The Unfortunate Son -- Looking for Newbery (2013 style)

When Karen and I sat down to breakfast I had just started reading The Unfortunate Son by Constance Leeds and told her to add it to my list because just 10 pages in, I was hooked.  I liked it a lot.

It reads almost like a fairy tail but is set in very real French medieval times.  When counts would disown their imperfect sons at birth and force those less fortunate into sadness because their son was born perfect.  Times when children of privilege would suddenly become orphans because of their father's misdeeds.

The story of two children, Luc the imperfect son, whose luck goes from good to bad and back again over the span of a short life and Beatrice, the child of privilege who is raised by her nanny and her brother in a simple fishing cottage, filled with happiness.

The stories of these two could not be more different, but thanks to wonderful writing, they are brought together and form a strong bond that stands up to all of the bad luck in the world.

Constance Leeds uses wonderful characters, plot twists and turns to tell the story of these two and all who they come in contact with.  Her descriptions of the cities used as settings are amazing, transporting the reader back in time to experience the world with Luc and Beatrice.

While this book may not win any awards, I already have students in mind who love adventure and good writing.

R My Name is Rachel

I really enjoy the versatility of Patricia Reilly Giff as an author. It is delightful to be able to show students an author like her who has written so many types of books.

R My Name is Rachel is a historical fiction piece set in the Great Depression era, specifically 1936. We see these times through the eyes of Rachel, a 13 year old. Her mother died when Rachel was young, and her dad has hit some difficult financial times, along with the rest of the country. In an effort to find a job, he packs up his family and some of their possessions into a truck and heads off to upstate New York. He has heard of a job that may be available in North Lake, and there is a farm there they can rent.

This move saddens Rachel for so many reasons. Leaving the only home she's ever known, leaving the school and the teacher who mean so much to her, leaving her best friend, leaving her neighbors, and leaving a solid adult friend, Miss Mitzi. These are all tough things, but set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, they are small concerns against the reality of survival.

And once they get to North Lake, this book is a gritty story about survival. Rachel and her two younger siblings, Joey and Cassie, are called upon to do far more than they or the reader would expect. What they are asked to do and need to do would make for great conversations with students. Would they be able to do this? What are the survival skills they do have? Do parents sometimes make decisions that are hard for their children? So many more questions as well. I envision some deep and animated conversations.

And if I didn't already like this book for so many other reasons, I would have to add these as well:

• Rachel is an avid reader. It is her escape from reality at times, but it can also be a key to life solutions at other times.
• Rachel is a writer. She writes many letters to her father and Miss Mitzi throughout the story.
• There are not just one, but TWO teachers in this book I would like to nominate for A Year of Reading's 100 Cool Teacher's in Children's Literature!!! Mrs. Lazarus and Mrs. Collins are teachers who truly support putting books in children's hands!
• I love the character of Miss Mitzi. I love her positive attitude, I love her kindness, I love her relationship with Rachel, and that's all I can tell without ruining the story.

R My Name is Rachel will have an important place in our classroom this year, rather as a read aloud, a book club, or on the shelf of "Books You Just Can't Miss!"

Gordan Korman Launches a New Series

I recently had the good fortune to read an ARC of Gordon Korman's new series (possibly a trilogy) called Titanic. Book One of the Titanic series is called Unsinkable.

Korman has done a fantastic job blending historical events with characters and stories the reader won't soon forget. In that way, Unsinkable reminded me of the movie, Titanic. I got so involved with the characters in the movie, I kept thinking, "Oh this time, they'll miss that iceberg!" The same happened to me with the characters in this book.

I am so invested in the lives of the characters in Unsinkable, I can't wait for Book Two to see what happens next, even when I know full well what the final outcome will be. Darn it! I really care about these characters. Korman has done a fantastic job fleshing out very believeable characters (even if sometimes stereotypical). There is the slightly spoiled elitist rich girl, the stowaway running for his life because he picked the wrong person's pocket, the Irish gangster and his hoodlums (ok, I don't care quite so much about them), the girl whose mother was a sufferagate and recently asked to leave England, the boy whose father worked in the bowels of the ship feeding the steam engines of the Titanic, and Thomas Andrews, the designer of the Titanic.

In each chapter, the storyline jumps from one character to another which results in quite a few cliffhangers. I literally couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out what would happen next for each of the characters. And don't even get me started about the one surprise that happens at the end of the first book. Mysteries, secrets, and intrigue abound on-board the Titanic.

Gordon Korman has written a series that most definitely will hold water with readers!! Unfortunately, the publication date for Unsinkable is not until May 1, 2011. Mark it on your calendar! It can't get here soon enough.

Other books in the Titanic series:

Book Two: Collision Course

Book Three: S.O.S.

Charlie Anne is a Memorable Character

If I had read it sooner The Wonder of Charlie Anne by Kimberly Newton Fusco would have made my list of books deserving of an award. The title character is so strong and spunky that I was drawn into this book immediately.

Charlie Ann is a young girl growing up in the Depression. As if that doesn't present enough obstacles, she has so much more to deal with. A single father that must go off to build roads leaving the children with a mean older cousin, Mirabel who has designs on their father. Her older sister, Ivy, who torments Charlie Anne, probably as a way to deal with her grief of losing their mother. Charlie Anne also deals with a learning disability and the memories of a teacher that verbally and physically abused her when she reversed her letters trying to read.

Despite all of these negatives in her life, Charlie Anne thrives. She is smart about animals and how to do things on the farm. She can make the best vinegar lemon pie around and she knows how to entertain her younger sister, Birdie, entertained when she is unhappy. There's nothing like a good chicken race to lift little Birdie's spirits.

Charlie Anne's life changes when Old Mr. Jolly across the street brings home his new bride, Rosalyn and her daughter, an African American girl named Phoebe. The community is shocked by this new family, both Rosalyn and Phoebe wear pants, and they can't believe that Phoebe isn't the hired help. Through it all, Charlie Anne and Phoebe become friends even though Charlie Anne has been told to stay away from Phoebe. When Rosalyn, a teacher, discovers that Charlie can't read, she sets out to help in a gentle, patient way with Phoebe as her assistant.

It's through the re-opening of the school that we learn the back story of Rosalyn and Phoebe and how they became a family. It's a touching tale of the racism that occurred in the south. It's also the re-opening of the school that reveals the other side of the mean cousin Mirabel. Events lead her to start taking charge of helping some of the other families in the community and through this aid she begins to see the value of Charlie Anne and her gifts.

All in all this is a touching story of family survival during one of our country's most difficult time. I really like how the community comes together to help one another and by doing that they all become closer. I think kids are really going to like this book, I know I did, and I'll be recommending it to all of my fourth and fifth graders.

Other Reviews:
BookPage
Semicolon
Carol's Corner
The Musings of a Book Addict

Gary Paulsen's Newest -- Woods Runner

On my latest trip to Cover to Cover, a wonderful children's bookstore, I picked up a copy of Gary Paulsen's latest book, Woods Runner. It is historical fiction, set in the time of the Revolutionary War.

The main character is Samuel, a 13 year old boy living in the wilderness of Pennsylvania. Samuel is a boy very attuned to the nature around him. He is far more comfortable roaming and exploring the dark woods that surrounds his family's cabin than he is inside. The reader first meets Samuel on a day he has gone hunting, and comes back to find a horrible tragedy that involves his parents, his home, and the surrounding homes.

This book is not for the faint of heart. Paulsen doesn't pull too many punches when describing the homes burned down, and the people killed in various manners. He also is very clear about the horrors of war, as Samuel tracks his parents to New York City from Pennsylvania and sees the destruction that the armies have left behind along the way. I wasn't personally disturbed by it, but realized that the graphic nature of the descriptions would not make this the best choice for every child.

In an afterword, Paulsen states that the Revolutionary War is actually romanticized by some. It is easy to forget that with our nation's independence from Britain came a huge toll on lives. Paulsen doesn't allow the reader to forget; he painted pictures with his words that I will remember for a long time to come.

And in this day and age, where many of my students are fascintated by war and war games, this book is sobering. War is not glamorous. War may have its reasons, but it always comes with a great quantity of human casualties.

All that being said, I was enthralled by Woods Runner. The descriptions of nature, the survival skills that Samuel shows, a glimpse into the underbelly of the Revolutionary War, Samuel "adopting" a sister along the way, and his pursuit of his captured parents all make for fascinating reading.

In addition, Paulsen throws in a nonfiction twist to this historical fiction story. In strategic points in the book, Paulsen gives the reader detailed information about different topics that will better help them understand certain events from this historical period of time. At first this technique threw me, jumping from fiction to nonfiction, but as the story progressed, I found it to be incredibly helpful. I realized how little I knew about certain historical moments; Paulsen's inserts really helped build my background knowledge which in turn helped me understand the story better.

Woods Runner reminded me of another book I really enjoyed, Blood on the River, which was a different take on the historical view of the Jamestown colony. Woods Runner has a great storyline with many plot twists along the way. Factor in its graphic view of war, and I think Paulsen has a winner.