Divergent (6)

Roth, V. (2011). Divergent. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

The Hunger Games trilogy, a series
very similar to the Divergent series.

Two years ago, I flew through Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy. After completing the third book, I felt sad that such a wonderful series was over and wondered if there was anything similar to it in the world of young adult fiction. This past fall, I found that Veronica Roth had written a similar series and became immediately engrossed when I started reading the first book in the series, Divergent.

Book cover.

I've long been a fan of dystopian/post apocalyptic literature (The Giver, Anthem, Fahrenheit 451), which could be the most significant reason that I so thoroughly enjoyed reading the chronological/progressive plot line featured in Divergent. Set in what seems to be a futuristic version of modern society, the world in which the main character/protagonist, Beatrice, lives is divided into 5 factions--factions from which every member of society must choose to live upon turning 16 based on the faction with which their personality and natural aptitude best fits. Beatrice goes from living in the selfless, service oriented Abnegation faction to the Dauntless faction, where she learns to live a life of risk and bravery. Upon switching factions, Beatrice learns that she is "divergent," or that she strongly exhibits the characteristics of multiple factions--which she comes to find out is considered a dangerous thing. Beatrice, or Tris as she comes to be known when she joins Dauntless, soon learns that a conspiracy has been developed to destroy her former faction and she inadvertently becomes a leader of a plot to overthrow the conspiracy. 

The conflict of the book seems to shift throughout the story. At the beginning, it seems that Tris is struggling with trying to fit in by determining the faction in which she truly belongs. Thus, the conflict is man vs. self. However, at some points, Tris battles significantly with other people, making the conflict man vs. man. For instance, some members of her new faction--Dauntless--try to kill her as she becomes a threat to them during a competition to join the faction. Ultimately, it seems to be Tris against the downfall of her society, rendering the conflict man vs. society. 

Next on my reading list...

The intrigue supplied by the story makes it no surprise that Divergent has won several awards. It received the Goodreads Choice Award for Favorite Book of 2011 as well as Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction. The book has also spent numerous weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List for Young Adult literature. Thankfully, one of the features of the back matter of the text is an excerpt from the sequel to Divergent--Insurgent--which I am most interested in reading.

Crazy Alphabet & When the Elephant Walks (5)

Cox, L. (1990). Crazy alphabet. New York: Orchard Books.

Keiko, K. (1990). When the elephant walks. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Crazy Alphabet book cover.

Lynn Cox's book Crazy Alphabet, as its title suggest, is an ABC picture book with a cause and effect relationship much in the scheme of There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly. The book would be excellent for teaching cause and effect as well as to reinforce the learning of the alphabet with young readers.

The repetitive nature of the book's wording along with the brilliant illustrations would make it an excellent read-aloud selection. The illustrations feature mixed media (although not easily discernible, they appear to feature paint and ink and perhaps pencil and collage elements). The pictures are of a brightly colored cartoon drawing nature and often incorporate geometric shapes. The illustrations are often doublespread, adding to their appeal for read aloud presentation.

When the Elephant Walks book cover.

Another selection that seems appropriate for both cause and effect discussions and read alouds with younger audiences is the picture book When the Elephant Walks by Keiko Kasza. The book's plot was explained by the chain of events that started when an elephant went for a walk that scared the bear which caused the bear to run and in turn scare the crocodile and so the story continues. 

Similarly, this animal story featured cartoon doublespread illustrations but of softer colors. Humor was also incorporated in the illustrations, particularly through the facial expressions of the animal characters.

Always Room For One More (4)

Leodhas, S.N. (1965). Always room for one more. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. 

Book cover.

The multicultural folktalke Always Room for One More by Sorche Nic Leodhas depicts a traditional Scottish folk song that has been orally handed down. Because of its representation of the language of the culture, much of it can be tricky to understand; however, thankfully, a glossary is included in the back of the book to define such terms as bairns (children of middle age range), blether (foolish talk), and och ("Oh.").   


The 1966 Caldecott Medal winning picture book makes use of primitive/folk pencil line illustrations that are well suited to the story's simple conflict, which is to find enough room for the ever-growing number of people who come by the home of the protagonist, Lachie MacLachlan and his wife and ten children. Perhaps reflecting the hospitality of Scottish culture, the MacLachlans at last solve the problem of more and more people stopping in by building a bigger house, insuring that there is indeed "always room for one more."

As previously mentioned, much of the language of the story can be somewhat confusing for those unfamiliar with the Scottish culture and language. However, this makes it a book very well suited to teach culture, jargon, and discerning word meanings based on context clues. It could even be easily used with a high school audience for the same topics, and provide a great opportunity for variety in instructional strategies for older audiences.

Olivia Goes to Venice (3)

Falconer, I. (2010). Olivia goes to venice. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

I've seen the Olivia series of books on store shelves countless times, but never had a chance to read any of them. However, I am very grateful that I did! The content of the story Olivia Goes to Venice, written and illustrated by Ian Falconer, was so humorous (even to an adult reader) that on the first read-through, I was barely able to absorb the wonderful mixed-media illustrations, which incorporated color photographs with pencil and ink cartoon drawings, typically in white, black, and red. 

An excellent depiction of the mixed media illustrations used within the book.

The plot of the story centered around a family vacation to the Italian city of Venice, where Olivia, a young female pig, and her family spent time soaking up the local sites, tastes, and overall culture. Because of the setting, the story presented a great deal of specialized vocabulary, such as gelato, gondola, gondolier, prego, and basilica. Because of the use of such terms as well as the inclusion of local landmarks, the book would be a remarkable addition to a study of European cultures.

Book cover.

Though the story was a picture book featuring animals as the characters and the major conflict seemed to be attaining a constant supply of gelato (or perhaps not destroying any of Venice's remarkable landmarks), it could no doubt be enjoyed by a wide audience. The humor of the story was irresistible and often supported by the illustrations, both of which would captivate any age group. 

The original Olivia.

Although this book in particular hasn't been accredited with any majors awards, its predecessor, Olivia, was a Caldecott Honor Book in 2001. Such an acknowledgement, not to mention the pure enjoyment I was given from reading the book, encourages me to read the other books in the series...and to hope they are equally entertaining.  

The Always Prayer Shawl (2)

Book cover. 

Oberman, S. (1994). The always prayer shawl. Honesdale: Boyds Mills Press.

The Always Prayer Shawl by Sheldon Oberman presents an immediate focus on things that change versus things that remain the same. The story focuses on the main character, Adam, a boy who is born and raised in Russia, but, because of the conflict of war and famine, must immigrate with his family to the United States. Prior to leaving Russia, Adam spends time talking with and learning from his grandfather, who teaches him that circumstances may change, but some things--such as what the prayer shawl he gives Adam represents, or the fact that Adam will always be Adam--never change. The events of the plot thus make the story one that is realistic fiction and to some degree historical fiction (some events occur in the past, while some are closer to present time).

The illustrations transition from black and white
to color to mark Adam's transition from childhood to adulthood.

The illustrations of the picture book are significant to the story line. For approximately the first half of the book, that presenting Adam's childhood, the book has only black and white illustrations. However, when the story transitions to Adam's adult life, the illustrations become color. All of the artwork is realistic, detailed, and completed in the medium of paint.

The story is strongly focused on Jewish culture and traditions, including that of family, heritage, and prayer. Thus, with a focus on change, it is easy to detect a theme of conditions changing, but faith remaining constant. Even though readers of different faiths may read the book, they could easily relate to the contrasts it draws between what Adam experiences as a child and what his grandson experiences ("I got eggs from a chicken, not from a store. I chopped wood for heat. I did not turn a dial."), a conversation that occurs between generations of all cultural and religious backgrounds.

The story proved easy to read, with some patterned, repetitive sentence structures that were easily understandable and provided rhythm. The author also used repetition throughout the book, in such lines as, "So he sewed on a new one," and, "Some things change. Some things don't." 

Despite cultural differences, I found the story very relatable and relevant. It has no doubt been widely well-received, as indicated by the abundance of awards it has received, including the Sydney Taylor Book Award and the National Jewish Book Award. It was also featured on the ALA Booklist's Best Books Of The Year list and as a Reading Rainbow Book.

When I Was Young in the Mountains (1)

Rylant, C. (1982). When I was young in the mountains. New York: E.P. Dutton.

Cynthia Rylant.

As a native of Kentucky, I thoroughly enjoyed the story Cythania Rylant presents in her Caldecott Honor picture book When I was Young in the Mountains, a realistic fiction picture book based largely on Rylant's own childhood experiences (Rylant was raised in West Virginia). The book strongly expresses aspects of primitive mountain life, as depicted through first person point of view with such allusions as those to coal mining, baptisms, and johnny-houses. As indicated in the title, the setting of the mountains of the eastern US is absolutely integral to Rylant's story.

Book cover.

Although the book featured no evident central conflict, numerous small problems were mentioned in a form of episodic plot, almost as a collection of isolated memories. For instance, the first person narrator discussed such problematic instances as finding snakes in the yard, stomach problems after eating too much, and being cold after taking a bath--all problems that were quickly remedied, often on the same or following page. Typically, such problems were of the man vs. nature variety.

The characters were likewise simplistic, mostly flat, with even the main character--a young, nameless girl--remaining stable and without any majors changes or developments. However, those events that were described by the character revealed what was most important to her--her experiences with her family (which included her grandparents and brother) in the mountains during her youth. Discussion of such simplistic events reveal a potential theme of valuing one's background, particularly the people who are part of it.

Part of the expression of the character's memories is presented through numerous instances of imagery. In addition to the abundance of visual imagery (e.g., the character's grandfather would come home daily from the local coal mines covered in black dust), appeals to the other senses exist. For instance, the main character recalls shivering in front of the stove after a bath; visiting shopkeepers who "always smelled of sweet milk";  listening "to cows at dusk" and waking "to cowbells outside our windows"; and hearing "a bobwhite whistl[ing] in the forest. Bob-bob-bobwhite!". The author also makes use of repetition throughout the story with the repeated use of the line, "When I was young in the mountains...", and, at the end, "I never wanted...".

The main character with her
grandmother visiting the "johnny-house".

The presentation of the character's mountain experience is further enhanced by simple sentence structure that often includes dialect (johnny-house, swimming hole). The illustrations lend to the experience as they are drawn with colored pencils in a realistic manner with a folk/primitive feel depicted through soft, muted colors. Oftentimes, the illustrations help to convey the text's meaning, particularly with such words as johnny-house. 

With a peaceful, serene tone regarding the memories of the author's childhood depicted fictitiously, it is no surprise that When I was Young in the Mountains was a success as Rylant's first publication. 

Introduction

Hello everyone!

I'm Kimberly, a third year teacher currently serving at Caverna High School in Horse Cave, KY, and living in Glasgow, KY. I'm originally from Bardstown, KY, but college took me to Campbellsville, KY, where I lingered for about 6 years until moving to be closer to work last summer.

My undergraduate work was in English, Secondary Education, and Spanish. I'm now pursuing my master's as a Reading and Writing Specialist with UC and have only 4 classes remaining. After three years at Caverna, I'm hoping to try working with younger students, ideally as a reading interventionist/specialist at the elementary level or as a literacy coach of some kind.

In my infrequent spare time, I love spending time with those dear to me, running, reading, cooking/baking, watching movies, and napping. I also love traveling, especially to Florida. Here's hoping for a spring break trip to get me through these next few classes!