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Welcome YA book lovers!

21 Jul

Since September 2011, my CSU, Fullerton students and I have been posting informative reviews and teaching materials for recent YA literature.  For the Spring 2012 semester, the form of our blog will change slightly.  In March, my students and I will continue reviewing and providing teaching resources for YA literature, but we’ll also be reviewing a few books for younger readers.  In addition, my students will now be the primary authors of most of our posts.  I will edit the posts and write an occasional review for the blog.  We’re considering changing the name of our blog, too, since our focus is not exclusively on transgressive texts (though we’ve got plenty of those here!), but rather on amazing books that we think don’t receive enough critical attention.  Please let us know if you have an opinion or suggestion!  If you’ve read or taught one of the books we write about, we hope you’ll let us know what you think of the book or the resources we provide for teaching it.  If you haven’t, we hope we’ll inspire you, and that you’ll come back and share your thoughts about one of these books later!

We look forward to hearing from you!

 
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Posted by on July 21, 2011 in About beyondthepalebooks

 

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Teaching Resources for Randa Abdel-Fattah’s Does My Head Look Big in This?

23 May

Aalya. “Inquisitive Muslimah.” Inquisitive Muslimah. Web. 06 May 2012.  <http://inquisitivemuslimah.blogspot.com/>.

This blog provides a look into the daily life of an older Muslim woman. The blog does not focus entirely on being Muslim, which means reading it will help readers understand that someone’s religion may be different than their own, but otherwise the person might not be much different than themselves. It is important to see different viewpoints, and this blog will help non-Muslim readers expand their understanding of Muslim women. Comparing this blog to the “Hijabi Bengali Sisters” video will provide a good contrast between younger and older generations of Muslim women.

Abdel-Fattah, Randa. “Randa Abdel-Fattah Official Website.” Randa Abdel-Fattah Official Website. Web. 06 May 2012. <http://www.randaabdelfattah.com/index.asp>.

wikipedia.com

Abdel-Fattah’s blog provides more in-depth information about the author herself, an interview about her writings, info on the books she has written, and of course blog posts written by the author. This is a great resource for readers and instructors alike. It provides the necessary information to better understand Abdel-Fattah’s motivation for writing the story of Amal. It also gives insight to Abdel-Fattah’s hopes for what the book will accomplish among readers and their communities.

“All-American Muslim: TLC.” TLC. Web. 06 May 2012.  <http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/all-american-muslimamerican-muslim>.

All-American Muslim is a documentary that takes a look at life in Dearborn, Michigan—home to the largest mosque in the United States—through the stories of five Muslim-American families. Each episode offers an intimate look at the customs and celebrations–and misconceptions and conflicts–these families encounter outside and within their own community. Viewing one or more episodes of this show will help readers place themselves into the home of a Muslim family, and this may help them appreciate Amal’s mindset in the novel.

Elliecoenboote. “Does My Head Look Big In This? – Book Trailer.” YouTube. YouTube, 04 Oct. 2011. Web. 06 May 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMYNfvKlMic>.

A video preview of the book, done in a movie-trailer  format …without the explosions and sexual references. This will be helpful for readers who do not want to take the time to read the description of the book but instead want a fast, visual preview of the novel. Providing a preview in this genre also will help grab the attention of young readers who have grown up with movie trailers and might be more motivated to pick up a new book by film than by words.  In this preview, the potential reader is shown what conflict Amal faces: how her classmates will respond to her decision to wear the hijab.

HijabiBengaliSisters. “Our Hijabi Experience.” YouTube. YouTube, 04 Sept. 2010. Web. 06 May 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9VNN8HbSH0>.

This video is about two sisters who explain why they chose to wear the hijab and their experiences once they became  hijabis. This video will give insight into the Muslim youth of today and their thoughts on the internal conflict involved with deciding to wear or not wear the hijab. Watching this video after reading Aayla’s ”Inquisitive Muslimah” blog will show the contrasting viewpoints of young Muslim women and older, established Muslim women.

“The Hijab Shop – Hijaab Hijabs Hijab Pins How to Wear Hijab Hijaabs.” The Hijab Shop – Hijaab Hijabs Hijab Pins How to Wear Hijab Hijaabs. Web. 06 May 2012.  <http://www.thehijabshop.com/>.

This is an online store where you can view and purchase different hijabs, pins, and other garments that Muslim women incorporate in their day-to-day lives. This is a resource that can be used by both Muslim women and those who just want a better understanding of how to wear a hijab. Some may find it enlightening to learn how to wear a hijab themselves, which will allow them to appreciate the process involved for women who choose to wear it every day.

“ISLAM 101 – WELCOME WITH PEACE, BE IN PEACE, LEAVE IN PEACE.” Islam 101.  Web. 06 May 2012. <http://islam101.net/>.

Islam 101 is an educational website on Islamic history and civilization, Muslims, and relations between Muslims and non-Muslims. This is a great site for people who have not had much, or any, exposure to Muslim life. Understanding the background to Amal’s beliefs will help a reader better understand her as a character and may help to diminish any prejudiced thoughts readers might have.

Parker, Kim. “Women, Islam, and Hijab.” Women, Islam, and Hijab. 1996. Web. 06 May 2012.  <http://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/Veil.html>.

Background information about why Muslim women wear the hijab and the debate about what the hijab stands for. This will help readers understand why Amal and her family members have chosen to wear the hijab and will introduce readers to the debate over whether wearing the hijab is something forced upon women or a choice they are able to make. Being able to see both sides of the argument will help readers decide what they feel about the hijab and those who choose to wear it.

 
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Posted by on May 23, 2012 in Does My Head Look Big in This?, Student Contributions

 

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A Review of Randa Abdel-Fattah’s Does My Head Look Big in This?

22 May

By Michelle Allen, Anna Avalos, Hannah Jang, Andrea Lozano, and Morgan Waite-Bjornberg

wikipedia.com

In the novel, Does My Head Look Big in This?, Randa Abdel-Fattah does a great job of portraying the struggles and concerns–including those involving race, religion, love, popularity, and body image–that any teenage girl might face regardless of her culture.  The novel is about the trials and tribulations that a sixteen-year old, Australian-Palestinian girl named Amal faces after she decides to embrace her religion and find her own identity.  As a devout Muslim, Amal decides to wear the hijab, the Muslim head scarf, full time.  In coming to this conviction, she must deal with the reactions of her parents, her peers, her teachers, and her community.  Amal thinks, “I’m experiencing a new identity, a new expression of who I am on the inside, but I know that I am not alone” (Abdel-Fattah 28).  As much as Amal identifies herself with popular teen culture, she is ready to affirm her identity as a Muslim and her personal connection with her faith.

Amal faces the common stereotypes and discrimination that come with being a member of the Islamic faith in the West.  For example, she is constantly associated with terrorism or extremism because of her religion.  Wearing the hijab is a reminder to others that Amal is from a different culture (just what every teen needs, another thing that makes him or her different from everyone else). Wearing the hijab makes her a bigger target for discrimination and causes her to be rejected by some members of society.  Luckily for Amal, her classmates slowly come around and begin to “understand” and stop staring.  Unfortunately that isn’t the same for others.  For example, when she applies for a job for which she is well qualified, she is told that the employer does not accept people “like her” and that the hijab is unappealing to customers.  The manager says, “Sorry, love, we can’t accept people like you.  The thing on your head, love, that’s what I mean.  It’s not hygienic and it just don’t look good up at the front of the shop” (Abdel-Fattah, 319).  Amal is unable to get a job because people stereotype her and discriminate against her religion.

Although Amal is the main character, the novel also discusses the anxieties of other characters.  For example, Amal’s friend Simone fights to accept her body. She wants to be thin and takes up smoking to lose weight.   Amal’s other friend, Leila, deals with being an independent individual. Her mom wants her to get married and be a good wife. Leila, on the other hand, wants to receive an education and find a good job.  Her inner turmoil causes her to run away from her family and friends. Abdel-Fattah does a great job of portraying the challenges that the characters in the novel face and allowing the reader to relate to these issues.

The novel discusses common themes like young love, striving to find one’s identity, the struggle to fit in, prejudice and tolerance, pride and self -esteem, and the longing to be free.  Amal battles to find that delicate balance between being like everyone else and being herself.   The novel falls under the subgenres of realistic fiction, humor, and identity fiction.  We would recommend it to young adults, ages thirteen and up, because it deals with the everyday difficulties adolescents face.  The characters are relatable and their stories keep readers engaged.  The novel was very enjoyable and heartfelt.  Many people of all ages, especial young females, would really enjoy this novel.  We highly recommend it.

 

Abdel-Fattah, Randa.  Does My Head Look Big in This?  NY:  Scholastic, 2008.

 

 

 
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Posted by on May 22, 2012 in Does My Head Look Big in This?, Student Contributions

 

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A Biography of Randa Abdel-Fattah

21 May

By Michelle Allen, Anna Avalos, Hanna Jang, Andrea Lozano, and Morgan Waite-Bjornberg

laterallearning.com

Randa Abdel-Fattah, an Australian born in Sydney and raised in Melbourne, is half Palestinian and half Egyptian. She was brought up Muslim and takes great pride in her beliefs. She attended a Catholic primary school and an Islamic secondary college, where she received an International Baccalaureate.  She later ventured into studying Art and Law at Melbourne University, where she became a human rights advocate.  This led her to get involved with several human rights and migrant resource organizations over the years. These experiences have given her the opportunity to write articles on the subjects that mean the most to her, including her views on Palestine, Australia, and Islam. She is regularly asked to voice her opinions on these subjects by the media. She also travels around Australia quite frequently speaking at schools in regards to her novels and their implications (Randa Abdel-Fattah Official Website).

Abdel-Fattah’s background has influenced her writings more than anything else. She based her first novel, Does My Head Look Big in This?, on her own experiences. In the novel, the main character, Amal, decides to wear the hijab full-time and tells of the resulting struggles and experiences.  Just like Amal, Randa was a teenager when she first decided to wear the hijab full-time. She says,

 “I wrote Does My Head Look Big in This? because I wanted to allow readers to step into the world of an average Muslim teenage girl born in the West. I wanted to allow readers to identify with her experiences and journey, and realize she is not a walking headline or stereotype” (Scholastic).

During a Q and A session with Scholastic, she mentioned her inspiration to write this book came about when she realized that Muslim characters in books were mainly heroines or royalty, and she wanted to change that. She wanted to write a book that was relatable to all Muslim girls–and to young girls around the world. While on the Australian-based television program Salam Café, Randa explained that she wanted to show the diversity among Muslims as well as to clear up common misconceptions about them. According to Abdel-Fattah’s official website, she has written six novels since 2005’s Does My Head Look Big in This?.  These include Ten Things I Hate About Me (2006), Where the Streets Had A Name (2008), Noah’s Law (2010), Buzz Off (2011), The Friendship Matchmaker (2011), and its sequel, The Friendship Matchmaker Goes Undercover (to be released in 2012).  She now lives with her husband and two children in Sydney, where she works as a litigation lawyer.

References

Abdel-Fattah, Randa.  “Biography .” Randa Abdel-Fattah Official Website. Randa Abdel-Fattah, 2009. Web. 26 March 2012 <http://www.randaabdelfattah.com/biography-randa-abdel-fattah.asp >

“Biography: Randa Abdel-Fattah.” Scholastic, n.d. Web. 26 March 2012. <http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/randa-abdel-fattah>

Irving, Sarah. “Breaking Down Stereotypes: Randa Abdel-Fattah Interviewed.” The Electronic Intifada, 4 May 2011. Web. 26 March 2012. <http://electronicintifada.net/content/breaking-down-stereotypes-randa-abdel-fattah-interviewed/9912>

Salam Café. “Salam Cafe Season Two (Episode Ten). “ Youtube. Swish Connect, 19 Aug. 2006. Web. 26 March 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXYPxBha0KM>

Sandell, Lisa Ann. “An Interview with Randa Abdel-Fattah, Author of Does My Head Look Big In This?” Scholastic Inc, May 2007. Web. 26 March 2012.  <http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/interview-randa-abdel-fattah-author-does-my-head-look-big>

 
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Posted by on May 21, 2012 in Does My Head Look Big in This?, Student Contributions

 

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Suggested Teaching Resources for Ted Hughes’s The Iron Giant

15 May

By Gloria Hernandez and Diego Jauregui

Hughes, Ted. ‘The Iron Man’ (excerpt). BBC News. BBC. Web. 09 Mar. 2012.  <http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/ted-hughes-the-iron-man-extract/5320.html>.

BBC iron man animation
bbc.co.uk

This stop motion animation narrates the first few pages of The Iron Man and really captures the mystery of the giant. The narrator gives a great reading and really catches the tempo and poetic essence of Hughes’s writing style. The animation makes the giant seem menacing but also obviously lost and confused. When he falls from the cliff, the narrator’s voice rises in volume and the fall is not slowed down in any way. A great animation to watch once the reader has finished reading the book and is itching for more.  The website also lists teaching ideas.

 

Hughes, Ted. The Iron Woman. New York: Dial Books, 1995. Print.

The Iron Woman is a 1980’s sequel to The Iron Man that wasn’t published until 1993. The Iron Woman does not have much in common with The Iron Man, but the stories are connected as Hogarth and the giant play a small role. The protagonist of the novella is Lucy, a little girl who speaks to the iron woman. She plays the Hogarth role in that she is the link between the iron woman and the humans. There is more of an environmental agenda in this story, with the iron woman speaking for the creatures in the rivers. The Iron Woman manages to keep the same mood of The Iron Giant with clear descriptions, an imaginative storyline, and a fairy tale-esque feeling.

 

The Iron Giant. Prod. Pete Townshend, Des McAnuff, Allison Abbate, and John Walker. Dir. BradBird. Perf. Eli Marienthal, Harry Connick Jr. and, Jennifer Aniston. DVD. Warner Bros., 1999.

The Iron Giant, directed by Brad Bird, is the animated movie adaptation of Ted Hughes’s story, The Iron Man. Released in 1999, it was met with much acclaim but did poorly in the box office. The director took huge liberties in this movie adaptation. Unlike the novel, which focuses primarily on the giant’s interaction with humanity as a whole, the main focus of the film is the friendship between Hogarth and the giant. The movie also introduces romance and military plots not found in the novel. Despite these heavy changes, Brad Bird’s The Iron Giant still manages to pay homage to Ted Hughes’s novel, especially with regard to both texts’ themes of redemption.

 

Miller, Prairie. The Iron Giant: Interview with Brad Bird. Rye, United States, Rye:, 1999. Ethnic
 NewsWatch. Web. 1 Apr. 2012.

iron man escapes from the pit!
www.hilobrow.com

In this interview, Brad Bird describes his experience with and vision for The Iron Giant, a movie based on Ted Hughes’s novel, The Iron Giant. Brad Bird gives his reasoning for taking the story’s setting to America, as well as for placing it in the 1950s. His inspiration for the movie was the launch of Sputnik and the famous space race between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. The movie’s plot came from Brad Bird’s vision of a little boy and his robot and the friendship which blossomed from their fateful meeting. The interview also explains Bird’svision for creating an animated film in which the audience can see and feel the same emotions one might feel while watching a live action film.

 

Paul, Lissa. “The Return Of The Iron Man.” Horn Book Magazine 76.2 (2000): 218-225.  Professional Development Collection. Web. 5 Apr. 2012.

In this article, Paul reviews both Hughes’s The Iron Man and Bird’s animated movie adaptation of Hughes’s book. Hughes’s The Iron Man was subtitled “A Story in Five Nights,” with each night being a different section of the book. The article gives a brief summary of each section. The article then gives background information on the novel, such as Hughes’s motivation for writing it. The author then describes the animated movie and discusses the similarities and differences between the two versions. Paul also discusses and interprets the significance of the name change from The Iron Man to The Iron Giant.

 

Skea, Ann. “Ted Hughes Homepage.” Ted Hughes Homepage. Ann Skea. Web. 09 Apr. 2012.  <http://ann.skea.com/THHome.htm>.

The Ted Hughes Website is a site full of links to gain more information about Ted Hughes. The site offers useful links, like a publication timeline, which lists Hughes’s works in chronological order. Other links offer Ann Skea’s reviews and explanations of Ted Hughes’s works.  Such articles include “Creatures of Light,” which explains why and how Ted Hughes used magic in his poetry and “Ted Hughes and Crow,” which discusses Crow and Crow’s role as a Trickster figure. It also includes interviews with Ted Hughes in which he explains some of his works.

 

“The Ted Hughes Society.” The Ted Hughes Society. Ed. Edward Hadley. Faber & Faber. Web.  15 Mar. 2012.  <http://www.thetedhughessociety.org/>.

The Ted Hughes Society website was created by Ted Hughes’s fans, and it discusses some of his poems, books, and plays. This site offers some quick background information on Ted Hughes and lists some of his works. Within the site is a tab labeled “Life,” in which one can find out more about Ted Hughes. Along with this tab are others such as “Poetry,” “Prose,” “Translations,” and “Plays.” The “Iron Man” tab within “Prose” discusses the themes Hughes included in the novel and explains why he changed his title from the original, The Iron Man.

A Tribute To The Poet Ted Hughes. Dir. Mishima1970. YouTube. YouTube, 21 Oct. 2006. Web.  09 Mar. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18DdJO9Lg-s>.

This video goes into a brief yet descriptive history of Ted Hughes. He was a renowned poet, children’s author, and translator of plays. The video explains the success of his writings and his most popular children’s novel, The Iron Man, otherwise known as The Iron Giant. Another popular book he published was Birthday Letters, a book of poems he wrote after his wife’s suicide. The video explains that Hughes wrote Birthday Letters to help clear his name since many of his wife’s fans though he was to blame for her suicide. The book was written in her memory and also dedicated to their children.

 
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Posted by on May 15, 2012 in Student Contributions, The Iron Giant, Uncategorized

 

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A Biography of Ted Hughes

14 May

By Andrew Folmar and Kimberly Schroeder

www.guardian.co.uk

         Ted Hughes was born Edward James Hughes in Mytholmroyd, England on August 17, 1930. Poetry Foundation’s biography of Ted Hughes states that at the age of seven, Hughes moved to Yorkshire, where the rural landscape would inspire a strong theme of nature in his future poetry (www.poetryfoundation.org).

Hughes went on to further his education at Pembroke College in Cambridge, from where he graduated in 1954. At Pembroke, he met the American poet Sylvia Plath and married her in 1956. They had two children together, Frieda Rebecca in 1960, and Nicholas Farrar in 1962. According to the website Poets.org, with encouragement from Plath, Hughes submitted his first poem, “The Hawk in the Rain,” to The Poetry Center’s First Publication book contest (www.poets.org). He was awarded first prize and published his work in 1957 (www.poets.org).

In 1963, Sylvia Plath committed suicide, a year after Hughes had left her for Assia Gutmann Wevill. Edward Hadley wrote on The Ted Hughes Society that her death devastated Hughes, and he wrote very little for a few years (Hadley). Hughes took control of Plath’s works, which caused controversy amongst Plath’s fans (www.poetryfoundation.org). In 1969, Wevill committed suicide and took the life of their daughter, Shura, as well.

Hughes then married Carol Orchard, a nurse, in 1970 and they lived together in Devon for the rest of Hughes’s life (www.poetryfoundation.org). Hughes continued to write for the remainder of his life. In 1997, Hughes was diagnosed with colon cancer and died on October 28, 1998, at the age of 68.

Hughes is considered one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century. Among some of his most well-known works are Lupercal (1960), The Iron Giant (1968), The Crow (1970), and The Birthday Letters (1998). Hughes also translated many Classical works, such as Ovid’s Metamorphoses and Aeschylus’s The Oresteia (www.poetryfoundation.org). His poetry and other texts focus primarily on nature and animals (www.poetryfoundation.org). The animals are symbolic in his works and their stories melodramatic (www.poetryfoundation.org). In 1984, he was appointed Poet Laureate. He was also presented with the Order of Merit, one of England’s highest honors.

The Iron Giant was published in 1968 as the The Iron Man: A Children’s Story in Five Nights. Lorraine Kerslake, on The Ted Hughes Society, wrote that it had to be renamed in North America, so as to not conflict with Iron Man from Marvel Comics. The Iron Giant is a story of redemption in which the characters must pick up the pieces of their lives in order to move on. It is reflective of the struggle that Hughes faced after the death of Plath. The story was written to read to his children at night to help comfort them after Plath’s death as well as to help Hughes heal from his first wife’s suicide (Kerslake).

Other Works

Children’s literature

Meet My Folks!, 1961

How the Whale Became, 1963 (stories)

The Earth-Owl and Other Moon-People, 1963

Moon-Whales, and Other Moon Poems, 1976

Tales of the Early World, 1988

The Iron Woman: A Sequel to “The Iron Man”, 1993

The Dreamfighter, and Other Creation Tales, 1995

Poetry

The Hawk in the Rain, 1957

Lupercal, 1960

Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow, 1970, revised 1972

Birthday Letters, 1998

Works Cited

Barratt, David, and David Barratt. “Ted Hughes.” Critical Survey Of Poetry, Second Revised Edition (2002): 1-8. MagillOnLiterature Plus. Web. 5 Apr. 2012.

Hadley, Edward. “Ted Hughes OM (1939-1998).” The Ted Hughes Society. Web. 4 Mar. 2012.  <http://www.thetedhughessociety.org/life.htm>

Kerslake, Lorraine. “The Iron Man.” The Ted Hughes Society. Web. 4 Mar. 2012.  <http://www.thetedhughessociety.org/theironman.htm>

Paul, Lissa. “The Return Of The Iron Man.” Horn Book Magazine 76.2 (2000): 218-225.  Professional Development Collection. Web. 5 Apr. 2012.  Questia. Web. 4 Mar. 2012.  <http://www.questia.com/>

“Ted Hughes.” Poetry Foundation. Web. 4 Mar. 2012.  <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/ted-hughes>

“Ted Hughes.” Poets.org. Web. 4 Mar. 2012.  <http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/113>

“Ted Hughes: A Bio-/Bibliographical Sketch.” Earth-Moon: A Ted Hughes Website. 7 May 2010.  Web. 4 Mar. 2012.  <http://www.earth-moon.org/bio_bib.html>

“Ted Hughes Biography.” Biography. 2012. Web. 4 Mar. 2012.  <http://www.biography.com/people/ted-hughes-9346422>

 
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Posted by on May 14, 2012 in Student Contributions, The Iron Giant, Uncategorized

 

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A Review of Ted Hughes’s The Iron Giant

11 May

By Kimberly Schroeder, Gloria Hernandez, Diego Jauregui, and Andrew Folmar

Faber Books

Ted Hughes’s 1968 science fiction fantasy novel The Iron Giant is a timeless, inspirational tale that sparks readers’ imaginations by instilling in them a sense of curiosity.  Hughes uses the topics of community and war to drive the plot of the story.

The Iron Giant appears as if from nowhere upon the top of a cliff. “How far had he walked? Nobody knows. Where had he come from? Nobody knows. How was he made? Nobody knows.” Hughes immediately sparks the reader’s curiosity by introducing his story with a list of unanswerable questions. This leaves the reader wanting to read more to find out exactly who the Iron Giant is, and what he is doing. This curiosity of the reader is matched by the curiosity of the Iron Giant as he gazes at the sea. “Never before had the Iron Giant seen the sea.” It is additional curiosity that leads the giant to the town and eventually into a trap.

Venturing too close the edge of the cliff, the Iron Giant falls off and breaks into pieces. His various appendages race around to put themselves back together. When Hogarth first sees the Iron Giant towering above him with his eyes glowing like beacons in the night, he is terrified. Joining forces, the townsfolk devise a plan to trap and then bury the Giant beneath the ground, but to no avail. It is Hogarth who thinks of a plan that uses the Giant’s curiosity to lure him into the trap. Hogarth taps two pieces of metal together to get the giant’s attention, “At the sound of the metal, the Iron Giant’s hands became still. After a few seconds, he slowly turned his head and the headlight eyes shone towards Hogarth.” His plan works and the giant falls into the trap. Afterwards, Hogarth feels guilty as the townspeople cheer with delight that their trap has succeeded. A year later the Iron Giant breaks free of his underground prison and resumes roaming the town. After the townsfolk realize that the giant will not stay trapped, Hogarth divulges a plan to have the giant live in the scrap yard where he can enjoy an endless feast without bothering the town.

When a “space-bat-angel-dragon” invades the earth and overtakes the continent of Australia, the citizens of earth do not know what to do. Only the Iron Giant has the brains and the brawn to outwit and outlast the dragon and save the world from eminent doom.

True to the conventions of children’s fantasy literature, the book features Hogarth, a young protagonist who takes the lead by not only capturing the Iron Giant for the sake of the town but also by cleverly coming up with a plan to appease the giant after his escape. It is also Hogarth that convinces the giant to fight for the survival of Earth. As in so many children’s fantasies, a child prevails over evil when no one else can. “‘Please think of something,’ cried Hogarth. ‘If this space-bat-angel-dragon licks all life off the earth, that’ll be the end of your scrap iron-there’ll be no people left to make it.’”

Hughes follows the theme of a town afraid of an outsider for the first half of the story and then turns it around to where the town needs the outsider to survive. He uses fear of the unknown to band the townsfolk together against the Iron Giant. The same fear of the unknown comes into play later when the space-bat-angel-dragon comes to earth, this time uniting the world against the new monster–who actually does threaten the earth. The Iron Giant, however, later proves to the people that first impressions are not always correct by going on to become the world’s savior.

Named Poet Laureate in 1984, Hughes is considered one of the greatest poets of all time. His short, decisive sentences flow together in a melodic rhythm that makes The Iron Giant a fantastic story to read aloud. Perfect for children ages 7-12, The Iron Giant keeps the reader’s imagination sparking and curiosity peaking.

 
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Posted by on May 11, 2012 in Student Contributions, The Iron Giant, Uncategorized

 

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Suggested Teaching Resources for Phillip Hoose’s Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice

08 May

By Alyssa Dilday, Dalene Kolb, Maria Lopez, Theresa Miles, Yvonne Rodriguez, Janell Tymony, and Pui Wah Wong.

Abdulaleem, Maryam. “Before There Was Rosa Parks, There Was Claudette Colvin.” New York Amsterdam News, 100.4 (2009): 5.

In the article “Before Rosa Parks, There Was Claudette Colvin,” Abdulaleem notes that while Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat officially marked the beginning of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, it was the Supreme Court case Browder v. Gayle, and Claudette Colvin’s testimony in that case, that ultimately desegregated the buses. Abdaulaleem quotes Hoose’s description of Colvin’s actions: “The bus driver ordered her to get up and she refused, saying she’d paid her fare and it was her constitutional right. Two police officers put her in handcuffs and arrested her. Her school books went flying off her lap.”  “All I remember is that I was not going to walk off the bus voluntarily,” Colvin says.  Hoose says the stories of Parks and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. are wonderful, but those are the stories of people in their 30s and 40s. Colvin was fifteen. Hoose feels his book will bring a fresh teen’s perspective to the struggle to end segregation.

 

Aronson, Marc. “The Greatest Story Never Told: An Interview with National Book Award Winner Phillip Hoose.” School Library Journal. Ed. Phyllis L. Mandell. Posted January 1, 2010. Web. Accessed March 16, 2012. <http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6712735.html>.

In this interview with School Library Journal, Phillip Hoose describes his experience writing Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice.  After spending four years tracking down Claudette Colvin, Phillip Hoose began to write “the true story of a teen who refused to surrender her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus in Montgomery, AL, in 1955”.  Hoose won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature for discussing Claudette Colvin’s story.  Hoose’s opinion of what Claudette did as a teenager is very high.  Hoose states, “Talk about stuff that will get you killed.  [Claudette’s story] is better than fiction, because it really happened. My challenge was to find the feelings, the emotional part, inside the story.”

 

“Black History Month NYC Street Ed: Before Rosa Parks Claudette Colvin.” YouTube.com. YouTube, February 29, 2009. Web. Accessed March 16, 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=romkq69ztkE>

This video shows Patrick Barr’s New York City mural that commemorates Claudette Colvin.  The mural states, “Claudette Colvin was fifteen years old and was arrested six months before Rosa Parks for not giving up her bus seat in segregated Montgomery, Alabama, but because Claudette was a pregnant teenager, Rosa Parks became the symbolic leader, but Claudette Colvin is considered the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.”  The other side of the mural quotes Claudette herself:  “Keep on pushing, you can’t stop now.  Move up a little higher.  Someway, somehow cause I got my pride; don’t make much sense not to keep pushing.”

Cappy, Kristen. The Understanding Courage Project. Curious City, 2009. Web. Accessed March 17, 2012. <http://www.understandingcourage.blogspot.com/>.

This excellent source documents the King Middle School students’ attempt to bring Claudette Colvin’s story to the community with the Understanding Courage Project.  Portland, Maine students were directed to select a quotation from Claudette Colvin that had an impact on them and illustrate their reaction; these illustrations were then displayed in the existing advertising space inside the city buses in Portland, Maine. Here you can see some of the students’ artwork and a photo of Claudette Colvin and author Philip Hoose as they react to the completed project. There is also a link to a similar project organized by the students at the University of California, Berkeley.

Folley, Marquette. “381 Days: The Montgomery Bus Boycott.” Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service . Ed. Steve Arnold. Smithsonian Institution, Apr. 2010. Web.  Accessed March 3, 2012. <http://www.sites.si.edu/exhibitions/exhibits/archived_exhibitions/381/main.htm>.

This is the site for a traveling photography exhibit that toured the southern United States between December 2005 and April 2010 in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Though the exhibit can no longer be visited in person, the photographs can be viewed at this site, bringing to life the events that Claudette Colvin put into motion by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white woman. In addition, you can also download the exhibition brochure, which includes an essay by Charles E. Cobbs Jr. (professor of Africana Studies at Brown University) on the lasting significance of the boycott on the civil rights movement.

Levine, Ellen S. Freedom’s Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own Stories. New York: Puffin Books, 2000.

Freedom’s Children is a great resource for those interested in finding out more about the contributions of children and young adults during the civil rights movement. This collection includes thirty true stories about young African Americans who, like Claudette Colvin, faced violence, humiliation, and even death to stand up for their right to equality. In addition to Claudette Colvin, Levine introduces teenager James Robertson of Birmingham, Alabama, who would organize demonstrations on city buses in which activists would remove the color board that divided the bus and sit wherever they pleased.

McDaniel, Kelley. “Curriculum Guide: Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice.” Word Press Blog. Web. Accessed March 3, 2012. <http://philliphoose.wordpress.com/books/claudette-colvin-twice-towards-justice/>.

This Curriculum Guide, created by Kelley McDaniel, Librarian of King Middle School in Portland, Maine, is an excellent resource for teachers to use in the classroom. It aims to make students think critically about the actions of Claudette Colvin, Rosa Parks, and the African-American community by providing questions that prompt group discussion. Additionally, the Discussion Guide describes the creation of a community art installation titled “Understanding Courage,” in which students chose a quotation from the book and wrote their reactions to it; these reactions were placed on the interior advertising spaces of city buses.  (See Cappy, above).

 

Staino, Rocco. “Hoose’s Claudette Colvin Wins National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.” School Library Journal. Ed. Phyllis L. Mandell. Posted November 18, 2009. Web. Accessed March 16, 2012. <http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6707896.html>.

www.philliphoose.com

In the article “Hoose’s Claudette Colvin Wins National Book Award for Young People’s Literature,” author Philip Hoose discusses winning the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and his journey with the School Library Journal.  For his book, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice (Farrar, 2009), Hoose spent four years tracking down the now seventy-year-old Colvin, whose courageous act took place just nine months before Rosa Parks’s same stand became a symbol of the Civil Rights movement.  Hoose states, “‘I know they [referring to high school students today] hear the story of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks every Martin Luther King Day and Black History Month, but the immediacy of it, what it would have felt like, how humiliating it was, how unfair it was every day, I think the emotional part of that is fading.  I’m glad to restore it, to try to help. It’s a part of American history that really needs to be remembered.’”

 
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Posted by on May 8, 2012 in Claudette Colvin, Student Contributions, Uncategorized

 

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A Review of Deborah Heiligman’s Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith

04 May

By Briana Galbrecht, Jennifer Jacobson, Jennifer Vincent, and Robert Wagner

www.goodreads.com

Deborah Heiligman’s Charles and Emma is a biography using Charles and Emma Darwins’ letters, memoirs, and notes to capture the love and conflict within the Darwins’ marriage. This book is suited to children twelve and older, while its topics of commitment, death, and evolution might make Charles and Emma less appropriate for younger audiences.

Heiligman starts the story in the midst of Charles’s pondering of a very important choice for his future.

In the summer of 1838, in his rented rooms on Great Marlborough street, London, Charles Darwin drew a line down the middle of a piece of scrap paper. He had been back in England for almost two years, after a monumental voyage around the world. He was in his late twenties. It was time to decide. Across the top of the left-hand side he wrote “‘Marry.’” On the right he wrote, “‘Not Marry.’” And in the middle: “‘This is the Question.’”

Helligman 5

After much deliberation, Charles writes in his notebook, “’Marry-Marry-Marry Q.E.D.,’” which Heiligman translates to “It had been demonstrated; it had been proved” (236). With a mix of love and science, Charles answered the question of marriage with a “yes.” Though their relationship had previously been merely friendship, soon it was clear to Charles that he should propose to Emma Wedgewood. He loved her dearly.

Since his voyage on the H.M.S. Beagle, Charles had spent much of his time studying the specimens he had collected from around the world. His studies began to lead to the astonishing–and controversial–theory that species could change over time. The existence of this theory displaced God as the one-time creator of all species. Against his father’s advice, Charles decided to confess his growing religious doubts to his fiancée, Emma. Emma was a Christian with a deep belief in an eternal afterlife where she would be reunited with other Christian loved ones that had passed on. Emma was sickened by the thought of Charles not joining her in heaven. Emma writes in a letter to Charles, “’I should be most unhappy if I thought we did not belong to each other forever’” (Heiligman 83).

www.smithsonian.com

As Heiligman writes, “happiness in marriage, as Austen’s heroine Elizabeth Bennet knows, is not only a matter of chance. It’s also a matter of love, and a matter of determination on both sides. And willingness to compromise . . . .  Charles knew he would have to make a serious compromise” (Heiligman 90). Heiligman tenderly represents Charles as he battles within himself the desire to believe the Christian story of creation even as his studies begin to develop the theory of evolution.

For a while, Charles and Emma reach a comfortable silence, enjoying married life too much to dwell on the unknown. Although Emma disapproves of Charles’s theory, she generously continues to edit and critique his writings. Throughout their marriage, their contradiction in beliefs re-emerges, yet their loving devotion to each other never falters. In 1859, Charles writes a letter to Emma saying, “‘I wish you knew how I value you; and what an inexpressible blessing it is to have one whom one can always trust, one always the same, always ready to give comfort, sympathy and the best advice. God bless you, my dear, you are too good for me’” (Heiligman 195).

By providing a first-hand glimpse into the Darwin’s relationship, Heiligman’s biography humanizes Charles Darwin and gives readers a moving portrait of a Victorian marriage.

 
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Posted by on May 4, 2012 in Charles and Emma, Student Contributions

 

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A Biography of Phillip Hoose

03 May

By Yvonne Rodriguez and Pui-wah Wong

www.homepages.indiana.edu

Phillip Hoose was born on May 31, 1947 in Speedway, Indiana. He attended school at Indiana University and the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (Cappy). He and his wife, Sandi Ste. George, have two children, Hannah and Ruby. Originally Hoose wrote for adults, and then later focused on children’s and young-adult books in order to relate more with his two daughters (Robinson). Not only is Phillip Hoose a well-known author, he is also known for his songwriting and music. He is a member of a band, Chipped Enamel, as well as a founding member of the Children’s Music Network (Amandolare). He has a love of history and has tied this into his many works about young adults. Some of Hoose’s works include: Hoosiers (1995); Hey, Little Ant (1998); We Were There Too!: Young People in U.S. History (2001); It’s Our World Too! (2002); The Race to Save the Lord God Bird (2004); Perfect Once Removed (2006); Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice (2009); and Moonbird (2012) (Cappy).

Hoose first learned about Claudette Colvin while he was writing his book We Were There Too!: Young People in U.S. History. He later wrote Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice hoping the book would inspire young readers to learn about the Montgomery bus protests and about how  segregation in the public transportation system came to an end. Claudette Colvin was the first in the south to refuse to give her seat to a white person. She, along with three other women (Aurelia Browder, Susie McDonald, and Mary Louise Smith) was a plaintiff in the Browder v. Gayle lawsuit, which ended the legal discrimination that existed in the public transportation system in Montgomery (Augenbraum). Hoose says he wanted to write about Claudette because she had influenced human rights movements at a young age. By writing this book, Hoose hoped to present Claudette in a new light because her courage was “far too important to be forgotten” (Cappy).

Hoose has played an important role in children’s literature. Besides the role of  author, Hoose also acts as a researcher, an advocate, a guest speaker, and a role model for conservation. For instance, in an interview between Hoose and Marc Aronson, Hoose told Aronson that in writing his other book, We Were There Too!, he took six years to complete his research and writing (Aronson). In his books, he celebrates the social contributions of young people; he motivates teens to take a stand against injustice; he promotes peace, respect and perseverance; he helps youths to empower themselves; he promotes awareness of cultural diversity; and he promotes the ethical treatment of nature (Phillip Hoose).

In Claudette Colvin, Hoose also examines how adults’ prejudices and stereotypes regarding young people might have lifelong adverse effects. As an example, Hoose relates that people described Colvin as smart and explains that she had a dream to be a lawyer and/or President of the United States (Hoose 12, 56, 124).  However, her life changed after she took a stand for her human rights: she was convicted of violating the segregation law, disturbing the peace, and “assaulting” one of the police officers when she was dragged off the bus. Although the first two convictions were discharged after an appeal, the third conviction of “assaulting” one of the police officers was maintained. Colvin felt resentful at the appeal court’s decision in maintaining the third conviction because she had to bear a lifelong criminal record for a crime she did not commit (49, 54).  To make matters worse, after her arrest, most of her school’s teachers, parents, and students looked down on her protest. They whispered that she was a trouble maker and that she deserved the criminal charges (42).  As Hoose’s work shows, Colvin’s dreams might have come true had she not been criticized as “emotional” and “uncontrollable” by her community (52).

Hoose was honored to be the first non-fiction author to win the Young Reader’s National Book Award in 2009 for Claudette Colvin (Aronson). He was also winner of the Christopher Award for his book Its Our World, Too!: Young People Who Are Making aDifference. Further, Hoose also won the Parents’ Choice Award for his books We Were There, Too!: Young People in U.S. History and The Race to Save the Lord God Bird.  His books have also been nominated for the Newbery, Robert F. Sibert, YALSA, Young Adult Library Services Association, Jane Addams Children’s Book, and American Library Association Book Awards (Phillip Hoose).

Works Cited

Amandolare, Sarah. “Phillip Hoose, Author of “Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice”. Finding Dulcinea. Dulcinea Media Inc., 2010. Web. 20 February 2012.  <http://www.findingdulcinea.com/features/edu/Phillip-Hoose–Author-of–Claudette Colvin-Twice-Toward-Justice-html>

Aronson, Marc. “The Greatest Story Never Told.” School Library Journal 2010.  56.1 (2010):30-33. Database: OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Calif.State Univ.,Fullerton, Pollak Library. 10 Mar. 2012

Augenbraum, Harold. “National Book Foundation.” National Book Foundation, 2007.  Web. 20 February 2012.<http://www.nationalbook.org>

Cappy , Kirsten . “Word Press.” Phillip Hoose. N.p., 03 November 2011. Web. 20 February 2012. <http://philliphoose.wordpress.com/>

Hoose, Phillip. Claudette Colvin.  New York: Square Fish, 2011.

Phillip Hoose. “Claudette Colvin”. Phillip Hoose.  2 Mar.  2012 <http://philliphoose.wordpress.com>

Robinson, Dick. “Biography Phillip Hoose.” Scholastic. www.scholastic.com, 2010.  Web. 4 Apr 2012.<http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/phillip-m-hoose>

 
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Posted by on May 3, 2012 in Claudette Colvin, Student Contributions, Uncategorized

 

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A Review of Phillip Hoose’s Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice

01 May

By Alyssa Dilday, Dalene Kolb, Maria Lopez, Theresa Miles, Yvonne Rodriguez, Janell Tymony, and Pui Wah Wong

During the mid 1900′s, African-Americans were treated as inferior to whites, and it was up to them to change their situation. Phillip Hoose’s Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice introduces the world to a young girl who, during the second half of the 20th century, would eventually cause a revolution—a girl who would forever change the future of African-Americans. Hoose’s Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice details the events that led to the desegregation of buses in the state of Alabama from 1955, when young Claudette felt an air of rebellion, to 1956, when whites and blacks could sit side by side on a Montgomery city bus. During the period of segregation in the United States, there were more people riding the bus on a daily basis than driving, and Claudette was one of these people. She rode the bus to and from school every day, and she obeyed the laws governing public transportation—until March 22, 1955.

After having lived her life for fifteen years fearing for her safety and overlooking the daily humiliation that came hand in hand with riding the bus, she had reached her limit. Determined, Claudette remained in her seat on the bus even after the bus driver ordered her to give her seat to a white passenger.  Eventually, she was forced to move by two police officers. In the words of Claudette, “Right then, I decided I wasn’t gonna take it anymore. I hadn’t planned it out, but my decision was built on a lifetime of nasty experiences” (Hoose 35). She had not planned to be beaten up by policemen and taken to the city jail during her ride home from school on that fateful day, but she was. Without revealing too much of the plot, it is safe to say that a few months after her encounter with the law, Claudette discovered that Civil Rights leaders did not see her as fit to lead the revolution they had in mind. Instead, they chose Rosa Parks to take the credit, leaving Claudette Colvin’s name to be lost in history. As Hoose explains, “[I]nstead of being honored, she had been shunned by her classmates, dismissed as an unfit role model by adult leaders, and later overlooked by historians” (105).

The novel weaves Hoose’s third-person narration together with live testimonials from Claudette herself, to give an informational, yet personal, account of what happened to Claudette during the bus boycott that began in 1955. Hoose’s retelling of the story, combined with Claudette’s personal recollections, helps the reader to engage with the text.  By giving the historical backdrop and atmosphere of the time, Hoose’s words provide the meat of the story, while Claudette’s personal accounts reel the reader in further by providing the feel of the story. The combination becomes quite powerful, as the reader gains both a history lesson and a heartfelt biographical account at the same time.

By starting at the beginning of Claudette’s story and working its way toward her life-changing bus ride on March 2,1955, the biography also creates a sense of tension within the reader that mirrors what the black community was feeling.  Many of the quotations that Hoose uses, such as Malcolm X’s statement: “Early in life, I had learned that if you want something, you had better make some noise,” reinforce the message repeated by Claudette throughout the story:  that even teens can create change in a world that seems to be run only by adults.

The major theme of the book is how important it is for people to speak up and fight for what they believe in, no matter their age. With segregation being a way of life during the 1950s, the resources (like  schools, employment opportunities, and restaurants to name a few) available to African-American children were limited and meager in comparison to the resources available to white children; however, Claudette still succeeded in school. One thing that both groups of children shared was the bus. It was on a bus that Claudette’s life would forever change as she took a stand and refused to give up her seat to a white woman almost a year before the well-known Rosa Parks. This brave act of disobedience would, in fact, eventually influence the staging of Parks’ refusal to give up her seat in a bus and later, help lawyers win the Browder v. Gayle case that led to the desegregation of buses in Alabama.

Claudette’s role in sparking the Civil Rights movement can help teen audiences see the importance of speaking against injustice. Hoose’s story about Claudette’s struggle to advocate for black rights makes her experience relatable; he is able to inspire teens to stand up for what they believe in. Being only fifteen years old, Claudette takes a stand before adults do, even before Rosa Parks does, to go against a system in which she is considered inferior. This book is one that teens should read to discover how one person, even one who may seem insignificant on the surface, has a voice that can inspire and evoke positive change in the world.

References:

Hoose, Phillip. Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. New York: Melanie Kroupa Books, 2009. Print.

 
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Posted by on May 1, 2012 in Claudette Colvin, Student Contributions, Uncategorized

 

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