Showing posts with label YA literature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YA literature. Show all posts

In Memoriam: Remembering Black Children's Writers, Illustrators, & Scholars

 



So many creatives in children's literature have passed over the years. I still have a newspaper clipping of an obituary for Gwendolyn Brooks that I look at from time to time. I want to remember and honor these artists because their work has meant so much to me.   

Ashley Bryan, author, illustrator, teacher

Gwendolyn Brooks, poet

Lucille Clifton, poet

Floyd Cooper, author, illustrator

Leo Dillon, illustrator

Eloise Greenfield, author

Virginia Hamilton, author

bell hooks, author, scholar

Julius Lester, author, teacher

Patricia McKissack, author

Toni Morrison, author

Walter Dean Myers, author

Jerry Pinkney, illustrator

Faith Ringgold, artist, author

Ntozake Shange, playwright, poet

Althea Tait, scholar

Joyce Carol Thomas, author, playwright

VivianYenika-Agbaw, scholar


*I realize some writers (e.g., hooks, Morrison, and Shange) may be more well-known for writing for adults rather than children.  

What would be on my list of classic YA books?

A few months ago, I was fortunate enough to be included on the list of scholars Steven Bickmore asked to comment on one of the YA (young adult) books he deemed classic. While he asked me to comment on The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963—and boy, did I enjoy doing so— for his edited issue of First Opinions, Second Reactions, I began to wonder what my own list of classic YA titles would look like.

Since Steven set the tone by arguing that a book published in the 1990s could be considered classic, I decided to follow suit and list books published no later than that decade.

But what is YA? For me, it’s books with protagonists somewhere around twelve-eighteen that are generally marketed to middle/high school age youth.

What would your list contain? Here’s my list in no particular order:

1.    I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This (1994) by Jacqueline Woodson
2.    Zeely (1967) by Virginia Hamilton
3.    The Friends (1973) by Rosa Guy
4.    Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (1976) by Mildred D. Taylor
5.    Forever (1975) by Judy Blume
6.    Annie on My Mind (1982) by Nancy Garden
7.    Tears of a Tiger (1995) by Sharon M. Draper
8.    The Outsiders (1967) by S.E. Hinton
9.    Z for Zachariah (1975) by Robert O’Brien
10.  Toning the Sweep (1994) by Angela Johnson
11. My Darling, My Hamburger (1969) by Paul Zindel
12. Jacob Have I Loved (1980) by Katherine Paterson

I'm reading What Flowers Remember by Shannon Wiersbitzky

Yesterday, I visited a seventh grade class about four chapters into The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963. I wanted to see how they would respond to The Watsons. Would they laugh at Byron? Situate the book in its historical context? Feel empathy for Joey & Kenny?

Before I could search for answers to my questions,  I noticed the teacher had an 8 1/2 X 11 sheet of paper on her door that said, “I’m reading…” just above a picture of the cover of the book.  Being made aware of the teacher’s personal reading, reminded me that I used to use this blog as a space to write about what I am reading.

So, what am I reading now?
*What Flowers Remember by Shannon Wiersbitzky.


What’s it about?
Delia the protagonist of What Flowers Remember watches as her friend, Old Red, declines. With spunk and ingenuity, she tries to help Old Red hold on to memories, people, and places that seem to be fading away.  The short chapters are organized by the months of the year, spanning about a two-year period. Rural experiences like attending fairs, neighborhood church events, and engaging in horticulture are depicted realistically.

The friendship between Old Red and Delia is representative of cross-generational relationships that my co-author of Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation and Appreciation (3rd ed.) and I discuss under contemporary realistic fiction. We write, “[For youth], it may be difficult to think about what it is like to be a senior citizen. However, many young adults do form very strong ties to older people, only to realize that, just as there are challenges with growing up, there are challenges with growing old” (p. 138-139). Delia certainly attempts to adjust to a newfound awareness of aging.

The book is calm and quiet. Ever since I read Shannon Hitchcock’s The Ballad of Jessie Pearl, I have been drawn to books that might be packed with conflict, but have a certain tranquility in the tone and mood. Like The Ballad of Jessie Pearl, this one is published by Namelos. Perhaps that is the publisher’s niche: books about the everyday lives of girls in rural areas coupled with an underlining hint of faith.

*The book was sent to me, as books often are, but I was not asked to review it, and I will never be compensated in any way for mentioning it here. Like the teacher I visited yesterday, and most people who read a good book, it’s just natural for me to want to share it with others.

YA Book List

Remember Dippy by Shirley Reva Vernick


What have I been reading?  

 

 
 
Here's the gist, but please see the review in an upcoming issue of VOYA.
Who?
Johnny & his older cousin, Remember Dippy, “Yes, that’s right, his name is Remember—straight out of some New Age baby-naming book” (p. 5).

What?
In exchange for room & board, Johnny “helps out with” Remember Dippy, who is autistic

When?
Summer vacation

Where?
 Present-day; fictitious town in Vermont, “Hull, Vermont, should be named Dull, Vermont" (p.3).


What am I reading now?


I'm reading Sharon M. Draper's new book: Panic.

Are you reading it too?

I know I'm slow.

You've probably already read it.

What did you think?

“Using Biography to Teach Disability History” by Kim E. Nielsen


*What I learned last week?


The thing I read last week that grabbed my attention was “Using Biography to Teach Disability History” by Kim E. Nielsen. Nielsen urges readers to look at biographies that feature people with disabilities as historical texts.

I’ve always loved biography. I like reading them to learn more about human nature, how people live, who they love, how they succeed, and how they fail.

Nielsen asked me to do something different.

She suggested that I read biographies to examine disability.

How has the view of disability in the US changed over time?

How has the definition of disability changed over time?

How has people’s experience with disabilities changed?

Gosh. I love learning.

*I’ll be the first to tell you that I know absolutely nothing, so coming up with one thing I’ve learned in a given hour is difficult, so imagine how hard it is to settle on one thing for an entire week. Of all of the things I read last week, this one is still on my mind, so I’m happy to write about it.

Want to Read It?
“Using Biography to Teach Disability History,” Kim E. Nielsen, OAH Magazine of History, July 2009, 41-43


Lucille

The best thing I read last week? Hands down it was Lucille by Ludovic Debeurme. I'm still thinking about this graphic novel set in Europe. Lucille's anorexia and loneliness coupled with the problems of the young man she runs away with makes for an interesting, but painful drama. I highly recommend this book. 

Sharing YA Lit.

"If your enthusiastic booktalk encourages one student to read that book, that student is likely to do two things: 1)ask you for another recommendation, and 2) tell other students about that book." ~~Don Gallo



Source:
Gallo, D. “Ice Cream/I Scream for YA Books,” Voices from the Middle, 17 (4), May 2010
 

Drummer Girl


Has anyone read Drummer Girl? It has an interesting premise and an important message. A girl who is an excellent drummer finds herself in a dilemma.

Here's what the publisher says about it:

"Drummer Girl tackles the dangerous side of peer pressure and the politics of identity in high school, and ultimately, what it means to march to the beat of your own drum."



Here's one blogger's view of it.


Read it and let me know what you think.

Ruth White’s A Month of Sundays

I want to share a review of Ruth White’s A Month of Sundays. I like the tone of this book.


April Garnet Rose is unhappy when her mother leaves her with her with Aunt June and heads to Florida in search of work. At fifteen, Garnet has never met her father, August, or the rest of his family, but she slowly gets close to everyone, especially Aunt June as they travel to different churches each Sunday in search of God. One Sunday, Garnet meets Silver, a reluctant youth minister. They connect instantly while sorting feelings about their mothers.

White has captured the wonder, skepticism, and excitement of discovering loved ones for the first time while ferociously holding on to the ones you have known all along. The rural area of Black Rock, Virginia, filled with nosey neighbors, good food, and family time watching television stations that “sign off” at night, gives the novel a “homey” and simple tone all while dealing with complex “contemporary” issues: abandonment, first love, illness, and death. It is not until the end that White seems to force plot points, particularly concerning the fate of Garnet’s first love, Silver. Fans of quaint, historical settings, strong characters faced with difficult decisions, and love conquers all themes will enjoy this book.

KaaVonia Hinton, VOYA, 34(4), Oct., 2011

Please Participate in ALAN with Me

Dear Blog Friends,

As the ALAN State Representative for Virginia, I am asking you to consider giving a membership to the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) to a teacher or librarian this holiday season. Perhaps you might want to treat yourself too!

The Cost: $20.00 per year (half price for students)

The Benefits: Three issues of THE ALAN REVIEW and information about the annual ALAN Workshop & ALAN Breakfast, which occur during NCTE's Fall Conference.

To join: Please get the membership form from the ALAN Website.

Silence of Our Friends by Mark Long, et al

This graphic novel (GN) is loosely based on the co-author's, Mark Long, childhood in 1967/68 when his father, a white television reporter named Jack, befriended Larry Thomas, a black editor and activist.

There is one scene that I kept thinking about long after I read the last line of the book: After the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) is banned from Texas Southern University, Larry leads what he believes will be a peaceful demonstration.

It turns violent when the police arrive and start thwacking protesters, causing a riot.
Larry is beaten and as he goes down, he yells for Jack who is there covering the demonstration.  It is depicted in a way that makes it seem like Jack was being beaten at the same time, but Larry doesn’t see it that way.




I guess it stuck with me because I listened to Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock soon after reading this book. 

Benjamin Fine, a reporter, tried to console Elizabeth Eckford after she was taunted by a mob for simply trying to attend Central High School. 

The author of the book, David Margolick, says years later, Fine was asked why he sacrificed professionalism and objectivity to try to help Elizabeth and he said, “A reporter has to be a human being.” 

That act of kindness impressed me and certainly could have been an option for Jack in The Silence of Our Friends.

In one of my classes we talk about ways to incorporate GNs when teaching content. Silence of Our Friends is a little known glimpse at a town, a university, a community about to come to grips with change. 

The authors try to delve into racist and prejudice attitudes by showing how black and white children and adults look at the other in this book. A high school social studies or English class might use it to talk about what the climate was like during that time and how/if it has changed today.
Would you teach a GN?

Interesting Graphic Novel Stuff:

Read excerpts of The Silence of Our Friends.

Graphic novels are quite popular and helpful to some readers. Take a look at this post about graphic novels with a fairytale theme.


I’ve blogged about King by Ho Che Anderson which is biographical.
You can look inside King .

Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson


I didn’t really want to read Beneath a Meth Moon because of the topic, but when I finally opened it up, I couldn’t stop.

It was like watching Dr. Oz.

You know he’s going to show you this large, scary tumor that he says is causing the woman beside him to smell, but you look at it anyway, because you’re pulled to it, it’s luring; it’s alluring.

So when I read the title and the back cover, I thought, no, I want happy thoughts today. Here's what's so sad: Laurel’s mother and grandmother die during Hurricane Katrina, and it takes her family a while to try to deal with the grief and move on.


When you think they are on the road to recovery, Laurel is introduced to meth by her new boyfriend. The time shifts are jarring, unexpected just like the circumstances Laurel finds herself in.

Did this book make anyone else think of Go Ask Alice? I’ve got a feeling I’m not the only one who was reminded of that book.

The Short, Short Stories of Dave Eggers

I was grateful to be able to chair a session at NCTE for the Assembly on American Literature called “The American Short Story: Past and Present.”

I sat in on two tables, one was led by my dear friend and longtime supporter of everything I do, including my efforts to blog, Joseph.


Joseph was also one of the keynoters and he read a great micro-story by Dave Eggers from The Short, Short Stories of Dave Eggers.

At his table he asked us to read the title of one of Eggers' stories: “When They Learned to Yelp.”

After we read it, he asked us to jot down what we think of the title. What is yelping?

Next he read aloud the first couple of paragraphs and asked us to make a t-chart. On one side we wrote “How is yelp described?” on the other side we wrote “My yelp.” Then we shared.

He ended by asking for a volunteer to read the last paragraph of the story and discuss if we see the concept of yelping differently.

We never read the entire story, so when I got back to my hotel room I did read it.

I read it because Joseph had piqued my interest with his questions.

Accidental Genius of Weasel High by Rick Detorie

Seriously though, what is this book?

It's not a graphic novel, right?

Is it a multigenre book? A comic?

I don't know, but it's a humorous look at the life of a fourteen-year-old with a crush on a girl and a talent for reciting lines from films. Funny stuff.

I started giggling on page 1.

Larkin Pace's teacher, Mr. Hawley, requires the class to keep a notebook blog. To make it interesting, Mr. Hawley decides to give the best blogger, “the blogger with the most compelling, interesting, or humorous blog,” a 100 for the semester.

Guess who got the 100?

Yep, Larkin.

Try reading the definition of an AG without snickering: “An accidental genius is somebody who possesses an awesome talent that happens to be totally useless.”

Know anybody like this?

I'd put this one in my classroom library. It's a pleasure read.


Are you going to watch the Catching Fire Movie?


First let me just say that I enjoyed The Hunger Games and so did my students. Last semester they were excited about it and passed copies of it and the sequel to their family and friends. I bought Catching Fire and it is still sitting on my shelf. I don’t know why. I pick it up and then put it back down. I even downloaded some of it to the Nook. I opened it, read one page, and moved on.


I don’t know why the only series I’ve ever read is Diary of the Wimpy Kid.

Anyway, what I really want to tell you is that The Hunger Games movie is coming out soon and they’ve already announced that they’re working on a film for Catching Fire.

I’m serious.


I read about it on Fused Film. Fused Film says The Hunger Games franchise will be a four movie deal, even though Collins only has 3 books.

When movies and books collide, it’s kind of interesting. What do you think? Will you see the movie?

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Picture Books & Older Readers?


Using picture books with teens (and adults) might sound strange to some, so here are two quotes that might offer a rationale for doing so.
“Some books in the children's literature market are meant to be read and enjoyed by a wide diversity of ages; adults are not offended if children's literature is used as long as appropriate titles are chosen and they are presented carefully; benefits are expanded opportunities for student comprehension and enjoyment, suitability of picture books to short periods of instruction, and wide availability of books; and since books are available in the science, social studies, reading, and writing skills, children's informational books are a wonderful way to introduce concepts, demonstrate a point, or provide information to supplement textbooks.”  Patricia Bloem, “Bringing Books to Adult Literacy Classrooms”

Debra Schneider, a history teacher, “uses picture books to supplement the U.S. history curriculum for her 11th graders because such books communicate a lot of basic information in a concise way.” Mary Ann Zehr, “Reading Aloud to Teens Gains Favor Among Teachers,” Education Week

The photo above is from wikimedia commons.
"Electronics Technician 2nd Class Joshua Nyegard, assigned to USS Nevada (SSBN 733), reads a children’s book to his kids during a United Through Reading (UTR)"

Madeleine L'Engle on A Wrinkle in Time


“I was so excited when I first heard [A Wrinkle in Time] was banned because only banned books have something to say, whether you understand it or not.”
-- Madeleine L'Engle interview on A Wrinkle in Time DVD
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