Mod. 6 - THINGS I HAVE TO TELL YOU - edited by Betsy Franco

Bibliographic data
Things I Have to Tell You. Cambridge: Candlewick, 2001.


Critical analysis
This is a must-have book for many girls because the girls that authored this book say so many things most girls want to say, and have questions about. This is a collection of poems, stories, and essays written by girls between the ages of fourteen and nineteen years old. They reveal secrets that have helped them overcome challenges they have had to face. One young author reveals that she looked up in the thesaurus the listing for “gentle” because she was taught that women were gentle creatures. The words she found as synonymous to the term are not what she wanted to be referred to as. Some of the terms she lists are: restricted, limited, not tough, broken, muted, stifled, lacking authority, long-suffering, servile, harmless, knowing no better, and bit of fluff.

There are many issues covered in this collection. These topics are very important for teenage girls and include such issues as how to be perfect, finding happiness, love, loss of love, drug use, suicide, strength, living, and even a bad hair day.

The black and white photographs in this collection are not pictures of the authors, but even so, they are depictions of strong young girls, average girls, just like typical readers. The photographer, Nina Nickles did an outstanding job catching simplistic but yet powerful photographs. There are photographs of girls that feel good about themselves, and those that look troubled. There are pictures of young girls with their friends, and even with boys.


Excerpt:

SECRETS
Do you know my secret,
Did I tell you it last night,
Were you listening to my dreams,
Were you hiding out of sight?

Do you look to find my secret,
Reading letters, reading notes,
Picking up sometimes on phone calls,
Opening books to see what I wrote?

Do you really want to know my secret,
Will it answer all your questions,
Take away your mass of worries?
Or maybe, you could ask for my suggestions.

Do you ever think to ask me about my secret,
Being honest and forthright,
With no lies or hidden feelings?
Only then will my secret come to light.
~Jessica L. McCloskey, age 16 (p. 1)

Practical suggestion
Have students – girls and yes, even boys – write their own poems, short stories, essays, etc. What can they tell someone about growing up? What tricks have they learned that they would like to pass down? Don’t have the young authors sign their name to it. Leave it anonymous for the sake of embarrassment. Sometimes activities like these can be personal.



External assessments
VOYA
Poet and anthologist Franco vividly remembers the feelings of loneliness and isolation that she experienced as a teenager. Her personal memories prompted a wish to give girls from twelve to eighteen years old a way to tell their own stories, offering their peers help in facing the pain and challenge of adolescence. Recommend this title to inspire and empower other young women. Teachers considering using the book in a classroom situation should be aware of some strong language and adult themes.

School Library Journal
And while the poems are triumphant in their realism, the book is elevated by the inclusion of gritty, unposed black-and-white photographs. These pictures, not taken to illustrate the poems, do so in an exemplary fashion. Like snapshots from personal photo albums, the images of a multicultural array of "everygirls" are harmonious complements to this outstanding collection.

Mod. 6 - THE ROSE THAT GREW FROM CONCRETE - by Tupac Shakur

Bibliographic data
Shakur, Tupac. The Rose That Grew from Concrete. New York: Pocket Books, 2008.


Critical analysis
This is an amazing book of urban poetry by the deceased rapper, Tupac (2pac) Shakur. This collection of very personal poetry from the rapper was published after his early death.

These 72 poems were written from the time he was nineteen years old. On the facing page, the poem is typed out. It is difficult for some to read some of Tupac’s poems, as they were not always written in complete words. He drew an eye for “I,” the number two for “to” and so forth.

Tupac’s mother Afeni Shakur wrote an acknowledgement in the preface of the book of his poetry. One can truly feel the sadness and hopelessness of a young black male. He is also a child of a single mother.

The lyrics to his rap songs are more negative than his poems. There are many emotional poems about heartbreak, crack destroying a relationship, government issues, love, racism, God, and even poems about Van Gogh and Marilyn Monroe. He covers the gamete of relationship issues and issues that involve the environment in which he grew up in.

This collection of Tupac’s poetry is raw, emotional, and sincere. It will allow readers to see a different side of the well-known ruthless rapper that most are more accustomed to. Sprinkled throughout the book are black and white photographs of the rapper at different stages of his short life. It is a great collection for those reluctant readers that fear jumping into poetry because they are afraid they will not understand it.

Excerpt:

The Rose That Grew from Concrete
~Autobiographical ~

Did u hear about the rose that grew from a crack
in the concrete
Proving nature's laws wrong it learned 2 walk
without having feet
Funny it seems but by keeping its dreams
it learned 2 breathe fresh air
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else even cared!
(p. 3)


Practical suggestion

http://www.poetryvisualized.com/media/1530/Tupac_Poem_By_Nikki_Giovanni_-_The_Rose_That_Grew_From_Concrete/

Have students write a campaign for D.A.R.E, but using poems or haikus. Use Shakur’s “U R Ripping Us Apart!!!” poem about the drug, crack, as an example.

http://www.2paclegacy.com/


External assessments
VOYA
[The collection of poems] might allow the reader to see the hopelessness that the author felt as a young black male, a poet who thought he had to be tough to survive and whose posturing killed him. It is strongly recommended that librarians and teachers read his rap lyrics if they have not already done so. Shakur's lyrics are currently posted on the Internet at http://www.tupac.net/lyrics. After reading this poetry collection, the raps are not only frightening, they are also sad. To paraphrase the poster from the United Negro College Fund, a mind is, indeed, a terrible thing to waste.


School Library Journal
YA-A collection of poetry written by the rapper between 1989 and 1991, before he became famous. The poems are passionate, sometimes angry, and often compelling. Selections are reproduced from the originals in Shakur's handwriting, personalized by distinctive spelling and the use of ideographs (a drawing of an eye for I, etc.), and complete with scratch outs and corrections. With the exception of "In the Event of My Demise," all of the pieces are accompanied by typed text, which leaves his spelling intact. Some poems are also accompanied by his drawings. A few black-and-white photographs appear throughout. A preface by Shakur's mother, a foreword by Nikki Giovanni, and an introduction by his manager, Leila Steinburg, in whose writing group the poems were written, complete this unique volume.

Mod. 6 - PERSEPOLIS: THE STORY OF A CHILDHOOD - by Marjane Satrapi

Bibliographic data
Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. New York: Pantheon, 2004.


Critical analysis
This graphic novel is inspiring, unnerving, and saddening. Satrapi depicts the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen. These years saw the overthrow of the Shah's regime and the triumph of the Islamic Revolution.

This graphic novel also details the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The author’s parents are forward-thinking individuals. They have televisions, read and debate politics, read newspapers, listen to American music, and live a pretty good life in Iran. That is until Islamic fundamentalists take over and create rules and regulations that stifle the family. Young Marji’s strong will and independence makes her parents both proud and fearful.

Marjane Satrapi’s life events take place in this short graphic novel. The drawings are simply black and white, but portray the intense events that are happening. This new movement is explained in such a way that readers are able to understand how the Islamic fundamentalists disintegrated the country, community, and its people. It also signifies the difference between home life and public life.




Practical suggestion
A New York Times Notable Book
A Time Magazine “Best Comix of the Year”
A San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times Best-seller

Watch the movie based on Satrapi’s book.

As a class, investigate the recent history, geography, culture, and political climate of Iran.

Key vocabulary words to explain: Muslim, Fundamentalism, Shah, Ayatollah, Shador, Taliban

Make connections with other topics related to this book: Modern World History, Social Problems, and Woman’s Literature.

At the core of the book is Marji’s family. What is this family like? What is important to Marji’s parents? What environment do they create for their daughter despite living under an oppressive regime and through a brutal, prolonged war? From where do they get their strength?

Describe the writer’s voice. Is it appealing? Which aspects of Marji’s character do you identify with or like the most, the least? Did your reaction to the little girl affect your reading experience?

Persepolis became an animated film in 2007.

http://www.randomhouse.com/pantheon/graphicnovels/satrapi.html

External assessments
Publishers Weekly
Skillfully presenting a child's view of war and her own shifting ideals, she also shows quotidian life in Tehran and her family's pride and love for their country despite the tumultuous times. Powerfully understated, this work joins other memoirs-Spiegelman's Maus and Sacco's Safe Area Goradze-that use comics to make the unthinkable familiar.

School Library Journal
The girl's independence, which made her parents both proud and fearful, caused them to send her to Austria. With bold lines and deceptively uncomplicated scenes, Satrapi conveys her story. From it, teens will learn much of the history of this important area and will identify with young Marji and her friends. This is a graphic novel of immense power and importance for Westerners of all ages. It will speak to the same audience as Art Spiegelman's Maus.

Mod. 5 - THE BOOK THIEF - by Markus Zusak

Bibliography
Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief (Signed!). Chicago: The Bodley Head, 2007.

Critical Analysis

First the colors.
Then the humans.
That’s usually how I see things.
Or at least, how I try.

***HERE IS A SMALL FACT***
You are going to die.

Death narrates the story of a girl, Liesel in 1939 Nazi Germany. It is the story of the power of words and reading in a time and place where it was frowned upon. No one was supposed to form their own opinions. Opinions were handed to you by the Fuhrer. This is a story of Nazi Germany. Most of the time we read stories of the oppressed in this situation, so it is a different read with many of the same qualities we usually read about during this war.

This writer creates a very strong character development throughout the novel. Watching and reading about how Liesel grows up to be such a smart and mature young lady captivates the heart and creates an instant bond between the character and reader. Readers are also instantly touched by Rudy’s candidness. Finding moments to laugh while reading of such a depressing time is difficult, so it is nice to smile when we read about Rudy painting himself black with charcoal to impersonate Jesse Owens while he races.

Although the book is a little bit too lengthy, it still captivates the reader’s attention with each word that Death narrates. Death uses so many metaphors, similes, analogies and other descriptive language that it is a very poetic and easy read that one pictures as the story folds out in front of them. Death being personified as this character, usually viewed as dark and evil, but in this instance is just as sad with all the, well…death, that surrounds the place, as the rest of us are.

Even though this is a gloomy, dark, and sad book to read it is well worth finishing to fully appreciate the strength and perseverance of these characters from this time period. Personally, I found it one of the most difficult books to finish and it took the longest out of this course to complete the reading because of the stories I have heard from my grandfather of WWII. Zusack is such a great writer and the words that he uses are even felt by the reader.

Practical suggestion

http://www.booksattransworld.co.uk/thebookthief/

Have young adults create a book trailer for this novel.

Read this novel after reading a nonfiction portrayal of the Holocaust, preferably “The Diary of Anne Frank.”


Awards:
2008 Ena Noel Award - the IBBY Australia Ena Noël Encouragement Award for Children's Literature
2007 Michael L. Printz Honor book by the Young Adult Library Services Association
2006 Kathleen Mitchell Award 2006 (literature)


External assessments

School Library Journal
Zusak not only creates a mesmerizing and original story but also writes with poetic syntax, causing readers to deliberate over phrases and lines, even as the action impels them forward. Death is not a sentimental storyteller, but he does attend to an array of satisfying details, giving Liesel’s story all the nuances of chance, folly, and fulfilled expectation that it deserves. An extraordinary narrative.

Booklist
There's too much commentary at the outset, and too much switching from past to present time, but as in Zusak's enthralling I Am the Messenger (2004), the astonishing characters, drawn without sentimentality, will grab readers. More than the overt message about the power of words, it's Liesl's confrontation with horrifying cruelty and her discovery of kindness in unexpected places that tell the heartbreaking truth.

The Horn Book Magazine
Exquisitely written and memorably populated, Zusak's poignant tribute to words, survival, and their curiously inevitable entwinement is a tour de force to be not just read but inhabited.

Mod. 5 - 33 THINGS EVERY GIRL SHOULD KNOW - by Tonya Bolden

Bibliography
Bolden, Tonya. 33 Things Every Girl Should Know: Stories, Songs, poems, and Smart Talk by 33 Extraordinary Women. New York, New York: Crown Books For Young Readers, 1998.


This book uses poems, photographs, essays, and more to present empowering women and their stories. This book does not tell how girls should live their life, rather it gives advice for certain situations for girls. Tonya Bolden, the compiler, offers an introduction to these short but empowering sections. The female contributors portray independence, positivity, they cheer readers on through their difficulties, and their advice helps young ladies grow into strong women.

Sigourney Weaver writes about her commencement address she delivered in 1990 for an all-girls school. Weaver left the graduates with a poem:

“Come to the edge,” I said.
“No, we’re afraid.”
“Come to the edge.”
“No…We’re afraid. We’ll fall.”
“Come to the edge,” I said again.
And they came.
And I pushed them.
And they flew.

This book includes stories by Sandra Cisneros, who wrote the short story “Eleven,” novelist Alice Hoffman, supermodel and actress Lauren Hutton, writer M. E. Kerr, singer and songwriter Natalie Merchant, spina bifida inflicted Gretchen Rosenkranz, MTV news correspondent Tabitha Soren, and designer Vera Wang, among many others.

This book is a great book for pre-teen and teenage girls to embrace their femininity, independence, and learn to love themselves as who they are. It is mostly an enticing read with witty remarks from the authors. Some sections of this book tend to drag on and become boring to read, but since this is a short collection of many different contributors, readers are not bored for too long. It is a book to read in many short sittings or easy and short enough to read all at once.


Full List of Contributors:
· Lynda Barry
· Barbara Brandon
· Sandra Cisneros
· Judith Ortiz Cofer
· Johnnetta B. Cole
· Ann Decker
· Rebecca Goldstein
· Alice Hoffman
· Lauren Hutton
· Joyce Ladner
· Natalie Merchant
· Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe
· Bernice Johnson Reagon
· Faith Ringgold
· Deborah Tannen
· Vera Wang
· Wendy Wasserstein
· Sigourney Weaver


Practical suggestion

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

More books like this:

33 Things Every Girl Should Know About Women's History by Bolden

Dealing with the Stuff That Makes Life Tough: The 10 Things That Stress Teen Girls Out and How to Cope with Them by Jill Zimmerman Rutledge

Being A Teen: Words of advice from someone who's been there (Teens & Young Adults)
By Diane Mastromarino

Interesting and related website:

http://www.smartgirlsknow.com/

http://www.tonyaboldenbooks.com/index.html

http://www.tonyaboldenbooks.com/33_things_every_girl_should_know.html




External assessments

School Library Journal
Some selections are heavy-handed and preachy, but others speak with a true voice easily heard by adolescents. There's something here for everyone. Perhaps the title is a bit misleading since it seems to promise 33 different ideas. This is a worthwhile purchase for any library. The challenge is to channel it to its intended audience.

Booklist
Astute, compassionate, sometimes witty, sometimes painfully honest, the pieces are highly readable, entertaining, and educational--and together achieve an important, amazing dichotomy: broadening horizons and possibilities while bringing the world into a manageable, realistic perspective during the confusing, often difficult teen years.

Kirkus Reviews
The whole, however, is a little wearing, as if a favorite, well-intentioned aunt is nattering on too long. Bolden mentions in the introduction her wish that a book similar to this one had existed when she was 12.

Mod. 5 - HOLE IN MY LIFE - by Jack Gantos

Bibliography
Gantos, Jack. Hole in My Life. New York: Farrar, Straus And Giroux (Byr), 2002.

Critical Analysis

Jack Gantos recounts events that happened in his life in which ended him up in prison. Desperate for money, he finds a job boating a load of marijuana from the Virgin Islands to New York City. He thinks he will get $10,000 when in actuality it will land him to a six-year prison sentence instead.

This is an oddly-refreshing recollection of Gantos’ criminal life because he does not make excuses for himself or his actions. He takes responsibility for his criminal acts and does not try to rationalize his misbehavior by the many excuses we so commonly hear.
Readers know that Gantos will be going to jail at some point in the book so this is a
suspenseful reading, although it does ramble at times. The rambling is not distracting to
the narrative; instead it somehow keeps the dialog feeling as real as it truly was for
Gantos.

This is a great first autobiography narrative for young adults to begin to gain interest in
this genre. There’s Gantos, a young man ready for adventure, for something to jump-
start his life. This adventure almost ruins him and his future, but thankfully the idea of
going to college and becoming a writer saves him. Gantos writes frankly on his
experiences and critically examines his own life dissecting it piece by piece. Gantos
never lectures to readers. Instead, he writes of his wrong choices, his experiences and
lets the readers travel with him on this dark road, observing it as they wish to see it,
hopefully benefiting from his decisions and learning from them.

Excerpt:
From my cell window I could see a line of houses in the distance. As the months passed, I
watched people celebrate their lives – Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day. In October I watched them put up Halloween decorations. We didn't celebrate Halloween in prison - or, I should say, every day in prison was scarier than any Halloween, so there was no reason to do anything special on October 31st. But thinking of Halloween reminded me of a funny story from when I was in fifth grade. We were living in Kendall, Florida, right on the train tracks. One Halloween afternoon police cars flooded our neighborhood and announced that Halloween was canceled because there had been a prison break upstate at Raford. A couple of guys had hopped a freight and the cops thought they may have jumped off in our area. We locked our doors and turned on all the lights. We pulled the curtains. All night I scampered from window to window peeking out and looking for unshaven suspicious types in striped outfits. Every time a bush rustled in the wind my heart leapt. I saw rugged prison mugs in every shadow. It was the most exciting Halloween ever. The escapees were caught not far from our house and I was
disappointed that I hadn't spotted them slinking around.

[…]I wrote this story down in my prison journal, and it gave me a lot of pleasure to recall my childhood.

(p. 174-5)

Practical suggestion

http://www.jackgantos.com/

http://www.jackgantos.com/holeinmylife.html

Awards and Honors:
American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults
American Library Association Notable Children's Books
Booklist Editors' Choice
Books for the Teen Age, New York Public Library
Bulletin Blue Ribbon, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Horn Book Magazine Fanfare List
Massachusetts Children's Book Award
Michael L. Printz Award - Honor
Parents' Choice Award
Robert F. Sibert Award - Honor
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

Discuss drug awareness and consequences – also as it related to Gantos.

This would be a great autobiography to have young adults write a reader’s response to.
Ask student’s questions like:

While on the boat, Jack said he wasn’t doing anything wrong by smuggling drugs;
he was just afraid of the punishment. He planned to use the $10,000 to pay for
college. Is he justified? Does he feel the same way at the end of the story?

Other Books by Jack Gantos:
The Jack Henry Books
Jack Adrift: Fourth Grade Without a Clue (2003)
Jack on the Tracks: Four Seasons of Fifth Grade (1999)
Jack's Black Book (1999)
Jack's New Power: Stories from a Caribbean Year (1995)
Heads or Tails: Stories from the Sixth Grade (1994)
The Joey Pigza Books
What Would Joey Do? (2002)
Joey Pigza Loses Control (2000)
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key (1998)
The Rotten Ralph Rotten Readers
Practice Makes Perfect for Rotten Ralph (2002)
Rotten Ralph Helps Out (2001)
Young Adult
Desire Lines (1997)

Other Authors' Memoirs Geared for a Young Adult Audience:
Chris Crutcher, King of the Mild Frontier: an Ill-Advised Autobiography (2003)
Walter Dean Myers, Bad Boy: A Memoir (2002)
Lois Lowry, Looking Back: A Book of Memories (2000)
Madeleine L’Engle, Madeleine L’Engle Herself: Reflections on a Writing Life (2001)


External assessments
Publishers Weekly
Knowing that the narrator is destined to land in jail keeps suspense at a high pitch, but this
book's remarkable achievement is the multiple points of view that emerge, as experiences
force a fledgling writer to continually revise his perspective of himself and the world around
him. The book requires a commitment, as it rambles a bit at times, but it provides much
food for thought and fuel for debate. It will leave readers emotionally exhausted and a little
wiser.


School Library Journal
Much of the action in this memoir-some of it quite raw and harsh-will be riveting to teen
readers. However, the book's real strength lies in the window it gives into the mind of an
adolescent without strong family support and living in the easy drug culture of the 1970s.
Gantos looks for role models and guidance in the pages of the books he is reading, and his
drive to be a writer and desire to go to college ultimately save him.

Booklist
Gantos' spare narrative style and straightforward revelation of the truth have, together, a cumulative power that will capture not only a reader's attention but also empathy and imagination. This is great for every aspiring writer and also a wonderful biography for teens struggling to discover their deepest, truest selves.

Mod. 4 - NEW MOON by Stephenie Meyer

Bibliographic data
Meyer, Stephenie. New Moon. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008. ISBN 9780316024969


Critical analysis
This fantasy-romance novel is the second book in the Twilight Saga series.
Sidenote: Edward is gone throughout most of this novel. I know…it’s sad. But some readers might be happier because Jacob is with Bella as a replacement. I, however, wasn’t impressed and missed Edward tremendously.

Bella is celebrating her 18th birthday at the Cullens’ residence. She opens a gift and gets a paper cut. Jasper cannot control his vampire hunger and lunges for her.

Jasper slammed into Edward, and the sound was like the crash of boulders in a rock slide. There was another noise, a grisly snarling that seemed to be coming from deep in Jasper’s chest. Jasper tried to shove past Edward, snapping his teeth just inches from Edward’s face. (28-9).

To protect Bella, Edward decides that the Cullens family must move away to keep her safe. Bella is brokenhearted and lonely. He asks her to keep herself safe, but the only way Bella can still “hear” Edward is when she is risking her life in daredevil stunts. Jacob and Bella become closer and she finds out he is a werewolf. There is a bit of miscommunication and Edward thinks Bella has died. He cannot go on with living and goes to the Volturi so that he may die. An action-packed track across the world keeps readers at the edge of their seat in hopes that the two may be reunited again.

This installment of Twilight Saga parallels Romeo and Juliet. Both stories deal with losing your true love, a forbidden love. It’s forbidden because of the, me vampire – you human concept of course and also because of the rivalry between the werewolves and the vampires. Juliet and Bella both appear to commit suicide and Romeo/Edward is so distraught by the news that they go and try to commit suicide themselves. Edward fans are lucky though because he does not succeed in this attempt. The beginning of the book has:

These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which, as they kiss, consume. (Act II, Scene VI)

This novel is less romance and more action this time around for the series. Thank goodness because how long can Bella long for Edward in a 563-paged book? However, there is some love-tension concerning Bella and Jacob. It is nice that there is a change in the relationships in this book. Jacob’s character has really starts to develop and create a mold for himself in this novel. About the middle of the book the story started to drag and I once again longed for Edward’s return to keep me interested. Bella is still a flat and boring character in my opinion, which moviegoers will be in luck because she’s depicted in the same way, thanks to Kristen Stewart’s lack of acting skills. For any readers that have been dumped by their loved ones before and then if they’re lucky reunited with that handsome vampire…er boy, this book will tug at their heartstrings.

Practical suggestion
Book website: http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/
Author website: http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/

Prepare a book/movie trailer
Of course – go see the movie in November!


Questions:
How do you think Edward and Bella’s relationship will change when she transforms into a vampire? Will Edward be as attracted to Bella? Will she be as attracted to him? Do you think they'll stay in love forever?

How well does Bella deal with the pain of losing Edward? Does she grow as a person from the experience of losing and then regaining him?

Will Charlie and Renée notice the change in Bella if she transforms into a vampire?

External assessments
Kirkus Reviews
Psychic miscommunications and angst-ridden dramatic gestures lead to an exciting page-turner of a conclusion drenched in the best of Gothic romantic excess. Despite Bella's flat and obsessive personality, this tale of tortured demon lovers entices.

Children’s Literature
Readers who have not read Twilight may find some of the references to previous relationships and plotlines hard to follow. This is an overly long novel with a minimum of action. The ending makes it clear that there is another sequel to follow.

VOYA

While certainly better written than its predecessor, it may leave the reader wishing for something different-a more empowered and self-assured heroine, comic relief to balance the perpetually brooding Edward, fewer references to the vampires' innate beauty. Meyer is at work on the third addition to the Forks saga so there is hope these transformations can occur. Despite the flaws, expect this book to remain checked out by its legions of fans as they await the third novel's release.