance with an Israeli boy develops warmly, and readers are left with hope for change and peace as Liyana makes the city her very own. (Fiction. 12+) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Connections
Read more books by Naomi Shihab Nye : 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East and Words Under the Words: Selected Poems
Research the Middle East
Read books about the Middle East including: Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Culture6
Bibliography
De Haan, Linda. 2000. King & King. Berkley, CA: Tricycle Press. ISBN 1582460612.
Plot Summary
This story is written in fairy tale format. It is the story of a prince who is looking for a princess to marry. His mother the queen brings in princesses from all over the land, but the prince is not interested in any of them. He does however find a prince whom he likes very much. He falls in love, they get married, and live happily ever after.
Critical Analysis
The plot of this story is very similar to many fairy tales. A prince goes out looking to find a beautiful princess to marry and live happily ever after with. The only difference with this story is that it has somewhat of a surprise ending. The prince marries another prince, and they become King and King of the land. The pictures could be described as whimsical, but some of them actually look creepy. The characters are all exaggerated, and are not very pleasant looking. I liked the way that the story was written, but the illustrations really put me off. The concept and storyline are well done. The characters are all stereotyped, but that would be typical of a fairytale. The subject matter is presented in a non-threatening and light-hearted way as to not be preachy or insulting.
Review Excerpts
From Publishers Weekly
When a grouchy queen tells her layabout son that it's time for him to marry, he sighs, "Very well, Mother.... I must say, though, I've never cared much for princesses." His young page winks. Several unsatisfactory bachelorettes visit the castle before "Princess Madeleine and her brother, Prince Lee" appear in the doorway. The hero is smitten at once. "What a wonderful prince!" he and Prince Lee both exclaim, as a shower of tiny Valentine hearts flutters between them. First-time co-authors and artists de Hann and Nijland matter-of-factly conclude with the royal wedding of "King and King," the page boy's blushing romance with the leftover princess and the assurance that "everyone lives happily ever after." Unfortunately, the multimedia collages are cluttered with clashing colors, amorphous paper shapes, scribbles of ink and bleary brushstrokes; the characters' features are indistinct and sometimes ugly. Despite its gleeful disruption of the boy-meets-girl formula, this alterna-tale is not the fairest of them all. For a visually appealing and more nuanced treatment of diversity in general, Kitty Crowther's recent Jack and Jim is a better choice. Ages 6-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grades 3-5--In this postmodern fractured fairy tale, a worn-out and badly beleaguered Queen is ready for retirement. After many hours of nagging, the crown prince, who "never cared much for princesses," finally caves in and agrees to wed in order to ascend the throne. Their search for a suitable bride extends far and wide, but none of the eligible princesses strikes the Prince's fancy, until Princess Madeleine shows up. The Prince is immediately smitten- with her brother, Prince Lee. The wedding is "very special," the Queen settles down on a chaise lounge in the sun, and everyone lives happily ever after. Originally published in the Netherlands, this is a commendable fledgling effort with good intentions toward its subject matter. Unfortunately, though, the book is hobbled by thin characterization and ugly artwork; the homosexual prince comes across as fragile and languid, while the dour, matronly queen is a dead ringer for England's Victoria at her aesthetic worst. Some of the details in the artwork are interesting, including the "crown kitty" performing antics in the periphery. However, that isn't enough to compensate for page after page of cluttered, disjointed, ill-conceived art. The book does present same-sex marriage as a viable, acceptable way of life within an immediately recognizable narrative form, the fairy tale. However, those looking for picture books about alternative lifestyles may want to keep looking for a barrier-breaking classic on the subject.Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SCCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Connections
Read the sequel called KING AND KING AND FAMILY
Read other children’s stories like AND TANGO MAKES THREE
De Haan, Linda. 2000. King & King. Berkley, CA: Tricycle Press. ISBN 1582460612.
Plot Summary
This story is written in fairy tale format. It is the story of a prince who is looking for a princess to marry. His mother the queen brings in princesses from all over the land, but the prince is not interested in any of them. He does however find a prince whom he likes very much. He falls in love, they get married, and live happily ever after.
Critical Analysis
The plot of this story is very similar to many fairy tales. A prince goes out looking to find a beautiful princess to marry and live happily ever after with. The only difference with this story is that it has somewhat of a surprise ending. The prince marries another prince, and they become King and King of the land. The pictures could be described as whimsical, but some of them actually look creepy. The characters are all exaggerated, and are not very pleasant looking. I liked the way that the story was written, but the illustrations really put me off. The concept and storyline are well done. The characters are all stereotyped, but that would be typical of a fairytale. The subject matter is presented in a non-threatening and light-hearted way as to not be preachy or insulting.
Review Excerpts
From Publishers Weekly
When a grouchy queen tells her layabout son that it's time for him to marry, he sighs, "Very well, Mother.... I must say, though, I've never cared much for princesses." His young page winks. Several unsatisfactory bachelorettes visit the castle before "Princess Madeleine and her brother, Prince Lee" appear in the doorway. The hero is smitten at once. "What a wonderful prince!" he and Prince Lee both exclaim, as a shower of tiny Valentine hearts flutters between them. First-time co-authors and artists de Hann and Nijland matter-of-factly conclude with the royal wedding of "King and King," the page boy's blushing romance with the leftover princess and the assurance that "everyone lives happily ever after." Unfortunately, the multimedia collages are cluttered with clashing colors, amorphous paper shapes, scribbles of ink and bleary brushstrokes; the characters' features are indistinct and sometimes ugly. Despite its gleeful disruption of the boy-meets-girl formula, this alterna-tale is not the fairest of them all. For a visually appealing and more nuanced treatment of diversity in general, Kitty Crowther's recent Jack and Jim is a better choice. Ages 6-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grades 3-5--In this postmodern fractured fairy tale, a worn-out and badly beleaguered Queen is ready for retirement. After many hours of nagging, the crown prince, who "never cared much for princesses," finally caves in and agrees to wed in order to ascend the throne. Their search for a suitable bride extends far and wide, but none of the eligible princesses strikes the Prince's fancy, until Princess Madeleine shows up. The Prince is immediately smitten- with her brother, Prince Lee. The wedding is "very special," the Queen settles down on a chaise lounge in the sun, and everyone lives happily ever after. Originally published in the Netherlands, this is a commendable fledgling effort with good intentions toward its subject matter. Unfortunately, though, the book is hobbled by thin characterization and ugly artwork; the homosexual prince comes across as fragile and languid, while the dour, matronly queen is a dead ringer for England's Victoria at her aesthetic worst. Some of the details in the artwork are interesting, including the "crown kitty" performing antics in the periphery. However, that isn't enough to compensate for page after page of cluttered, disjointed, ill-conceived art. The book does present same-sex marriage as a viable, acceptable way of life within an immediately recognizable narrative form, the fairy tale. However, those looking for picture books about alternative lifestyles may want to keep looking for a barrier-breaking classic on the subject.Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SCCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Connections
Read the sequel called KING AND KING AND FAMILY
Read other children’s stories like AND TANGO MAKES THREE
Culture 6
Bibliography
Clements, Andrew. 2002. THINGS NOT SEEN. New York, NY: Philomel Books. ISBN 0399236260.
Plot Summary
In this story we meet Bobby, a fifteen year old teenage boy. He wakes up one day to discover that he is invisible. He is physically still there, but he can not be seen by anyone. He can be felt by others, though. As an invisible person Bobby has to make many adjustments. His parents decide that no one should be told because “they” would turn him into a science experiment. Bobby mostly agrees to this until he meets Alicia. Alicia is a teenage girl around his same age and she is blind. Together with her parents they try to find an answer to what has happened to Bobby.
Critical Analysis
This well written story takes place in Chicago. The setting takes place in Bobby’s home and within several blocks of his home that is walking distance. Besides Bobby’s home we only really go to the library and on one excursion to the outskirts of the city. The two main characters have disabilities. Bobby’s disability turns out to be a temporary disability of invisibility, while Alicia is blind and it is a permanent condition.
The plot revolves around Bobby, and trying to figure out the mystery of his invisibility. In an ironic twist the only person to really “see” Bobby is Alicia who is blind. She truly understands what it is like to be invisible. She feels invisible in her own way since becoming blind. She states that people never really look at her and that they avoid her. She feels invisible. This story has a good plot that keeps the story moving. Not only are they trying to find a reason and a solution to Bobby’s invisibility they are being investigated by Child Protective Services. Since Bobby is not going to school and they are not able to get a doctor’s note they are under investigation.
All the characters are realistic and not stereotypes. Alicia is blind, but even though she is technically handicapped, she is the one person Bobby can rely on for help. She even points this out at one point saying how she is usually the one dependent on others for help. Both main characters experience growth. We don’t always see and hear all that Alicia is feeling, but this is due to the fact that the whole story is told by the character of Bobby. We only know what he knows, and he only knows what Alicia tells him. In the end she writes Bobby a letter that sums up a lot of what she has been feeling. It ends like this “i was almost gone bobby. i was almost all the way disappeared. i couldn’t remember if i was real. i couldn’t see who could love me. i couldn’t see anything there to love. i couldn’t find a reflection. anywhere. i needed a mirror so bad. and that was you bobby. invisible mirror. i see me. i see you. love Alicia.”
This well written and often humorous story would be a good addition to any young adult collection.
Review Excerpts
From Publishers WeeklyThe earnest and likable 15-year-old narrator is the principal thing not seen in Clements's (Frindle; The Jacket) fast-paced novel, set in Chicago. As the book opens, the boy discovers that he has turned invisible overnight. Bobby breaks the news to his parents who, afraid of being hounded by the media, instruct him to share his dilemma with no one. But when Bobby ventures out of the house and visits the library, he meets Alicia, a blind girl to whom he confides his secret. Their blossoming friendship injects a double meaning into the book's title. As preposterous as the teen's predicament may be, the author spins a convincing and affecting story, giving Bobby's feeling of helplessness and his frustration with his parents an achingly real edge. As his physicist father struggles to find a scientific explanation for and a solution to his son's condition, husband and wife decide that they will tell the investigating truancy officials and police that Bobby has run away. Bobby, however, becomes increasingly determined to take control of the situation and of his own destiny: "And I want to yell, It's my life! You can't leave me out of the decisions about my own life! You are not in charge here!" Equally credible is the boy's deepening connection to Alicia, who helps Bobby figure out a solution to his problem. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 6 & Up--"-I turn on the bathroom light and wipe the fog off the mirror to comb my hair.-I'm not there. That's what I'm saying. I'm. Not. There." Thus starts the adventure of Bobby Phillips, who wakes up one morning to find that somehow he has turned invisible. The 15-year-old and his parents live with the worry of what happens if they can't figure out how to reverse his condition. With a nod in the direction of H. G. Wells's Invisible Man, Clements allows readers to speculate what it would be like to be invisible. As they see Bobby deal with his situation, they also experience his fears of being alone, unable to talk to his friends, or to tell anyone for fear of the consequences. He reaches out to a blind girl, Alicia Van Dorn, and together they begin to fight back as best as they can. The quest for visibility becomes even more frantic when the school officials and the local police decide that Bobby is the victim of foul play. The threat of having his parents thrown in jail for his own murder makes the teen even more desperate to find out what happened to him. Clements's story is full of life; it's poignant, funny, scary, and seemingly all too possible. The author successfully blends reality with fantasy in a tale that keeps his audience in suspense until the very end.Saleena L. Davidson, South Brunswick Public Library, Monmouth Junction, NJ
Connections
Discuss the feeling of being invisible at times.
Discuss the connection the characters feel. How are being blind and being invisible connected?
Clements, Andrew. 2002. THINGS NOT SEEN. New York, NY: Philomel Books. ISBN 0399236260.
Plot Summary
In this story we meet Bobby, a fifteen year old teenage boy. He wakes up one day to discover that he is invisible. He is physically still there, but he can not be seen by anyone. He can be felt by others, though. As an invisible person Bobby has to make many adjustments. His parents decide that no one should be told because “they” would turn him into a science experiment. Bobby mostly agrees to this until he meets Alicia. Alicia is a teenage girl around his same age and she is blind. Together with her parents they try to find an answer to what has happened to Bobby.
Critical Analysis
This well written story takes place in Chicago. The setting takes place in Bobby’s home and within several blocks of his home that is walking distance. Besides Bobby’s home we only really go to the library and on one excursion to the outskirts of the city. The two main characters have disabilities. Bobby’s disability turns out to be a temporary disability of invisibility, while Alicia is blind and it is a permanent condition.
The plot revolves around Bobby, and trying to figure out the mystery of his invisibility. In an ironic twist the only person to really “see” Bobby is Alicia who is blind. She truly understands what it is like to be invisible. She feels invisible in her own way since becoming blind. She states that people never really look at her and that they avoid her. She feels invisible. This story has a good plot that keeps the story moving. Not only are they trying to find a reason and a solution to Bobby’s invisibility they are being investigated by Child Protective Services. Since Bobby is not going to school and they are not able to get a doctor’s note they are under investigation.
All the characters are realistic and not stereotypes. Alicia is blind, but even though she is technically handicapped, she is the one person Bobby can rely on for help. She even points this out at one point saying how she is usually the one dependent on others for help. Both main characters experience growth. We don’t always see and hear all that Alicia is feeling, but this is due to the fact that the whole story is told by the character of Bobby. We only know what he knows, and he only knows what Alicia tells him. In the end she writes Bobby a letter that sums up a lot of what she has been feeling. It ends like this “i was almost gone bobby. i was almost all the way disappeared. i couldn’t remember if i was real. i couldn’t see who could love me. i couldn’t see anything there to love. i couldn’t find a reflection. anywhere. i needed a mirror so bad. and that was you bobby. invisible mirror. i see me. i see you. love Alicia.”
This well written and often humorous story would be a good addition to any young adult collection.
Review Excerpts
From Publishers WeeklyThe earnest and likable 15-year-old narrator is the principal thing not seen in Clements's (Frindle; The Jacket) fast-paced novel, set in Chicago. As the book opens, the boy discovers that he has turned invisible overnight. Bobby breaks the news to his parents who, afraid of being hounded by the media, instruct him to share his dilemma with no one. But when Bobby ventures out of the house and visits the library, he meets Alicia, a blind girl to whom he confides his secret. Their blossoming friendship injects a double meaning into the book's title. As preposterous as the teen's predicament may be, the author spins a convincing and affecting story, giving Bobby's feeling of helplessness and his frustration with his parents an achingly real edge. As his physicist father struggles to find a scientific explanation for and a solution to his son's condition, husband and wife decide that they will tell the investigating truancy officials and police that Bobby has run away. Bobby, however, becomes increasingly determined to take control of the situation and of his own destiny: "And I want to yell, It's my life! You can't leave me out of the decisions about my own life! You are not in charge here!" Equally credible is the boy's deepening connection to Alicia, who helps Bobby figure out a solution to his problem. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 6 & Up--"-I turn on the bathroom light and wipe the fog off the mirror to comb my hair.-I'm not there. That's what I'm saying. I'm. Not. There." Thus starts the adventure of Bobby Phillips, who wakes up one morning to find that somehow he has turned invisible. The 15-year-old and his parents live with the worry of what happens if they can't figure out how to reverse his condition. With a nod in the direction of H. G. Wells's Invisible Man, Clements allows readers to speculate what it would be like to be invisible. As they see Bobby deal with his situation, they also experience his fears of being alone, unable to talk to his friends, or to tell anyone for fear of the consequences. He reaches out to a blind girl, Alicia Van Dorn, and together they begin to fight back as best as they can. The quest for visibility becomes even more frantic when the school officials and the local police decide that Bobby is the victim of foul play. The threat of having his parents thrown in jail for his own murder makes the teen even more desperate to find out what happened to him. Clements's story is full of life; it's poignant, funny, scary, and seemingly all too possible. The author successfully blends reality with fantasy in a tale that keeps his audience in suspense until the very end.Saleena L. Davidson, South Brunswick Public Library, Monmouth Junction, NJ
Connections
Discuss the feeling of being invisible at times.
Discuss the connection the characters feel. How are being blind and being invisible connected?
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