We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March

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Bibliographic data:

Levinson, Cynthia (2012).  We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March.  Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers.

Summary: 

The Civil Rights Movement was well underway by May of 1963.  Adults across the nation had participated in marches and sit-ins at lunch counters.  Laws in many places were beginning to change.  Things in Birmingham, Alabama were a different story.  While thousands of African-Americans attended weekly rallies at local churches, not enough were participating in the marches and sit-ins to send a message to local businesses and government.  In May, the children of Birmingham took matters into their hands.  Walking out of school, they took to the streets in peaceful protest of segregation.  Their story is told through the eyes of four children who participated, explaining their personal motives for joining and their individual experiences.

Analysis:

While many young adults are likely to know of the lunch counter sit-ins, speeches and marches of the Civil Rights Movement, We’ve got a Job tells an untold story from the front lines.  Focusing on Birmingham, Alabama in May of 1963, Levinson gives a detailed and in-depth explanation of the political environment, motivations and actions of all those involved with the Civil Rights movement, but focuses on the unique roll the children of Birmingham played.  The book focuses in specifically on four very different children of the time.  Levinson narrates the story, telling about the general atmosphere and filling in facts that would be unknown to children, with quotes directly from the four, now grown, children about their experiences.  The children appear to have been carefully selected, representing a range of experiences; the son of wealthy doctors, the poor ‘bad boy,’ a girl who was actively involved throughout the entire movement and the youngest child to have been arrested.

Because the story focuses on the children’s experiences, it will have an extra appeal to young adult readers.  This isn’t the history adults created, it’s the history of people their own age.  Young adults, both male and female, will be able to see themselves in at least one of the children Levinson highlights, making this historical time period come to life in unusual and captivating ways.

Unfortunately, while the book is written for young adult readers the format has a juvenile feel.  The book is has been printed in a large, square format.  While this allows for detailed, full-page photographs it also makes the book feel like a children’s story, despite the subject matter and upper level reading. 

Activity:

The children of Birmingham became engaged in what was thought of as an adult matter because they saw how important it was to have equal rights.  They chose nonviolent protests as the way to convey their opinions because they knew it had the greatest chance of success.  They knew this was the best way for them to be heard.

Have readers brainstorm problems they see in the world today, and then focus in on the one they believe is most important.  After deciding on a campaign, work together to find the best method to battle the problem.  Readers should then carry through in attempting to enact the change they desire.

Example campaigns: Global warming, endangered animals, Black Lives Matter, women’s rights, presidential candidates

Example projects:  fund raising, writing letters to politicians/organizations, organizing or participating in protests, joining a volunteer organization

 Related Resources:

The Children’s March was a triumph and moment of change during the Civil Rights Movement, but it was only a single event in a crusade that lasted centuries and is continuing today.  Tolerance.org has prepared a list of resources and lessons about various events and aspects of the Civil Rights Movement.  Using these resources readers could learn about other events and people influential to the movement.  Teachers and librarians could create entire units about the era.

Tolerance.org.  The Civil Rights Movement.  Retrieved from http://www.tolerance.org/category/classroom-resources/civil-rights-movement (accessed July 23, 2016)

An award winning video created for the National History Day competition, No More: The Children of Birmingham 1963 and the Turning Point of the Civil Rights Movement provides a video form of the information presented in We’ve Got a Job.  The video could be used to introduce the topic and get readers engaged and excited, or after reading as an extension and summary. 

Additionally, as part of the National History Day competition, the video highlights interesting and unusual opportunities available to students who enjoy history and could inspire students to undertake similar learning experiences.

Jessop, Miranda and McKay.  No More: The Children of Birmingham 1963 and the Turning Point of the Civil Rights Movement.  Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCxE6i_SzoQ (accessed July 23, 2016)

Published Review:

“This chronicle of a pivotal chapter of the civil rights movement weaves together the stories of four black children in Birmingham, Ala., who were among some 4,000 who boycotted school to participate in a march to protest segregation. Before recounting that event, during which almost 2,500 young people were arrested and jailed, first-time author Levinson opens with intimate profiles of the four spotlighted children (drawn from interviews she conducted with each of them), along with descriptions of Birmingham’s racist laws, corrupt politicians, antiblack sentiment—and activists’ efforts to fight all of the above. Readers also get an up-close view of such leaders as Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, who founded the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights; Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who advocated a nonviolent response; and James Bevel, a preacher who rallied the city’s children and teens. Yet the most compelling component is Levinson’s dramatic re-creation of the courageous children’s crusade and the change it helped bring about in the face of widespread prejudice and brutality. Powerful period photos and topical sidebars heighten the story’s impact.”

Murphy, Erin. (2012).  We’ve Got a Job: the 1963 Birmingham Children’s March. n.p.: Booklist, 2012. Book Index with Reviews, EBSCOhost (accessed July 23, 2016).

All the Light We Cannot See

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Bibliographic data:

Doerr, Anthony (2014).  All the Light We Cannot See.  Read by Zach Appleman.  New York: Simon & Schuster Audio.

Summary: 

Marie-Laure lives in Paris with her father.  When Marie-Laure goes blind at age 6, her father and his colleagues at Museum of Natural-History work together to ensure she is able to navigate her way though the world.  When the Nazi’s occupy Paris during World War II, Marie-Laure’s father is given an important task, which takes them away from the city to her uncle’s home on the coast.  Here, Marie-Laure’s life forever changes.

Werner is a German boy living in an orphanage with his younger sister.  He is mechanically minded, brilliant and ambitious.  After finding a broken radio, he teaches himself how to repair it.  Soon, he is repairing every radio in his small town.  These skills eventually take him to a Hitler youth academy where he builds his technical and emotional knowledge before joining the war. 

Without knowing of each other, Marie-Laure and Werner’s lives are deeply intertwined.  Do a radio, a diamond and a war have the power to bring them together?

Analysis: 

Written for older young adult readers, All the Light We Cannot See is a complicated read.  To begin, there are multiple story lines that cover multiple countries and years.  These stories are not told solely from the perspectives of Marie-Laure and Werner, but also half a dozen other characters.  In addition to these complicated aspects, the story is not presented chronologically.  The opening chapter has Marie-Laure in her uncle’s house as Saint-Malo is being bombed near the end of the war.  After this, we are with a young Werner in Germany, then Marie-Laure before she looses her vision.  These elements are engaging, however they require an advanced reader with solid comprehension skills.

While historically accurate, Marie-Laure and Werner are easily relatable.  Their concerns and thoughts mirror those of youth today, in spite of the darkness of their time period.  The powerlessness they feel, unable to fully control their lives, as well as their restlessness to want to be somewhere else are fairly universal themes for young people. 

It is interesting to have a story about World War II that tells the perspective of German citizens.  While there are many stories that speak to the tribulations those under the Nazi’s experienced, it is rare to hear the perspective of common Germans or Nazi soldiers.   This perspective would make an interesting discussion point to speak about group mindset, selfishness versus selflessness or to use as a writing prompt against a book such as Night by Elie Wiesel.

Activity:

Marie-Laure and Werner’s lives are interconnected due to radios.  Years before she was born, Marie-Laure’s grandfather and great-uncle produced a scientific radio program.  Marie-Laure’s uncle continues to broadcast the program using a transmitter in his attic.  As children, Werner and his sister find the program and love listening to the calm voice explain difficult scientific concepts. 

Readers will create their own children’s radio program.  The readers will decide on a topic on which they are experts.  They should create an outline of the key concepts that are important to the subject, and then write a script breaking these concepts down so that young children would be able to learn from their expertise.  When they are finished, they will record and publish their script to a site such as youtube.com.

Related Resources:

Every year for Marie-Laure’s birthday, she receives two gifts from her father: a Braille book and a homemade puzzle box with chocolates inside.  Despite her blindness, Marie-Laure is always able to quickly discover the secrets of his puzzle boxes, even though they often have more than a dozen steps to solve.

Puzzle Boxes: Fun and Intriguing Band Saw Projects would bring these puzzle boxes to life for a skilled reader.  The book provides instructions on how to create wooden puzzle boxes, just like the ones Marie-Laure received for her birthday.

Vollmer, Jeff. (2012).  Puzzle Boxes: Fun and Intriguing Band Saw Projects. Cincinnati: F+W Media.

Marie-Laure’s father works at the Paris Museum of Natural History.  Until the occupation of Paris, Marie-Laure accompanies him when he goes to work.  Here, the museum’s scientists and director teach Marie-Laure about the artifacts in the museum and encourage her curiosity about the scientific world.

Using the automatic translation feature of Google Chrome, English speaking readers can experience the modern day Paris museum through its website.  Of particular interest based on the book would be the Jewels of the Museum page, where gems and precious stones can be viewed or the Evolution of Living which features biological sciences.

Museum National D’Histoire Naturelle.  Retrieved from https://www.mnhn.fr/fr (accessed July 8, 2016)

Published Review:

“A novel to live in, learn from, and feel bereft over when the last page is turned, Doerr’s magnificently drawn story seems at once spacious and tightly composed. It rests, historically, during the occupation of France during WWII, but brief chapters told in alternating voices give the overall—and long—­narrative a swift movement through time and events. We have two main characters, each one on opposite sides in the conflagration that is destroying Europe. Marie-Louise is a sightless girl who lived with her father in Paris before the occupation; he was a master locksmith for the Museum of Natural History. When German forces necessitate abandonment of the city, Marie-Louise’s father, taking with him the museum’s greatest treasure, removes himself and his daughter and eventually arrives at his uncle’s house in the coastal city of Saint-Malo. Young German soldier Werner is sent to Saint-Malo to track Resistance activity there, and eventually, and inevitably, Marie-Louise’s and Werner’s paths cross. It is through their individual and intertwined tales that Doerr masterfully and knowledgeably re-creates the deprived civilian conditions of war-torn France and the strictly controlled lives of the military occupiers.High-Demand Backstory: A multipronged marketing campaign will make the author’s many fans aware of his newest book, and extensive review coverage is bound to enlist many new fans.”

Hooper, Brad. (2014).  All the Light We Cannot See. n.p.: Booklist, 2014. Book Index with Reviews, EBSCOhost (accessed July 8, 2016).

The Book Thief

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Bibliography

Zusak, Markus.  The Book Thief.  New York: Knopf, 2005.  978-0-375-84220-7

Summary

Liesel was not born a thief, it is a habit she has decided to cultivate and develop.  Stealing books gives her something she can control in an otherwise uncontrollable world.  Given up by her mother, watching her brother die, and living in a nation being torn apart of the atrocities of Hitler and World War Two, there is little else in her life she has power over.  While stealing away her books, Liesel learns to hope from those around her, discovers a new family and learns compassion in ways she never could imagine.

Analysis

While stories of the Holocaust and Hitler are popular these days, The Book Thief stands out.  To begin, it does not tell the story of concentration camps or Jews, but rather the life of a young, average, German girl.  Rather than focusing on the atrocities experienced by the persecuted, Zusak illustrates the everyday struggles of the poor and under-educated; a population easily over looked by history due to their lack of involvement or direct suffering during the war.  To add to this unique perspective, The Book Thief is voiced by a narrator who, while a major player in World War Two is rarely heard directly from; that of Death himself.

It seems only appropriate that Death would narrate a novel that is set in Germany in the midst of World War Two.  The voice that Zusak has created for him is somehow equally unexpected and absolutely perfect.  Death is cool and causal about the events of the human world around him, painting a picture of the world Liesel lives in without becoming overly connected to the humans he passes and carries.  At the same time, he is able to express all the anguish, fear and hope those who live with Liesel on Himmel Street experience, giving insights that allow the reader to connect with every major character in the book.

Of all the characters, Liesel and her Papa, Hans, are the most likeable.  Every action they take shows the depth of their compassion and the quality of their characters.  While the rest of Germany appears to have aligned their beliefs with Hitler, Hans does what is right and not popular, despite the repercussions he faces.  Liesel, in her own, more selfish way, also does what is right; rather than live illiterate and uneducated, she searches for opportunities to steal knowledge and learning.  Together, they work to make the best of the bad situation they have been given, eternally optimists.

Awards and Reviews

*SLJ Best Book of the Year

*Michael L. Printz Honor Book

*National Jewish Book Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature

*Daniel Elliott Peace Award

“The Book Thie’ is perched on the cusp between grown-up and young-adult fiction, and it is loaded with librarian appeal. It deplores human misery. It celebrates the power of language. It may encourage adolescents to read. It has an element of the fanciful. And it's a book that bestows a self-congratulatory glow upon anyone willing to grapple with it….

To be sure, The Book Thief attempts and achieves great final moments of tear-jerking sentiment. And Liesel is a fine heroine, a memorably strong and dauntless girl. But for every startlingly rebellious episode — Rudy's Führer-baiting impersonation of the black American athlete Jesse Owens, the building of an indoor snowman for a Jew in hiding, the creation of books and drawings that frame Liesel and Max's experiences as life-affirming fairy tales — there are moments that are slack.

The Book Thief will be appreciated for Mr. Zusak's audacity, also on display in his earlier I Am the Messenger. It will be widely read and admired because it tells a story in which books become treasures. And because there's no arguing with a sentiment like that.”  -New York Times

“When Death tells a story, you pay attention. Liesel Meminger is a young girl growing up outside of Munich in Nazi Germany, and Death tells her story as “an attempt—a flying jump of an attempt—to prove to me that you, and your human existence, are worth it.” When her foster father helps her learn to read and she discovers the power of words, Liesel begins stealing books from Nazi book burnings and the mayor’s wife’s library. As she becomes a better reader, she becomes a writer, writing a book about her life in such a miserable time. Liesel’s experiences move Death to say, “I am haunted by humans.” How could the human race be “so ugly and so glorious” at the same time? This big, expansive novel is a leisurely working out of fate, of seemingly chance encounters and events that ultimately touch, like dominoes as they collide. The writing is elegant, philosophical and moving. Even at its length, it’s a work to read slowly and savor. Beautiful and important.” –Kirkus

Connections

Read Night by ElieWiesel or Maus by Art Spiegelman.  Using what you learned about Max from the The Book Thief and the image of life in the concentration camps created by the other book, create a journal or narrative of Max’s life after the Germans captured him. 

Liesel is around the same age as Dewey from The Green Glass Sea and alive during the same time period, however their life experiences are very different.  Write a script of a conversation between the two girls about their experiences during World War Two.

Watch the movie version of The Book Thief.  Compare and contrast the two stories. Which version do you like more?  Why?

Markus Zusak writes about his book being made into a movie.

The movie trailer

An interview with Zusak

Zusak’s Twitter

Rodzina

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Bibliography

Cushman, Karen.  Rodzina.  New York: Clarion Books, 2003.  0-618-133-518

Summary

By the age of twelve, Rodzina Clara Jadwiga Anastazya Brodski had more life experience than most people three times her age.  After immigrating with her family to Chicago, she lived a happy life for a number of years being cared for by her mother, sharing laughter with her father and watching over her two younger brothers.  In her twelfth year, her happiness quickly disappeared as her entire family passed away.  Alone and penniless, she lived on the streets before being sent west on an orphan train to find a new family.  But who would want a potato-nosed, not-so-pretty girl? 

Analysis

The idea of becoming an orphan is intriguing to children.  It is a tragedy they can easily imagine, they are able to immediately understand the effect the loss of their parents would have on their life.  This relatable tragedy draws children into Rodzina’s story.  The intrigue of the historical facts keeps them engaged and interested in her world.

Rodzina is amazing similar to children today.  Her hopes, fears and desires mirror those of any child; she wants a family who cares for her, who will love her and who will take care of her no matter what.  These universal and timeless themes keep the reader connected to Rodzina when her experiences venture far from modern day expectations and standards. 

Taking place aboard the trans-continental railway, the reader is reminded of the setting not only with the descriptions of the passing landscape but also by the title of each chapter, which tells where the train has stopped.  At many of these stops, Rodzina reads the advertisements that are posted, giving the reader an idea of what was important to people of the time and creating a frame of reference for the decisions the characters make. 

Rodzina’s story, while fictional, is historically accurate and based on research.  For students who wish to know more, a list of books for further reading is at the back of the book following Cushman’s notes telling about the orphan trains and the orphan train experience.

Awards and Reviews

*Parents’ Choice Gold Award

*Booklist Editor’s Choice

*Booklinks Lasting Connections Selection

“Rodzina is prickly, stubborn, and heart-sore but she's also honest, likable and smart...Enough unpredictability to nicely unsettle expectations." –The Horn Book

“A natural for American history or social studies classes...especially interesting as a women's history title...a great story." –Booklist

“Engaging characters, a vivid setting, and a prickly but endearing heroine... first-person narrative captures... personality and spirit...poignancy, humor.” –School Library Journal

Connections

Create a map of the trans-continental railway.  Add markers showing key points in Rodzina’s journey west.

Research orphan trains.  Were the trains a good or bad idea?  Justify your opinion with facts from your research.

20 Facts about Karen Cushman

Interview with Cushman

Choose one of the other orphans from the story.  Write their story.  Include details about their life in Chicago, their thoughts about being on the orphan train and their hopes for what they will find in a new family.  Be sure to align your ideas with the character Cushman created.

The Green Glass Sea

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Bibliography

Klages, Ellen.  Read by Julie Dretzin.  The Green Glass Sea [CD].  New York: Penguin Putnam/Recorded Books.  2006.  9781428146396

Summary

In the midst of World War Two, life is difficult for all Americans.  This is particularly true for eleven-year-old Dewey Kerrigan.  After being abandoned by her mother as a toddler, Dewey has spent many years in the care of her grandmother while her father, a well-known and respected mathematician, has moved around the country teaching and working for the government.  After her grandmother suffers a stroke, Dewey is reunited with her father in Los Alamos, New Mexico where they live on a top-secret military base with scores of other mathematicians and scientists developing some type of “Gadget.”  Life on The Hill is a dream for Dewey; living with her father and being surrounded by brilliant men and women who are able to answer all her questions about math, science and machines without concerning themselves with her gender.  Her happiness on The Hill is interrupted when her father is requested to work in Washington, once again leaving her in the care of others.  This time however, it is not her grandmother but a family she hardly knows with a daughter who dislikes Dewey…and they are sharing a bedroom.

Analysis

Julie Dretzin expertly reads the seven unabridged CDs that make up this audio book.  Dretzin is a well-rehearsed and experienced performer, having acted on Broadway.  Her experience and expertise are easily heard through the multiple voices she creates, giving each character their own distinct sound.  A mental picture of Dewey is easy to create when listening to her small and uncertain voice talk about complicated mechanics and science concepts.  The confidence of a world-renowned mathematician comes through in her father’s voice, while at the same time capturing the uncertainty and stress of the project he is working so hard on.  There are no additional sound effects, beyond music to indicate the beginning and end of each CD, but the reader needs no additional noise, between Dretzin’s reading and Klages words a clear understanding and mental movie are created.

The Green Glass Sea is a perfect balance of fact and fiction.  The themes running through the book of family love, peer acceptance and following your dreams ring true in any time period while the feel of the fifties is captured through discussions of war, popular activities like “grabbing a Coke” and use of phrases such as “spiffy.”  The top secret nature of “The Project” keeps technical science talk to a minimum, however all the hints and overheard conversations are accurate.

The story itself is engaging and compelling, both to the intended young adult audience as well as to older readers.  Younger readers will easily connect with Dewey, who is confident in her ability and preferences, but lacks social graces with her peers.  Many young readers will be able to relate to her, sympathizing with her pain about being teased and understanding her interest in things her peers just don’t appreciate.  The mystery project that all the scientists and mathematicians are working on will keep kids wondering, while the code words used to describe the project will engage and entertain.  Girls, especially those interested in math and science, will find the social attitudes about women in these fields intriguing and unfair and will develop a new appreciation for how far society has come.

Older readers with a deeper understanding of World War Two will enjoy a peek into the daily lives of the civilians who worked endlessly to create the first atomic bomb.  Through the eyes of Dewey, we are able to see how life was for these brilliant minds, their motivations and hesitations about creating the most destructive force known to mankind.  The inner workings of the base and how the children of the project lived are subjects rarely touched on by historians and provide a new angle to an old subject. 

Awards and Reviews

*Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction- 2007

*Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children’s Literature – 2007

*One Book, One Nebraska for Kids – 2009

“Klages makes an impressive debut with an ambitious, meticulously researched novel set during WWII. Writing from the points of view of two displaced children, she successfully recreates life at Los Alamos Camp, where scientists and mathematicians converge with their families to construct and test the first nuclear bomb. Eleven-year-old Dewey, the daughter of a math professor, is shunned by the other girls at the camp due to her passionate interest in mechanics and her fascination with the dump, which holds all sorts of mechanisms and tools she can use for her projects. Her classmate Suze is also often snubbed and has been nicknamed "Truck" by her classmates ("'cause she's kind of big and likes to push people around," explains one boy). The two outcasts reluctantly come together when Dewey's father is called away to Washington, D.C., and Dewey temporarily moves in with Suze's family. Although the girls do not get along at first (Suze draws a chalk line in her room to separate their personal spaces), they gradually learn to rely on each other for comfort, support and companionship. Details about the era-popular music, pastimes and products-add authenticity to the story as do brief appearances of some historic figures including Robert Oppenheimer....the author provides much insight into the controversies surrounding the making of the bomb and brings to life the tensions of war experienced by adults and children alike.” –Publisher’s Weekly

“Dewey is an especially engaging character, plunging on with her mechanical projects and ignoring any questions about gender roles. Occasional shifts into first person highlight the protagonist's most emotional moments, including her journey to the site.... After the atomic bomb test succeeds, ethical concerns of both youngsters and adults intensify as the characters learn how it is ultimately used. Many readers will know as little about the true nature of the project as the girls do, so the gradual revelation of facts is especially effective, while those who already know about Los Alamos's historical significance will experience the story in a different, but equally powerful, way.” –School Library Journal

 Connections

Ellen Klages biography

The Penguin Educator’s Guide for The Green Glass Sea

Have students read WhiteSands, Red Menace, Klages continuation of the story.

Research the Manhattan Project, then look for historical facts included in the The Green Glass Sea.

Read another story of World War Two, such as Number the Stars or The Diary of Anne Frank.  Compare the lives of the girls, who were alive at the same point in history.  

Have students write a letter from Dewey to a child in Hiroshima after the bombing.  Have students reflect on how Dewey would feel about the dropping of the bomb and what she would want to convey to its' victims.

Breaking Stalin's Nose

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Bibliography

Yelchin, Eugene.  Breaking Stalin’s Nose.  New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2011.  9780805092165

Summary

Sasha Zaichik is a loyal communist, dedicated to Joseph Stalin.  Sasha longs to be just like his father, an honored and awarded member of the USSR’s State Security.  Sasha has an unwavering belief in communist ideals and sees that everything around him aligns with the perfect world Stalin is working so hard to create.  He lives with forty-eight people in a communal apartment with one small kitchen and one toilet, which helps develop community and assists them in taking care of each other.  When his father comes home, the neighbors fall quiet, not due to the fear their faces show but because of respect for him as a good communist. 

In the middle of the night, State Security officers come, tear apart the room Sasha shares with his father and take his father away.  As the neighbors move into the now unoccupied room, Sasha is left reeling.  Certain that a mistake has been made, he goes through the night and the next day with as much normalcy as possible, however every passing event turns his world more upside-down.

Analysis

From the title and standard American perspective, Breaking Stalin’s Nose would appear to be a typical book opposed to the ideals of communism and the beliefs of the USSR during the early twentieth century.  These assumptions and background make the first chapter an amazing hook.  The book begins with a letter to Stalin, praising him and the state he has created.  Without a hint of sarcasm or mischief, the letter speaks of the unfortunate American children and how blessed the writer is to have been born under such a strong, wise leader.  This conflict against traditional American ideals continues throughout the book, driving the reader forward, wondering if Sasha will continue in his firm belief or if his faith in Stalin will be broken.

In his first novel, Zaichik has created an intriguing story that is supplemented by his black and white, cartoonish illustrations.  For younger readers, the illustrations will serve to assist in picturing the world described, however the story stands strong on its own.  

Awards and Reviews

*2012 Newbery

"Mr.  Yelchin has compressed into two days of events an entire epoch, giving young readers a glimpse of the precariousness of life in a capricious yet ever-watchful totalitarian state."  -Wall Street Journal

"Through Sasha's fresh and optimistic voice, Yelchin powerfully renders an atmosphere of fear that forces false confessions, even among schoolchildren, and encourage neighbors and family members to betray one another without evidence.  Readers will quickly pick up on the dichotomy between Sasha's ardent beliefs and the reality of life under Stalinism, and be glad for his ultimate disillusion, even as they worry for his future."  -Publisher's Weekly

"Yelchin's debut novel does a superb job of depicting the tyranny of the group, whether residents of a communal apartment, kids on the playground, students in the classroom or government officials.  It's the readiness of the group to create outsiders--bad ones, "unreliables,""wreckers"--by instilling fear in everyone that chills.  Not many books for such a young audience address the Stalinist era, when, between 1923 and 1953, leaving a legacy of fear for future generations."  --Kirkus Reviews

Connections

To begin reading, watch the first chapter read by “Sasha” himself.

Explore the Breaking Stalin’s Nose website. 

Research Stalin and Communism to gain a deeper understanding of Sasha's experiences.

Sasha starts the book by writing a letter to Stalin.  After having read the book, students can write another letter from Sasha to Stalin taking into account all the events from the book.  What does Sasha have to say to Stalin now?

What would a world be like living in tight quarters with people you didn't know if you could trust?  Imagine you live in a shared apartment.  Write a letter to a friend explaining the ups and downs of this living situation while trying to persuade him to live in a room of your shared apartment.

Macmillan discussion guide

The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy)

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Bibliography

Kerley, Barbra.  Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham.  The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy).  New York: Scholastic, 2010.  978-0-545-12508-6

Summary

Everyone knows Mark Twain, the creator of legendary characters such as Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer.  It is likely that thousands of biographies have been written about his life, however there was one author who told a different story.  As she entered her teenage years, Twain’s daughter Susy took it upon herself to write a true biography of her father.  Susy was “a frank biographer and an honest one,” and she used “no sandpaper” in telling her father’s story.

Analysis

The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy) is not your typical biography.  Rather than give a large and detailed overview of Twain’s life, this book focuses on the relationship of father and daughter while giving a taste of Twain’s accomplishments and a glimpse into Susy’s world.  This unusual rendition creates an intriguing story that feels more like a work of fiction than the researched and historical account it is.  An extensive, page-by-page bibliography gives credit to the accuracy of the information while embedded quotations allow the personalities of Susy and Twain to shine through without bias or exaggeration.

The illustrations and layout support the text and further engage the reader in Susy’s story.  Deep, rich colors are a unifying factor in the illustrations, which vary from extremely detailed to simplistic silhouettes, keeping the reader interested in the art.  The biggest layout highlight may be the embedded pages from Susy’s journal, attached to the illustrations on every other page.  Rather than include the words from Susy’s journal entries in the text of the story, they are pulled out and placed as a book within a book, allowing the reader to open the journal entries separately.  Opening the journals and reading the italicized writing allows the reader to feel as though she is peering into Susy’s own journal, reading her original writing.

 Awards and Reviews

*2010 CYBILS Nonfiction Picture Book Award

*Best Children’s Books 2010 – Publisher’s Weekly

*Best Books 2010 – School Library Journal

*Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee

“Kerley and Fotheringham again craft a masterfully perceptive and largely visual biography, this time about the iconic 19th-century American writer. In pursuit of truth, Susy Clemens, age 13, vows to set the record straight about her beloved (and misunderstood) father and becomes his secret biographer. Kerley uses Susy's manuscript and snippets of wisdom and mirth from Twain's copious oeuvre as fodder for her story. The child's journal entries, reproduced in flowing handwritten, smaller folio inserts, add a dynamic and lovely pacing to the narrative, which includes little-known facts about Twain's work.  The text flawlessly segues into Susy's carefully recorded, sometimes misspelled, details of his character, intimate life, and work routine during his most prolific years....A delightful primer on researching and writing biographies, and a joy to peruse.” –SchoolLibrary Journal

“Kerley's conversational, quotation-rich narration effectively complements Susy's insights, and the result is an affectionate portrait of Twain as writer and family man…. Fotheringham's dynamically composed, digitally created full-bleed illustrations, both inventive and appealing, effectively recall the 19th-century setting, and big, swirling lines reflect the flourishes of an ink pen…. A heartwarming tribute to both the writing life in general and the well-loved humorist-oops, sorry Susy… ‘Pholosopher!’” –Kirkus Reviews 

Connections

Susy writes a biography to capture Mark Twain, his strengths and shortcomings.  Choose a member of your family.  In a journal format, write a biography that would give historians a clear picture of what they are like.

Writing an Extraordinary Biography by Barbara Kerley

Barbra Kerley’s Website

Throughout the book, illustrator Edwin Fotheringham incorporated different types of writing into the book’s illustrations – Susy’s journal pages, a newspaper print, one of Twain’s letters that appears as though he is writing it.  Choose a writer or artist to research.  Create a picture book incorporating their writing or art in a similar fashion.

Give students more traditional biographies on Twain.  Have them compare and contrast the styles then write a review of each book explaining its benefits and drawbacks.  Have them include an explanation of which style they like more. 

The Mark Twain Museum

Bomb: The Race to Build --and Steal-- the World's Most Dangerous Weapon

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Bibliography

Sheinkin, Steve. (2012): Read by Roy Samuelson. Bomb: The Race to Build – and Steal – the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon [CD]. New York: Roaring Book Press/Listening Library.  978-0-8041-2218-4

Summary

The Second World War is in full swing.  The Allied Powers are making progress in their fight against the Nazis, slowly containing their movement and power on the ground.  The Americans and Brits work hand-in-hand with the USSR, fighting a common enemy while never putting full trust in the each other.  Despite the progress that has been made, there is a serious concern among American leadership.  It is known that the Germans have discovered a new energy source that could potentially be harnessed to create a weapon of mass destruction.  In supposed secret, the American, Soviet and German governments all begin separate projects to develop this technology, knowing that whoever can harness its power first will win the war. 

The race is on.  Who will discover the secrets of the atom bomb first?

Analysis

The atom bomb was arguably the most advanced scientific development of the twentieth century.  It took thousands of people years to perfect its destructive powers.  At the same time that it was being developed in America, a complicated web of Soviet spies were attempting to discover the secrets of this technology while German scientists also worked to solve the atomic puzzle. 

Sheinkin has managed to weave all these stories into one book.  Combining historical fact with dialog, this does not feel like the nonfiction that it is.  Jumping from viewpoint to viewpoint, Steinkin tells the story of American scientists and Soviet spies, then jumps to the viewpoint of the President or army rangers deep in enemy territory.  This constant change of voice keeps the reader engaged and makes the book feel like a story rather than a textbook.  Never staying with one story line for long, each section leaves the reader wondering what will happen next.

While all these story lines keep the book interesting, they also make the book complicated to follow.  There are many people involved in making the bomb that matching names to storylines becomes a challenge midway through the book.  While the book is recommended for grades 5-9, I would personally suggest the upper range of these grades due to the complexity of the story.

The 6 CD, unabridged audio version of the book is straightforward and simplistic.  Samuelson reads aloud, clearly and at a steady pace.  There is no background music, sound effects or character voice.  However, the simplicity is appreciated and appropriate.  Any added gimmicks would feel out of place with the seriousness of the subject matter.

Awards and Reviews

*Newbery Honor Book

*Robery F. Sibery Award

*National Book Awards – Finalist

“It’s a true spy thriller, ranging from the football stadium at the University of Chicago to the mountains of Norway, from the deserts of New Mexico to laboratories in East Tennessee, and all along the way spies in the United States were feeding sensitive information to the KGB… It takes a lot of work to make a complicated subject clear and exciting, and from his prodigious research and storytelling skill, Sheinkin has created a nonfiction story young people will want to read.

A superb tale of an era and an effort that forever changed our world.” –Kirkus Review

“This superb and exciting work of nonfiction would be a fine tonic for any jaded adolescent who thinks history is “boring.” It’s also an excellent primer for adult readers who may have forgotten, or never learned, the remarkable story of how nuclear weaponry was first imagined, invented and deployed—and of how an international arms race began well before there was such a thing as an atomic bomb.” –TheWall Street Journal

Connections

Research the major events of World War Two.  Create a dual timeline showing key moments in the making of the atomic bomb side by side with major world events.

Research one of the scientists, politicians or spies from Bomb.  Write a diary from their viewpoint.  Tell about their struggles and thoughts during the production of the atomic bomb.  Include doubts, certainties and personal feelings that can be supported but not necessarily proven by the official documentation of their work.

School Library Journal interviews Steve Sheinkin

Steve Sheinkin introduces the book

Complete research on the short and long term effects of the bomb.  Stage a debate arguing the merits and faults of the bomb.  Should any country have this power? 

Teaching Guide from Steven Sheinkin

Sheinkin’s Website

Inside Out & Back Again

http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/
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Bibliography

Lai, Thanhha.  Inside Out & Back Again.  New York: Harper, 2011.  9780061962783

Summary

For ten-year old Hà, life is Saigon is pleasant.  Not perfect, she wishes that her father had not disappeared when she was an infant and that her mother did not have to work so hard, but she enjoys the treats she gets from the market and watching her papaya tree grow.  The occasional drills and bomb drops are an annoyance, but she loves her home.  When the war comes too close, her mother decides that it is time for the family to leave Saigon and head for the unknown, much to Hà’s displeasure.  After months in transition, from battleships to refugee camps, Hà finally reaches Alabama, where more challenges are waiting.

Analysis

Chronologically presented, each dated and titled poem gives a glimpse into Hà’s inner thoughts about the world around her.  As would be expected, her interests and concerns are those of a ten-year-old: school, friends, parents, and free time.  Even while living in war-torn Vietnam, her mind focuses on these aspects of life, rarely thinking about the larger problems that surround her.  And why should she?  The war is a problem for adults.  Her mother, older brothers and teachers tell her what she needs to know.  For a modern day American child, the similarities shared with Hà may come as a surprise.  They are likely to be amazed at how very similar they are to this girl from a different country and decade.   

The free verse poems do more than document Hà’s life; they beautifully capture her feelings about the events happening around her.  The writing is not fancy or complex; there is little use of figurative language and no rhyme or repetition.  These poems use capture intricate details and paint them into masterpieces in the mind of the reader.  The sensory descriptions of markets, papaya plants and bomb blasts allow the reader to feel the world as it unfolds around Hà, the amount of detail she presents being a gauge of how important it is to her. 

Awards and Reviews

*Newbery Honor Book 2012

*National Book Award Winner 2011

*ALA Notable Children’s Book 2012, Middle

*School Library Journal Best Books of 2011, Fiction

“All told, Inside Out and Back Again has the brevity of a verse novel packed with a punch many times its size. It’s one of the lovelier books I’ve read in a long time, and can make you think about and question the entire immigrant novel genre, so long a permanent part of the American children’s literary canon. Lai drew upon much of her own life to write this book. Now I’d like to see what she’s capable of when she looks at other subjects as well. Great new author. Great new book.” –School Library Journal

“Based in Lai’s personal experience, this first novel captures a child–refugee’s struggle with rare honesty. Written in accessible, short free–verse poems, Hà’s immediate narrative describes her mistakes—both humorous and heartbreaking; and readers will be moved by Hà’s sorrow as they recognize the anguish of being the outcast.” -Booklist

Connections

Immigrating to America is a very different experience for every person.  Read another book about an immigrant coming to America.  Have students look for common themes between the characters and experiences.   Have students use these common themes to write their own immigration story.  If possible, have students research their own family history and write from the perspective of their ancestors. 

Research what immigrating to America and becoming an American citizen requires.  Have students take a citizenship test and see if they would be able to become a citizen.   Students then could write a persuasive letter to their state representatives explaining how they believe incoming immigrants should be evaluated.   

Research the current debate about immigration into America, making sure to read opinions from all sides. Have students orally debate about how America should handle new immigrants. 

Scholastic Reading Group Guide for Inside Out & Back Again

A note from Lai

Lai reads aloud from Inside Out & Back Again

Viet Kids is a not-for-profit started by Lai to provide bikes for children in Vietnam

Swamp Angel

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Bibliography

Isaacs, Anne. Illus by Paul O. Zelinsky.  Swamp Angel.  New York: Dutton Children’s Books, 1994.  0525452710

Summary

When Angelica Longrider was born, she was just a happy, Tennessee baby with a loving family.  She grew up making log houses and playing in the hills, as was the norm.  However, the day she bare-handedly saved a group of covered wagons from being stuck in a swamp showed that she might be more than people expected.

Analysis

The voice in Swamp Angel rings clear from the first page; this is a story about rural southern America.  The voice of the narrator takes you to the back hills, with phrases such as “second to none in buckskin bravery.”  The illustrations support this, showing idealistic scenes of the Great Smokey Mountains and the details of the hills. 

What grabs the reader’s attention is the juxtaposition of illustration, text and logic.  Isaacs makes statements that are clearly absurd and presents them as fact.  In explaining Swamp Angel’s very average birth, he states that she “was scarcely taller than her mother and couldn’t climb a tree without help.”  The illustration shows a traditional happy family, however the young child in her mother’s arms has a head the size of beach ball and a full-grown body.   Young and old will see the humor and oddity in this statement and be drawn into the story to discover more about this strange character. 

It is easy to fall in love with Swamp Angel.  From the second page of the book, she is going out of her way to help others, putting out fires and saving covered wagons while asking for nothing in return.  She shows courage and gumption, self-confidence and bravery, never allowing naysayers to get the better of her.  She shows the importance of determination and hard work to the American settlers while providing an entertaining story at the same time.

Awards and Reviews

*Caldecott Honor, 1995

*New York Times Best Illustrated Books of 1994

*ALA Notable Book, 1994

*School Library Journal Best Books of 1994

“This valiant heroine is certain to leave youngsters chuckling-and perhaps even keeping a close watch on the night sky.” –Publisher’s Weekly

“It is impossible to convey the sheer pleasure, the exaggerated loopiness, of newcomer Isaacs's wonderful story. Matching the superb text stride for stride are Zelinsky's (The Wheels on the Bus, 1990) altered-state, American primitive paintings--gems that provide new pleasures, reading after reading. To say that you are entering Caldecott land doesn't begin to do this book justice.” – Kirkus

"Move over, Paul Bunyan, you are about to meet Swamp Angel, an original creation in the tall-tale tradition whose exploits are guaranteed to amaze and amuse a wide swath of readers. . . Visually exciting, wonderful to read aloud, this is a picture book to remember." –Horn Books

Connections

After reading Swamp Angel, read Sally Ann Thunder AnnWhirlwind Crockett by Steven Kellogg.  Students could compare and contrast the two characters, looking at their similarities and differences.

In Swamp Angel, the origins of the Short Grass Prairie are explained.  Provide students with a list of natural landmarks in the United States, such as the Grand Canyon, redwood forest and great lakes.  Have students choose one and then write a tall tale explaining how it came to be.

To extend the story, have students write as Swamp Angel to Sally Ann Whirlwind or Paul Bunyan telling of her recent adventures.

Anne Issacs biography

Isaacs explains how SwampAngel came to be.

Book Preview of Dust Devil, the sequel to Swamp Angel, with a focus on illustrations.