BIBLIOGRAPHY
Minters, Frances. 1994. Cinder-Elly. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. New York: Puffin Books. ISBN 0140561269.
PLOT SUMMARY
Cinder-Elly lives with her Mom, Dad and two sisters in New York City. Her sisters, Sue and Nelly are mean to El by making her serve iced tea and leaving her out when playing video games. One day, Cinder-Elly and her sisters, receive a note stating they won free tickets to a basketball game. They were so excited, but El couldn’t go because she had nothing to wear. Her mother only had money to buy clothes for her sisters. So after Sue and Nelly left for the game, Cinder-Elly’s godmother came to visit. She miraculously used her cane and “poof” gave her some new clothes along with some cool glass sneakers. At the game, El meets the pro basketball player Prince Charming. He asks her out for pizza but time runs out and she has to rush back home with her old clothes. After signing autographs, Prince tries to find El but instead finds a glass sneaker. He posts flyers all over the city in hopes that whoever owns the shoe will call him. Sue and Nelly call Prince and he comes over with the sneaker, but it doesn’t fit either of them. Cinder-Elly then tries it on and like the original version of the tale…“everyone lived forever happy.”
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This modern Cinderella tale is set in present day New York City. Minters updates this version by including things like Cinder-Elly living with her Mom, Dad and real sisters. Instead of glass slippers she wears glass sneakers. She meets Prince Charming at a basketball game instead of a ball. Her godmother is her actual godmother that she hasn’t seen since she was about two years old. Minters uses a rhyming style to capture the attention of a young audience. “She worked so hard/It was a pity/She had no fun/In New York City.” Intermingled between the text, is drawings of little people making little comments throughout the story, such as “poor Cinder-Elly and “you look great, El!” Illustrator, Karas, accurately captures the urban setting with watercolor paintings. But in order to grab the reader’s attention, the illustrations could have been a little more colorful and livelier.
Even though readers will be able to identify and connect to the traditional Cinderella story, this version is a bit confusing. This is an adorable version of the original but it would have read better if the author would have concentrated more on the text instead of writing it in verse and having it rhyme. Nonetheless, this will be a good book for young readers to compare and contrast to other Cinderella stories.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
A Review from Publisher’s Weekly: “This ultracool version of the fairy tale, set in Manhattan, updates the classic with singular flair. Collages, wild patterns and funky fashions mimic music videos and build up the snazzy urban setting. An ideal match of artist and author.”
A Review from School Library Journal: "An annoying hodgepodge of stilted, cloying verse; a modern New York City setting; and traditional elements. But each of those elements is not quite what it should be. Flat, modern watercolors try their best to add to the hip feeling this story tries to portray, but they are often as cluttered as the text. A jumbled path that leads nowhere.”
CONNECTIONS
Students can use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast Cinder-Elly and the traditional Cinderella story. They can compare and contrast story elements such as characters, plot, climax and ending.
Other Cinderella fractured fairy tales:
Cole, Babette. Prince Cinders. ISBN 0698115546
Jackson, Ellen. Cinder Edna. ISBN 0688162959
Johnston, Tony. Bigfoot Cinderrrrella. ISBN 0399230211
Lowell, Susan. Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella. ISBN 0064438643
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
MONSTER
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Myers, Walter Dean. 1999. Monster. Illustrated by Christopher Myers. New York: Harper Tempest. ISBN 0060280786
PLOT SUMMARY
Sixteen year-old Steve Harmon is awaiting a trial that will determine the rest of his life. Steve was serving as a lookout in the robbery of a Harlem convenient store. During the robbery attempt, the store owner was killed. He is now being tried as an accomplice to murder. While in jail and on trial, Steve who is an aspiring filmmaker, decides to write his own screenplay and record the events of his trial.
The story begins with journal entries Steve has written describing his feelings of despair and anguish about his experiences in prison and in the courtroom. As the courtroom drama unfolds, the prosecutor tries to show that even though Steve did not pull the trigger, he is guilty by association. She portrays him to the jury as a “Monster” while Steve’s lawyer tries to convince them he is a decent law-abiding citizen and was not even present at the time of the robbery.
Will Steve receive a fair trial or will he be railroaded because he is black? In the end, Steve’s guilt or innocence is never made clear. It is up to the reader to determine whether he is a “Monster”.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Myers creates this riveting story of sixteen year-old Steve Harmon through Steve’s point of view, as he struggles with the fact that he is being tried as an accomplice to murder. Steve, an aspiring filmmaker, decides to record the trial’s events as a screenplay. “Sometimes I feel like I have walked into the middle of a movie. Maybe I can make my own movie. The film will be the story of my life. No, not my life, but of this experience. I’ll call it what the lady who is the prosecutor called me. Monster.” Between scenes, we read Steve’s handwritten journal about the case in which he details the harshness and fears of prison life. His screenplay vividly explores his apprehensions about the court proceedings and tension in the courtroom. The screenplay is very expressive and colorful; complete with close-ups, reaction shots and authentic-sounding dialogue.
While descriptions of Steve’s predicament is dramatic, the actual crime in which a robbery and murder was committed is not discussed in detail. Therefore, it is up to the reader to draw their own conclusion to determine Steve’s guilt or innocence.
As young adults read each page, they will consider the repercussions of peer pressure and will question the choices one makes. They will learn about the justice system and will try to decide whether Steve is innocent or guilty. Teens and adults alike will find this an interesting and compelling story.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Review from Booklist: “A fascinating portrait of a terrified young man wrestling with his conscience. The tens drama of the courtroom scenes will enthrall readers, but it the thorny moral questions raised in Steven’s journal that will endure in readers’ memories”.
Review in Kirkus Reviews: “A riveting novel. A taut and moving drama”.
Review from School Library Journal: “Riveting….An emotionally charged story that readers will find compelling and disturbing.”
CONNECTIONS
Other books by Walter Dean Myers:
Scorpions ISBN 0064406237
Slam! ISBN 0545055741
Bad Boy: A Memoir ISBN 0545055776
Somewhere in the Darkness ISBN 0064472884
Myers, Walter Dean. 1999. Monster. Illustrated by Christopher Myers. New York: Harper Tempest. ISBN 0060280786
PLOT SUMMARY
Sixteen year-old Steve Harmon is awaiting a trial that will determine the rest of his life. Steve was serving as a lookout in the robbery of a Harlem convenient store. During the robbery attempt, the store owner was killed. He is now being tried as an accomplice to murder. While in jail and on trial, Steve who is an aspiring filmmaker, decides to write his own screenplay and record the events of his trial.
The story begins with journal entries Steve has written describing his feelings of despair and anguish about his experiences in prison and in the courtroom. As the courtroom drama unfolds, the prosecutor tries to show that even though Steve did not pull the trigger, he is guilty by association. She portrays him to the jury as a “Monster” while Steve’s lawyer tries to convince them he is a decent law-abiding citizen and was not even present at the time of the robbery.
Will Steve receive a fair trial or will he be railroaded because he is black? In the end, Steve’s guilt or innocence is never made clear. It is up to the reader to determine whether he is a “Monster”.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Myers creates this riveting story of sixteen year-old Steve Harmon through Steve’s point of view, as he struggles with the fact that he is being tried as an accomplice to murder. Steve, an aspiring filmmaker, decides to record the trial’s events as a screenplay. “Sometimes I feel like I have walked into the middle of a movie. Maybe I can make my own movie. The film will be the story of my life. No, not my life, but of this experience. I’ll call it what the lady who is the prosecutor called me. Monster.” Between scenes, we read Steve’s handwritten journal about the case in which he details the harshness and fears of prison life. His screenplay vividly explores his apprehensions about the court proceedings and tension in the courtroom. The screenplay is very expressive and colorful; complete with close-ups, reaction shots and authentic-sounding dialogue.
While descriptions of Steve’s predicament is dramatic, the actual crime in which a robbery and murder was committed is not discussed in detail. Therefore, it is up to the reader to draw their own conclusion to determine Steve’s guilt or innocence.
As young adults read each page, they will consider the repercussions of peer pressure and will question the choices one makes. They will learn about the justice system and will try to decide whether Steve is innocent or guilty. Teens and adults alike will find this an interesting and compelling story.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Review from Booklist: “A fascinating portrait of a terrified young man wrestling with his conscience. The tens drama of the courtroom scenes will enthrall readers, but it the thorny moral questions raised in Steven’s journal that will endure in readers’ memories”.
Review in Kirkus Reviews: “A riveting novel. A taut and moving drama”.
Review from School Library Journal: “Riveting….An emotionally charged story that readers will find compelling and disturbing.”
CONNECTIONS
Other books by Walter Dean Myers:
Scorpions ISBN 0064406237
Slam! ISBN 0545055741
Bad Boy: A Memoir ISBN 0545055776
Somewhere in the Darkness ISBN 0064472884
JOEY PIGZA LOSES CONTROL
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gantos, Jack. 2000. Joey Pigza Loses Control. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0374399891.
PLOT SUMMARY
Joey Pigza is finally getting his attention deficit disorder under control with the help of medication. He has been given the opportunity to live with his father for six weeks, after years of not seeing him. Though his mother fears the worst, she reluctantly lets him go. Once there, Joey tries to adapt to the crazy life of his father and grandmother. Eventually, Joey’s dad feels that his son doesn’t need to take his medication anymore and flushes them down the toilet. Joey attempts to adapt to his father’s erratic mood swings, his grandmother’s demands, and the internal struggle of trying to please both his mother and father. After a while, Joey doesn’t deal very well without his medication and starts to “lose control”.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Gantos tells a humorous yet serious story about a young boy named Joey who struggles with hyperactivity disorder, his parents divorce, and his dad’s alcoholism. When Joey visits his estranged father Carter for the summer, he doesn’t realize what a rollercoaster ride he will go on. The story is told from Joey’s point of view which helps readers feel compassion with his struggles of trying to be normal, despite his disability. Joey wants so much to please his father, but when he takes his medication away, he goes along with it even though he knows it’s not the best decision for him. Joey wants to get to know his dad but he’s too busy thinking of himself to listen to Joey. Readers will empathize with Joey as he works hard to control his behavior and starts to make some wrong choices and lose control. The struggle of not having his medication to manage his disorder finally gets too difficult for him to handle. Even though he loves his dad, he realizes what is best for him and that is to go home with his mom and take his medication.
Some readers will be able to relate to Joey’s struggle with hyperactivity disorder and the issues of having divorced parents. Readers will cheer for Joey and want him to have a good relationship with his father but will also feel compassion when it doesn’t work out. There are some comic relief scenes such as when his pet Chihuahua, Pablo, gets carsick while his mom drives with an expired license. In the end, readers will feel satisfied when Joey finally gets a chance to see first hand how his father is and comes to his own conclusion on what is best for him.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Review in Publishers Weekly: First introduced in Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, Gantos’s hyperactive hero Joey Pigza has not lost any of his liveliness. Like its predecessor, this high-voltage, honest novel mixes humor, pain, fear and courage with deceptive ease. Struggling to please everyone even as he sees himself hurtling toward disaster, Joey emerges as a sympathetic hero, and his heart of gold never loses its shine.
Review in School Library Journal: At the end of Joe Pigza Swallowed the Key, this endearing, but incredible challenging kid was adjusting to his new medicine patches for his ADHD. Now he is flung from the frying pan into the fire when he visits his father and grandmother for the summer. Readers will be drawn in immediately to the boy’s gripping first-person narrative and be pulled pell-mell through episodes that are at once hilarious, harrowing, and ultimately heartening as Joey grows to understand himself and the people around him.
CONNECTIONS
Have students write an essay about a situation when they felt out of control? How did they handle it?
Other books about Joey Pigza:
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key ISBN 0064408337
I Am Not Joey Pigza ISBN 0374399417
Gantos, Jack. 2000. Joey Pigza Loses Control. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0374399891.
PLOT SUMMARY
Joey Pigza is finally getting his attention deficit disorder under control with the help of medication. He has been given the opportunity to live with his father for six weeks, after years of not seeing him. Though his mother fears the worst, she reluctantly lets him go. Once there, Joey tries to adapt to the crazy life of his father and grandmother. Eventually, Joey’s dad feels that his son doesn’t need to take his medication anymore and flushes them down the toilet. Joey attempts to adapt to his father’s erratic mood swings, his grandmother’s demands, and the internal struggle of trying to please both his mother and father. After a while, Joey doesn’t deal very well without his medication and starts to “lose control”.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Gantos tells a humorous yet serious story about a young boy named Joey who struggles with hyperactivity disorder, his parents divorce, and his dad’s alcoholism. When Joey visits his estranged father Carter for the summer, he doesn’t realize what a rollercoaster ride he will go on. The story is told from Joey’s point of view which helps readers feel compassion with his struggles of trying to be normal, despite his disability. Joey wants so much to please his father, but when he takes his medication away, he goes along with it even though he knows it’s not the best decision for him. Joey wants to get to know his dad but he’s too busy thinking of himself to listen to Joey. Readers will empathize with Joey as he works hard to control his behavior and starts to make some wrong choices and lose control. The struggle of not having his medication to manage his disorder finally gets too difficult for him to handle. Even though he loves his dad, he realizes what is best for him and that is to go home with his mom and take his medication.
Some readers will be able to relate to Joey’s struggle with hyperactivity disorder and the issues of having divorced parents. Readers will cheer for Joey and want him to have a good relationship with his father but will also feel compassion when it doesn’t work out. There are some comic relief scenes such as when his pet Chihuahua, Pablo, gets carsick while his mom drives with an expired license. In the end, readers will feel satisfied when Joey finally gets a chance to see first hand how his father is and comes to his own conclusion on what is best for him.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Review in Publishers Weekly: First introduced in Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, Gantos’s hyperactive hero Joey Pigza has not lost any of his liveliness. Like its predecessor, this high-voltage, honest novel mixes humor, pain, fear and courage with deceptive ease. Struggling to please everyone even as he sees himself hurtling toward disaster, Joey emerges as a sympathetic hero, and his heart of gold never loses its shine.
Review in School Library Journal: At the end of Joe Pigza Swallowed the Key, this endearing, but incredible challenging kid was adjusting to his new medicine patches for his ADHD. Now he is flung from the frying pan into the fire when he visits his father and grandmother for the summer. Readers will be drawn in immediately to the boy’s gripping first-person narrative and be pulled pell-mell through episodes that are at once hilarious, harrowing, and ultimately heartening as Joey grows to understand himself and the people around him.
CONNECTIONS
Have students write an essay about a situation when they felt out of control? How did they handle it?
Other books about Joey Pigza:
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key ISBN 0064408337
I Am Not Joey Pigza ISBN 0374399417
ARTEMIS FOWL: THE ARCTIC INCIDENT
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Colfer, Eoin. 2002. Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 0786808551.
PLOT SUMMARY
Artemis Fowl is a thirteen year old criminal mastermind who is living in an Irish boarding school. He receives a message from the Russian mafiya about a man he thought he never thought he’d see again, his father Artemis Fowl, Senior. Artemis knows it’s not going to be an easy task, but he is determined to rescue him. The LEP, Lower Elements Police, an elite team of fairies, pixies, sprites and other magical creatures, stop him as he rushes to rescue his father. But Artemis decides to make a deal with the LEP and joins forces with them to help him find his father.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Arctic Incident is the sequel to Eoin Colfer’s popular and critically received Artemis Fowl. This second series has a good plot, is action-packed, suspenseful, with some touches of humor. Also, it’s a great example of why fantasy books are such a great read.
The story takes place in an underground world where goblins, fairies, centaurs, pixies, dwarfs and other magical creatures live. Readers will use their imagination to
The story begins when Artemis receives a video message about his father who is being held hostage by the Russian Mafiya. He had been presumed dead for the past two years but Artemis always had hope that he was still alive. He requests assistance from the LEP, Lower Elements Police, and teams up with Captain Holly Short and the other magical creatures of the LEP regime to help rescue him. Holly and Artemis had some past conflict but throughout the course of the book, they finally come to an understanding. Artemis is a nicer person this time around and learns about friendship and respect. Colfer presents ideas of hope and trust to the readers when Artemis must make some difficult decisions while attempting to rescue his father before time runs out while trying to hold up his end of the bargain with Captain Short.
Colfer presents readers with unique and unusual characters such as goblins, leprechauns, pixies, dwarfs and fairies. There is plenty of action and non-stop spy adventures making it a fun read for teens and young readers. Much like the Harry Potter series, this book will take readers on a rollercoaster ride to bold and daring adventures. Young readers will look forward to reading Colfer’s other series of Artemis Fowl books.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Review from Publishers Weekly: “Once again, the roller coaster of a plot introduces a host of high jinks and high-tech weaponry as Colfer blends derring-do with snappy prose (“The broad grin disappeared like a fox down a hole”) and repartee (“Hey, Mulch, If you listen really hard you can just about make out the sound of nobody giving a hoot”). The resulting fantasy hosts memorable characters, many of whom (such as the flatulent dwarf Mulch Diggums) reprise roles that helped attract fans to the first adventure. The author ratchets up the body count in this return engagement (perhaps too steeply for some tastes), and the high-concept premise may be a tad slick for others, but Colfer’s finger is firmly on the pulse of his target market, and along extra helpings of sly humor (“The sprite’s breathing calmed, and a healthy green tinge started to return to his cheeks”) he delivers a cracking good read.
CONNECTIONS
Other Artemis Fowl series:
Artemis Fowl (Book 1)
Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code (Book 3)
Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception (Book 4)
Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony (Book 5)
Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox (Book 6)
Colfer, Eoin. 2002. Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 0786808551.
PLOT SUMMARY
Artemis Fowl is a thirteen year old criminal mastermind who is living in an Irish boarding school. He receives a message from the Russian mafiya about a man he thought he never thought he’d see again, his father Artemis Fowl, Senior. Artemis knows it’s not going to be an easy task, but he is determined to rescue him. The LEP, Lower Elements Police, an elite team of fairies, pixies, sprites and other magical creatures, stop him as he rushes to rescue his father. But Artemis decides to make a deal with the LEP and joins forces with them to help him find his father.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Arctic Incident is the sequel to Eoin Colfer’s popular and critically received Artemis Fowl. This second series has a good plot, is action-packed, suspenseful, with some touches of humor. Also, it’s a great example of why fantasy books are such a great read.
The story takes place in an underground world where goblins, fairies, centaurs, pixies, dwarfs and other magical creatures live. Readers will use their imagination to
The story begins when Artemis receives a video message about his father who is being held hostage by the Russian Mafiya. He had been presumed dead for the past two years but Artemis always had hope that he was still alive. He requests assistance from the LEP, Lower Elements Police, and teams up with Captain Holly Short and the other magical creatures of the LEP regime to help rescue him. Holly and Artemis had some past conflict but throughout the course of the book, they finally come to an understanding. Artemis is a nicer person this time around and learns about friendship and respect. Colfer presents ideas of hope and trust to the readers when Artemis must make some difficult decisions while attempting to rescue his father before time runs out while trying to hold up his end of the bargain with Captain Short.
Colfer presents readers with unique and unusual characters such as goblins, leprechauns, pixies, dwarfs and fairies. There is plenty of action and non-stop spy adventures making it a fun read for teens and young readers. Much like the Harry Potter series, this book will take readers on a rollercoaster ride to bold and daring adventures. Young readers will look forward to reading Colfer’s other series of Artemis Fowl books.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Review from Publishers Weekly: “Once again, the roller coaster of a plot introduces a host of high jinks and high-tech weaponry as Colfer blends derring-do with snappy prose (“The broad grin disappeared like a fox down a hole”) and repartee (“Hey, Mulch, If you listen really hard you can just about make out the sound of nobody giving a hoot”). The resulting fantasy hosts memorable characters, many of whom (such as the flatulent dwarf Mulch Diggums) reprise roles that helped attract fans to the first adventure. The author ratchets up the body count in this return engagement (perhaps too steeply for some tastes), and the high-concept premise may be a tad slick for others, but Colfer’s finger is firmly on the pulse of his target market, and along extra helpings of sly humor (“The sprite’s breathing calmed, and a healthy green tinge started to return to his cheeks”) he delivers a cracking good read.
CONNECTIONS
Other Artemis Fowl series:
Artemis Fowl (Book 1)
Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code (Book 3)
Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception (Book 4)
Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony (Book 5)
Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox (Book 6)
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