The Year of Secret Assignments

Moriarty, Jaclyn. 2004. THE YEAR OF SECRET ASSIGNMENTS. 2004. Scholastic. ISBN 0439498813 [Suggested Grade Levels 7 and up]

REVIEW
Girls in an Australian privileged school for girls enjoy their self-absorbed, comforts of life until their English teacher assigns a mandatory pen pal program with more rough and tough students at the nearby public school. The girls reluctantly begin their ongoing writing assignments quickly revealing to these strangers and socially unacceptable ‘bad boys’ their private thoughts and fears. The enduring pen pal program soon leads to romantic crushes with secret dates and assignments. The story develops into some twisted schemes resulting in consequences for characters that encourage pushing the limits. This lively novel informs the reader of the reality of teen dynamics and the many social temptations that await them. A good book for teaching readers the lessons of good character and the consequences for actions. Moriarty's story will please readers who are craving suspense and teen fun.

CONNECTIONS
Invite groups of young teens to talk about social differences and the dynamics of private school students versus public school students. Encourage the group to share their experiences with being social different than their peers. Encourage writing journal entries for their thoughts and feelings of why one should possess good character and be acceptable to all different social groups.

RELATED BOOKS
Other books about young teen love:
Cohn, Rachael. POP PRINCESS. ISBN: 0689852053
McCafferty, Megan. SLOPPY FIRSTS: A NOVEL. ISBN: 0609807900
Moriarty, Jaclyn. FEELING SORRY FOR CELIA. ISBN: 0312287364

By Kim Southwell

The Tarantula Scientist

Montgomery, Sy. 2004. THE TARANTULA SCIENTIST. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0618147993 [Suggested Grade Levels 2-6]

REVIEW
“Sam Marshall is lying on his belly in the rainforest, his freckled face just inches from a fist-sized hole in the dirt. He turns on his headlamp. He gently pokes a twig into the tunnel and wiggles it. “Come out! “ he says into the hole. “I want to meet you!” Marshall coaxes spider after spider out of their burrows and introduces the reader to some of the biggest and hairiest ones – tarantulas. Sy Montgomery and photographer Nic Bishop follow arachnologist Sam Marshall from his laboratory in Ohio to the steamy rainforest of French Guiana in South America on the hunt for spiders to study, in The Tarantula Scientist.

Although the text is lengthy and set in small print, it is written in an easy-to-read, conversational tone, and Montgomery uses terms that will resonate with children, “the Goliath bird eater tarantula, with outstretched legs, could cover your whole face.” She describes the spider’s eating habits, “First the spider bites and paralyzes the prey with venom. Then it pumps fluid from its stomach into the victim. In a few moments, the inside of the prey has turned to liquid. Yum! The spider slurps out the juice and then tosses the skin away like an empty juice box.” Bishop’s close-up photographs of hairy legs and fangs seem ready to leap off the page. Montgomery includes “Spider Stats” that detail surprising spider statistics, “Spider Speak” that gives term definitions so the reader, as Montgomery puts it, “doesn’t need a decoder ring.” She includes spider web sites, a bibliography, notes on visiting French Guiana where the research was done, and on buying a tarantula as a pet. This is an excellent choice to expose readers not only to the eight-legged creatures themselves, but also to the scientists who study them.

CONNECTIONS
Younger children could use spider hand puppets to act out different spider behaviors. Older children could observe a spider or tarantula in a terrarium, either in the classroom, or at a nature center, and write about different characteristics.

RELATED BOOKS
Other books about tarantulas:
LaBonte, Gail. THE TARANTULA. ISBN 0875184529
McGinty, Alice B. TARANTULA. ISBN 0823955664

By Tammy Korns

I Spy Shapes in Art

Micklethwait, Lucy. 2004. I SPY SHAPES IN ART. New York: Greenwillow. ISBN 0060731931 [Suggested Grade Levels PreK-2]

REVIEW
Fourteen shapes are explored through artworks in this book for very young children. Most are modern, some are abstract, but all are interesting and appropriate choices. Some of the shapes are complex for the intended age group—oval, diamond, cylinder, cube—but the art is well chosen to provide challenge without undue frustration. The artwork, by fourteen different great artists ranging from Winslow Homer to David Hockney, is interesting in itself, and all are less well-known works. The I Spy game format lends itself to deeper discussions of the elements of art, well beyond the “I like it/I don’t” response.

Full art credits and copyright permissions are included. The August 1, 2004 BOOKLIST review concludes, “A handsome offering with appeal to a wide age group.”

CONNNECTIONS
Use the artworks as prompts for a circle (or round robin) story.

Ask the children to choose one artwork and tell/write a story about it.

Use the shapes in the book to create collages.

RELATED BOOKS
Other books like this by Lucy Micklethwait:
I SPY. ISBN 0688116795
I SPY TWO EYES: NUMBERS IN ART. ISBN 0688161588
A CHILD’S BOOK OF ART: GREAT PICTURES FIRST WORDS. ISBN 1564582035

Another art book for this age group:
Metropolitan Museum of Art. MUSEUM ABC. ISBN 0316071706

By Julie Brinker

The Dream on Blanca's Wall: Poems in English and Spanish

Medina, Jane. 2004. THE DREAM ON BLANCA’S WALL. Ill. by Robert Casilla. Honesdale, PA: Boyd’s Mills Press. ISBN 1563977400. [Suggested Grade Levels 4-8]

REVIEW
When Blanca’s second-grade teacher asks her to “draw her dream,” Blanca sketches a crude drawing of herself as a teacher surrounded by children. She keeps this dream on her bedroom wall for encouragement. But, as an immigrant from Mexico, she often feels her dreams are unattainable. She strives to break through cultural and language barriers, but she so often feels inept. When her sixth grade teacher recognizes her talent for instructing younger children, he rekindles and encourages her forgotten dream.

Through a series of poems written throughout her elementary school years, Blanca gives the reader a glimpse of her struggles in an American school. The collection of poems provides insightful observations of family and neighbors through the eyes of a girl who strives for a respectable place in the world. The pencil drawings that accompany each poem are vivid and detailed, and enhance the story’s characterization. At first glance, readers may assume that the bilingual format of the book will appeal only to Spanish-speakers, however, the well-developed story told through the poetry is a hidden prize for all.

CONNECTIONS
Teachers of immigrant students will find this story to be an interesting springboard to discussing or writing about the American dream. With so many of our children coming to our schools from other countries, this story should find empathy among its readers.

Younger readers can draw the dream they want to hang on their walls.

Readers can write a paragraph about an admired teacher, family member, or neighbor. Using line breaks, they then transpose the paragraph into a poem and illustrate.

RELATED BOOKS
Other bilingual poetry books:
Argueta, Jorge. A MOVIE IN MY PILLOW, ISBN 0892391650
Carlson, Lori. COOL SALSA. ISBN 044970436X
Nye, Naomi Shihab. THE TREE IS OLDER THAN YOU ARE. ISBN 0689820879

By Rebecca S. McKee

Fish

Matthews, L.S. 2004. FISH. New York: Random House. ISBN 1400085217 [Suggested Grade Levels 4-8]

REVIEW
An absolutely amazing, beautiful, outstanding novel, FISH is the story of Tiger, the child of aid workers in an unnamed country beset with war and drought and useless flooding, and his/her escape through dust storms, sucking mud flats, mountainous terrain, armed insurgents, and just plain exhaustion, to safe territory. The family is led by the Guide, and Tiger is kept going by the effort to protect the small fish found in a mud puddle which s/he carries carefully, in a pot, a water bottle, and finally in his/her mouth, to safety. Matthews’ simple, clear prose is straight out of Pinter or Beckett—more questions are raised than are answered—and the images are astonishing and unforgettable. When Tiger goes to catch the fish, “The water was almost mud, and it felt like putting your hands into cold soup.”

None of the characters, except Tiger, has a name; the country might be Afghanistan or the Sudan or anywhere war and weather have forced the population to flee; the Guide may be man or ghost or angel or more; and the Fish—the Fish may be Hope or Life or the Soul or the promise of Christ. Matthews leaves it entirely up to the reader, and it’s impossible not to think strongly and deeply about difficult journeys, sanctuary, and the behavior of mankind for and against itself, during and after reading this astonishing book.

CONNECTIONS
Discuss the changing shape of the fish: the reactions of the insurgents to the Guide; and why none of the characters except Tiger has a name.

Research with readers current conflicts involving refugees, and brainstorm ways to help with financial or material donations.

RELATED BOOKS
Other books about refugees and children during war:
Ellis, Deborah. THREE WISHES: PALESTINIAN AND ISRAELI CHILDREN SPEAK. ISBN 0888995547
Holliday, Laurel. WHY DO THEY HATE ME: YOUNG LIVES CAUGHT IN WAR AND CONFLICT. ISBN 0606190651
Warren, Andrea. ESCAPE FROM SAIGON: HOW A VIETNAM WAR ORPHAN BECAME AN AMERICAN BOY. ISBN 0374322244

By Julie Brinker

Saving Francesca

Marchetta, Melina. 2004. SAVING FRANCESCA. New York: Knopf. ISBN 0375929827 [Suggested Grade Levels 8 and up]

REVIEW

Attempting to find her way and a make a place for herself, Marchetta’s poignant coming-of-age story tells the tale of Francesca, a teen struggling to come to terms with the many changes in her life. After being forced by her mother to attend a new school, the formerly all-boys institution, Saint Sebastian's, Francesca believes that her life can’t get any worse. Obviously, it can and does. Relieved one day that she has not been awakened by the stereo, blasting her mother’s chosen inspirational songs and wake-up calls (such as Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”), she quickly realizes something is amiss. Her outspoken mother, typically consumed with trying to empower her teen daughter, can’t seem to get out of bed, and no one understands why. As days pass and realization of the severity of her mother’s depression slowly sinks in, she remarks, “God’s not listening. It’s been six days. The door is still closed.” Trying to come to terms with the severity of her mother’s illness, as she helplessly watches her family crumble, Francesca learns that she must save herself before she can help those she loves most.

One of the greatest strengths of SAVING FRANCESCA is Marchetta’s ability to create characters which are fully realized. Told in first person, Francesca is a winner narrator, and despite her problems, she offers her story with candor and humor. The secondary characters are also effectively painted so they are not merely diversions from the story; their growth is recognizable and important. From her father’s unwillingness to accept his wife’s illness and the breakdown of his family to the self-destructive behavior of her friend, Siobhan, those who surround Francesca are also on an honest journey of self-discovery. In addition, witty dialogue, with an Australian flavor, adds additional spice to the story, allowing this international tale to have universal appeal.

CONNECTIONS
Readers could use the novel to create a novel guidebook/dictionary to highlight the colloquial, yet hip Aussie language used throughout the book.

RELATED BOOKS

If you like SAVING FRANCESCA, try:
Moriarty, Jaclyn. FEELING SORRY FOR CELIA. ISBN 0312287364
Moriarty, Jaclyn. THE YEAR OF SECRET ASSIGNMENTS. ISBN 0439498813

By Rose Brock