Babymouse, Queen of the World!

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Holm, J. L., and M. Holm. Babymouse, queen of the world!. Random House Books for Young Readers, 2007.

ISBN 978-0375832291

2. Evaluation

What Dav Pilkey has given boys with Captain Underpants, Jennifer & Matthew Holm have given girls with a character that they will identify with. Just as Captain Underpants has great crossover appeal with boys and girls, so does Babymouse.

I could not stop reading Babymouse. The artwork is full of humor, life and movement. Babymouse lives a life any middle school kid will identify easily with. Getting up in the morning is hard. Finding your place in the social strata of school life results in angst and envy and Babymouse has an imagination that sometimes sweeps her away. For example, P.E. is not for the faint of heart, opening your locker can be very dangerous and after missing the school bus while walking to school she feels like a pioneer on an arduous trail through the West.

Babymouse is such a fun-loving, energetic character. In this novel, Babymouse is trying desperately to get an invitation to Felicia Furrypaws sleepover. After trying a multitude of things, Felicia finally gives Babymouse an invitation in exchange for her book report. Babymouse agrees to the exchange, and gets to attend the party. After arriving, however, she discovers that it is not as great as she had imagined. Felicia and her friends are not very nice. Babymouse decides to leave the party and meet up with her real friend Wilson. This is a story that teaches us about the true meaning of friendship, and how it is important to always be yourself. The text used in the story is very witty, and will have you laughing out loud! The illustrations are fun, loud, and colored in black and pink. While I realize these books are pitched at elementary, the themes really resonate through middle school and I have seen many of my student’s reading and enjoying this series.

3. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

In this energetic comic by a brother-sister team (Jennifer's Our Only May Amelia was a Newbery Honor Book), Babymouse, a wise-cracking rodent stand-in for your average, adventure-seeking nine-year-old, strives to capture popular Felicia's goodwill, finally achieving her end at the expense of Wilson Weasel, truest of friends. But, wouldn't you know it, Felicia's world has little to offer a smart, fun-loving mouse, after all. The Holms spruce up some well-trod ground with breathless pacing and clever flights of Babymouse's imagination, and their manic, pink-toned illustrations of Babymouse and her cohorts vigorously reflect the internal life of any million-ideas-a-minute middle-school student. Jesse Karp, ALA

4. CONNECTIONS

I think all too often we think of graphic novels as a “boy thing”, but graphic novels are GREAT at bridging the gap between “non-readers” or “reluctant readers “and “readers” as well as helping with fluency, and interest of students who may be lower level readers. However, just as I stated above, I love that Babymouse has the ability to transcend gender. This would absolutely be a series that I have in my classroom library!

The Underneath

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Appelt, K., and D. Small. The underneath. Atheneum, 2008.

ISBN 978-1416950585

2. Evaluation

        I must admit, when I was younger, I loved stories about animals. However, as I got older, I began to avoid them like the plague. When I read down our suggested reading list, I scoffed at the inclusion of this book. When I went to the library to pick my books and read on the back cover “A novel like this only comes around every few decades," I must admit I did roll my eyes. But, I have been trying to pick books that may be outside my personal preference box for this class and boy am I ever glad I did!

My personal opinion of The Underneath is that it is a beautiful, lyrical story that has a lot of darkness in it, but is ultimately illuminating in its gift of insights into life. Though the central characters are animals, their experiences mimic life and the portrayal is credible and true. This is a remarkable story that will appeal to older children and adults.

It involves an abandoned mother cat who seeks shelter and has her kittens with an old hound dog living, chained, beneath an old cabin occupied by a cruel and sadistic swampbilly. Disaster soon strikes the unlikely family and they must learn to cope with loss and learn there is light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how dark it may seem.But there is a secondary story along with this. The Underneath tells two tales in one, each taking 1,000 years in between one another. This subplot involves a old water moccasin, originally a Lamia, trapped in a giant, clay jar beneath a pine tree, her friend the gigantic Alligator King, and her bitter resentment over her shapeshifting daughter leaving her for a half-hawk man.

Based on the main plot of the novel I was not expecting this kind of twist on a work of this genre and, when Grandmother Moccasin came up, I was confused and did know what to make of this unanticipated twist. It took me some time to get used to the two stories rocking back and forth between one another, but I did and when I did I could barely stand to close the book up.

3. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

 Some readers may struggle with Appelt’s repeated phrases and poetic fragments, and wish the connections and conflicts in the story came to a faster boil. But most children will be pulled forward by the vulnerable pets’ survival adventure and by Small’s occasional, down-to-earth drawings, created with fluid lines that are a perfect match for the book’s saturated setting and Appelt’s ebbing, flowing lyricism. Grades 4-8. --Jennifer Mattson, Book List (starred Review)

2009 John Newbery Honor Book
2009 ALA Notable Children's Book

2008 National Book Award Finalist 

4. CONNECTIONS

To be completely honest, I had a hard time coming up with connections for this book beyond perhaps using it in a survival themed literature circle or simply in my classroom library.

The Book Theif

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Markus, Zusak. The Book Thief. New York: Random House Children's Books , 2005.

ISBN 978-0375842207

2. Evaluation

I will forever be haunted by the words of The Book Thief. I loved the perspecitive of Death. Written for his view point, The Book Thief becomes a beautifully written, mesmerizing tale. I listened to the audio recording, narrated by Allan Corduner, and I was in rapture through every line of his narration. Markus Zusak's unique writing style draws you into the book and keeps you entertained and completely engulfed. To see death not as a single moment, or a point in time - but as a hue of colors, will stay with me. Liesel Meminger is a 9yr old girl surrendered by her mother in Nazi Germany during the time of ration cards & poverty. On the way to the start of what will be her new life, Liesel awakens on a train only to find her brother next to her, dead. This one moment is the catalyst that will define who The Book Thief is. Her first book, stolen from the graveyard of where they bury her brother, The Grave Digger’s Handbook, also sparks her relationship with Hans Hubermann. Accordion player, Silver eyes. Her Papa. Haunted at night, in her dreams by her brother's death, she is consoled by Papa, who looks for any distraction to calm her fears in the darkest hours of the night. Discovering her stolen book, she asks him to read it to her. Each night this becomes their ritual: a dream, a haunting, rescued by Papa and working through The Grave Diggers Handbook. Liesel's desire to know the words, to understand them, sparks her desire to have more of them. And so, The Book Thief is born. This books also introduces you to the cast of characters that makes up Liesel's life on Himmel street. Fierce and loud, Rosa Hubermann, Liesel's Mama, Rudy Steiner (aka Jessie Owens), her best friend and accomplice in thievery, Frau Holtzapfel, Ilsa Hermann the Mayors wife, and one unforgettable character, the one that stood on my heart... Max, the Jewish Fist Fighter. This book is a testament to the power of words, family, love and friendship and how far you would go to protect the ones you love.

Liesel is a great character that I feel many High school students would greatly relate to. Her interactions with her friend Rudy, her father and Max all lead to a lot of emotional scenes that won't disappoint. While the characters may seem stereotypical--it's hard not to considering the setting--I found the Author's unique voice passionate. It's obvious he put his heart into this story. I would, however, strongly caution the use of this book with younger students (middle school) because of some of its content and needed background knowledge.

3. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Zusak not only creates a mesmerizing and original story but also writes with poetic syntax, causing readers to deliberate over phrases and lines, even as the action impels them forward. Death is not a sentimental storyteller, but he does attend to an array of satisfying details, giving Liesels story all the nuances of chance, folly, and fulfilled expectation that it deserves. An extraordinary narrative.–Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA 

The Book Thief "will be widely read and admired because it tells a story in which books become treasures." – BookMarks Magazine

 2006 - Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book (South East Asia & South Pacific)
2006 - Horn Book Fanfare
2006 - Kirkus Reviews Editor Choice Award
2006 - School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
2006 - Daniel Elliott Peace Award
2006 - Publishers Weekly Best Children Book of the Year
2006 - Booklist Children Editors' Choice
2006 - Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book
2007 - ALA Best Books for Young Adults
2007 - Michael L. Printz Honor Book
2007 - Book Sense Book of the Year

2009 - Pacific Northwest Young Readers Choice Master List[5]

4. CONNECTIONS

I love that this book doesn’t fall under the typical “gender” categories as far as books are concerned. Because of this, I feel that so many students can connect and relate to the book’s characters. I would easily suggest the book to a higher level reader in High School only because of some of the content and needed background knowledge to really understand the story.

My biggest connection for this selection, however, is the use of audio recording in the classroom. After listening to this recording, I have become very interested in how to best incorporate this into my classroom.