Module 15: Scary Stories

Summary

In Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schawartz, we find several short stories, songs, and poems that are based on folklore. The stories are meant to be told out loud with an introduction that includes suggestions on how scary stories should be read to other people. The stories are organized into five sections based on the style of story they are. The first section entitled, "AHHHHHHHH!", is a section of stories that uses jump scares to scare your listeners. The second section called, "He heard footsteps coming up the cellar stairs," is a section that scares by way of playing with the mind's of the readers. The third section, "They eat your eyes, they eat your nose," is a collection of stories on scary monsters and creatures. The fourth section, "Other dangers," is a group of stories that are scary by the fact that there is something that is dangerous, but it doesn't seem like it. For example, a dress that has poison on it or a man hiding in your backseat of your car. The last section is entitled, "AHHHHHH!", just like the first section, and is also a collection of stories that uses jump scares. The book then ends with the sources of these stories. 

Reference

 Schwartz, A., & Gammell, S. (1981). New York, NY: Scholastic. 

Impressions

Looking at the stories themselves as an adult, I didn't find most of them to be scary. A few of them like "The Babysitter," I found to be scary. What really makes this book is the original illustrations. One can get a taste of the illustrations by looking at the art on the cover. This book has been consistently challenged throughout the years since its publication in 1981 and the art work does seem like it would give a child nightmares. The subject matter of the stories deals very casually with death, which may be shocking to some parents.

Professional Review

 Schwartz, A. (n.d.). SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK by Alvin Schwartz | Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved December 08, 2016, from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/alvin-schwartz-8/scary-stories-to-tell-in-the-dark/ 

Library Uses

I would use this book in a scary story program in October. The program could be done in the dark with flashlights and the group could take turns reading the stories.

Module 14: Amazing Faces

Summary

The book Amazing Faces is a collection of poems selected by Lee Bennet Hopkins and illustrations by Chris Soentpiet. The theme of the the poems is the common human emotion that people feel regardless of ethnicity and cultural background with the purpose of finding the connection and commonality that bonds people together. The poem "Amazing Face" talks about the potential life a baby has growing up in the future. The poem "My Chinatown" is about the comfort a child feels with his mother. Other subjects of the poems include dreams, speaking two languages, being shy, brother-sister relationships, military service, storytelling and more. Each poem is accompanied by a large illustration.

Reference

• Hopkins, L. B., & Soentpiet, C. K. (2010). Amazing faces. New York: Lee & Low Books.

Impressions

My first impression of the book was of the detail in the faces in the illustrations. Each face has a great amount of detail in that you can see the ethnic features of each face yet they still expressed the same emotion. For example, take the cover art, which is also the art for the last poem in the book. This art evokes a sense of unity in diversity, a society that does not discriminate, but instead feels the common emotions that all human beings feel. As for the poems, they are also very impactful as well in that they help convey what is going on in the illustration. 

Professional Review

Children's Book Review: Amazing Faces by Poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illus. by Chris Soentpiet, Lee & Low, $18.95 (40p) ISBN 978-1-60060-334-1. Retrieved December 04, 2016, from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-60060-334-1 

Library Uses

One use for this book in the library would be to have it used in a poetry reading program, where it can be used for those participants who are too shy to read their own poetry.

Module 13: Amulet Book 1: The Stonekeeper

Summary

The Stonekeeper is the first book of the Amulet graphic novel series by Kazu Kibuishi. The book begins with a prologue where Emily, Navin and their parents are on the road and they end up getting into an accident where their father dies. Then in the first chapter, Emily, Navin and their mother move to their old ancestral house away from the city because they cannot afford to live there anymore. In the attic, Emily finds many of her great grandfather's belongings and finds a mysterious amulet. They discover that this amulet has mystical powers and can speak to Emily. One night, they hear noises coming from the basement and their mother goes to investigate and gets eaten by some sort of creature who goes into a hidden room in the basement. Emily and Navin search for their mother and find that the hidden room goes further into a mysterious land full of odd creatures. 

They find the monster who ate their mother and find that their mother is still alive in the belly of the beast. They try to get her out of there, but the creature is persistent and gets away. They end up being rescued by a mysterious figure who leads them to a house and there they find their great grandfather who explains to them that the amulet has great powers, and he dies. The house is also full of odd robots that their great grandfather built. They all help Emily and Navin to rescue their mother and they have a machine that can locate their mother. They go and try to rescue her, but their attempt fails and they encounter another mysterious figure who wants the amulet. Emily finds the inner strength to summon the amulet's power to fight off this mysterious figure, and at the same time are able to rescue their mother who is poisoned from being in the belly of the beast for so long. This is where the book ends.

Reference

 Kibuishi, K. (2008). Amulet: The Stonekeeper. New York, NY: Graphix.

Impressions

This book is very fast-paced and action packed. There is not one dull moment as there is always something exciting happening. The pace of the book might be too fast for some, but I found it to be a very entertaining pace. I also really enjoyed the style of illustrations and artwork. The colors felt very vivid and the emotions of the characters really came through in their faces. The monsters are also very well drawn.

Professional Review

Spisak, A. (2008). The stonekeeper. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 61(8), 338. Retrieved from https://libproxy.library.unt.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/223708968?accountid=7113

Library Uses

This would be a good book for a Manga club for discussion.

Module 12: Nelson Mandela

Summary

In this picture book biography entitled, Nelson Mandela, by Kadir Nelson, we get a glimpse into the life of Nelson Mandela and his struggles for racial justice and equality in apartheid South Africa. The book begins with a young Rolihlahla playing in the fields of South Africa, but when Rolihlahla goes to school, his teacher would not say his real name and ended up calling him Nelson instead. Nelson continued his education and eventually became a lawyer who defended the rights of poor and powerless. Eventually, the South African government instituted a policy of segregation called apartheid. Nelson organized and fought back against this unjust policy which landed Nelson in jail for decades while doing hard labor while in prison. As time passed, the government changed, apartheid ended and nelson was set free after twenty-seven years in prison. He was then elected president of South Africa. At the end of the book, the author gives a summary of Nelson Mandela's life.

Reference

 Nelson, K., & Rago, M. (2013). Nelson Mandela. New York, NY: Katherine Tegen Books. 

Impressions

The book provides a very brief look at the struggles and life of Nelson Mandela from when he was a child until he became president of South Africa. The illustrations are very large and take up both pages which provides for a very intimate feel with story. I would have liked if the book gave a bit more information on his presidency and his death since the book was published well after his death in 2013. For the pacing of the book, it probably made sense to end the book right when he is elected president as it ends on a high and positive note, but as a reader, I was thinking, "What happens next?" It reminds me of how the struggle for social, economic, and racial justice does not end with the election of an official to office, but it requires sustained awareness, organization, and resistance to all forms of oppression and inequality. After an election, it is easy to relax and forget about the issues and challenges that still continue to plague our society, but in this book, Nelson Mandela did not give up his fight after the government decided to enact apartheid, which signals to the reader that the struggle continues as long as there are oppressed and exploited people in the world.

Professional Review

Bush, E. (2013). Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson (review). Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 66(7), 347-348. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Retrieved December 8, 2016, from Project MUSE database.

Library Uses

This book could be used for a display of those who fought for social and racial justice around the globe. 

Module 11: A Black Hole is Not a Hole

Summary

The book A Black Hole is Not a Hole by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano is a non-fiction informational book on none other than black holes as is denoted in the title of the book. Black holes are usually thought of as holes, but this book aims to educate the reader by examining what they really are. The book is organized into eight chapters. The first chapter talks about the pull a black hole has and compares it to a whirlpool where the pull gets stronger as you get closer to it. The second chapter is on gravity and the role it plays in that pull of a black hole. The third chapter is on the origin of black holes from collapsed stars and the fourth chapter is on why black holes are black and speaks on the science behind the travel of light. The fifth chapter is on the history of the discovery of black holes and the sixth chapter is on role of radio waves in discovering black holes that are not observable. Chapter seven takes the reader through what would happen if they went through a black hole and chapter eight closes with a discussion of Einstein's theory of relativity and its relation to black hole science. 

Reference

DeCristofano, C. C., & Carroll, M. W. (2012). A black hole is not a hole. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.

Impressions

I found this book to be a very entertaining way to explain the science behind black holes. The illustrations and pictures are very captivating and the style of writing is very informal and entertaining. This book would be great for a reluctant reader of non-fiction. The scientific concepts were explained using everyday examples that an elementary student could understand and there is also a glossary in the back of the book to explain any terms that may provide some challenge to the reader. 

Professional Review

Seidman, C. (2012). A black hole is not a hole. Science Scope, 36(2), 94-96. Retrieved from https://libproxy.library.unt.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1093883106?accountid=7113

Library Uses

This book could be used in a STEM program about black holes for kids and could be used as a reference for a STEM activity. One activity could be making a whirlpool in a bucket to experience gravitational pull.

Module 10: Freedom Summer

Summary

In the book, Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles and illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue, two kids who were best friends in the early 1960s find out the world isn't as simple to let two boys be friends and share experiences together in the age of open racism and segregation. The two boys, John Henry who is black and who is white, enjoy their summer by sharing there time together with fun activities that include swimming and eating ice cream. However, it is these two simple activities that bring them to discover the cruel reality of segregation and racism. When the boys go to an ice cream shop, the John Henry must enter though a back door while Joe gets to go through the front door. Then when segregation legally ends, they both decide to go swimming at the pool, but when they get to the pool they find that it has closed down because the owners do not want black people to swim in the pool with white people. However, they find that they can go into the grocery store together in the same entrance. 

Reference

 Wiles, D., & Lagarrigue, J. (2001). Freedom Summer. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Impressions

This book really encaptures the innocence of children and how racism is not inherent in human nature, but taught. The book begins with all the fun the two boys have with each other and it makes the common human element very apparent, but when the boys find disappointment in not being able to share a simple activity such as swimming, it really shows how racism and segregation is based on ignorance. The two boys seem to be caught in the wave of the times, which I think many people can relate in this present day. Near the end of the book, John Henry becomes aware of the reasons for segregation and deeply wishes to be treated like an equal human being, which I think does a good job of showing the way to fight for social and racial justice is through awareness that can change the mass consciousness for society for the better.

Professional Review

Children's Book Review: Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles, Author, Jerome Lagarrigue, Illustrator Atheneum Books $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-689-83016-7. Retrieved October 30, 2016, from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-689-83016-7 

Library Uses

This book could be used in an inclusive storytime that promotes friendship and a way to address some of the issues that have stood in the way of social and racial justice. 

Module 8: The Dead and the Gone

Summary

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer is the second book of The Last Survivors series, but can be read as a stand-alone book as the events in this book happen congruently with the events of the first book. In The Dead and the Gone, an asteroid hits the moon which causes the moon to shift its orbit dangerously close to the earth which triggers a variety of continuous natural disasters from floods, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, continuous ash in the air and food shortages. 

The book follows the ordeals of the children of the Morales family in New York where the oldest son Alex must take care of his two younger sisters after his parents never return home and are presumed dead. Throughout the slow decay and destruction of society, normal everyday life becomes harder as normal institutions such as their private Catholic schools stay open after the initial disasters, but eventually close down as well. Alex is forced with tough decisions and forced to do things like steal from dead bodies in the street to keep his sisters alive by bartering with those things that he finds. Slowly, the population of New York either dies off or finds a way to leave and at the end of the book, they also find a way to leave. 

Reference

 Pfeffer, S. B. (2008). The dead & the gone. Orlando, FL: Harcourt.

Impressions

Being a fan of apocalyptic survival stories, I really enjoyed The Dead and the Gone. I found it very interesting that the disasters in this book didn't cause an immediate destruction of society, but the book builds a picture of a society that falls apart slowly, yet fast enough to cause a sense of distress and worry. In the beginning, I found it odd that school would continue to operate, but then I felt that people would try to continue in the face of impending doom to the best of their abilities. Another thing I enjoyed about the book was that it brought into play the fact that those with money, resources and connections were able to fair better in this new and terrible world, while those who were poor still struggled as in the world before the disasters. As the book continues, the worth of money slowly decreased as a bartering system began to take it's place. Overall, I enjoyed this book and it really made me feel like I should prepare with some emergency supplies. 

Professional Review

Spisak, A. (2008). The Dead and the Gone (review). Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 61(11), 489. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Retrieved December 8, 2016, from Project MUSE database.

Library Uses

This book could be used for a prepper program at the library. The program can focus on emergency supplies for natural disasters and the library could share resources in the community as well as survival techniques. 

Module 7: The Raft

Summary

The Raft by S. A. Bodeen is a survival story set in the pacific ocean somewhere in between Hawaii and Midway Island. The main character of the story is a teen girl named Robie who is vacationing on Hawaii at her aunt's house. Her aunt has an unexpected business trip to the mainland and Robie convinces her to let her stay at her house while she is on the business trip. Robie's aunt agrees on the condition that her friend visits her everyday to check on her. However, once Robie's aunt leaves, the friend is unable to check on her, which leaves Robie all by herself for an entire week. 

On the first night alone, Robie decides to go get something to eat and ends up being harassed by a strange man. She runs all the way to her aunt's house and realizes that she's not fit to stay by herself, so she decides to catch a cargo flight to Midway back to her parents. Robie is able to hitch a ride on a cargo plane to Midway, but the pilots and airport staff forget to weigh her and put her on the manifest. On the way to Midway, the plane loses one engine to a storm and ends up crashing in the middle of the Pacific ocean. One of the co-pilots, Max, saves Robie by pushing her out of the plane with a raft and both end up on the raft.

Once on the raft, Robie and Max face many obstacles and challenges to survive for several days on a raft, when they finally come upon an uninhabited island. For the whole time on the raft, Max is drifting in and out of consciousness and when they finally come on to the island, it is revealed that Robie actually killed Max when she put him outside of the raft when there was too much weight on the raft, and she was actually imagining him to be alive the whole time because she was too scared to survive on her own. Eventually, Robie is rescued by a research team who go to the island on a boat and they take her back to Midway. 

Reference

 Bodeen, S. A. (2012). The raft. New York: Feiwel and Friends. 

Impressions

Being a fan of survival stories, I really enjoyed this book because it was very interesting to see how Robie coped with her situation and how she changed because of her experiences. In the beginning of the book, Robie is portrayed as a teen who worries about what normal teens are worrying about, but when she is put in a survival situation, she realizes how much she took for granted in the regular world, but she also realizes a strength she never knew she had. These two elements of the story are why I like survival stories. First, it reminds me of how much I take for granted everyday and reading stories like this one remind me to appreciate what I have. Second, I am usually afraid to step out of my comfort zone, but when one is put into a survival situation, one must go beyond self-imposed limitations and that is exactly what Robie does. Some of the things Robie does like killing Max to save herself is a bit shocking to me, but she does what it takes to survive. 

Professional Review

Bush, E. (2012). The raft. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 66(2), 73. Retrieved from https://libproxy.library.unt.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1313181660?accountid=7113

Library Uses

This book could be used as a conversation starter in a workshop on outdoor survival for teens and adults. Even though the story takes place on a raft and a uninhabited island, some of the story can assist in teaching what to do and what not to do in a survival situation.

Module 6: This is Not My Hat

Summary

This is Not my Hat is a simple story of a fish who stole a hat from a bigger fish. This smaller fish takes the hat while the bigger fish is sleeping. The bigger fish eventually wakes up and notices his hat is missing. The small fish thinks he got away without the bigger fish noticing because he goes into an area with a lot of seaweed, but a crab sees him go in there. The bigger fish comes around and the crab points to where the small fish went. The small fish is so proud he got away in what he thinks is a good hiding spot, but the bigger fish follows him into the seaweed and then the big fish comes out with his hat on his head and the smaller fish is nowhere to be seen. 

Reference

 Klassen, J. (2012). This is not my hat. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. 

Impressions

This is a very short and simple story with the illustrations being the most appealing part of the book. The illustrations are also very simple, but they convey a lot of emotions through the eyes of the characters in the book. As for the story, it's a good story to show the negative side of stealing, but on the other hand, I always get a little apprehensive when one character eats another character in a children's picture book. While it doesn't show the small fish getting eaten, it is implied when the little fish doesn't come back out of the seaweed area.  

Professional Review

Hulick, J. (2012). This Is Not My Hat (review). Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 66(3), 129-130. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Retrieved October 30, 2016, from Project MUSE database.

Library Uses

This book would be good for an art class or workshop where kids can cut out shapes of fish or anything that they like and put it against black construction paper. The art style of the book is very simplistic and could possibly be imitated.