Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

Wolitzer, M. (2014). Belzhar. New York, NY: Dutton Books for Young Readers.

Summary: After the death of her first love, Reeve, Jam is sent to The Wooden Barn, a school for students who have experienced trauma. She is chosen to be in the mysterious Special Topics for English class and the author study selected by Mrs. Quenell is Sylvia Plath. Supernatural things happen when Jam and her classmates write in their journals. Pasts are revealed and uncomfortable conversations are had.

Review: This is a consuming and surprising read! For 8th grade and up, students will enjoy the supernatural aspects of this book.

Diversity: Jam's roommate DJ is part Asian and gay.

Suggestions for Teachers: Great to have in a classroom library and would be a good for a unit on teaching perspective and unreliable narration. Teachers could also teach this along with Sylvia Plath's works.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 1050-1335L, ATOS Book Level 9.67-12.01, Flesh-Kincaid 8.32-12.12, 8.41-10.81RMM
2. Qualitative: This text is moderately complex; it is chronological but there are flashbacks and there is a supernatural element that occurs when the characters write in their journals. The language is largely contemporary and familiar. Those who have knowledge of depression and Sylvia Plath will have a stronger understanding but this is a great text to introduce Plath as well.

Content Areas: English

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3
Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.5
Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.7
Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment (e.g., Auden's "Musée des Beaux Arts" and Breughel's Landscape with the Fall of Icarus).

Relevant links: Teaching Books, Bell Jar Teacher Guide

Subjects/Themes: depression, recovery, therapy, friendship

Awards: N/A

Series Information: N/A

Some Thoughts on Diversity...

Chimamanda Adichie's Ted Talk on the danger of a single story hit home in unexpected ways for me.  Adichie talks about how her early experiences reading books about white people influenced the way she saw the world to such an extent, she realized that she didn't think that people of color like herself could exist in literature.  As a child of mixed Asian heritage, Chinese and Thai, I remember reading entire series of Sweet Valley Twins  and Sweet Valley High and dreamed of being 5'6'', blond and size 6.  I loved that series and read it compulsively but it had an effect on me.  I couldn't envision myself among Jessica and Elizabeth and their friends.  I didn't see how I fit in.  I remember my fourth grade teacher reading Yoshiko Uchida's Journey to Topaz aloud to our class.  It was a book about a Japanese family first interned at the Tanforan race track and later out in the desert in Utah.  I was moved by this text because my white, strict and stern teacher, Ms. Henry, cried inconsolably while reading it aloud.  How could this mean woman who would throw your desk over if it was out of order be so moved by a girl who looked a little like me? I became obsessed with Yoshiko Uchida reading Journey Home and Picture Bride at an early age over and over.  In 6th grade, I chose to do my research project on Japanese Internment.  It had been two years and I was still addicted to studying Japanese Americans even though I wasn't Japanese.  And in retrospect, I really think it was because the Japanese looked a little like me.  I was still reading Sweet Valley books but Uchida opened my eyes.

When I read about Asians, I often times read about their struggles in history: Ruthanne Lum McCunn's Thousand Pieces of Gold and Laurence Yep's Golden Mountain Chronicle series.  I appreciate learning about my Chinese American history through literature.  I still am hoping to find a book about Thai American or a mixed Chinese-Thai American teen growing up in literature. (Maybe I need to write it.) But what I really crave is reading a book that isn't necessarily about my ancestors or my history but just someone who looks like me as the protagonist of a young adult book.  I want to see myself normalized in literature.  I want students to see themselves represented in many stories. And while some of the books may focus on their identity, for most, I just hope people of all colors are characters in there.  I loved that Park of Eleanor and Park was Korean and the book wasn't about him being Korean and that DJ, Jam's roommate in Meg Wolitzer's newest Belzhar is multiracial and gay.

I also realize that as a middle school librarian, books with these characters need to be facing out on shelves and highly book talked.  Kids don't need help finding the newest Rick Riordan, Sarah Dessen or Rachel Renée Russell, but they might need help finding Jewell Parker Rhodes, Sherman Alexie and Paolo Bacigalupi (almost all of his characters are people of color!  Yes, children of color like to fight zombies too!).  That is my job as a librarian to read these books and show them to students so that all students have the opportunity to find themselves in books that act as mirrors and learn about those who are different from them in books that act like windows.  And in doing so, the result should be more compassionate and accepting young adults who appreciate themselves and are curious to learn about those around them.

The Long Road by Luis Garay

Garay, L. (1997). The long road. Toronto, Canada: Tundra Books.

Summary: War breaks out in Nicaragua when José is visiting his grandmother in town. When he and his mother return, his family has disappeared and their village is in ruins. After several nights traveling by foot, they eventually cross the border. This picture book shows José and his mother's early struggles in a new country.

Review: A beautiful story that many students at my school will identify with.

Diversity: This picture book is a much needed story in classrooms right now especially in recent days when most of America has been watching the US close its doors on small children trying to enter the US for a better life. When I taught a 10th grade newcomer EL class, almost all of the students here in San Francisco had their own border crossing story and many included significant trauma. This book could be in classrooms as a jumping off point for students to share the experiences of leaving sometimes dangerous homes, losing family, and the difficulties children face when learning to live somewhere new. Luis, a Latino boy, represents so many students I know. I wish I knew about this book earlier.

Suggestions for Teachers: This book would be a great read-aloud text especially in an English language class or a newcomer class. It would also be a great text to have facing out in elementary classrooms and will give windows into the lives of immigrant children who come after experiencing trauma.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 740-1010L, ATOS Book Level 4.97-7.03, Flesh-Kincaid 4.51-7.72, 5.42-7.92 RMM
2. Qualitative: This text is moderately complex; it is chronological and it is the story of a journey which will engage many students. The language is simple although there is a lot of text for each page. It is literal and the illustrations support José's difficult journey. The themes of escape to safety and adjustment to new situations are ones students will be able to understand. Those who have knowledge of war or immigration will have an easier time understanding this text.

Content Areas: Literacy, Family, Immigration, Acceptance, Refugees

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.2
Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3
Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.9
Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures.

Relevant links: Teaching Books, Immigration unit, Luis Garay website, Teacher's Guide

Subjects/Themes: family, acceptance, perseverance, discrimination, refugees, immigration

Awards: N/A

Series Information: N/A

10,000 Dresses by Marcus Ewert & Rex Ray

Ewert, M. (2008). 10,000 dresses (R. Ray, Illustrator). New York, NY: Seven Stories Press.

Summary: Bailey dreams about dresses, beautiful dresses of all kinds made of unusual and special materials. These are dresses she wants. Her parents aren't supportive of her dreams because she is "a boy". Bailey doesn't give up and finds someone to support her.

Review: A beautiful and bittersweet story. The parents infuriate me but I love how Bailey is able to find a friend and ally.

Diversity: This picture book focuses on a child who does not identify with her assigned gender. Bailey's story is such a needed story in elementary schools. Research shows that some children know they do not match with their assigned gender at really early ages, kindergarten or even preschool. This book is a mirror for those children and a window for other children.

Suggestions for Teachers: This book would be a great read-aloud text when studying identity. It also should be a book facing out in classroom libraries so students have access. It should be one that isn't passed up for book talks.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 540L, ATOS Book Level 2.75-5.14, Flesh-Kincaid 1.98-5.34, 3.53-6.13 RMM
2. Qualitative: This text is moderately complex; it is chronological and there is repetition in events. The language is simple and the images help describe the immense possibility symbolized in Bailey's dream dresses. Understanding that symbolism will be difficult for some children. The themes of perseverance, acceptance and friendship are accessible. It might be difficult for young children to see parents as unsupportive. Older children may be able to make more meaning about the symbolism in this text.

Content Areas: Literacy, Family, Community

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.2
Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3
Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.7
Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting)

Relevant links: YouTube Teacher's Guide, Teaching Books, Pillow Project

Subjects/Themes: family, community, acceptance, perseverance, discrimination

Awards: 

Finalist, 2008 Lambda Literary Awards

2009 Rainbow List Book

Honor Book, 2010 Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award

Series Information: N/A

Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki and Dom Lee

Mochizuki, K. (1993). Baseball saved us (D. Lee, Illustrator). New York, NY: Lee & Low Books.

Summary: Shorty is an okay baseball player and is often made fun of because of his size. He and is family are sent to an internment came during WWII where the poor quality of life causes tensions to run high. Shorty's father has Shorty help him build a baseball field in the camps. This entertainment increases the quality of life and improves Shorty's baseball skills. Shorty is able to transfer his perseverance to the ignorant and racist society he returns to when he is freed from the camp.

Review: This is a slice of life of historical fiction about Japanese Americans during WWII. It is a story many students who like baseball can relate to. I have read a few books about this particular event (the baseball field built) so I hope it isn't an overrepresentation of what was otherwise a horrific experience for many. But hopefully, students who read this picture book will begin to ask more questions about Japanese internment during WWII.

Diversity: This picture book is about a Japanese American boy during internment in WWII. It is historical fiction and that chronicles this specific ethnic group. For the purpose of teaching history, this is a great addition. However, this isn't a "normalized" experience. I would love to see more books about Japanese Americans in their everyday life now.

Suggestions for Teachers: This picture book would be a great addition for studying history. You could also use it on a unit on perseverance. It would make a great read-aloud or mentor text.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 550L, ATOS Book Level 3.9, Flesh-Kincaid 3.7, 4.83 RMM
2. Qualitative: This text is moderately complex; it is chronological. For a second or third grade book, this has a lot of text. The language is simple although there are some words like "Jap", "Camp" with a capital C and words relevant to building that may need explaining. The theme of perseverance and acceptance during difficult times is accessible. Students who have prior knowledge of WWII, Japanese Internment and baseball will be able to make more meaning with this text. The pictures really enhance the meaning of this text and are literal.

Content Areas: Literacy, History, Family, Community

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.2
Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3
Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.7
Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting)

Relevant links: Scholastic, Teaching Books, YouTube Read Aloud, YouTube Read Aloud 2, Teacher's Guide

Subjects/Themes: family, community, acceptance, perseverance, racism

Awards: 
Best Multicultural Title - Cuffies Award

Publisher's Weekly

Choices
Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Editor's Choice
San Francisco Chronicle

Not Just for Children Anymore Selection
Children's Book Council

Series Information: N/A

Chik Chak Shabbat by Mara Rockliff & Kyrsten Brooker

Rockliff, M. (2014). Chik chak Shabbat (K. Brooker, Illustrator). Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Summary: Goldie Simcha makes cholent every Saturday night for the neighbors in her building. It is a special night where everyone comes together and hears Goldie's stories from her childhood. One Saturday, Goldie is sick and there is no cholent. The neighbors decide to bring their own special dishes over to Goldie's and Goldie appreciates her community.

Review: This is a modern, multicultural Stone Soup. It's a beautiful tribute to diverse communities taking care of each other. This picture book is great for urban communities with many different ethnic groups living in close proximity.

Diversity: Goldie Simcha is a Jewish woman who lives in an apartment building with a Latino family, an Italian woman, a Korean man and an Middle Eastern family. Goldie shares the Jewish tradition of Shabbat with her neighbors and when she can't cook for them, they cook for her sharing their cultural treats. Most importantly, they enjoy each other's company and the idea of not being together with Goldie sick is unfathomable to them. This picture book portrays diverse groups of people taking care of one another. It is not about one group of people, but a celebration of various cultures who appreciate one another.

Suggestions for Teachers: This picture book would be a great addition for a unit study on community and/or neighborhoods. It would ask students to think about their own neighborhoods and the people in their neighborhoods who take care of them.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 690L, ATOS Book Level 4.3, Flesh-Kincaid 4.7, Readability 5.9, 5.4 RMM
2. Qualitative: This text is moderately complex; it is fairly chronological except for one flashback that Goldie has. There is some repetition with the appearance of the various neighbors. The language is simple although there are some cultural words like cholent and Shabbat which may need more explanation. The theme of community taking care of one another is simple and applicable in a school setting. Students who have prior knowledge of Shabbat and Jewish culture will access this book more easily though students who have no prior schema can make great inferences about Shabbat and cholent based on the context of this book. The pictures help give the sense of a busy apartment complex and give meaning to the text.

Content Areas: Literacy, History, Family, Community

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.

Relevant links:  Author's website

Subjects/Themes: family, community, Judaism

Awards: N/A

Series Information: N/A

Splash, Anna Hibiscus! by Atinuke & Lauren Tobia

Atinuke, & Tobia, L. (2013). Splash, Anna Hibiscus! London: Kane Miller.

Summary: Anna Hibiscus lives in Africa with her family and friends. It is a hot day. She wants to play in the waves. Everyone seems too busy to play in the waves with her, so she decides to play with the waves themselves. Her joy is contagious and soon everyone who was too busy before decides to join Anna Hibiscus in the water.

Review: This is a beautiful picture book of a sweet girl who wants to enjoy her natural surroundings. The pictures are fun and engaging and the characters' names are also fun. It is a joyful book.

Diversity: This book features an African girl and her extended family and friends. Lots of beautiful pictures of people in various shades of brown. Anna Hibiscus's mother is white and her father is black so this shows a multiracial family and a close-knit, multi-generational, happy family at that. The only issue is that Anna Hibiscus lives in Africa, not a particular city or country in Africa, but Africa the continent which generalizes all Africans.

Suggestions for Teachers: This picture book would be a great addition for a unit study on families and what families look like. It would be a great read-aloud and a wonderful addition to a classroom library.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 500L, ATOS Book Level 4.0, Flesh-Kincaid 3.0,4.0 RMM
2. Qualitative: This text is slightly complex as it is organized in a traditional manner with a recognizable pattern. Anna asks various members of her family to join her and they all are too busy until they realize how much fun she is having. The language is simple and the only hiccup for students may be the characters' unusual names as they are ideas and adjectives. The theme of doing something for yourself despite what others think is accessible. Students need no prior schema to access this book. The pictures do a wonderful job of showing the beauty of family and the joy of the ocean.

Content Areas: Literacy, Geography

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.2
Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.4
Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5
Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.

Relevant links:  Teaching Books, Read Aloud Video

Subjects/Themes: Africa, family, beach

Awards: N/A

Series Information: part of the Anna Hibiscus series

Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle

Federle, T. (2014). Better Nate than ever. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster for Young Readers.

Summary: Nate has a big dream. He wants to perform on Broadway. When an audition for a musical version of ET avails itself, Nate plans a surreptitious trip to NYC where hopes of being a star will allow him to feel more at home than he does in his own school.

Review: Federle brings us a character who is questioning his identity and takes us on a ride where we're rooting for Nate, the underdog, and wish him joy and happiness. A great coming of age story for youth.

Diversity: This novel features a kid who doesn't fit in. There are assumptions that Nate is questioning his sexual identity and teased by others at his school as effeminate and possibly gay. This is a story that isn't often told especially for middle grades and that is why I love this book because so many students who question their sexual identities start doing so long before high school where it is more prevalent in YA. This is a great middle school book and it offers a window and possibly a mirror for our youth struggling to figure out who they are.

Suggestions for Teachers: This novel would work well for lit circles with the guiding topic of coming-of-age. It would be a book that should be facing out in a classroom library and book talked.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 930L, ATOS Book Level 7.0, Flesh-Kincaid 6.51, 7.0 RMM
2. Qualitative: This text is slightly complex as there is a singular first person narrator and the narration is chronological. Language is largely contemporary and explicit and thus moderately complex. The theme of an underdog achieving his dream is simple and accessible. Students who have some knowledge of Broadway and New York City might have a stronger understanding.

Content Areas: English, Contemporary Issues

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.1
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3

Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

Relevant links: Tim Federle's website, Teaching Books

Subjects/Themes: coming of age, LGBTQQ

Awards: Odyssey, Stonewall, ALA

Series Information: sequel is Five, Six, Seven Nate!

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Sloan, H. G. (2013). Counting by 7s. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.

Summary: Willow is a quirky girl who suffers a tragedy at the beginning of this book leaving her without a family. Through unlikely friendships with others who are just as unique and different, Willow learns the true definition of family.

Review: Sloan gives us a tearjerker with Willow chance, a young girl who can master new languages and college textbooks better than she can navigate social interactions. Sloan's choice of diverse major characters is excellent and she gives voice to the often times voiceless here. It is a feel good novel that many students will enjoy.

Diversity: This novel features very diverse characters. First Willow, a person of color who might have autism is just one of the major characters. Mai and Quang-ha, are Willow's friends and they are the children of a feisty Vietnamese nail salon owner. And, Willow's early adult figure is Dell Duke, her counselor who struggles to function in his own life. This is a beautiful cast of characters who are marginalized in society and here they are front and center. I especially love Mai's mom, this nail salon worker who has such voice in this book when often times in popular culture, Vietnamese nail workers are shown serving rich, white women.

Suggestions for Teachers: This is a book that I would use for lit circles or independent reading. You could definitely use it to teach perspective maybe alongside or in place of Seedfolks.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 770L, ATOS Book Level 5.6, Flesh-Kincaid 3.9. Readability Grade Level 5.9, 7.6 RMM
2. Qualitative: This text is moderately complex as there are various third-person perspective narrators. The narration is mostly chronological. Language is largely contemporary and explicit and thus moderately complex. The text has symbolism like the garden; students may only understand it literally but a teacher could choose to focus on symbolism here. Students who have some knowledge of autism and foster care might have a better understanding but it is not needed.

Content Areas: English, Contemporary Issues

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1
Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.3
Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.

Relevant links: Teaching Books

Subjects/Themes: foster care, autism, coming of age, immigrant labor

Awards: A New York Times Bestseller. An AMAZON Best Book of the Year 2013.  A Kids' Indie Next List Top Ten Book-- #4, Best Books of Autumn 2013.  B.E.A. Buzz Book Award 2013.  A Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee 2014-2015 Master List.  A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year.  An E.B. White Read Aloud Honor Book. A Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee.  A National Public Radio Best Book of the Year.

Series Information: N/A

Zombie Baseball Beatdown by Paolo Bacigalupi

Bacigalupi, P. (2013). Zombie baseball beatdown. New York, NY: Little Brown and Company.

Summary: Rabi, Joe and Miguel are good friends and they are also on their local baseball team together. They practice on a field next to the meat-packing plant and lately something fishy is going on. Cows and humans alike are turning into zombies. Rabi and his friends investigate the mystery inside the factory to save the town and possibly the world.

Review: Bacigalupi tackles a lot more than just baseball and zombies in this book. He addresses food justice issues as well as ICE and the plight of being an undocumented immigrant. Through an adventure about zombies, readers are learning much more about the injustices in the world. The writing is clear and animated and will entice any middle schooler, especially boys.

Diversity: This novel isn't a story about diversity but it gives us diverse characters in an action-adventure. Rabi is half South Asian and half-White with a name no one can pronounce. His best friend Miguel is an undocumented boy from Mexico whose family has been deported. Joe is their white friend with dysfunctional and absentee parents. While the friends are fighting zombies, their identities contribute to their everyday existence and struggle and Bacigalupi normalizes and validates these experiences for readers, yet he does so in a way that doesn't tokenize any of the experiences.

Suggestions for Teachers: Use this as a core text in an ELA classroom or or teach excerpts of it with informational texts on food justice or immigration readings.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 1090L, ATOS Book Level 7.4, Flesh-Kincaid 7.3. Readability Grade Level 8.0, 6.2 RMM
2. Qualitative: This text is slightly complex. The narration is chronological. Language is largely contemporary and explicit and thus moderately complex. Bacigalupi uses a lot of dialogue. The text has one level of meaning. Students who have some knowledge of factory farming and the plight of undocumented immigrants will more easily comprehend the text although this text could function as a great introduction to both of those issues.

Content Areas: English, Contemporary Issues

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1
Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.3
Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.

Relevant links: Bacigalupi's video intro to Zombie Baseball Beatdown, Teaching Books, Interview with Bacigalupi, Fresh--the movie

Subjects/Themes: undocumented immigrants, ICE, factory farming, meat-packing industry, US-Mexico immigration

Awards: N/A

Series Information: N/A

Freakboy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark

Clark, K. E. (2013). Freakboy. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Summary: Brendan Chase might appear to have the perfect life to some. He is on the wrestling team and has a beautiful girlfriend. But Brendan has a secret. Sometimes he doesn't feel like society asks him to feel. In verse, along with two other narrators, Brendan shares his secret and Kristin Elizabeth Clark explores the topic of gender fluidity.

Review: Clark's Freakboy is a powerful read. This book is so necessary in school libraries for all students. Due to some of the sex scenes, I would assign this as 8th grade and up. But many sections of the book could be excerpted for a younger audience. Because Clark writes in verse, this novel moves quickly and the words are razor sharp.

Diversity: Clark explores gender fluidity--when a person doesn't feel like his/her assigned gender. There are few books written about this topic and also it is a diversity that is predominantly unseen by others. This voice is missing in YA literature. Brendan's (and Vanessa's) questioning of themselves normalizes this thought process for others and Angel's strong, decisive character gives us a role model. Gender fluidity is a topic that often doesn't come up when students discuss diversity in middle school. It's a story that is rarely mainstreamed or presented. Clark's novel can be that ally for young people and my hope that it's just the beginning of many other stories about questioning gender and sexuality to fill library shelves so that those who feel this way are not alone. This is a book that needs to be book-talked to students and with the cover faced out in libraries. It needs to be shown off and heard about so it doesn't go unnoticed. As teacher librarians, it's great to have the newest Rick Riordan, but it's books like these that need to be brought to the attention of students.

Suggestions for Teachers: Use this as a core text in an ELA classroom or excerpt it for younger audiences. Teach it as poetry and examine interior monologue, sensory description and diction. This is also a book to plug for independent reading or lit circles.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 800L, ATOS Book Level 5.8, Flesh-Kincaid 4.5. Readability Grade Level 6.0, RMM
2. Qualitative: This text is moderately complex. There are three narrators and they are telling their side of the story. Each narrator tells his/her story chronologically, but there is no order or pattern and each narrator's story occurs unpredictably. Language is largely contemporary and explicit. Because the text is written in verse, there are more figurative language uses. Students who have some knowledge of gender fluidity will more easily comprehend the text.

Content Areas: English, Contemporary Issues

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3
Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.5
Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Relevant links: Teaching Books, Author's Website, LGBTQQ resources, Conversation between Ellen Hopkins and Clark, Interview with Author

Subjects/Themes: LGBTQQ, gender fluidity, transgender, coming of age, identity

Awards: N/A

Series Information: N/A