Module 15: Go Ask Alice

 Book Summary: This is the fabricated diary of a teenage girl that documents her descent into drug use and promiscuity in the 1970's. It starts by her trying drugs unwittingly and she becomes quickly hooked. She delves further and further into substance abuse as she continues to try different drugs. She ends up running away from home, dealing, and exchanging sexual favors to support her habit. Although she consistently cinders getting back on the straight and narrow path and seems to show some improvement, she eventually dies of an overdose.

APA Reference of Book:Sparks, B. (1971). Go ask Alice. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.

Impressions: Although I hate to admit it, I truly disliked this book. While I'm sure that teenagers still go through similar situations, I felt that the book was too heavy handed. At the time of publication, this book was touted as a real diary of a teenager being published anonymously. Since then, it has been speculated that it was actually written as a cautionary tale by Beatrice Sparks who published several other similar "diaries". The reason I dislike this book so much was because the girl in the story just seemed incredibly stupid. She always seems to have the desire to turn her life around but does almost nothing to accomplish that. Although I'm sure this book was shocking when it first came out, nowadays it seems dated and unrealistic. I can't believe that a teenager with so many issues managed to keep up with a perfectly composed diary for such a long period of time and was able to easily remember and describe all of her experiences. Personally, I think there are better books on there on this topic that would be more relevant to current teens.
 
Professional Review: (Ages 12 and up) ... ''Go Ask Alice,'' was published in 1971 as a ''real diary'' about a good girl who is turned on to drugs by friends, runs away, trades sex for fixes and dies. It is said to have sold more than four million copies. Linda Glovach, since exposed as one of the ''preparers'' -- let's call them forgers -- of ''Go Ask Alice,'' has just written ''Beauty Queen,'' about a girl who flees her alcoholic mother, becomes a stripper and dies of heroin addiction. And Melvin Burgess's ''Smack,'' published in England as ''Junk,'' portrays a boy who flees his alcoholic parents, sees his girlfriend turn to prostitution and becomes a heroin addict.

''Go Ask Alice'' is the most palatable, because, while it is poorly written and incredible, at least it is not derivative. The book's writers, who also include the author and physician Beatrice Sparks, have a tin ear for adolescent dialogue and a bad habit of driving home political points by poking fun at their characters. On July 9, the normal child Alice goes on her first acid trip. By Sept. 6, she is complaining, ''I'm getting so that no matter what I do I can't please the Establishment.'' By December, matters are grimmer: ''I can't believe that soon it will have to be mother against daughter and father against son to make the new world.'' Steal this book, she almost begs.
Read more than a quarter-century later, the Vietnam-era themes seem quaint, and they are laughably written. The ''Alice'' writers, or editors, were delivering a cautionary tale: Fall in with the wrong crowd and you will do drugs, turn against America and dishonor your parents. Assuming the voice of a 15-year-old was a rhetorical necessity, for teen-agers are not overwhelmed with respect for their elders' advice.

But such a narrative leap requires talent, strong talent. Some adults can write first-person adolescents well (of current writers, Tom Perrotta and Ron Carlson come to mind), but most will overreach with their lingo, write with too much sophistication or too little, or fall into anachronism. Yet the ''Alice'' writers faced a real problem, one that Glovach and Burgess should be respected for tackling. How can one write for young people about horrible things? For lesser writers, that is where the formula enters. The young people must not choose drugs -- drugs must befall them. ... I do not think children should read about heroin addiction. But if they must, it is a moral concern that the book be well written. A good war movie makes you despise war, a terrible one makes you grin, but a mediocre one might send you to the recruiting office. Producing literature that keeps children from shooting up is possible only if the writing is fresh and skillful, never trite. These three failed attempts may not send children down the road to addiction, but they won't have them wearing the path back to the library, either.
  Oppenheimer, M. (1998, November 15). Just say ‘uh-oh’. [Review of the book Go ask Alice,
      by Anonymous]. The New York Times 7(2), 36. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com.


Library Uses: Although this book could be used for a teen discussion about drug abuse, I think that there is a possibility of teens rolling their eyes at this book. Perhaps the best discussion might be how the culture of drugs has changed since this books publication and the effect that has on teens. For example, your average highs school student most likely has never been slipped acid like in the book, but they are probably all familiar with someone who smokes marijuana.

Module 14: What My Mother Doesn't Know

Book Summary: This is the coming of age story of boy-crazy Sophie as she deals with fall in love, getting her period, developing, and learning about life.

APA Reference of Book:Sones, S. (2001). What my mother doesn't know. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. 

Impressions: I can't say that I really enjoyed this book. I felt like a very thin storyline was hidden by the verse style writing. I understood that Sones was trying to write like a teenager but the language came off as very artificial and annoying at times. Even though she was dealing with real teenage issues I never really felt any strong emotion from the writing. Perhaps I wasn't nearly as much of a giggling mess at fifteen, but Sophie just seemed immature to me.With that being said, I do think that the storyline of meeting someone online and finding out they're not all you originally believed is incredibly relevant to our times, especially for teens.
 
Professional Review: This year’s umpteenth novel in verse begs the question, if the narrative were told in conventional prose, would it be worth reading? The answer in this instance is, maybe not, as it does little more than chronicle one ninth-grade girl’s progression through boyfriends until she arrives at last at an unlikely Mr. Right. Laid out in a series of mostly free-verse poems, however, the text gets at the emotional state of this girl so completely and with such intensity that a conventional narrative framework would simply dilute the effect. Sophie’s romantic travails take her from sexy Dylan (“ . . . when he kisses me / all I feel is / the overwhelming / overness of it”) through cyberdude Chaz (“If I could marry a font / I would definitely marry his”) and friend-from-preschool Zak (“I hope I didn’t embarrass him / when I laughed. / It’s just that I thought he was kidding”) to class dork Murphy (“I mean, / we’re talking about Murphy here. / He’s not exactly boyfriend material. / Is he?”). Along the way she must contend with casual anti-Semitism, her parents’ failing marriage, and her mother’s depression, but she is also bolstered by her friendship with Rachel and Grace. The verse format allows Sophie to interrogate and explore her feelings and relationships with quintessentially teenage ferocity: “I guess it wasn’t how [his eyes] looked / that got to me. / It was how it felt / when they connected with mine— / like this door / was opening up inside of me / that had never been opened before, / and his soul was walking right in.” If the threads involving Sophie’s parents are left hanging somewhat, readers will forgive this oversight. Romantic and sexy, with a happy ending that leaves Sophie together with Mr. Right, Sones (Stop Pretending: What Happened when My Big Sister Went Crazy, 1999) has crafted a verse experience that will leave teenage readers sighing with recognition and satisfaction. (Fiction/poetry. YA)

 (2001).  What my mother doesn't know  [Review of the book What my mother doesn't know by S. Sones].  Kirkus Reviews 62(3), 272.  Retrieved from www.kirkusreviews.com

Library Uses: This book could be included in a display highlighting banned books week since it has been banned due to some of the sexual content.

Module 13: Carnival at Candlelight

Book Summary: Annie and Jack are yet again called on by Merlin, through is helpers Teddy and Kathleen, to go on a mission. This time they are going to Venice to save the city from a terrible flood. Armed with their research guide and a book of magic rhymes, they arrive in historic Venice during the carnival. They must solve the clues before time runs out to save the beautiful city.

APA Reference of Book: Osborne, M. P. (2005). Carnival at Candlelight. New York: Random House.

Impressions: This was a cute story that included a lot of information about the city of Venice as well as famous artists and different mythology. I think that this book has enough action to keep young readers interested without getting confused. However, readers over the age of eight or nine might be a little bored with the simplified story telling and plot. To an older reader, Jack and Annie really have to do very little to save Venice. They walk around the city a bit and have some mishaps, but once they solve the riddle and get to the lion it is just a matter of flying out to ask Neptune to stop the storm. I also couldn't help but be amused that everyone Jack and Annie encountered, whether it be Venetians or Roman gods or living statuary, spoke English and were totally able to help. With that being said, I don't think that type of detail will be of any matter to a young reader who is more likely to be caught up int eh action, magic, and mystery. 
 
Professional Review: “Characterization is sketchy and older children will find the plot predictable, but readers just past the easy-to-read stage will find it satisfying. It should attract those who devour Ruth Chew’s books”.

Sherman, L. L. (1992). Review: Magic Tree House. School Library Journal. 38(9), p. 70. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/

Library Uses: I think that the entire Magic Treehouse series has multiple uses since they span so many topics. Because of that, you can attract a lot of different readers with varying interests or tie the books into different programs according to theme. Personally, I would like to make some sort of treehouse style display to show off the our library's collection and get more people interested in the story. I know I find myself recommending these books to parents and children alike because of the educational value that can be gleaned from them.

Module 12: Me Jane

Book Summary: This book tells the story of a young Jane Goodall and her stuffed chimpanzee, Jubilee. Jane enjoys play with Jubilee and exploring the outdoors. She finds a fascination with the natural world and dreams of one day getting to study chimpanzees in the wild.

APA Reference of Book:McDonnell, P. (2011). Me... Jane. New York: Little, Brown. 

Impressions: I very much enjoyed this book. The text is very simple and the drawings are beautiful. It is easy enough for young children to understand but still enjoyable for adults who will appreciate the art. I particularly liked the style of the book. It is laid out with the illustration on one side with smudged looking edges and the text on the other. The text pages have lightly drawn images decorating them that are very pretty. It makes the whole thing look more like a scrapbook of Jane's childhood.
 
Professional Review:
Little Jane loves her stuffed animal, a chimpanzee named Jubilee, and carries him everywhere she goes. Mainly, they go outdoors, where they watch birds building their nests and squirrels chasing each other. Jane reads about animals in books and keeps a notebook of sketches, information, and puzzles. Feeling her kinship with all of nature, she often climbs her favorite tree and reads about another Jane, Tarzan’s Jane. She dreams that one day she, too, will live in the African jungle and help the animals. And one day, she does. With the story’s last page turn, the illustrations change from ink-and-watercolor scenes of Jane as a child, toting Jubilee, to a color photo of Jane Goodall as a young woman in Africa, extending her hand to a chimpanzee. Quietly told and expressively illustrated, the story of the child as a budding naturalist is charming on its own, but the photo on the last page opens it up through a well-chosen image that illuminates the connections between childhood dreams and adult reality. On two appended pages, “About Jane Goodall” describes her work, while “A Message from Jane” invites others to get involved. This remarkable picture book is one of the few that speaks, in a meaningful way, to all ages.
— Carolyn Phelan

 Phelan, C. (2011).  Me Jane  [Review of the book Me Jane? by P. McDonnell].  Booklist.  Retrieved from www.booklistonline.com




Library Uses: This would be nice to use along with programming about ecology, monkeys, or about Goodall herself to help children become more familiar with preservation and research efforts and how they might get involved.

Module 11: What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?

Book Summary:This book shows how a variety of animals use their eyes, ears, noses, tails, and feet and provides information on each type of animal.


APA Reference of Book:Jenkins, S., & Page, R. (2003). What do you do with a tail like this?. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Impressions:This book is a very interesting way to present educational information to children so that is is fun. I enjoyed looking at all the body parts and guessing who they belonged to. While some were easy, I even learned a few things from the book. I did not recognize the mole's nose and I had no idea that a cricket hears with its knees. The illustrations are creative yet still realistic. I also liked that there is further information on each animal at the back of the book. I think this would be especially useful to teachers.
 
Professional Review:Not only does Jenkins again display a genius for creating paper-collage wildlife portraits with astonishingly realistic skin, fur and feathers, but here on alternate spreads he zooms in for equally lifelike close-ups of ears, eyes, noses, mouths, feet and tails.  Visual surprises abound.  Capped by a systematic appendix furnishing more, and often arresting details–this array of wide eyes and open mouths will definitely have viewers responding with wide eyes and open mouths of their own.

(2003).  What do you do with a tail like this?  [Review of the book What do you do with a tail like this? by S. Jenkins].  Kirkus Reviews 71(2), 142.  Retrieved from www.kirkusreviews.com

Library Uses: I saw a sample activity where you read the book and then have children create an animal that is a combination of many different body parts. Such as something with rabbit ears, a monkey tail, mole nose, and then they have to explain where their imaginary animals lives and how each of these parts help it to get by.

Module 10: Pink and Say

Book Summary: During the Civil War, an injured white soldier, Say, is rescued by a black union soldier, Pink. He takes Say home to his mother's house to recover from his wound. While they are there, they form a friendship. when the pair decides to return to their respective units, they are taken as prisoners of war and sent to Andersonville prison by confederate marauders.

APA Reference of Book:Polacco, P. (1994). Pink and Say. New York: Philomel Books.

Impressions: Although this is a picture book, the content is more advanced that the average picture book. The writing is very rich and gives a great sense of the dialect of the men. The book is soaked in history and gives a nice feel for the time period and the war without overloading the reader. The story is very touching and is made even more so when you learn that is is based of of the experience of Polacco's ancestor who fought in the war.
 
Professional Review: Gr 4 Up-This picture book set during the Civil War is a departure for Polacco in terms of content and audience. It is certainly the deepest and most serious book she has done. Sheldon Curtis, 15, a white boy, lies badly wounded in a field in Georgia when Pinkus Aylee, an African American Union soldier about Sheldon's age, finds him and carries him home to his mother, Moe Moe Bay. Sheldon, known as Say, is nursed back to health in her nurturing care. But then she is killed by marauders, and the boys return to their units. They are then are captured and taken to Andersonville, where Pink is hanged within hours of their capture. One of the most touching moments is when Pink reads aloud from the Bible to Moe Moe and Say. Say tells them that he can't read, but then he offers something he's very proud of: he once shook Abraham Lincoln's hand. This is a central image in the story, and is what ties the boys together for a final time, as Pink cries, "`Let me touch the hand that touched Mr. Lincoln, Say, just one last time.'" The picture of their clasped hands, with the hands of the soldiers wrenching them apart, is exceptionally moving. Polacco's artwork, in fact, has never been better. She uses dramatic perspectives, dynamic compositions, and faces full of emotion to carry her powerful tale. History comes to life in this remarkable book.-Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL

Persson, L. (1994, October). [Review of the book Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco]. School Library Journal via Titlewave. Retrieved by http://titlewave.com/search?SID=81c425509376dc539b5dcf4c454190aa

Library Uses: This would work well for older students as a part of a Civil War unit or program. The story mentions several pieces of history that could be explored further such as Andersonville and marauders. You could also tie it in with Black History Month and have the children learn more about black soldiers during the Civil War. For children who are old enough, it could be tied to the movies Andersonville or Glory.

Module 9: Where's the Big Bad Wolf

 Book Summary: Detective Doggedly is always trying to catch the Big Bad Wolf in the act of terrorizing the three little pigs. When the wolf is in the hospital with the flu, there is still someone huffing and puffing at the pig's house. There is also a new sheep in town giving the pigs some bad advice about how to build their homes. Finally, Doggedly figures out it is just the wolf in sheep's clothing causing problems.

APA Reference of Book:Christelow, E. (2002). Where's the big bad wolf?. New York: Clarion Books.

Impressions: I really liked the language of this book, it had a lot of personality which made this a fun read. As an adult, I was easily able to recognize the wolf in sheep's clothing so there wasn't much mystery but children would most likely enjoy it more. I didn't really like that the illustrations were done with dialogue bubbles in them. I kept jumping back and forth between the text and the the speech bubbles thinking it would provide additional information, but as far as I could tell, it did not. I understood why the illustrator had done it but I would have preferred either text or dialogue bubbles, not both.

 
Professional Review:

Three little pigs get some real bad advice from a wolf in a real goofy sheep disguise in this comical whodunit. The three little pigs are having their homes blown down—and escaping by the hair of their chinny-chin-chins—and Detective Doggedly believes it might be the work of the shiftless, no-account neighborhood wolf, the infamous BBW. But the only character found at the crime scenes is a newcomer to town: Esmeralda the sheep. Sure, kids will note, Esmeralda their foot, for her disguise is pretty transparent. She has also been giving the pigs construction ideas: straw is good, twigs are good, and cardboard’s not bad. Two cows suggest a brick house, which foils the wolf and ends in his unveiling and incarceration. Short-term incarceration, that is, as he’s soon back, this time tricked out as a horse, with more self-serving recommendations: “Pick peas after midnight, when everybody is asleep. They’ll taste sweeter.” So what if there are a few inexplicables here—How did the wolf con his way into that hospital bed?—this is good clownish fun, and the rough-and-tumble art keeps the farce bubbling. (Picture book. 4-7)

[Review of the book Where’s the big bad wolf? by E. Christelow]. (2002, July 15). Kirkus Reviews, 70(14), 1028. Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com

Library Uses: This would be used for an early childhood mystery program where the children have to come and solve a mystery or scavenger hunt that solves the mystery.