The River Between Us by Richard Peck

A. Bibliography

Peck, Richard. The River Between Us. Dial Books. 2003. ISBN # 0-8037-2735-6.

Peck, Richard; Read by Lina Patel, Daniel Passer. The River Between Us [audiobook]. Listening Library. 4 CD's. n.d.

B. Plot/Summary

The story begins at the start of the Civil War with a 15-year-old girl named Tillly Pruitt who takes in two mysterious women, Delphine and Calinda, from New Orleans when they get off the boat in a Mississippi River mud town called Grand Tower, Illinois. Tilly's twin brother, Noah, falls in love with Delphine and goes off to fight in the war. Tilly and Delphine travel to find and nurse Noah back to health when he becomes sick. During this time, Delphine's secrets are revealed.

C. Critical Analysis

The characters are well developed, mysterious, and interesting. The dialogue among them is believable and realistic.

The plot reveals an fresh storyline with several unexpected twists and turns that keeps the reader engaged.

The setting is placed during the Civil War and Peck does an amazing job with the descriptions of the locations as to make the reader feel as though they are there.

The themes of family, race, war, and history or intricately woven throughout the book with the use of the characters, plot and setting as not to over indulge or moralize the story.

The style is very interesting with this story because the beginning of the book is from the point of view from a young boy in the early 1900's visiting his great uncle and great aunt. The great aunt Tilly tells the young boy about the story so the point of view then shifts to Tilly for the majority of the book, until it shifts back in the last chapter. This can be confusing for some readers if they are not following along very closely.

The audiobook version of this book was very helpful for readers who have comprehension problems or difficulty reading foreign words. The four CD, unabridged version, contained two readers for the two different points of view. The female reader did a wonderful job with reading. She included various voices for different characters as well as accents. The French accent for Delphine was excellent. The male voice was soothing and easy to understand.

D. Awards/Review Excerpts

National Book Awards, 2003

Parents' Choice Award, 2003

Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, 2004

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2003 (Vol. 71, No. 16))

"A rich tale full of magic, mystery, and surprise."

CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2004)

"...mesmerizing historical novel that doesn't hesitate to confront big issues, such as race, politics, war, and moral attitudes."

E. Connections

* other books on the Civil War

Annie, Between the States by L.M. Elliot

Private Captain: a Story of Gettysburg by Marty Crisp

Death on the River by John Wilson

*other books by Richard Peck

A Year Down Under

Strays Like Us

A Long Way from Chicago

Keeping Score by Linda Sue Park

A. Bibliography

Park, Linda Sue. Keeping Score. Clarion Books. 2008. ISBN # 978-618-92799-9.

Park, Linda Sue; Read by Julie Pearl. Keeping Score [audiobook]. Listening Library. 4 CD's.2008.

B. Plot/Summary

Maggie, a young Dodger's fan, learns how to keep score of baseball games from a fireman named Jim, who is a Giant's fan. Jim is drafted to the Korean conflict. Maggie then learns everything she can on her own about why the Korean conflict started and keeps track of the progress with maps and notations. Later, Maggie learns that Jim came back traumatized and unresponsive, so Maggie does everything in her power to "help" Jim recover, including saving her allowance money to take Jim to a Giant's and Dodger's game at Ebbet's Field. Will her plan work?

C. Critical Analysis

The characters are fun, interesting, and realistic. I enjoyed Maggie's youthfulness and plotting to try to help Jim and the Dodger's. Maggie, like most pre-teen children, believe that what they wear or do effects the outcome of games or other events. She is superstitious. The dialogue that Park uses between the characters is authentic and believable. I really like how Maggie grows from focusing on herself and her favorite team to how she willing to sacrifice everything to help someone else.

The plot was slow to develop, but was very interesting and "can't put the book down" in parts that had a lot of action or planning. The story line was quite surprising in parts and enjoyed the twists as they developed.

The setting in the 1950's Brooklyn was very believable. Park did an excellent job with the descriptions and research on the historical facts of the baseball games and Korean conflict to make the story plausible and enjoyable. The setting was described in such a way that the reader can get a vivid image in their head and "see" what is transpiring.

The themes of hope, friendship, war, perseverance, and loyalty are wonderfully intermingled with the characters, plot, and setting to "paint" an overall picture of love for one another.

The audiobook was a great companion to reading the book as well. Julie Pearl did a wonderful job with the reading. She not only used different voices for the characters, but she gave them accents as well. For example, the mother of Maggie was Irish, so she had an Irish accent and Maggie had a Brooklyn accent. There wasn't any kind of background music or sound effects, but they really weren't needed since the different voices was used. This technique definitely helped make the story more compelling and interesting. Since the story was slow to develop, I believe that having the audio version as well helped me get into the story and stay with it once it started rolling.

D. Awards/Review Excerpts

A Junior Library Guild Selection

Cybils, 2008.

Kirkus Book Review Stars, March 1, 2008.

Melissa Johnson (Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 21, No 3))

"If you are looking for books about girls who love sports, this would be an excellent choice."

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2008 (Vol. 76, No 5))

"A winner at every level"

David Goodale (VOYA, April 2008 (Vol. 31, No 1))

"This book will become a cherished favorite in every library."

E. Connections

*other books on baseball historical fiction

Keystone Kids by John R. Tunis

The Brooklyn Nine: a Novel in Nine Innings by Alan Gratz

The Lucky Baseball: My Story in a Japanese-American Internment Camp by Suzanne Lieurance

*other books by Linda Sue Park

When my name was Keoko

A Single Shard

Project Mulberry

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

A. Bibliography


Scott O'Dell. Island of the Blue Dolphins. Houghton Mifflin Co.. 1960. ISBN# 0-395-06962-9.

Scott O'Dell. Island of the Blue Dolphins [sound recording]. Listening Library. 1995.

B. Plot/Summary

Based on a true events and set in the mid 1800's. Karana, a native American, lived on an isolated island of the coast of California for 18 years by herself. This is a great story of adventure, suspense, heartache, loneliness, and pure survival.


C. Critical Analysis

The characters in this story are realistic and intriguing. When there is dialogue, the language is true to form and appropriate for the characters and setting. Karana's emotional growth is amazing as she has to find a way to survive many elements including hunters, wild dogs, weather, and hunting for food. She discovers just how strong she really is, that she can survive on her own, and how to overcome loneliness in the most lonely of situations.

The story was very engaging for the reader because it leaves the reader on the edge of their seat wondering what is going to happen next. Especially when listening to the audio book because during the intense or high action scenes, suspenseful music is played to cue the reader of the building of the climatic parts. The story leaves the reader wondering, "WOW, I wonder if I could have survived all of that?"

The setting of the place and time period are accurate and documented in the back of the book. The setting definitely adds to the story by making the reader feel like they are part of the story or they are the main character going through the events. O'Dell does an excellent job with the descriptions of the island, characters, and events that the reader can envision in their heads exactly what is going on.

I really love the theme of this book, that when being put in any situation, you can survive. We all have survival instincts that make us stronger and wiser. This theme only emerges after the reader has completed the book and reflects on the events. I think this book is great for young adults because as they are growing up and trying to become independent, some might have fears if they can survive and take care of themselves. I would hope that they could get from this book that everyone has the same survival instincts and would be able to take care of themselves no matter what happens to them.

The cultural aspect of this book is absolutely wonderful. O'Dell does an amazing job with the cultural details without overloading on too many details. Not to mention, what is presented is accurate and without stereotyping.

This unabridged version of the Island of the Blue Dolphins was performed on 4 CD's by one female reader using multiple voices. The quality of the reading was high because she read with an appropriate speed and clear pronounciation. I really enjoyed the performance of the reading because the music in the background during the intense or climatic parts really added to the story plot. Listening to the book while following along in the text really helps me with my comprehension and gives the book more character.

D. Awards/Review Excerpts

Newberry Medal, 1961

Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature) "Her survival story--fighting the wild dogs and loneliness, hunting for food, and hoping to be rescued--is spellbinding."

E. Connections

*other survival adventures

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Thorn by Betty Levin
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

*other books by Scott O'Dell
Zia
Streams to the River, River to the Sea: a Novel of Sacagawea
Sing Down the Moon

* curriculum ideas
Students can read the book and watch the film, using a Venn Diagram, compare and contrast the two media's.

Peter the Great by Diane Stanley

A. Bibliography
Stanley, Diane. Peter the Great. Morrow Junior Books. 1999. ISBN# 0-688-16708-X

B. Plot/Summary
The biography of the tsar (king) of Russia in the late 1600's and early 1700's who wanted to transform Russia into a modern state. He did this by going to Europe, learning their ways and forcing Russians to change to match the Europeans.

C. Critical Analysis
The accuracy for this book is impeccable. As a history teacher, I know the story of Peter the Great very well and Stanley did a wonderful job with presenting the facts in an easy to understand manner for all ages of readers. Stanley cites her sources at the beginning of the book with all the copyright information.

The organization of the book is sequential and logical. Stanley follows the life of Peter the Great from early childhood to his death.

The front cover of the book is intriguing enough to make children want to read the book. Stanley did a wonderful job with the illustrations and making Peter the Great look regal, yet interesting. Inside the book, the illustrations are very colorful and full of small details that really add to the biography.

The style of writing is interesting and easy to understand. Yet, Stanley doesn't "talk down" to the reader. She presents the information in such a way to encourage curiosity and question what else Peter the Great did to improve Russia? Diane Stanley is very passionate and enthusiastic about this topic. She included many interesting details that tend to get lost in quick teaching of Russia's history. After reading this book, readers would have a greater understanding as to how one great man could change the course of history for Russia.

D. Awards/ Review Excerpts
Golden Kite Award, 1987
Booklist Editors Choice

C.C. Graham (The Five Owls, 1987) " The depth of color and the minute detail achieved by Stanley are splendid."

E. Connections
*other books by Diane Stanley
Good Queen Bess:The Story of Elizabeth I of England
Cleopatra
Shaka: King of the Zulus

* curriculum ideas
This book would lend itself to a puppet play or students role playing.

Older students could research and present more information on one or two of the many changes that Peter the Great made in Russia.

Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone

A Bibliography

Stone, Tanya Lee. Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream. Candlewick Press. 2009. ISBN # 978-0-7636-3611-1.

B. Plot/Summary

Story of what 13 women had to go through to try to become astronauts when women were not accepted into that industry.

C. Critical Analysis

The accuracy for this book seems to be highly acceptable. Tanya Lee Stone has cited many sources, with many of them being interviews with the women who wanted to be part of the space program. Additionally, Stone used many primary documents that are stored at Texas Woman's University. She did a great job in making sure that there isn't any stereotyping, especially difficult with such a topic of obvious sexual discrimination.

The organization is chronlogical and easy to understand. The description of each authentic photograph helps the reader to connect to the women.

The design of the cover and title would definately help children pull the book off the shelf and intice them to want to read the book. I really like how each open set of pages contains at least one photograph or political cartoon to help illustrate the uniqueness of this situation. Additionally, all the photos also help break up all the information that the reader is going to take in.

Stone is obviously passionate and enthusiastic about this topic and passes that feeling to the readers. She intrigues the reader into asking "why?" and "where are these women now?" The wording is easy to understand for most students. However, there is A LOT of information and this book would be better for older students.

D. Awards/Review Excerpts

2010 Siebert Medal Award Winner

YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Honor

Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor

NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor

Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "This empowering, impassioned story will leave readers inspired."

The Horn Book (starred review) "Meticulously researched and thrillingly told."

E. Connections

*other books about women in space

Women in Space by Carole S. Briggs

Women Who Dared: American Female Test Pilots, Flight-Test Engineers, and Astronauts 1912-1996 by Yvonne C. Pateman.

*other books by Tanya Lee Stone

Diana, Princess of the People

America's Top Ten Construction Wonders

The Good, The Bad, The Barbie: A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us (Coming in October according to the author's website)

Hottest Coldest Highest Deepest by Steve Jenkins

A. Bibliography

Jenkins, Steve. Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1998. ISBN # 0-395-89999-0.

B. Plot Summary

Explores the world's hottest, coldest, highest, and deepest wonders on planet Earth.

C. Critical Analysis

The accuracy of this book is remarkable. Jenkins sites from credible sources at the beginning of the book. However, Kirkus reviews 1998 states that there is some contestable information such as, "Jenkins cites a spot on Mount Washington, in New Hampshire, as the windiest place, with winds of 231 mph, while the Guam typhoon of 1997 had winds of 236 mph." This could make for some good research for students to question and challenge the author and teach critical reading skills.

I really liked the organization of this book. The information is laid out in a logical format and easy to read for even a young reader. Jenkins includes on each page a world map and regional map indicating the location of the natural feature. Additionally, he includes some visual measures to compare the size of the feature to things such as man or the Empire State Building so the reader can comprehend the uniqueness.

Jenkins does an awesome job with the illustrations using colorful paper collage. This technique adds texture and depth to each natural wonder. The illustrations add a hint of each habitat and fun element to each feature or fact that are represented by each map and scale graphic.

The style of the book could be considered somewhat dry since it does state a lot of simple facts. However, they are very interesting facts that could create curiosity in students. This is enhanced with the pictures of scale, maps, and background illustrations. Jenkins is able to communicate with any age of reader with his writing style in this book. I found myself saying, "WOW" several times throughout the book as I was reading because of the interesting facts and how they are presented to the reader.

This book would be great for any age. I highly recommend for teachers when they are teaching science or world geography. This is a great supplement for any curriculum.

D. Awards/Review Excerpt

Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, 1999. Honor book

Children's Literature Choice List 2000.

Kirkus (Kirkus Review 1998) "provides jaw-dropping facts and extremely elegant paper collages to illustrate the amazing natural world."

M. Henebry (Parent Council Vol. 7) "Children will find this interesting and thought provoking."

E. Connections

*other books by Steve Jenkins

Down, Down, Down: a Journey to the Bottom of the Sea

Biggest, Strongest, Fastest

I See a Kookaburra!: Discovering Animal Habitats Around the World

*Lesson Suggestion

Students could read both Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest and I See a Kookaburra!: Discovering Animal Habitats Around the World and write 2 sentences about 8 to 10 places mentioned in Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest. The first sentence would be about the habitat and the second sentence would give an example of an animal that lives there and why.

Red Sings from Treetops a year in colors by Joyce Sidman

A. Bibliography

Sidman, Joyce. Red Sings from Treetops a year in colors. Ill. by Pamela Zagarenski. Houghton Mifflin 2009. ISBN # 978-0-547-01494-4.

B. Plot/Summary

The author takes the reader through the year using colors in unrhymed poems.

C. Critical Analysis

There wasn't any rhythm and rhyme with the verses, which threw me off. The choice of words and placement made the sound, sound choppy.

The illustrations and word choice does a great job with imagery. The reader can associate color with a particular season. This leads to an emotional connection when the reader can "feel and see" colors for each season.

D. Awards/Review Excerpts

Randolph Caldecot Metal, 2010 Honor Book

Horn book Fanfare, 2009

Kirkus Reviews, Feb. 1, 2009 "Fresh descriptions and inventive artistry are a charming inspiration to notice colors and correlate emotions."

E. Connections

*Other books with similar subjects

Charlotte Zolotow, Seasons:A Book of Poems. Harper Collins 2002.

Christina Rossetti, Color: A Poem. Harper Collins 1992.

Students could make their own book and poem about the colors that represent each season to them.

This would be a great book to use in science for an introduction to the changing seasons and the effect on the environment and wildlife.

Bow Wow Meow Meow by Douglas Florian

A. Bibliography

Florian, Douglas, Bow Wow Meow Meow, Ill. by Douglas Florian. Harcourt Inc. 2003. ISBN # 0-15-216395-6.

B. Plot/Summary

A collection of 21 short and humorous poems about dogs and cats.

C. Critical Analysis

The collection is arranged with 12 short poems about dogs and 10 poems about cats. The dogs are introduced by a poem called, "Dog Log" which describes the day in a life of dogs. The cats are introduced by a poem called, "Cat Chat" which describes the day in a life of cats. After each introduction, individual breeds are featured such as Bloodhound, Bulldog, Poodles, Dalmatian, Persian, Lion, and Manx.

Each of the poems makes excellent use of rhyme to make the poem fun and humorous. For example, "Who always yanks/The tail off the Manx?" The verses are rhythmic and descriptive of dogs and cats; the use of onomatopoeias and playful words such as "Scent-sational" and "purrrsian" capture the joy of the animals. I really liked the use of typeset to add character to the poem. For example, with the poodle, the seperate lines are written in a four circular motion to give the illusion curls.

The author also illustrates this collection of animal poems. The illustrations are childlike watercolor on brown paper. Each poem of a particular dog or cat has an accompaning colorful painting that adds character to the poem.

D. Awards/ Review Excerpt

Gryphon Award 2004

White Ravens Award 2004

2X2 Reading List 2004

Gillian Engberg (Booklist, Feb. 1, 2003) "In this winning collection, both clever and silly, Florian again shows how much poetry can be."

Jeanenne (BookHive (http://www.bookhive.org/)) "A great read for pet lovers, poetry lovers, or anyone looking for a jolly read."

E. Connections

*other books by Douglas Florian:

A Pig is Big. Greenwillow 2000.

Winter Eyes. Greenwillow 1999.

*Other cat poetry books:

Caroline Walsh, The Little Book of Cats. Kingfisher, 1996.

Nancy Larrick, Cats are Cats: Poems. Philomel, 1988.

*Other dog poetry books:

Daniel Kirk, Dogs Rule!. Hyperion, 2003.

Tony Johnston, Its All About Dogs: Poems. Harcourt, 2000.

Keesha's House by Helen Frost (unabridged CD)

A. Bibliography

Frost, Helen, Keesha's House, Frances Foster Books, 2003, ISBN # 0-374-34064-1

B. Plot Summary

Written in poetic form, this is a story about 6 troubled teens; Stephie who is pregnant, Jason, Stephie's boyfriend, Dontay who is in foster care because his parents are in prison, Carmen who is arrested for a DUI, Harris who is disowned by his parents for being gay, and Katie who is abused by her stepfather. All the characters are intertwined through leaving their homes and coming to this house that they consider to be safe, Keesha's House.

C. Critical analysis

The majority of the poems in this novel are sestinas in which six words are repeated in a particular order as the end words in each of the six 6-line stanzas and an envoi to conclude the poem. The way the story and characters developed, the reader wouldn't really pay attention to the form of the poem. The rhythm flowed smoothly and naturally.

The language in this novel was strong and powerful. This really seemed to stand out since I used the audio version along with the text. There were some lines that really pulls the reader into the story. For example, "and he twisted my arm--hard. I never feel safe/when he's around. I finally asked my mom to make a choice:/him or me. She went, Oh, Katie, he'll be fine. Then she knocked/on our wood table. I blew up. I stormed out of the room/and started thinking hard. In the first place,/I know he won't be fine. I didn't tell her what he tries to do". This also shows how strong the imagery is in this novel. The reader can connect with each character and "feel" their pain as they deal with some hard situations in a young teen's life.

This novel also provides very convincing emotions throughout the book. I couldn't put the book down. I didn't want to stop listening to the audio. I felt as though I was part of the group and they were my friends also. I found myself wanting to help them.

I think this is large part due to the fact that I used the CD version to listen to and each character was represented by a different voice. This made the characters seem more real because of the voices. The narrators read the poems like they really were saying the lines, like I had a front row seat into all their lives.

The CD version was very clear and able to follow along in the book very easily. They didn't have any sound effects, but I think this added power and emotion to the story. The CD also included the author's notes about the poetic verse used on the sestina's and sonnets and other books on audio recorded by Recorded Books.

I would highly recommend this book to all young adults. This is a MUST read (listen to).

D. Awards/Review Excerpt

Michael L. Pritnz Award 2004

White Raven's Award 2004

Best Books for Young Adults 2004

Book Review:

Hazel Rochman (Booklist, March 1, 2003) "In a long note, Frost talks about the poetic forms she has used, the sestina and the sonnet. But most readers will be less interested in that framework than in the characters, drawn with aching realism, who speak poetry in ordinary words and make connections."

CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2004) "In the final section of the novel, Frost wraps up the seven teens' stories with a crown of sonnets-'seven Italian sonnets in which the last line of one sonnet is the first line of the next.' It's a perfect choice to underscore how lives that are connected weave a web of hope."

E. Connections

This would be a great book to have students read aloud in class. I can see students taking on the roles of each character, almost like a play, reading aloud as their poem is featured. This would help the students to make more of a connection with the character and author.

This would also be a great option for across curriculum with a health teacher reading aloud since it deals with issues such as pregnancy, both physical and chemical abuse, and sexuality.