A Step from Heaven

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, and YA – Realistic Fiction

Na, An. A Step From Heaven. New York: Penguin, 2001. Read by Jina Oh. Audiobook. Random House Audio, 2002.

Young Ju Park is a little Korean girl on her way to America.  Just stepping on the plane, she thinks she is going to heaven.  When Young Ju and her family arrive in America, she begins to discover that it isn’t quite as “heavenly” as she originally thought.  She struggles to learn English and find her way, even with her disapproving father impeding her along the way. 

This is the story of Korean emigrants in America.  You see the daily struggle they go through just trying to survive.  Young Ju grows up in America with a father who beats her and a brother who can do no wrong.  Parts of the Korean culture can be seen through the reading by the proud actions of the family and trying to keep some tradition from Korea with them.  Young Ju is not allowed to speak English at home and when she makes friends, her father tells her to stop seeing them because they are a bad influence.  As the father becomes an alcoholic, Young Ju struggles with how he treats the family.  Jina Oh’s reading really brings out the emotions and feelings of Young Ju. 

Notable Reviews and Awards:

“As in the best writing, the particulars make the story, a first novel, universal.” – Booklist

“This beautifully written book, a tale of both tragedy and eventual triumph, is likely to bring tears to the eyes of any reader. Its author must be considered an important new voice in Asian American literature.” – VOYA

“A beautifully written, affecting work.” – School Library Journal

“An Na displays an astonishing and memorable force.” – The Horn Book

“A Step from Heaven is endowed with a haunting grace by the exquisite voice of a young new writer.” – The New York Times Book Review

Winner of the 2002 Michael L. Printz Award

A 2001 National Book Award Finalist

An ALA Notable Book

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

An IRA Young Adult Choice Book

A Horn Book Fanfare Book

A New York Times Best Book of the Year

A Publisher’s Weekly best Book of the Year

2001 Kiriyama Prize Notable Book Shortlist

A Publisher’s Weekly Best-Seller

Many types of classroom discussions can come from reading this novel.  The chapters are not given numbers but names related to the topic in the chapter.  Discussions on the narrative point of view of Young Ju as a child versus Young Ju as a young adult can be compared.  Family situations can also be discussed as they arise within the context of the story.

Other notable Asian American authors include Gish Jen, Jhumpa Lahiri, Ha Jin, Amy Tan, and Gus Lee.

The Graveyard Book

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, and YA

Gaiman, Neil, and Dave McKean, Ill.. The Graveyard Book. New York: Harper Collins, 2008. Narrated by Neil Gaiman. Audiobook. Harper Audio, 2008.  ISBN: 978-0061551895  Book ISBN: 978-0-06-053092-1

“It takes a graveyard to raise a child.”  At least that is what the ghosts think.  Nobody Owens, Bod to his friends, is a young boy who grows up in a graveyard after wandering out the night his family is murdered.  Given the Freedom of the Graveyard, Bod is able to go places in the graveyard that no other living person can.  Bod still manages to get himself into mischief as he meets the Indigo Man, the Ghouls, and Elizabeth Hempstock, a witch buried in the graveyard.  As Silas, Bod’s guardian, and the ghosts work to protect him from Jack, the man who tried to kill him along with the rest of his family, he may just find out the truth about his real family the night he toddled into the graveyard. 

Gaiman writes an incredible tale of a toddler who grows up in a graveyard.  Gaiman narrates the book himself.  I love the fact that the author narrates the book because you can get the author’s intentions for the story.  Gaiman’s characters are full of life, even if they are ghosts.  Every ghost has a personality that draws from the time period in which he or she died.  The primary setting is in the graveyard, but there are some places outside the graveyard where Bod gets himself into trouble.  The theme that rings true from this story is that family, no matter who or what they are, do whatever they can to keep each other safe from harm.  This is seen as the Silas and the ghosts work to keep Bod safe from Jack.  Gaiman creates a story that is inviting for all ages. 

“Wistful, witty, wise – and creepy.  This needs to be read by anyone who is or has ever been a child.” – Kirkus Reviews

“An utterly captivating tale … this is a rich story with broad appeal and is highly recommended for teens of all ages.” – Booklist

“Gaiman has created a rich, surprising, and sometimes disturbing tale of dreams, ghouls, murderers, trickery, and family.” – School Library Journal

Winner of the Newbery Medal, the Carnegie Medal, and the Hugo Award

You can listen to Neil Gaiman read his book at his website http://www.mousecircus.com/videotour.aspx.

This book has also received the following awards:

Locus Award, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book, Best Indie Young Adult Buzz Book, Audiobook of the Year, ALA Notable Children's Book, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, ALA Booklist Editors' Choice, Horn Book Fanfare, Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book, Time Magazine Top Ten Fiction, Cooperative Children's Book Center Choice, New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, New York Public Library Stuff for the Teen Age, and Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (Vermont)

Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, and YA - Graphic Novel

Krosoczka, Jarrett. Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-375-84684-7

It is time for the school read-a-thon, but something weird is going on in the library.  The Breakfast Bunch wants to get a head start on reading and end up getting thrown out of the library.  The librarian says she is trying to get ready for the book fair.  The League of Librarians has a secret meeting that the kids overhear.  The kids are suspicious and go to tell the Lunch Ladies what is happening.  The Breakfast Bunch tries to take matters into their own hands, and with the help of the Lunch Lady, they take down the League of Librarians.

This graphic novel is a fast and fun read.  The League of Librarians is out to conquer the world.  Who can stop them?  The Lunch Lady!  The characters in this story are full of surprises.  From the bully Milmoe to the Lunch Lady, every character will bring laughs.  The school setting makes it fun to think about what could go on at school when all the kids go home.  All of the graphic novels in the Lunch Lady series are filled with action and adventure. 

“With its appealing mix of action and humor, this clever, entertaining addition to the series should have wide appeal.” –School Library Journal

WINNER 2010 - Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices

Other great books in the series include:

Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown

Lunch Lady and the Bake Sale Bandit

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute

Lunch Lady and the Field Trip Fiasco

All of these graphic novels are a great way to get kids interested in reading.  The stories are fun to read and easy to follow. 

The Green Glass Sea

Genre: Historical Fiction

Klages, Ellen. The green glass sea. New York, N.Y.: Viking, 2006. Narrated by Julie Dretzin. MP3 Playaway.  Recorded Books, 2007.   Book ISBN:  0-670-06134-4

Dewey Kerrigan is a young girl moving around the country to wherever her Army dad is working.  When her grandmother has a stroke, Dewey has to go live with her father at a top secret location in a top secret place.  It is 1943 and Dewey is dealing with World War II.  Everything is top secret and no one can say anything about anything.  As the war goes on, Dewey tries her best to fit in on “The Hill” where she and her father are living.  Her father was a scientist working on “The Gadget” for the Army.  After her father’s untimely death, Dewey is terrified of what will happen to her.  Then “the Gadget” works, and we have the birth of the atomic bomb. 

Klages writes an intriguing story about a young girl growing up and trying to find herself during World War II.  She intermixes a story of a girl trying to fit in with a bunch of “Army brats” into the historical facts about the making of the atomic bomb.  Her setting of “the Hill” is in Los Alamos, New Mexico, a real place that wasn’t on any maps during the 1940’s.  “Trinity” is also a real place that Klages uses.  This was the desert place where they tested the bomb.  One feels the pain and confusion of each of the characters as they realize what is going on with the war, the tragic deaths, and even the playfulness of the children on “the Hill”. 

“An intense but accessible page-turner… history and story are drawn together with confidence.” – Horn Book Magazine

“Klages makes an impressive debut with an ambitious, meticulously researched novel set during WWII. Writing from the points of view of two displaced children, she successfully recreates life at Los Alamos Camp, where scientists and mathematicians converge with their families to construct and test the first nuclear bomb.” –Publisher’s Weekly

“Clear prose brings readers right into the unusual atmosphere of the secretive scientific community, seen through the eyes of the kids and their families.” –School Library Journal

“The characters are exceptionally well drawn, and the compelling, unusual setting makes a great tie-in for history classes.” –Booklist

Winner, 2007 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
Winner, 2007 Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature
Winner, 2007 New Mexico State Book Award (YA)
 Finalist, 2007 Quill Awards (Young Adult)
Finalist, Northern California Book Awards, 2007 (Children's)
Finalist, Locus Awards, 2007 (Best First Novel)
Book Sense #1 Children's Pick - Winter 2006/2007
 One Book, One Nebraska for Kids - 2009
 2009 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award Master List, (Illinois)
2008 NeNe Award List (Hawaii)
2008 Bluegrass Award Master List (Kentucky)
2007-08 Maine Student Book Award List
2007-08 Isinglass Teen Read List (New Hampshire)
2009 Rhode Island Teen Book Award List
2008-09 South Carolina Junior Book Award List
 A Horn Book Fanfare selection
A Junior Library Guild selection
A Scholatic Book Club selection

For more on Ellen Klages, visit her website at http://www.ellenklages.com/index.html.

This fictional story is a great tie-in and story starter for a lesson or unit of study on World War II.  Other great stories about the making of the bomb or life on “the Hill” include:

Broder, Bernice. Tales of Los Alamos: Life on the Mesa 1943-1945. Los Alamos Historical Society, 1997.

Conant, Jennet. 109 East Palace: Robert Oppenheimer and the Secret City of Los Alamos. Simon & Schuster, 2005.

Mason, Katrina. Children of Los Alamos: An Oral History fo the Town Where the Atomic Age Began. Twayne Publishers, 1995.

Rhodes, Richard. The Making of the Atomic Bomb. Simon & Schuster, 1995.

Maggie's Door

Genre: Historical Fiction

Giff, Patricia Reilly. Maggie's Door. New York: Yearling, 2003.  ISBN: 978-0-440-41581-7

In Ireland in 1845, Nory Ryan is suffering during the great potato famine, as is her friend Sean Red Mallon.  Most of their family members have already left for America.  Nory travels to the port in Galway and finds her way onto a ship headed to America.  She dreams of getting to her sister Maggie’s in Brooklyn.  Even though they don’t leave at the same time, and don’t realize they are on the same ship, Sean and Nory tell their story as they travel on the ship Samson to America.

Giff writes a fascinating tale about a young girl and her struggles to get to America and away from the Great Famine.  Each chapter alternates between Nory’s story and Sean’s story.  Giff really brings out the plight of the famine and how much the Irish suffer.  The imagery that Giff uses throughout the story allows the reader to really envision what happened during that time in Ireland.  With no food and very little clean water to drink, it is amazing that anyone makes it to America alive. 

 “Vivid language, attention to detail, and fully realized characters… heart-wrenching and unforgettable.”  -- Kirkus Reviews

“Giff brings the immigration history to life.”  -- Booklist

To read more about Nory and Sean, check out Giff’s prequel to Maggie’s Door by picking up and reading Nory Ryan’s Song.   Both of Patricia Reilly Giff’s books about Nory Ryan are a great way to introduce some world history to your class. 

Other books about the Irish Potato Famine:

Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly.  ISBN: 978-0446697101

Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850 by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. ISBN: 978-0618548835

The Great Hunger: Ireland: 1845-1849 by Cecil Woodham-Smith.  ISBN: 978-0140145151

The Wednesday Wars

Genre: Historical Fiction

Schmidt, Gary D.. The Wednesday Wars. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 2007. Read by Joel Johnstone. Audiobook. Scholastic Audio Books, 2007.  ISBN: 978-0439023405, Book ISBN: 978-0-547-23760-2

Holling Hoodhood is a 7^th grade boy in 1967 who thinks the world is against him.  His father expects him to take over the family business, his sister is embarrassed by him, and he believes Mrs. Baker, his teacher, is out to get him, along with some other bullies.  Through reading Shakespeare’s plays with Mrs. Baker on Wednesday afternoons while everyone else is in Catholic Catechism class or Hebrew school and using Shakespeare’s curses from the plays, Holling may just find himself, even through all the strife the world is going through with the Vietnam War and the deaths of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy.

This audiobook presentation of The Wednesday Wars is an unabridged version read by Joel Johnstone.  The audiobook contains 6 CDs of the story presented in a first person narrative by Johnstone.  Johnstone is an actor that has done voiceovers for video games and has been in numerous short films.  More information can be found about him at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1179578/ on the Internet Movie Database. Johnstone creates several different voices for the different characters by adding an element similar to listening to a play or radio broadcast.  The entire recording is clear and engaging.  The first CD of the audiobook has an introduction to the book presenting the title and who the story is being read by. 

As you listen to Holling’s story, you easily become sympathetic to his situation.  I think all of us have felt like the world was against us at one time or another.  This is a coming-of-age story presented at a time in history when the country was not sure of what was going to happen next.  Holling is a kid who is more interested in baseball than his flower child sister Heather or even reading Shakespeare. 

Schmidt writes an incredible story that, even listening to the audiobook, can be visualized by descriptions he repeats throughout the story.  Holling wants some cream puffs and every time they are described or mentioned in the book, Schmidt uses the same descriptors every time; brown, light, perfect cream puffs.

Notable awards and reviews:

"Schmidt...makes the implausible believable and the everyday momentous...a gentle, hopeful, moving story." --Booklist

"Schmidt rises above the novel's conventions to create memorable and believable characters." --Horn Book

2008 Newbery Honor Book

This book is great for a fictional story taking place during the Vietnam War.  It can be tied into a social studies lesson about the Vietnam War. 

Other books by Gary D. Schmidt include:

·         Mara's Stories: Glimmers in the Darkness (2008)

·         Trouble (2008)

·         First Boy (2005)

·         Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy (2004)

·         A Passionate Usefulness: The Life and Literary Labors of Hannah Adams (2004)

·         The Wonders of Donal O'Donnell (2002)

·         Straw Into Gold (2001)

Walt Whitman: Words for America

Genre: Nonfiction, Biography

Kerley, Barbara, and Brian Selznick. Walt Whitman: Words for America. New York: Scholastic Press, 2004.  ISBN:  978-0-439-35791-3

Walt Whitman loved words even as a young child.  Throughout his life, wherever he went, he always had a notebook with him to write down words when he was inspired.  Walt loved to travel.  He would visit wounded soldiers during the Civil War to cheer them up.  This began when his brother George became wounded in the war.  He wrote about those he helped.  Walt was generous and helped everyone, Black, White, Confederate, and Union.  His poem O Captain! My Captain! is a poem he wrote about his friend President Lincoln.  He wrote his poetry even up to his death. 

Kerley writes a riveting tale about Walt Whitman’s life and how he cared more for others than himself.  He wrote wherever he went.  He wrote about those he met.  Selznick’s illustrations beautifully depict Whitman in various stages of his life.  The illustration of Abraham Lincoln shows Lincoln’s sadness at the beginning of the Civil War.  Every turn of the page reveals a full color illustration that shows not only the artistry of Selznick but also the changes through Whitman’s life.

Notable awards and reviews:

Sibert Honor Book
California Book Award
Best Book Award -- Oppenheim Toy Portfolio
ALA Notable Book
Best Children's Books -- Publishers Weekly
Best Illustrated Books -- New York Times
100 Titles for Reading and Sharing -- New York Public Library
Nominated for Young Reader Awards in Kentucky, New Mexico, and Tennessee

“An exuberant picture-book biography that focuses on Whitman's formative years and his selfless work as a Civil War nurse.  Delightfully old-fashioned in design, its oversized pages are replete with graceful illustrations and snippets of poetry.  The brilliantly inventive paintings add vibrant testimonial to the nuanced text." – School Library Journal

"A visual and textual portrait of America's most revolutionary and celebrated poet.  Kerley distills Whitman's wide-ranging biography, centering on the significant themes of his life: his passion for words, America, and the common man, as well as his torment over race, democracy, and the Civil War.... Depicting Whitman as both a literal and metaphorical journeyman, Selznick paints him hiking with the pages of his habitual notebooks floating around him, each with a word from his poetry, graphically bursting the boundaries of convention.... A cultural force rendered with power and immediacy for a new generation."  -- Kirkus Reviews

"With a lyricism and an ardor that echoes Whitman's own, Kerley writes of his passion for both language and for "rambling".... Selznick's versatile illustrations encompass a stark realism...and surreal whimsy.... Their enthusiasm is convincing and contagious."  -- Publishers Weekly

"Splendid."  Horn Book

"Vibrant."  New York Times

"Outstanding."  San Francisco Chronicle

For more information about Barbara Kerley’s books, check out her website at http://www.barbarakerley.com/.

Kerley’s book about Walt Whitman can be discussed during a social studies unit on the Civil War.  Whitman is a fantastic poet that can be discussed during a poetry unit.  This book can be tied into other subjects with just a little thought and imagination.  Kerley even provides some ideas on her website of how to use this book in the classroom.

Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition

Genre: Nonfiction

Blumenthal, Karen. Bootleg: murder, moonshine, and the lawless years of prohibition. New Milford: Roaring Brook Press, 2011.   ISBN:  978-1-59643-449-3

 

During the 1920’s, America ignored the law and came up with their own ways for getting the alcohol they craved.  The 1920’s were the years of prohibition.  The United States had just put into effect the 18^th amendment to the constitution outlawing alcohol and liquor sales.  The history leading up to and through the years of prohibition is laid out in stories of those who fought for and against alcohol.  From Morris Shepherd and Carrie Nation all the way to Al Capone, Americans fought for the things they thought they deserved.  Shepherd and Nation were completely against alcohol.  Al Capone is a name no one will forget because of his lawlessness in regards to prohibition. 

Blumenthal clearly lays out the history of prohibition in this book.  Key players in the prohibition movement have stories that help to explain how the United States adopted the 18^th Amendment to the Constitution.  Initially the goal was to stop alcohol abuse.  While crime was lowered during the years of prohibition, the people still wanted their beer to help them relax at the end of a hard day.  The photographs used throughout the book help to relay the stories Blumenthal is telling to give a history of the lawless years of prohibition.  She provides an extensive bibliography at the end of the book of sources she utilized in writing this book. 

Other books about the history of prohibition include:

Asbury, Herbert. The Great Illusion: An Informal History of Prohibition. Garden City, NY: Double Day & Company, Inc., 1950.

Coffey, Thomas M. The Long Thirst: Prohibition in America: 1920-1933. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 1975.

Okrent, Daniel. Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. NY: Scribner, 2010.

Willebrandt, Mabel Walker. The Inside of Prohibition. Indianapolis: The Bobbs-merrill Company, 1929.

“An informative, insightful account of a fascinating period of American history.”  – Kirkus Reviews

“Filled with period art and photographs, anecdotes, and portraits of unique characters from the era, this fascinating book looks at the rise and fall of the disastrous social experiment known as Prohibition.” – GoodReads.com

"The breadth of the well-researched material makes Bootleg a substantial resource for reports; a deep bibliography and copious source notes provide ample opportunities for further study…this book is also a lively read…” --School Library Journal

"The scope is ambitious, but Blumenthal investigates various tangents with telling anecdotes, quotes, statistics, photographs, and illustrations without losing her focus on the bigger picture. Whether you consider ongoing problems with substance abuse or increasingly polarized political discourse, the book is startlingly relevant to modern times in many ways, marking Blumenthal as one of the more intellectually adventurous authors writing for young adults today.” --Horn Book Magazine

“…a highly readable, well-shaped look at the Eighteenth Amendment… Plenty of archival images lend to the book’s pleasant design, and an ample bibliography and source notes close out this top-notch resource, which will also help spark discussion on the current War on Drugs.” --Booklist

Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot

Genre: Nonfiction

Montgomery, Sy, and Nic Bishop. Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot. Cookery: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2010.  ISBN: 978-0-618-49417-0

Have you ever wondered about endangered animals around the world?  This book captures the heart of the reader through a visit to New Zealand to help in a conservation effort to save the kakapo (KAR-ka-poe) parrot from extinction.  The kakapo parrot only lives on Codfish Island off the southern tip of New Zealand.  They scavenge for food at night when their predators are sleeping.  These strange parrots live on the ground and cannot fly.  They can also grow to weigh as much as eight pounds.  The conservation efforts in New Zealand keep track of all 86 parrots that are currently living.  Each kakapo has a name and wears a little backpack with a sensor for tracking purposes.  The volunteer teams work to keep track of their feeding patterns as well as their breeding patterns.  There is great joy when a new kakapo is born and great sadness when one dies. 

Montgomery lays out the story of her visit to Codfish Island, the kakapo sanctuary.  She lays out her books in chapter form even though there is no table of contents.  The story flows from one subject to the next.  She describes these unique birds and discusses how they almost became extinct.  She describes in detail the daily routines for keeping track of and the caring for these amazing birds.  Nic Bishop’s photographs reveal the beauty of not just Codfish Island but of the kakapo themselves.  His photographs flow right along with Montgomery’s story of their adventure. 

Other books about the Kakapo Parrot; used for references by Montgomery and Bishop:

Balance, Alison, and Gideon Climo. Hoki: The Story of a Kakapo. Random House New Zealand, 1997.

Buller, Sir Walter. A History of the Birds of New Zealand. 1888.

Butler, David. Quest for the Kakapo. Heinemann Reed, 1989.

Hutching, Gerard. Back from the Brink: The Fight to Save Our Endemic Birds. Penguin Books New Zealand, 2004.

Jones, Jenny, with photographs by Rod Morris. The Kakapo. Reed Publishing, Auckland, New Zealand, 2003.

Review excerpts from www.symontgomery.com:

“It’s a dramatic story of preservation attempts at the very brink of extinction, and the tension, excitement, and fragility of the situation is made crystal clear, with the team rejoicing at every gain and mourning setbacks.”    -- The Bulletin of The Center for Children’s Books, Starred Review

“Excellent photos and a readable, conversational text provide an intimate look at a concerted effort to save a drastically endangered species unfamiliar to most of the world outside Down Under.”   -- Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY, for School Library Journal

“Montgomery’s delight in her subject is contagious, and throughout her enthusiastic text, she nimbly blends scientific and historical facts with immediate, sensory descriptions of fieldwork. Young readers will be fascinated by the incredible measures that the passionate workers follow to help the new birds hatch, and many will share the team’s heartbreak when some chicks die.”   -- Gillian Engberg for American Library Association’s BOOKLIST

Kakapo Rescue has also received many honors.

• Winner of the Robert F. Sibert Medal for the most distinguished nonfiction children's book of 2010.

• KAKAPO RESCUE has been named one of 16 finalists for the American Association for the Advance of Science's 2011 Science 'Books and Films Prizes', for Excellence in Science Books.

• KAKAPO RESCUE received a Blue Ribbon from The Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books choices for the best books of 2010!

• KAKAPO RESCUE has been selected as a Kirkus Best Book of the Year 2010.

• Booklist named KAKAPO RESCUE one of the Top 10 Sci-Tech titles for Youth!

• A Junior Library Guild Selection

Websites to check out include:

http://symontgomery.com/

http://www.kakaporecovery.org.nz/

According to the recovery website, as of June 3, 2011, the kakapo parrot is up to 131 in numbers. 

Hurricane Dancers

Genre: Poetry

Engle, Margarita. Hurricane dancers: the first Caribbean pirate shipwreck. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 2011.  ISBN 978-0-8050-9240-0

This novel in verse is the story of Quebrado, a young slave on a pirate ship.  When a hurricane wrecks the ship, he makes it to land and befriends some villagers.  When the pirate captain and the conquistador wash up on shore, he must decide the fate of them.

Hurricane Dancers is an enchanting tale.  The way each poem is written helps to capture a feeling or an image.  Whenever Quebrado is telling the story, you can feel the pain he feels in his words.  He feels alone and scared.  You can picture everything that is happening in the story through the way the words are written.  Here Quebrado talks of the hurricane attacking the ship.

The ship groans,

wind shrieks,

and I feel the storm

breathing

all around me

like an enormous

creature

in a nightmare

where beasts

growl

and chase….

On a ship

there is no place

to run away.

His words paint a picture of what is happening to him.  You feel is fear of the storm.  Even Quebrado’s name which means “broken” brings another element to his character.  The words throughout the book create the images of what is happening to everyone.  There are no illustrations.  When Caucubú, the chieftan’s daughter, speaks, she tells of her love for the fisherman Naridó.  Her words describe her feelings of love for this man.  She wants to marry for love and not a stranger her father wants her to marry.  This book is wrought with emotion through the tale of Quebrado and his interactions with Naridó, Caucubú, and the other villagers, as well as the pirate captain and the conquistador. 

The words are very important in the way they are laid out.  As you read each line, images form to help visualize the situation that Quebrado is in.  Metaphors and adjectives help to bring the vision to life. 

The enormous cavern glitters

with jagged crystals

and smooth ones.

This line helps you visualize the place where Quebrado is.  Alonso de Ojeda, the conquistador, says the following after having washed up on shore, surviving the hurricane.

So I wait for an end

to the broken boy’s

confusing speech

in a language that sounds

like the familiar whispers

of hateful phantoms.

The metaphor in this particular line brings scary thoughts to the forefront.  Engle utilizes different types of language for each character to make them unique.  No pictures or illustrations are needed to visualize the story.

This book has received the ALA Best Books for Young Adults nominee award.  She has also received much praise for this work.

“Unique and inventive, this is highly readable historical fiction that provides plenty of fodder for discussion.”--School Library Journal
“Like intersecting rip tides, several first-person narratives converge in this verse novel of the sixteenth century.”--Horn Book Magazine
“…the subject matter is an excellent introduction to the age of exploration and its consequences, showing slavery sinking its insidious roots in the Americas and the price paid by those who were there first.”--Publishers Weekly
“Taken individually the stories are slight, but they work together elegantly; the notes and back matter make this a great choice for classroom use.”--Kirkus Reviews

This book would be a great source for introducing poetry into social studies.  Quebrado’s slavery is an issue that could be discussed.  I think students would enjoy a story with a pirate ship and a hurricane.  Quebrado’s heritage and the fact that he is bilingual can also be discussed.  Talavera and Ojeda abuse this skill of Quebrado’s in the story. 

Newbery Honor-Winning Author Margarita Engle has these other titles of novels in verse that students can enjoy.

The Surrender Tree                  ISBN: 978-0805086744

The Poet Slave of Cuba            ISBN: 0805077065

Tropical Secrets                       ISBN: 978-0805089363

The Firefly Letters                    ISBN: 978-0805090826