elsewhere

elsewhere is a young adult book written by Gabrielle Zevin. It was published by Squarefish in 2005.

A couple of days after finishing The Giver, I was perusing the library to find the next book I wanted to read.  I was looking through the fantasy section, hoping something would pop out at me.  When I saw the book elsewhere, I knew this was the next read for me.  I found it interesting that its title word was so often mentioned in The Giver, and it is for that reason that I chose this book to read.

elsewhere is about the journey Elizabeth (Liz) Hall had after she was hit by a taxi when crossing the street.  It is split into five parts:
                 Prologue: In the End,
                 Part I: The Nile
                 Part II: The Book of the Dead
                 Part III: Antique Lands
                 Epilogue: In the Beginning

The prologue is narrated by Liz's dog, Lucy. Through Lucy's ramblings, we can determine that Liz has died and her family, including her younger brother Alvy, as well as Lucy, is missing her terribly.  Lucy was Liz's dog, and has not been taken very good care of since Liz's passing.  "The next day the mother takes Lucy to the dog park.  It's the first time anyone has remembered to walk Lucy since the end." While reading the prologue, my initial thought was, "Oh, goodness, not another book from an animal's perspective." Luckily for me, the rest of the book was in third person narration, which I thought was a better choice for this story. 

Liz 'wakes up' on a boat, on her way to Elsewhere.  She doesn't realize what has happened to her yet and feels as though she is in a dream. She has a roommate, Thandi, and they explore the ship together.  While at breakfast, they also find a former rock star, Curtis Jest.  Thandi has a bullet hole in her head and Curtis' arm was deteriorating from the drugs he had taken while alive.  Both of them had now figured out they were dead, but Liz still believed it was a dream.  She started to remember what had happened to her -- being hit by a taxi cab while she rode her bike across the street to the mall -- but assumed it was all part of her dream.  She didn't take it well when she figured out she was dead.  "Suddenly, Liz needs to sit down.  She is cold and breathless.  'Thandi, I need to know how you got the hole in your head.'"  After Thandi explained her situation, Liz goes on, "Are you sure you aren't dreaming all of this? I'm sorry, I"m just trying to figure everything out." Thandi lets out a long, plaintive sigh, 'Girl, you are in denial,' she said."

Once Liz realizes she is dead, she tries to figure out a way to go back to earth.  She is not successful, and must move on to Elsewhere, where she is met by her grandmother, Betty, who had died when Liz was not yet born.  This is when Liz, and the readers, realize the afterlife is not exactly what was expected. In Elsewhere, death is very similar to life.  You can drive, swim, eat, drink, sleep and even fall in love.  What makes it different is you cannot get mortally hurt and you age backwards. Whatever age you enter Elsewhere is the number of years you will live there.  As time goes on, you get younger, until you are again a baby and are 'released' back to earth for another life (again -- a connection to The Giver.  How ironic that in The Giver, release is death, while in elsewhere, it is life.)

When Liz arrives at Elsewhere, she is incredibly depressed and only wants to watch her family and friends from the Observation Deck.  She is able to watch them in 5 minute increments, and this is all she does for the first month of her death.  She also learns that there is a 'well' at the bottom of the ocean, where one could try to make contact with the living.  She desperately wants her father to know that she had a hidden birthday present for him, so she dove down to the well to reach him.  She was able to reach her brother, but he didn't quite understand her message.  Before she could try again, she was caught by the Elsewhere Police Detective, Owen Welles. 

Owen is the person who helps Liz get through her depression and move on in death. He convinced her to take a job, learn to drive and enjoy the time they had together.  Eventually, they fall in love.  Although they are aging backwards, they spend all of their time together, until Liz's fifteen years in Elsewhere were up, and she was 'released' back to earth for another go-around.

There is much more I could write in the summary, but wanted to only hit the most important parts.  What I find most important is that this class has changed my perception when reading.  Pre-Diversity in Children's Literature Rebecca would have enjoyed reading this book.  She would have thought it was a cute idea for a story and the setting or storyline wouldn't have bothered her at all.  Post-Diversity in Children's Literature Rebecca is annoyed with this book, or at least, how some of the book was written.  I did not find it to be believable and found some of the rules of Elsewhere didn't make sense.  Elsewhere was just like life, only after death.  It didn't make sense to me that the people still ate and breathed and had beating hearts.  They're dead.  Another question that arose as I was reading was about the Observation Deck. People had to buy time to watch their family, but they could buy 5 minutes or 500 minutes, and it was the same price. That just didn't make sense to me.  Why would anyone buy 5 minutes when they could get any number of minutes for the same price?  Another idea I couldn't buy was the idea of them falling in love.  After Liz and Owen fell in love, Owen's wife from earth died and came to Elsewhere.  He left Liz and allowed his wife to move in with him, only to later realize that their new age difference (he had died at 26, and been dead 10 years, so with her aging normally, she was now 36, and with him aging backwards, he was 16) made things very hard for them and they were two different people than who they were when he died. He got back with Liz, and as he continued to grow younger, his once wife not treated him like she was his babysitter. The whole idea was just unsettling to me.

What I did find interesting is that the author doesn't care about the after-life.  At the end of the book, it gives responses to questions she was asked. One question was "What would your readers be most surprised to learn about you?" Her answer was, "Assuming they'd read elsewhere, they'd probably be surprised to know how much I don't care about the after-life. The way I really feel about it is 'que sera, sera.'"  That was surprising since many authors write about things that are personal to them or they have an interest in.

elsewhere has many mixed reviews.  If you would like to read what others thought about it before deciding whether to read it or not, you can go to Goodreads.  If you think you'll enjoy it, you can find a copy of the book at WorldCat. 

Charlotte's Web

Charlotte's Web was written by E.B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams.  It was published in 1952 by Harper and Row.

I chose to read Charlotte's Web, a Newberry Honor book, because it has been over twenty years since the last time I read it.  I remember it fondly as a child and wanted to revisit and old favorite to see if I continued to enjoy it as an adult.

Charlotte's Web tale of Wilbur, the pig, and his best friend, Charlotte, a spider. Wilbur was the runt of his litter and his owner, Mr. Arable, wanted to kill him.  He said "the runt is more trouble than it's worth" and tried to take an ax to Wilbur.  Mr. Arable's daughter, Fern, saved Wilbur and raised him as her infant until he could live on his own, at which time Mr. A sold Wilbur to his neighbor and brother-in-law Homer Zuckerman. There were several other animals at the farm for Wilbur to talk to -- a goose and gander, a sheep, cows, and a rat, Templeton. None of the animals considered Wilbur to be his friend, so he was very excited when he met a new animal -- Charlotte. Wilbur's life was going okay (he didn't love that he had to stay fenced in or the love he now missed from Fern) until the other animals explained to him that he was being fattened up for the Zuckerman's Christmas pig.  Once he knew that, he was scared and worried all of the time.  Charlotte promised to save him, and came up with an idea to help.  Charlotte was quite the clever spider and she didn't feel as though humans were all that bright. "'The way to save Wilbur's life is to play a trick on Zuckerman. If I can fool a bug,' thought Charlotte, 'I can surely fool a man. People are not as smart as bugs.'" Charlotte's idea -- to create webs with words describing Wilbur -- worked. The Arables and the Zuckerman's were astonished, as were the many visitors their farm received.  The Zuckerman's even won an award for Wilbur at the state fair because of how intrigued everyone was with Wilbur.  True to her promise, Charlotte saved Wilbur, but all did not turn out well for everyone.  At the state fair, Charlotte died.  She knew she was going to, and was able to lay her egg sac beforehand.  Wilbur took the egg sac home and lived with her children and grandchildren for the rest of his years.

This story is one of great friendship and compassion.  Charlotte stepped up to be Wilbur's friend when no other animal wanted anything to do with him. She was kind to him from the beginning. "'Salutations are greetings,' said the voice. 'When I say salutations, it's just my fancy way of saying hello or good morning.  Actually, it's a silly expression, and I am surprised that I said it at all. As for my whereabouts, that's easy.  Look up here in the corner of the doorway! here I am. Look, I'm waving!"' From that moment on, she was Wilbur's best friend.  Wilbur was quite naive and took Charlotte's friendship for granted.  He got frustrated with her when she didn't come up with a way to save him right away, and became angry when she wasn't sure if she would be joining him at the fair. Although she told him she wasn't feeling that well and didn't plan on going, he begged her. "'Please come with me,' begged Wilbur. I need you, Charlotte! I can't stand to go to the fair without you. You've just got to come!'"  When Charlotte finally agreed, Wilbur forgot completely of her not feeling well and only responded, "Oh good!  I knew you wouldn't forsake me just when I needed you most."

Because of the way Wilbur reacted to Charlotte, for much of the book, I considered their friendship one sided.  It wasn't until the end when Wilbur took Charlotte's egg sac that I saw him truly return the friendship. He was kind to all of her offspring, for generations to come. 

It was interesting to read a book that had been published over 60 years ago.  The culture of how they grew up and were portrayed so much differently than today. On page 4, White writes, "Avery was ten.  He was heavily armed -- an air rifle in one hand, a wooden dagger in the other." Knowing that today, a student gets expelled for having a play gun on his key chain, it amazes me that there was a time kids could get on the bus with air rifles and wooden daggers.  It was also a shock when the Arables allowed Fern and Avery to run off on their own at the fair.  Maybe I'm a little overprotective of my own children, but I couldn't imagine allowing them to go off on their own in such a public place.

Overall, Charlotte's Web was just as good of a book today as it was when I was a child.  The friendship between Fern and Wilbur, and then Wilbur and Charlotte, was heartwarming.  They each grew and moved on in their own way.  Fern started growing up and enjoying time with Henry, instead of coming to the farm.  The Zuckerman's kept Wilbur safe from the Christmas dinner and allowed him to live his life on the farm.  Even Wilbur grew in his understanding of friendship after Charlotte passed away.  He wanted to ensure a good life for her babies, and did just that, for generations of spiders.  Charlotte's Web is a wonderful book for children. If you would like to find a copy, you can find it here.

The Watson's Go to Birmingha -- 1963

The Watsons go to Birmingham – 1963 was written by Christopher Paul Curtis.  It was published by Yearling in 1995.

The Newberry Honor book, The Watson’s go to Birmingham – 1963, is a historical fiction book about a black family and their world in 1963.  The narrator of the story is Kenny, the middle child in this 5 person family.  He has one older brother, Byron (By) and a younger sister, Joetta (Joey) and live in Flint, Michigan with their parents. 

I feel as though this is a pretty typical family. They ‘cut up’ with each other (a term I had thought was pretty recent until I read this book!), picked on each other, and stuck up for each other to people outside of the family.  They joke around often, yet the kids know when the parents are being serious and know when to shut it down. The hierarchy is similar to many families in real life.  The oldest brother, By, tortures Kenny in his sibling rivalry, although he keeps others from making fun of him, as he is an easy target with his bright mind and lazy eye.  Kenny holds his own with By through most of the book, and you can tell that they really do love each other.  The youngest sibling, Joey, is a typical youngest child.  She looks out for her brothers and doesn’t want them to get in trouble by their parents, and if often the one pleading for leniency with it comes to By.  In one scene, after By has again been caught playing with matches, his mother is ready to teach him a lesson by burning him.  She feels as though it is worth burning him if he learns that he cannot play with matches that might someday burn down the house and kill the family.  Joetta tries to stop mom from going ‘crazy’ with By. 

                “Momma’s voice got strange, hissing like a snake.  ‘Joetta, go out to the kitchen and bring me a                book of matches.’ 

                ‘But Mommy…,’ Joey said, starting to get all sobby.

                ‘Joetta, do what I told you.’

                ‘Mommy, I can’t…’ The tears really started coming and Joey was squeezing my arm.

                ‘Joetta, go get those matches!

                ‘Please, Mommy, he won’t  do it again, will you Byron? Promise her, promise Mommy you won’t             do it again!”

Later, after Mom gets the matches herself, Joey continues to help her brother by blowing out the match each time her mother got too close to By.  This is just one example of the way Joey stands up to try to defend and help her brothers throughout the book.  This is also an example of extreme discipline throughout the book.  I do feel as though this family is a very good family and the parents care a lot about each other and their kids, but they are not parents to be messed with.  The children have consequences -- sometimes severe consequences -- for their behavior.  Most of the consequences wouldn't be seen as good parenting today, as their were several beatings throughout the book, but I tried to keep in mind that this was a different era with a different culture of people. 

                Although the title alludes to the family being in Birmingham, most of the book takes place in Flint, Michigan, where the family appears to be a pretty well-off family.  Kenny has a friend, Rufus, who cannot afford to bring lunch to school, so after Kenny’s mother realized this, she started sending four peanut butter sandwiches (two for Kenny, one for Rufus and one for Rufus’ younger brother) and three apples (one for each of them) for lunch every day.  They are also able to afford buying new gadgets and upgrades for their car, such a record player (who knew those were in cars?!) while they are getting ready for their trip to Birmingham.  The parents are from a generation of people who do not live on credit cards, and they appear to be smart and responsible with their money, planning their trip to the dime.  Although they are a responsible and loving family, Byron has been getting in a lot of trouble.  He “is officially a teenage juvenile” often making poor decisions such as skipping school, fighting other kids, and playing with matches.  He refuses to listen to his parents, so he is being sent south to live with his grandmother for the summer.  If he can’t shape up, he’ll be there longer.

                Throughout most of the book, it could have been realistic fiction.  It wasn’t until the last third of the book that they went to Birmingham, which is what allowed for it to be considered historical fiction. The time Watsons was set in was during the Civil Rights Era.  Mr. and Mrs. Watson tried to explain to their children that the south was much different than the north at that time (as it still is, in many ways).  They tried to warn them that black people were not as accepted in the south as they are in the north, but the kids didn’t really understand until tragedy struck while they were in Birmingham.  Without giving away what happens, the family had to suffer and event that far too many real-life people had to suffer through during that time.  They saw first-hand the destruction racism and hatred could have, without much consequence to the destructors.

                I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun, easy read, with characters that are relatable to anyone who reads it.  The children are funny and real, cutting it up with the best of them.  The parents are genuine and believe in taking care of the children – not letting the streets raise them.  They expect the children to be responsible, educated children, who are kind and generous to others. 

                Watsons is part of the fourth grade curriculum in Newport News and it is a book I would love to work through with my fourth grade students.  I am looking forward to helping my students understand what has happened in our country and teach them about what many of their grandparents or great parents had to go through during the Civil Rights Era.  If you would also like to study this book with your students, you can find local copies here.  The Watson’s Go To Birmingham – 1963 has been turned into a movie on the Hallmark channel.  It goes much further into the fight for Civil Rights and the Watson’s realize how different the south is in the movie. You can find the trailer, with more information here.

The Book Thief

The Book Thief was written by Markus Zusak.  It was published by Alfed A. Knopf in 2005.

The Book Thief, which won several honors in 2005 and 2006, including the School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2006), Publishers Weekly Children's Best Book of the Year (2006) and Michael L. Printz Honor Book (2007), is a historical fiction book set in the time of Nazi Germany. 

The Book Thief is a story of a young girl, Liesel, her family and friends, and their turbulent lives during the years prior to and during WWII.  Liesel joined her new family when her mother needed to give her and her brother up for adoption. We can speculate that her mother was a communist and killed shortly after giving her daughter away, as Liesel often heard others call her father a communist, and when she asks her new papa if her mother was a communist and now dead, he said that he believes that she was.  On the way to Himmel Street, where her foster parents would be found, her brother died.  When they stopped at the nearest city to bury him, Liesel starter her illustrious career as the book thief. She took The Grave Digger's Handbook from the men who dug the grave for her brother.  She felt as though this would keep he close to her brother's memory.  Her new mama, Rosa Hubermann, was a tough broad, leading her household with an iron fist and a horrendous mouth (which was common with many of the characters throughout the book).  Her papa, Hans Hubermann, is a soft spoken, loving man.  He is the one to take care of Liesel when she has nightmares about her brothers' death, the one to teach her how to read and write, starting with The Grave Digger's Handbook, and to keep her secrets that would get her a beating from Rosa. 

The other three notable characters in the book are Rudy, Max and Ilsa.  Rudy is Liesel's best friend.  She spent almost every day from the time she joined the Hubermann family with Rudy, playing soccer, stealing food from farms and books from the mayor's wife, Ilsa. Rudy was a fun, spirited young boy who only wanted one thing from Liesel -- a kiss. 

Max has quite the history through this book.  His father served in WWI with Hans Hubermann, and saved Hans life by suggesting he stay back to write letters on the day the rest of his platoon was killed. When Hans visited Max's mother after his father died, he made a promise to help the family in any way he could.  Max came to cash in on that promise over 20 years later, when he needed hide from the Nazis.  You see, Max is Jewish, and was no longer safe in his own country.  "With a clean-shaven face and lopsided yet neatly combed hair, he had walked out of that building a new man. In fact, he walked out a German.  Hang on a second.  He was German. Or more to the point, he had been." This quote was so incredibly sad to me. Max, as well as millions as others had been turned on by their own people, and had to stay in hiding for years to try to stay safe throughout the war. Max became a good friend of Liesel's, encouraging her to read and write, even writing his own book as a gift to her.  They connected through the power of words.

Ilsa is the mayor's wife.  She is very sad throughout the book, as she had a son who died and she was not able to move on with her life.  She saw Liesel steal her second book and knew she needed to invite her into her life.  Ilsa has a huge library in her home and allowed Liesel to read at her house every week while Liesel picked up the laundry for her mama to wash and iron. That is, until her mother was fired, which is when Liesel started stealing books from Isla. 

There were many questions that ran through my head as I was reading, starting with page four. "I could introduce myself properly, but it's not really necessary.  You will know me well enough and soon enough, depending on a diverse range of variables.  It suffices to say that at some point in time, I will be standing over you, as genially as possible.  Your soul will be in my arms.  A color will be perched on my shoulder.  I will carry you gently away."  This made me question who the narrator was.  At this point, I couldn't determine whether it was death or a murderer.  It only took another page or two to determine that death was, in fact, the narrator of the book, which made for an interesting perspective.  Reading the thoughts of the 'person' who is there in our final moments is pretty powerful.  There were several times within the book that I forgot Death was the narrator.  Since our main character was the book thief, or Liesel, I would forget that it is not written from her perspective.

I also had questions about why she was called the book thief and who came up with the name.  At the beginning of the book, Death tells us, "It's just a small story really, about, among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery.  I saw the book thief three times." Because of this quote, I assumed Death named her the book thief, but in truth, it was her best friend, Rudy, when he realized that she was stealing books. 

For those who may come across this blog and haven't read the book, I do not want to give away what happens to all of our memorable characters, but do want to say that this book puts life today in perspective. With all of the problems we think we have today, Liesel and her friends and family had so many more.  They worried about having enough work to earn a living and food to eat.  They worried about the every day choices they made, such as keeping the curtains open, so that they would avoid suspicion of wrong-doing.  They worried about their lives ending daily, either from their secret of hiding Max being uncovered, or later, from the bombings throughout their country. My daily stress seems completely incomparable to the stress they must have felt every second of their day. 
The children tried to continue in their normal lives.  They played soccer, got into fights, went to school, read books and committed childish acts of thievery, but were also Hitler Youth.  The boys had to go to training, getting ready for their future in support of  Hitler and his beliefs. 

The Book Thief was sad, but I also found it inspiring.  It had multi-dimensional characters who you couldn't help but love. We start the book thinking that Rosa is an awful person, but as we read, we realize that she is actually a very caring, giving person. She is hard on the people in her family, but steps up when Max needs help. She cares for him and helps to ensure he is fed, warm and safe.  Hans may have brought him in, but Rosa is the one who allows him to stay.  When overhearing this conversation, Liesel wonders, "Who are these people?"  She only knew Rosa as an overbearing mama, so it was good for her to see this side of her.  I believe Isla also grows a lot throughout the book.  As I stated before, she was unable to move on after her son's death, walking around in a bathrobe and slippers, with wild hair, daily.  Toward the end of the book, she is beginning to heal.  She goes to Liesel's home, fully dressed, giving her another book.  Isla is able to heal even more when she becomes a hero of sorts to Liesel. (That's all I can say without giving it away!)  The characters in this book are good people.  They don't believe in the war and do their part to help those who are greatly affected.

I would like to write to the style of Zusak's writing.  I loved that he gave so much away before the end of the book.  We knew that this was set in a horrific time in our history, and could expect some of what happened, so I liked that Zusak didn't leave much mystery in that.  We were able to concentrate on the story and not continuously wonder what was going to happen.

The Book Thief was turned into a movie in 2013.  Watch the trailer shown below. If you'd like to read The Book Thief, you can find a copy at your local library.  To find out the best place to get it, click here.

The Giver

The Giver was written by Lois Lowry. It was published by Laurel-Leaf in 1993.

The Giver, which won the 1994 Newberry Medal and the 1994 Regina Medal, is a highly acclaimed book for young adults. It describes the perfect world of Jonas, his family, and friends. In the world they live in, referred to as "Sameness", there is no pain or worry. There is no torture, war, loss or loneliness. There is also no love, joy, color or music. None of the community members know of any of these things, as it has been wiped out by the genetic scientists. When they chose to move to the idea of Sameness, they gave up all of the memories that would allow them to remember anything good or bad, including sunshine, snow and hills.

Every December, the children (who are all born by birth mothers and given to 'family units' after the family applies for one) have their aging ceremony. At each age level, all of the children get the same thing. For example, at age seven, the children receive a front buttoned jacket, signifying their move to independence. In the past, they had back buttoned jackets so that they could learn to help others. At age eight, they start volunteer hours and at age nine, they all received their own bicycles. The most important aging ceremony is when they turn twelve. At twelve years old, they are considered adults and get their job assignments. This year, Jonas turned twelve and he has been selected to be the Receiver of Memories. He is now one of the only two people who will know about all of the good and bad in the world.

When The Giver begins to work with Jonas, he shows him all of the wonderful happenings in the world, including sunshine, sled riding, flowers, rainbows, and love. As the training continues, he has to show Jonas all of the negative aspects of the old world. War, loneliness, hunger, torture and hatred. This was incredibly hard for The Giver and for Jonas, as they could feel the pain of the people in the memories. Without giving away what happens with the rest of the book, I just want to say that I applaud Jonas for the person he is and the decisions he made throughout the book.

As I read The Giver, I couldn't help wonder what a world like theirs would be like. No war. No pain. No hunger or racism or solitude. What if? I asked myself. What if all of our communities were set up the way this one was. What if we had no choice in the children we get (not that we get much of a choice now), the spouse we receive, the places that we live or the jobs we have? What if everyone was nice, respectful, worked for a living and helped to support the community? What if we had no memories of the past and couldn't comprehend ideas such as war or peace? Love or hate? Gratitude or thanklessness? On the surface, it seems good. You know what to expect. You know you will be taken care of. You know that you will have two children -- a boy and a girl, and you are respected and believed in throughout your life. But, knowing what I do in real life, I know, as Jonas learned, that life should be so much more.

As I was reading, two thoughts went through my head over and over. The first was that I felt as though The Giver and Jonas' relationship reminded me of Dumbledore and Harry Potter. Obviously, since The Giver was written first, Lowry did not intend on that comparison, but they are who I pictured as I read about The Giver's meetings with Jonas. When The Giver transferred his first memory to Jonas, it was similar to the scene when Dumbledore gave his first memory to Harry. The second thought that continued to strike me was the comparison I made to Heaven and Hell. Religion teaches that for there to be a Heaven, there must also be a Hell. After Jonas was given the memories, he wanted to community to change. He wanted to give all of the people the memories, but he couldn't because they would not have been able to handle the bad memories. This made me think of Heaven and Hell because they couldn't be separated. With one comes the other, so he just couldn't give them either.

            Many of the aspects of this community wouldn’t be tolerated today.  The idea that kids would bathe adults would be considered perverse today.  In our society, children becoming adults at age twelve is unacceptable. “Thank you for your childhood” was such a powerful statement for me.  Before I had children, it may not have affected me, but knowing what a joyous time childhood is and how innocent they should be, I felt bad for the children needing to move on to their adult lives.  Responsibility within the family and community? Yes.  Responsible for a career? No.

            I had many questions as I read through The Giver.  Why aren’t they allowed to have real feelings?  I felt that it was quite ironic that they would “share feelings” every night when they did not have the memories to truly understand those feelings.  They didn’t know what real anger, sadness, excitement or happiness was, so why did the Elders make them do it? I also questioned what a release was for most of the book.  When The Giver began his training with Jonas and he says, “It’s like going downhill through deep snow on a sled.  At first it’s exhilarating: the speed; the sharp, clear air; but then the snow accumulates, builds up on the runner, and you slow, you have to push hard to keep going and –“ and Jonas didn’t know what he was talking about, I was shocked.  My draw dropped and I had to reread what was happening.  How could he not know what these things are?  How has the elimination of snow, sleds, hills (and later I realized, sun, wind, rainbows) helpful? How does it make them live a better life? I don’t think that it does. I feel as though the Elders wanted to have so much control over them that they had to take away anything that could be considered joyful.

I also questioned the ‘release.’   At the beginning, I assumed that it was death, but when Jonas was talking about Roberto’s release and he asks, “What happens when they make the actual release?  Where do they go?” I started to think that something other than death happened in this alternate world. Sadly, my initial thought was correct, and when Jonas realized the same thing, it was the major turning point within the book. 

I feel as though The Giver makes us question what we could live with.  If we had the choice, what would it be? If we could get rid of all of the negative in our lives, would we, if it meant we get rid of much of the positive as well? I wouldn’t.  I would keep the ups and downs; the wonder and emotions.  I would want to feel my life, good or bad. 

If you would like to read The Giver, you can find it at your local library.  Look here to see where the closest location is.  I also found a Webquest for The Giver, which would allow students to explore the book and answer questions.  It was created by Emily Ferris, Sarah Hertzog, and Christina Kline and you can find it here.

The One and Only Ivan

The One and Only Ivan was written by Katherine Applegate and illustrated by Patricia Castelao. It was published in 2012 by HarperCollins.

I think I need to preface this post with the fact that I did not like this book.  A lot of what I write will make it seem as though I liked it, but it was not the book for me. Although it has a great message that kids would appreciate, I don't feel as though it is something that a child would choose to read on their own.  Also, I just couldn’t get into reading from a gorilla’s perspective.  That being said…

The One and Only Ivan is the newest book on the Newberry Award Winner List (2013). It is based on the true story of a gorilla that endured the life that Ivan’s tells us about.  Ivan, a silverback gorilla, is one of the attractions at Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade.  Ivan is the narrator throughout the book and tells the tale of his life at the mall (he has been there for 27 years) as well as the lives of his friends, Bob (a stray dog not wanting a permanent home)  Stella (an adult elephant who was sold to the owner, Mack, after her leg was hurt in the circus), and Rachel (the human artist who shares her supplies with Ivan when he wants to draw).

From the beginning of the book, I pictured Ray Ramono as Ivan.  I thought, if Ivan was a human, I feel as though he would be similar to Ray Ramono’s character in the show Parenthood.  I read him with a very dry humor voice and I loved the short, funny, sarcastic phrases he uses, starting from the very first page: “I am Ivan. I am a gorilla.  It’s not as easy as it looks.” Throughout the book, I think he was continuously sarcastic in his comments. 

            “Chimps, there’s no excuse for them.” (page 5)

            “Once however, I was able to enjoy a book left in my domain by humans.” (page 8)

            “I draw another banana.  And then I draw eight more.” (page 39)

These are just some of the many quotes that made me laugh as I read. I don’t know if they were supposed to be thought of as sarcastic, but like I said, in Ray Ramono’s voice, they were.

Although he is a gorilla, Ivan had quite a way with words.  He was able to describe things in such a simple yet moving way.  He had you wanting to help him and his friends through this experience and made you feel the pain they were going through.

            “I have a gorilla’s gaze, a gorilla’s shy smile. I wear a snowy saddle of fur, the uniform of a silverback. When the sun warms my back, I cast a gorilla’s majestic shadow.” (page 4)
            “ Not long ago, a little boy stood before my glass, tears streaming down his smooth red cheeks. ‘He must be the loneliest gorilla in the world,’ he said” (page 21)

            “Stella is a mountain.  Next to her I am a rock, and Bob is a grain of sand.” (page 27)

            “ With enough time, you can get use to anything.” (page 22)

These are four examples that made me stop and think about how powerful his words were, and that was only through page 27.  I could give a hundred more examples! I feel as though the last example was the most powerful statement in the book.  I believe this is the reason people give up.  They get use to the situation they are in and believe that their new normal has to be their forever normal.  They forget what a good life could be, as Ivan did in this book.  

At its heart, The One and Only Ivan is a story about love and resiliency.   Ivan loved his friends, Bob and Stella, and only wanted the best for them.  He had no real problems with being at the mall until a new animal joined him.  Ruby, a baby elephant, was acquired by Mack to help bring in profits.  Up until this point, Ivan couldn’t remember any of his past.  He didn’t know how he ended up at the mall, going on display for Mack.  When Ruby joined them, Stella started acting as her protective mother.  Stella didn’t agree with the animals being there and made Ivan promise to take care of Ruby and get her out of there.  She knew she was going to die soon and needed someone else to help Ruby.  It was because of this that Ivan started to remember his past.  Ruby wanted stories, so Ivan had to think back about his life. He came to realize that he started his life with Mack as a baby.  He was raised as a human child; eating, playing and dressing like a young boy.  It was all fun and games until he got too big and the ‘parents’ realized he could not be kept in the house. When he began to remember, he realized that he needed to help Ruby because the ‘domain’ that they lived in was not where the animals should live. 

Over time, Ivan was able to create a picture puzzle, showing the life that Ruby should have.  He wanted humans to rally for her and get her to a zoo.  Rachel found the pictures and was able to identify them as a call for help from Ivan.  She convinced her father to make the pictures public, so that others could help free Ruby. Ultimately, this worked, and all of the animals were relocated to a huge zoo with animals of their kind.

It was his kindness toward another that allowed him to free himself as well, which is a lesson that many need to learn. Putting forth effort in something or someone you believe in helps you as well, which is what Ivan learned.  He had the unintended effect of helping himself when this all played out as well. 

If you are someone who enjoyed this book, you can find a ton of information at the official One and Only Ivan website.  There are other reviews, information about the real Ivan, as well as the book and the author. Find the site interesting?  Read the book after finding it here. 

My Pal, Victor

My Pal, Victor was written by Diane Gonzales Bertrand and illustrated by Robert L. Sweetland. Eida de la Vega translated to text. It was published in 2004 by Raven Tree Press.

                My Pal, Victor, is a picture book about two friends, Victor and Dominic, who enjoy doing many different type of activities together.  It is a Schneider Book Award winner. The Schneider award “honors an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.” (http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/schneider-family-book-award) Knowing this, I was looking throughout the book, trying to determine what disability one of the children had.  You see the two of them sitting on the ground eating lunch and swimming together.  They are also at a baseball game together, where Victor cheers for Dominic while runs around the bases.  They have sleepovers and tell ghost stories, and they ride roller coasters together.  It isn’t until the very last page where the illustrator shows a full picture of Victor, and we realize that he is in a wheelchair.  The author writes, “But, the most important thing about my pal, Victor, is that he likes me just the way I am.” 

                According to The Reading Tub website, My Pal, Victor is intended for kids between 4 – 8 years old. I agree, since this book introduces the idea of friendship beyond the norm.  I think that it is important for kids to see that you can be friends with someone who is a little different.  Whether that person has a physical disability, like Victor, or has some other type of disability, it is okay to get to know the person and see if you want to be friends based on what you have in common and how you are treated. 

                My Pal, Victor is a multicultural book.  The English text is on top of each page, with a line and a star separating it from the Spanish text on the bottom of the page.  It has very simple language and very little text on each page. “My pal, Victor throws a toy for his dog to catch. (Mi amigo Victor le lanza un juguete a su perro para que este lo atrape.) My pal, Victor, loves to ride the hightest rollercoasters and the dizziest, zoomiest, fastest rides he can find. (A mi amigo Victor le encanta subir a la montana rusa mas alta y a los apartos mas rapidos, mareantes y vertiginosos que pueda encontar.”)

                  I used Google Translator to determine whether the text was literally translated, and it is pretty close.  One page has the English text, “Sometimes he puts us into his stories. It’s like a movie playing in our heads.” The translated version says, “Sometimes we are the protagonists of their stories. It's like a movie that was projected in our heads.”

                The illustrations change throughout the book.  Some of them are full bleed, showing the kids sitting or playing together, and some of them are a small framed circle, with the focus being on part of Victor.  The framed illustrations never show Victor’s full body, as to keep the secret of his disability until the end of the book.  The illustrations make it look as though this took place a long time ago, with soft, muted colors, so they didn’t pull me into the book like some illustrations can.  There was some use of lines to create movement.  When Dominic is playing baseball, he is hunched forward, ready to run, with his eyes looking at home, which makes the reader follow that diagonal.  On another page, they are imagining they are cowboys, lassoing the clouds.  The head of the dragon cloud is on the left hand page, looking down at them on the right hand page, which shows another example of movement within the illustrations.

                Although it has a great message within it, I wasn’t overly impressed with My Pal, Victor.  I felt as though it was very simple and didn’t have much depth to it.  I think, what I have realized the most after reading so many picture books over the last several weeks, is I enjoy a book with a little more complexity.  Those are the books that interest me.  If this book sounds interesting to you, please go here to check it out.  If this book interests you, you can find a list of good before, during and after reading questions, as well as a craft idea to go along with the book here.