Award Winners
Printz Award and National Book Award books were the subject of reading this week. Discussion regarding similarities of these books and why they were chosen and were they worthy of the awards they received were enlightening. Also similarities and differences in the two different award books were noted along with noted differences between last weeks classic books to this weeks award books.
One thing that stood out for me this week was that these books were about characters who were in a situation and they learned something about themselves and others around them. Last week we talked about classic books being coming of age books, where a situation or event aided the character into adulthood. These books this week were regarding events that made an impression on the character, but I wouldn't say that a particular event in these stories pushed a teen over the threshold into adulthood. These were experiences, moments in a long period of teen years that had affects, probably changes some thinking patterns, but not necessarily life altering (possibly in some cases, but definitely not overall).
All of the books that I read this week were really good. Two were a little more calm and sweet with nice wrapped up endings (Each Little Bird that Sings and The Invention of Hugo Cabret). One was good and very realistic to the teens way of thinking (The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things). The last was probably one of the b est books I have read in a long time (The Monstrumologist). Now those that know me, realize that when I find books I really like, they go into my own home library. Well, after reading The Monstumologist, I ordered the second and pre-ordered the next.
The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things and The Monstumologist were on the Printz Award List. Each Little Bird that Sings and The Invention of Hugo Cabret were both on the National Award List. I enjoyed reading each of my selections this week but notices one difference in the two sets of award winners. The Printz Award books were character based books with very definite main characters who learned something valuable about themselves for the betterment of their lives. The National Award List books had good main characters but they weren't deeply defined and analyzed. This would make sense since the Printz Award goes to books that have rich characters.
The books that I read for this week are:
The Earth, My Butt and other Big Round Things
Bibliography:
Macker, C. (2005). The earth, my butt and other big round things. Sommerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
Macker, C. (2005). The earth, my butt and other big round things. Sommerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
Virginia Shreves is 15 and she is somewhat comfortable with her body and her looks. Her family is all thin, with dark hair and are dark skinned, where Virginia is blonde and bigger. Her mom is an adolescent psychologist and is obsessed with Virginia's weight. Her father is not around, her sister was out of the house as fast as she could be and her brother is the perfect son, everyone loves him and he is beginning at Columbia College. Virginia feels that she is the odd man out, since she doesn't look like the rest of her "perfect" family. The story takes the reader on Virginia's journey with social problems, eating problems, boy problems and self esteem problems. Virginia's mother wants her fixed, her brother, whom she idolizes shows his true colors and Virginia had a whole lot to deal with. In her quest she finds that getting healthy will empower her and she begins to become comfortable with who she is on the inside and letting that show on the outside.
The Monstrumologist
Bibliography:
Yancey, R. (2010). The Monstumologist. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Yancey, R. (2010). The Monstumologist. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Will Henry is twelve and is the apprentice to Dr.Peilimore Warthrop, who studies monsters. Will Henry is use to seeing unusual things with the Dr.'s studies. When a grave robber shows up in the middle of the night with something to show the doctor, Will Henry is drawn to the conclusion that there are strange things living amongst them. He stays by the doctor's side as they journey to discover how these creatures came to be in this area, who knew about them, and why they are here. The answers they find bring this situation close to home for Dr. Warthrop. Throughout this frightening journey, Will Henry is learning about himself and others around him and he discovers that he is loyal to the doctor who has taken care of him and a special bond between them is recognized by both Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop.
Each Little Bird That Sings
Bibliography:
Wiles, D. (2006). Each little bird that sings. San Anselmo, CA: Sandpiper Press
Wiles, D. (2006). Each little bird that sings. San Anselmo, CA: Sandpiper Press
Comfort Snowberger lives with her family in a funeral home. She has always had death around her since her family lives in at the funeral home and she has attended every funeral that has been there. Her great uncle Edisto dies and she is filled with new feelings of death since this is the first person that she actually has know that has died. Then, several months later, her great -great aunt Florentine dies at the age of 94 with a smile on her face out in her garden. Comfort is filled with grief and then her aunt and cousin show up for the services and Comfort is thrown into another level of despair with her cousin - Peach. On the way to the burial for great-great aunt Florentine, Comfort's best friend, Declaration, says mean things to Peach and scares him, causing him to run away from them. Comfort goes after Peach along with her dog Dismay. It has started to rain heavily and the creek is starting to rise. Comfort has to get Peach and Dismay to safety or they are going to be in trouble. The water quickly rises and Comfort is trying to h old onto Peach and Peach is holding Dismay. Comfort can't hold onto Peach and Peach is drowning Dismay by holding him. Comfort has c=to choose between Peach whom she loathes and her dog . As the water starts to push Comfort she knows she has to make a quick decision, she forces Peach's fingers from Dismay's collar and then grab Peach so they can get to higher ground. After the rain stop, the flash flood recedes about as quickly as it rose and they were rescued in a boat and taken to safety. Both are lucky to be alive and are battered and cold from the experience. They are also consumed in grief over Dismay. Comfort is unable to forgive her friend to making Peach scared which put them in this situation. With each others help, Comfort is able to befriend Declaration and Peach and Comfort help each other with their grief.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Bibliography:
Selznick, B. (2007). The invention of Hugo Cabret. New York: Scholastic Press.
Hugo is twelve and is the son of a clock keeper. After his father is killed in a fire at a museum, Hugo is taken by his uncle, also a clock keeper, to a train station where he lives and works. Hugo becomes his uncles apprentice keeping all the clocks at the train station on the correct time by checking each of them twice a day. The uncle drinks and one day after he leaves, he doesn't return. Hugo has to keep up appearances that his uncle is still around, since he is getting paid to keep these clocks on time, so he continues to do the job hoping his uncle will return. Hugo meets an old man who sells toys and his god daughter - Isabella. As Hugo wanders around town one night, he passes the museum where his father was killed. Among the rubble he discovers the automation that his father had been secretly working on. Hugo has never seen this automation in person, but he has seen the many drawing of it and all the parts that his father made that was kept in a notebook that Hugo never let out of his sight. He decides that since the automation is just laying in the rubble and it doesn't look too damaged that he should take it back to the room in the train station and continue to work on it. So, Hugo takes the automation with him and makes repairs on it to try to get the thing to work. Hugo gets all the repairs made but find that he needs a key to make the actual movements take place. While he is with Isabella, he sees that she has a key hanging around her neck that look exactly like it will fit in the automation. They go back to the room and try the key and find that the automation draws a picture and signs the picture with the name of Isabella s god father. After doing some research, they find that her god father made films many years ago and he was very famous. They want to know what happened to him, so they do some digging and have some people from the museum come to the house to show Mr. and Mrs. Melies the things they found in the archives. They want it left in the past, but when Mr. Melies sees the films he begins to wonder if anyone cares anymore. An honor ceremony is planned and his films are shown and the items are put in the museum. During this time Hugo has been practicing his magic and he takes the name of Hugo Cabret as his stage name.
Selznick, B. (2007). The invention of Hugo Cabret. New York: Scholastic Press.
Hugo is twelve and is the son of a clock keeper. After his father is killed in a fire at a museum, Hugo is taken by his uncle, also a clock keeper, to a train station where he lives and works. Hugo becomes his uncles apprentice keeping all the clocks at the train station on the correct time by checking each of them twice a day. The uncle drinks and one day after he leaves, he doesn't return. Hugo has to keep up appearances that his uncle is still around, since he is getting paid to keep these clocks on time, so he continues to do the job hoping his uncle will return. Hugo meets an old man who sells toys and his god daughter - Isabella. As Hugo wanders around town one night, he passes the museum where his father was killed. Among the rubble he discovers the automation that his father had been secretly working on. Hugo has never seen this automation in person, but he has seen the many drawing of it and all the parts that his father made that was kept in a notebook that Hugo never let out of his sight. He decides that since the automation is just laying in the rubble and it doesn't look too damaged that he should take it back to the room in the train station and continue to work on it. So, Hugo takes the automation with him and makes repairs on it to try to get the thing to work. Hugo gets all the repairs made but find that he needs a key to make the actual movements take place. While he is with Isabella, he sees that she has a key hanging around her neck that look exactly like it will fit in the automation. They go back to the room and try the key and find that the automation draws a picture and signs the picture with the name of Isabella s god father. After doing some research, they find that her god father made films many years ago and he was very famous. They want to know what happened to him, so they do some digging and have some people from the museum come to the house to show Mr. and Mrs. Melies the things they found in the archives. They want it left in the past, but when Mr. Melies sees the films he begins to wonder if anyone cares anymore. An honor ceremony is planned and his films are shown and the items are put in the museum. During this time Hugo has been practicing his magic and he takes the name of Hugo Cabret as his stage name.
