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Module 14: All the Broken Pieces

Book Summary

Matt Pin was adopted into an American family after being air lifted out of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. His birth father was an American soldier and his birth mother was Vietnamese. His birth mother was forced to give him up for a better life. Matt plays the piano and becomes the pitcher of his baseball team. Through his coaches, parents, and piano teacher, Matt is guided towards facing his past, the people who treat him badly because of where he is from, the political climate of the time, and his own mistakes he has made. 

APA Reference of the Book

Burg, Anne. (2009). All the broken pieces. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. 

Impression
This is an emotional, powerful book that explores the tensions and misunderstandings that faced our nation after the Vietnam War. I think choosing to write this novel in verse made it more powerful and was the best format for this novel. This is a heavy novel, but one that I feel is needed. The emotions are much better expressed through verse than if it were just a standard novel. Like a strong fiction book, the changes the main character experiences are profound. There are not many books that confront this time in our nation's history and I think it is an important one that needs to be addressed. I also felt that weaving sports and music into this book not only make it more realistic, but show how these forums can help us deal with our emotions and experiences. It's a tear jerker, but a much needed one. 

Professional Review

Seventh-grader Matt is haunted by his past, when his frantic Vietnamese mother, intent on keeping her elder son safe, sent him to America in the Saigon airlift when he was nine. On the surface, he seems to have settled in with his American family—he has joined the baseball team and become its star pitcher, and he's taking to the piano like a duck to water—but he's still tormented by grief and guilt over what he experienced, especially his younger brother's terrible injuries from encountering a land mine when he was under Matt's care. The free-verse text lacks tonal control, veering from sentimentality to flat prosiness to oversophisticated metaphor, and there's some cliché in plot elements such as Matt's misunderstanding of a parental conversation he overhears and his relationship with a racist bully on the team. The book tackles some subjects worthy of exploration, though, ranging from the parallels between the civilian and soldier experiences in the Vietnam War to the difficulty of reconciling a traumatic past with a peaceful present, especially when a child has left family behind; as a picture of older-child adoption, it's refreshing in its acknowledgment of the importance of the child's earlier life. With its accessible writing, this will help it bridge the historical gap for young readers, who may gain new understanding of some of the struggles of the previous generation.

Stevenson, D. (2009). [Review of the book: All the broken pieces, by D. Stevenson]. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books: 62(9), 35. 

Library Uses

This book could be used in a variety of scenarios: novels in verse, sports books, adoption stories, etc. I think this book would best be served as a study or display on books that have to do with the Vietnam War era. While this piece of history is more current than other wars and historical events, I think it gets some of the least recognition or study. To me, that's unfortunate, as I think a lot of our current political climate can be compared to this time. 

Module 13: Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea

Book Summary

This graphic novel tells about the time in Guy Delisle's life that he worked as an animator in the hermit country of North Korea. While the reader gets insight into Delisle's thoughts, feelings, and the work he did while he was there, the black and white illustrations give a feeling of the loneliness and oddness of North Korea. The reader also learns a lot of information about North Korea in another format. 

APA Reference of the Book
Delisle, Guy. (2007). Pyongyang: A journey in North Korea. Montreal, Quebec: L'Association. 

Impression
I was very excited to read this graphic novel because North Korea is big area of interest. I lived for three years in South Korea and have read extensively on North Korea and the issues the divided countries face. I think this was a great format to write this memoir, because the visual elements of it were better communicated than if it was just described. Many of the visuals in this were very powerful. Because I've read a lot on North Korea, there were not many new things that I learned about the country. But I think for someone unfamiliar on the nation, this would be an interesting read. I did not especially like Delisle's style of writing. There were a few underlying jabs towards Asians in general, especially about the Chinese. I'm not sure if this was his intention, but I did not care for this attitude. A huge issue that I took with this book was when he would write in Korea. While, I don't speak or have an extensive Korean vocabulary, his Korean was nonsensical. Some of the characters were not even real characters and many of the "words" he would write wouldn't even include a vowel, so they were not real words. While I don't expect everything to be in perfect Korean, a bit of research and translation would have gone a long way. 

Professional Review

Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea

by Guy Delisle

Jonathan Cape £12.99, pp184

Comic-book memoirs of life in dangerous locations have become a minor genre. Joe Sacco's Palestine was followed by Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis books, documenting life in revolutionary Iran. Now French-Canadian cartoonist Guy Delisle's Pyongyang chronicles his two-month stay in North Korea, supervising animation work, prior to 9/11.

As a foreigner, severely restricted in where he may travel, much of Delisle's account centres on official landmarks devoted to the state and its glorious leadership. Even a trip to the railway station requires several days' prior notice, and the pocket guide counsels sternly: 'Do not try anything on your own.' Delisle's evocative pencil drawings are suited to depicting a colourless, twilight world in which the state is all, with his rudimentary characters inhabiting vast and much more detailed architectural environments. Less well drawn are the inner lives of Pyongyang's citizens.

Even Delisle's ubiquitous 'guide' and translator remain little more than surfaces, etched only with party propaganda and moments of discomfort. Perhaps this is exactly how people behaved in the author's presence; perhaps they were genuinely inscrutable. Pyongyang effectively conveys a foreigner's experience of this Hermit Kingdom, though one can't help but wonder what lies behind those surfaces, especially now that North Korea has joined the nuclear club.

Thompson, D. (2006). [Review of the book: Pyongyang: A journey in North Korea, by G. Delise]. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/oct/15/travel.features

Library Uses
North Korea is a huge area of interest because of the prominence of the country in the news and the mystery that surrounds the hermit country. Pairing this book with The Aquariums of Pyongyang would be an interesting comparison of the memoirs. It would lead to great discussion for a high school reading club.  

Module 12: Hank Aaron: Brave in Every Way

Book Summary

This book is the biography of Hank Aaron. It is a narrative account of his life starting at his childhood and ending at him beating Babe Ruth's home run record. The story along with its beautiful illustrations give a lot of information and facts about Hank Aaron's life, struggles, and successes. 

APA Reference of the Book
Golenbock, Peter. (2001). Hank Aaron: Brave in every way. Orlando, FL: Gulliver Books. 

Impression
This book was well written--interesting, yet simple enough to understand. It weaved facts seamlessly into an intriguing narrative about Hank Aaron. It reminded me a lot of a favorite picture book biography of mine--Roberto Clemente: Pride of the PittsburgPirates. The book did not include an author's note or any information about references, but it was clear throughout the writing that the author did do a lot of research before writing this book. I felt the author did a good way of addressing the negative attention and death threats that were received by Hank Aaron, but in a very age appropriate way. 

Professional Review
GOLENBOCK, PETER. (2001). Hank Aaron: Brave in Every Way. Illus by Paul Lee. San Diego: Harcourt. ISBN 0-15-202093-4.
    When Hank Aaron was born his father wanted him to know the joy of playing baseball and his mother wanted him to make a difference in the world. Hank did both of these things. Hank Aaron played baseball in the major leagues and in 1974 he broke Babe Ruth's homerun record.
    This biography would be interesting to cluster with several other recent baseball biographies such as Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man (Adler, 1997), Satchel Paige (Ransome, 2000); and Golenbock's earlier book, Teammates (1992) about Pee Wee Reese.

Brewer, J. & Bushner, D. (2002). Spotlight: nonfiction [Review of the book Hank Aaron: Brave in every way, by P. Golenbock]. New England Reading Association Journal: 38(2), p. 35.

Library Uses
This book could be used in a variety of purposes. It could be included in a biography study. I would highly recommend it to teachers looking for a mentor text for writing a biography. It would be a strong book to include when studying sports stars or African American history. Additionally, it could spark a discussion about how illustrations influence a story and provide information just through pictures. 

Module 11: Zombie Makers: True Stories of Nature's Undead

Book Summary

We all know that the zombies we see in popular culture are not real, but there are zombie makers out there among us! This book tells about creatures, parasites, and fungi that take over the bodies and brains of other creatures. The book uses flashy graphics, references to pop culture, well researched facts, and shocking pictures to engage the reader into learning more about these little known creatures. 

APA Reference of the Book
Johnson, Rebecca. (2013). Zombie makers: True stories of nature's undead. Minneapolis, MN: Milbrook Press.

Impression
This book has all the elements of a popular and well done informational book. It is visually appealing. Uses text features to engage the reader and provide them with visually interesting information. The book is very well researched and as flashy and visually appealing as it is, it has even stronger scientific research and information behind it. I can just see this book flying off the shelves to upper elementary students. However, I did not like it! The pictures completely grossed me out and while the information was presented well, learning about undead animals is certainly not something I want to spend my time doing. I have a pretty big fear of raccoons. The chapter about the rabid racoons was way too much for me. While I would never want to read this book again, I would certainly have it in my collection. 

Professional Review

With the popularity of zombie books and movies today, can you imagine a student’s excitement when seeing this title? How cool! And it’s not science fiction, it’s science…carefully researched and documented. Zombie makers, which may be a fungus, parasite, insect, or worm, take control of animals by injecting them either through the bloodstream or brain and making them their zombie “slaves.” Clear, close-up photographs (some on a microscopic level) document both the process of paralysis and the results, which are described on a behavioral as well as a cellular level. After the general description of the zombie-making process, there is a section titled “The Science Behind the Story.” The biology and physiology of the process are described at a middle school level so that students can understand not only the zombie makers’ behavior and life-cycles, but also what is happening internally in the host animals. As an added bonus, the scientists who researched the phenomena are documented and their experiments and research activities described. I highly recommend this book, which will appeal to all readers. Teachers, please give your students a chance to enjoy this book, too!

Schoen-Giddings, L. (2013). Zombie makers: True stories of nature's undead. Science Scope, 36(7), 108. 

Library Uses
While I can see this book flying off the shelves, it would also be a great book to focus on in a display to lead students to other similar books. Zombies are currently very popular in pop culture right now. Librarians could capitalize on it to create a zombie themed display to draw students into the library. Other titles to consider including would be: Diary of a Zombie Kid, anything from the Zombie Chaser series, My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish.

Module 10: Tomas and the Library Lady

Book Summary

Tomas and his family are migrant workers that travel from Texas to Iowa for work on farms. In the summer, his family goes to Iowa. Tomas likes to sit under the tree with his grandpa and listen to his stories. While in Iowa, Tomas visits the library. He falls in love and visits the library every day. He reads stories and improves his English, with the help of the special librarian. He is taken to faraway lands and adventures through reading. He goes home and shares with his grandpa the stories he reads. When it is time to return to Texas, he takes his grandpa to visit the library and librarian one last time. The librarian speaks the Spanish she has learned from Tomas and gives him a book to take with him. He reads it to his grandpa on their trip back to Texas. 

APA Reference of the Book
Mora, Pat. (1997). Tomas and the library lady. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

Impression
This book has always been popular with my colleagues, but until this week, I had never read it. I really enjoyed the way it presented the worlds that can be opened up to you from reading. The illustrations were realistic, but also brought a bit of fantasy that worked perfectly with the story. It shows how important reading and education can be for your future success. Tomas Rivera became a very important figure in the Latino community and this book shows how important education is to this. It is not preachy or seems like it is teaching a lesson. It is just a charming story about a young boy, his grandfather, and a librarian. 

Professional Review

Pat Mora's Tomas and the Library Lady (Illus. by Raul Colon. Random House, 1997) is based on a true incident that happened in the young life of Tomas Rivera, famous writer, educational leader, and university president at the University of California at Riverside. Tomas, the son of migrant farm workers, goes to a public library in Iowa in search of more stories like Papa Grande tells. Until Tomas must return to Texas at the end of the summer, his love for stories and books is nurtured by "the library lady."

Two other books that depict this special love for the library and reading are Patricia McKissack's Goin' Someplace Special (Illus. by Jerry Pinkney. Atheneum, 2001) and William Miller's Richard Wright and the Library Card (Illus. by Gregory Christie. Lee & Low Books, 1999). Goin' Someplace Special is the story of Tricia Ann, a young African American girl in the 1950's segregated South who is on her way to one place where all are welcome-the public library Richard Wright and the Library Card is a fictionalized account of an event from the autobiography of well-known African American writer of Black Boy and Native Son. Wright grew up in the South in the 1920s and, though he couldn't obtain a library card of his own in Memphis, he borrowed one from a white man and used it under the pretense of checking out books for the man.

Brodie, C. S. (2003). Connect the book: Tomas and the library lady. School Library Media Activities Monthly, 19(9), 48-48,51. 

Library Uses
This book, in my opinion, should be included in any study on Hispanic or Latino history study. Additionally, I think it is a perfect mentor text for writing personal narrative and would share it with teachers looking for authentic literature to use in their writing workshop. The Zach Scott Theater in Austin is running a production of this in early 2016 and it would make a great field trip to take students on to watch the play.