American Born Chinese - Book Review - TWU LS5603 - Spring 2012

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Yang, Gene Luen. 2006. AMERICAN BORN CHINESE. Color by Lark Pien. New York: First Second. ISBN 1596431520 2. PLOT SUMMARY Tales of the Monkey King, an American-Born Chinese (ABC) named Jin Wang and the ultimate Anglo-American boy Danny and his stereotypical Chinese cousin Chin-Kee are the pillars this award winning graphic novel rest upon. Upon beginning this graphic novel the reader is introduced to what they come to know as a traditional tale of the Monkey King. When he is shunned at a party of the heavens for being a monkey, he pushes himself to learn more disciplines of Kung Fu in order to change himself as he wills it. With these powers his story line continues as he exacts revenge on those that mocked him, and finally confronts the god of his existence, who punishes him for his crimes by trapping him under a mountain of magically sealed rock. Entertaining as this story is, it is the elements related to Jin Wang that are the most compelling. As he struggles to find his identity in the country of his birth he calls into question his race, his language, the barbaric treatment of other children, and whether one should change themselves for love. It is Jin’s story that keeps the reader connected. The introduction of Danny’s storyline might seem a bit confusing as we are shown how his sometimes awful Chinese cousin Chin-Kee seems to come in and ruin his perfectly scripted white American teen life. It is only later that we find out all three of these stories actually center around Jin, as Danny is revealed to be Jin, changed into his idealized American self. Chin-Kee is actually the Monkey King, long since made aware of the need to accept and love one’s own identity. In the end the reader is left hopeful that Jin will be able to accept and love himself as an American Born Chinese, and that others can too. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Jin is the perfect teen protagonist as he encounters nearly every emotion young people that age are apt to go through. He fights to belong, chooses to change himself to fit in better, hurts others to protect himself, swoons over the opposite sex, feels jealousy and anger and struggles with simply knowing who he is. He is very compelling and rings absolutely true to readers. If the characters of Danny and Chin-Kee seem a bit false and one dimensional, it is because they are. The reader should know that something isn’t quite right here, and the reveal at the end makes that unease all the more satisfying. We are told that these people were not who they were supposed to be, and told why. The entire theme of finding ones identity and learning to love and accept yourself are bound up in the development of the characters and how they all relate to Jin. After revealing himself to be Chin-Kee in his effort to help Jin find his true identity and stop being the transformed version of Danny he becomes, the Monkey King speaks to us. We are left with these parting words in a simply drawn panel focusing only on the Monkey King’s face. “You know, Jin. I would have saved myself five hundreds years’ imprisonment beneath a mountain of rock had I only realized how good it is to be a monkey.” Yang’s illustrations allow the setting to come to life. The drawings of most locations are non-descript allowing the high school, the homes and the outdoor scenes to take place almost anywhere in America. The focus on the drawings remains steadfastly on the characters. Even the elements of the story which appear to occur in China, those related to the early adventures and imprisonment of the monkey king, are still relatively undetailed allowing the reader to again transfer those graphic experiences in their mind’s eye to their own experiences. The overall style of the graphic novel in words and images is that of simplicity, clearness and a focus on the people involved. The transformations they take, as symbolized by the transformers the young boys have as they begin their journeys, are what the novel is about. 4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S) THE NEW YORK TIMES: ““[W]ith Chin-Kee’s striking embodiment of ethnic confusion and self-betrayal, Gene Luen Yang has created that rare article: a youthful tale with something new to say about American youth..” PUBLISHERS’ WEEKLY REVIEW: “This much-anticipated, affecting store about growing up different is more than just the story of a Chinese-American childhood: it's a fable for every kid born into a body and a life they wished they could escape. The fable is filtered through some very specific cultural icons: the much-beloved Monkey King, a figure familiar to Chinese kids the world over, and a buck-toothed amalgamation of racist stereotypes named Chin-Kee. Jin's hopes and humiliations might be mirrored in Chin-Kee's destructive glee or the Monkey King's struggles to come to terms with himself, but each character's expressions and actions are always perfectly familiar. True to its origin as a Web comic, this story's clear, concise lines and expert coloring are deceptively simple yet expressive.” 5. CONNECTIONS 2006 National Book Awards Finalist *Students could use this graphic novel as a jumping off point into a study of prejudices and stereotyping in the media. Students could collect physical and digital examples where stereotyping is present in the media and create a critical analysis as to why advertisers and others feel the necessity to use stereotypes. *Students could be asked to research and locate, with the help of their teacher and librarian other books that consider identity and finding one’s true self. They can then read this additional report and create a comparison and contrast presentation over the two novels.. *Other graphic novels and comic collections for YA readers by Gene Luen Yang: Yang, Gene Luen. ANIMAL CRACKERS. ISBN-10: 1593621833 Yang, Gene Luen. THE ETERNAL SMILE. ISBN-10: 1596431563

Ship Breaker - Book Review - TWU LS5603 - Spring 2012

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bacigalupi, Paolo. 2010. SHIP BREAKER. New York: Little Brown and Company. ISBN 9780316056212 2. PLOT SUMMARY Nailer thought the greatest “lucky strike” he might ever get in his life would be to stay small enough to work light crew for a few more years. Luckily for him a lack of food and the hard life that working salvage entailed were doing their job to keep him small and able to climb through the rusty hulks of the great ships of the past. For Nailer, a good day was making quota, spending time with his crew and staying away from his drug and alcohol enraged father. All of that changed, though, when a city-killer storm blew into town bringing a gorgeous, young, rich girl whose troubles captured him just as much as her deep eyes and playful smile. “If he was honest with himself Nailer could admit he had no idea what he was doing. He was making it up as he went along, some new version of the future, and all he really knew was that this strange swank girl needed to be a part of it.” As the trouble continues to brew among both the wealthiest of the wealthy merchants and the lowest of the low scrap-workers, Nailer and Nita, Lucky Boy and Lucky Girl, have to trust that there luck will continue to hold. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS As family become enemies, friends become family, and the truth about the ties that bind are slowly revealed in this engaging and at times harrowing novel by Paolo Bacigalupi. Set in a future where the great cities of the past are devastated by natural disasters grown too large to ever prepare for, where trade routes have shifted to now race over the melted North Pole, and where the barter system has re-emerged for those not swank enough to hold good Chinese Red cash, the tale seems all too likely to happen. The protagonist of the tale is utterly relatable to teen readers as a young man working as an adult, struggling to care for himself in a time when the remaining parent he has is more likely to hurt him than help him. He finds solace in the other members of his light salvage crew, until he comes face to face with how need and greed can make one turn on even a blood oath. When his chance comes to let greed overshadow choosing to protect the life of another, Nailer chooses life. The reoccurring theme in the Ship Breaker is really two sides of the same coin. First, family is a choice, not something based on biology alone, and one must choose to care and support those we love most deeply. The other side of this coin is that even if one’s own nature may reveal tendencies to act or think wrongly, we can also choose to overcome our baser nature. The world Bacigalupi reveals in his National Book Award Finalist tale is rich in texture and character nuances that ask the reader to evaluate people on a multitude of levels, not simply what is on the surface. Swanks, ship breakers and salvage yard rats as well as genetic half-breeds who also reveal their ability to choose their destiny bring the novel to life. As the world of a post natural apocalypse Earth is traversed by clippers of remarkable technology and grace, the day to day life of the struggling ship breaker is disheartening. Yet it also reveals the ability of young people to rise above trials, band together and fight for their own survival. The grittiness of the world the novel is set in is paired with a flowing narration that keeps readers engaged. The details of sights, smells, sounds and feelings of both pain and pleasure are tangible and entrancing, and they are told with particular significance from the perspective of the teenagers at the heart of the story. There is a reason why this book is an award winner! 4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S) PATRICK NESS -THE GUARDIAN: “It's a taut, disciplined novel, moving with tremendous coiled energy and urgency. I found it a tad colourless in places, but Nailer is a fine hero, complicated and questioning, always wondering whether he's doomed to inherit his father's failings or whether he can make his own destiny.” KIRKUS REVIEWS: “As Nailer experiences brutal betrayals, he relies on his wits and learns the people worth calling family are the ones who “[cover] your back.... Everything else [is] just so much smoke and lies.” In Bacigalupi’s defiled, depressing landscape populated by mercenary humans and mechanical dog-men, Nailer’s loyalty offers hope.” 5. CONNECTIONS 2010 National Book Award Finalist 2011 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature *Students could research one element of climate change discussed in the book such as growing storms, loss of the polar caps, coastal city loss, etc. Then students could embed quotes from the novel into presentations on their chosen climate change subject. *Students could embed this book in a design course where they attempted to redesign the ships that Nailer and his crew salvage into more environmentally friendly ships. This project could be as simple or as advanced as student skill dictates. It could also incorporate simple digital drafting programs or even CAD drafting as well. *Other books for high school readers about a post-apocalyptic world: Aretha, David. MEMORY BOY. ISBN-10: 0060288116 Aguirre, Ann. ENCLAVE. ISBN-10: 0312650086

The Graveyard Book - Book Review - TWU LS5603-Spring 2012

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Gaiman, Neil. 2008. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. With illustrations by Dave McKean New York: Harper Collins Children’s Books. ISBN 9780060530921 2. PLOT SUMMARY When a frightening killer ends the lives of his parents and older sister, a young boy finds himself cared for and hidden by the spirits of a local graveyard. Named Nobody Owens by his adoptive ghost parents Bod, as he comes to be called, learns the skills of the graveyard from his guardian, Silas. As one who walks between the worlds Silas is able to bring food to Bod and often goes on extended leaves from the graveyard. It is not until later that Bod learns the truth of these trips. Silas and others who can cross between the worlds have been working to protect him from the man who originally killed his family and who seeks even now, with his brethren, to finish the job he began years earlier. It takes not only the love and support of his ghostly family, but also the courage, determination and skill of Bod himself to end the deadly game those chasing him are playing. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The truest telling element of a Young Adult fantasy novel is the protagonist and the ability of young readers to make a connection to them. Nobody Owens most certainly fits the bill. As is often felt by many teenagers Bod walks the line between two worlds, never fully fitting in either. Those once his friends as a child drift away as he ages, and he must continually seek his own identity in a place that is not made for him. While the love and support he receives from his graveyard family are helpful, he must learn to survive on his own. Only by confronting his fears and the dangers of the world is Bod ever truly free to live. This plot and the nuances of Bod’s character will ring very true for young adult readers. Though set in the unlikely location of a somewhat run-down graveyard, the believability of the inhabitants and the daily “life” they engage in as they while away the days after their deaths are both evocative and engaging. Both a maturation story and a fight against evil where only one can prevail, the plot elements are tested and true for Fantasy and are a large part of why Gaiman’s book is a Newbury medal winner. This struggle against those wishing to end his life is evident from early in the book, yet as Bod grows older, the concern crystalizes in his mind. “The only way into the northwest part of the graveyard was through the Egyptian Walk. And to get there he would have to go past the little man with the black silk rope. A man who was looking for him, and who wanted him dead…” Yet it is Bod’s resilience and his belief in himself that wins through in the end. Bod grows to recognize his skills and trust that he will be able to do the right thing. “He was Nobody Owens, he told himself. He was a part of the graveyard. He would be fine.” This growing belief in his own abilities also mirrors the transition teenagers make as they move from reliance to self-reliance. The mists of the graveyard, the feel of the terrain and the visions of his home in both daylight and moonlight help to bring this book and Nobody’s situation to life. As the themes of maturation and the struggle against wrongdoers are developed, it is the characters that live in the graveyard and the graveyard itself, that help fully develop the reader’s connection to Bod and his predicament. Gaiman does a compelling job of bringing this world to life, and readers can accept it, connect with it and become engrossed. 4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S) THE NEW YORK TIMES: ““The Graveyard Book,” by turns exciting and witty, sinister and tender, shows Gaiman at the top of his form.” KIRKUS REVIEWS: “Wistful, witty, wise—and creepy. Gaiman’s riff on Kipling’s Mowgli stories never falters, from the truly spine-tingling opening, in which a toddler accidentally escapes his family’s murderer, to the melancholy, life-affirming ending…Closer in tone to American Gods than to Coraline, but permeated with Bod’s innocence, this needs to be read by anyone who is or has ever been a child.” 5. CONNECTIONS 2009 Newbury Medal Winner *Students could combine the reading of this book with their own charcoal drawings of scenes from the story. By extension they could choose to work in other mediums and compare and contrast how their own representations might affect the interpretation of the story when compared to McKean’s original black and white illustrations. *Students could engage in a local history project where they visit a graveyard with older graves, if possible. Students can learn to do rubbings and work with local historians and genealogists to research the lives of the individuals they find rubbings for. Additional pre-work by the teacher to recommend gravestones where local history and connections are likely to appear would support this connection. *Other books for YA readers with a teenage protagonist and a melancholy setting: Gaiman, Neil. CORALINE. ISBN-10: 0380807343 Gaiman, Neil. MIRRORMASK. ISBN-10: 0060821094

Hattie Big Sky - Book Review - TWU LS 5603 - Spring 2012

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Larson, Kirby. 2006. HATTIE BIG SKY. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN 0-440-23941-9 2. PLOT SUMMARY When orphaned Hattie receives a surprising letter informing her that a long-forgotten uncle has left her his homestead claim in Montana, a new life flashes before her eyes. Having been passed along from one unwilling family member to the next she leaves behind her harsh and uncaring aunt, yet mourns losing her more supportive and comforting uncle. When she arrives, however, her “proving up” appears more difficult that she realized. As she learns to live life under the big Montana sky, she becomes embroiled in the harsh realities of a country turning on its resident “alien enemies,” and anything else German in word or deed. As dachshunds become “liberty dogs” and threatening pamphlets of patriotism are left on her table, she begins to wonder what she has gotten into. While she makes friends with many of her neighbors she witnesses the depths that people will sink to in the name of patriotism. With fires burning and lives and well-being threatened, Hattie comes to see both the best and the worst of those she shares the Montana country-side with. In the end, however, courage and knowing right from wrong become the true measure of the kind of people Hattie wants to be around, and who she herself works to become. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Larson’s Newbury Award winning book stands tall on its character development. Hattie, Perille, her German husband Karl, neighbors Leafie and Rooster Jim, and the Civic League and the uncertain and at t9imes frightening Traft weave together to show the best and the worst of what can happen in homestead struggles and on the home front of wartime. Through the stories told by Hattie and experienced by her neighbors as well as through the letters Hattie gets from her school friend at war Charlie, we are shown into the world of war with the Germans and with the hard Montana country-side. The characters drive the plot of the story, that of determination, self-reliance and neighborly compassion in times of great trial. As days turn to months Hattie tries to “prove up” her claim by laying 480 rods of fence and planting forty acres of crops. During this time she finds strength in herself and in her neighbors. She learns to stand strong against what life throws at her, as well as the often despicable acts others will do in the name of their country, based on fear and lack of understanding. This proves to be the central theme of the book. While Hattie struggles to find a middle ground between rampant patriotism and supporting those she loves and cares for, both German and American, she begins to see her own strength and how community can be built and supported. Authenticity for this book is supported through a bibliography, further reading and a significant acknowledgement by the author of the basis of her story in the real life struggles of her own great grandmother. In addition a Reader’s Guide with questions for discussion and answers by the author allows students to better understand the validity of the story of the Montana homestead and wartime woven by the author. 4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S) Newbery Honor 2007 ALA Notable Children's Books 2007 COMMONSENSEMEDIA.COM: “This warmhearted and gritty story of early 20th century pioneering is more realistic than most novels of this genre. The bad guys are not quite as bad as they seem, things don't always work out as you might hope, people die unexpectedly of unadventurous things such as disease, and life is hard but never unremittingly bleak. The little moments of friendship and kindness shine bright, and the result is not rose-tinted, but recognizably true.” LIBRARIANSBOOKREVIEWS.COM: This story is fantastic! I just fell in love with Hattie and I laughed and cried through everything she faced and overcame. Her determination, her strength of character and will can inspire any person to do difficult things..” 5. CONNECTIONS *Students can create their own homestead in diorama form to better understand the fencing and crop requirements. *Students can connect this story to their math classes by figuring the area of Hattie’s homestead, multiple ways lay 480 fence rods as well as what percentage of her homestead would be farmed if she planted her original forty acres, as well as if she planted the sixty acres that Karl helped her to plow. *Other historical fiction books for children about homesteading: Landau, Elaine.. THE HOMESTEAD ACT. ISBN: 0-516-27902-5 Isaacs, Sally Senzell. LIFE ON A PIONEER HOMESTEAD. ISBN-10: 1-57572-313-1

One Crazy Summer- Book Review - TWU 5603- Spring 2012

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Willians-Garcia, Rita. 2010. ONE CRAZY SUMMER. New York: Amistad. ISBN 9780060760885 2. PLOT SUMMARY When Delphine, Vonetta and Fern, a trio of sisters from New York, travel to Oakland, California to spend a month of summer with the mother who abandoned them years ago, they have no idea what a crazy summer it will be. Serving in spirit both her poetry and the Black Power movement that boils in Oakland and other cities in the 1960’s their mother Cecile is anything but maternal. Yet these young women, through their time spent in a community summer school supported by the charitable work of the local Black panthers, find a connection to their mother they never thought would exist. Fear and loss turn to acceptance and even pride as they reconnect with a woman so foreign to them they cannot even pronounce her new name, Nzila. Their connection grows, though, as their summer in Oakland leads to them new understandings of themselves and the woman who chose her pride over her children. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Williams-Garcia uses the conflicting characters of the absentee mother Cecile/Nzila and the strong but highly conservative grandmother of the girls, Big Ma to show the forces drawing on many Black-American children in the tumultuous 1960’s in America. While the older sister, Delphine, tries to balance her desire to care for her sisters with her need to confront her mother and the environment she has been thrust into, the younger sisters exhibit both the desire to fit in, Vonetta, and the desire to be true to oneself, the youngest Fern. The author gives young readers a taste of the variety of experiences that children in and around the Black Power movement of the era might have encountered, and does so convincingly. Set in and around the city of Oakland, California, Williams-Garcia tells the tale of the three sisters as they struggle thro8ugh not only culture shock, but a battle of identity. They hear Big Ma in their mind’s eye trying to keep them on the straight and narrow as a Black woman trying to raise three young girls in a white world. When the younger girls began to act up in the airport, “Big Ma grabbed them by the first scruff of fabric she could get ahold of, bent down, and told them to ‘act right.’ There weren’t too many of ‘us’ in the waiting area, and too many of ‘them’ were staring.” Yet when they get to their birth-mother Cecile’s home in Oakland they are left to be cared for at a Panther day camp that tries to teach the girls to stand up for their rights, to protest and to try to bring change through confrontation. The entire plot unfolds in this context, and as the girls begin to accept a combination of these two identities, so too do the readers. This is the central theme of the story, respect for oneself as well as an acceptance of how flawed individuals can be loved, can be family. While the background of the Black Panther movement, unnecessary arrests included, counts this book as historical fiction, it is above all else a story of family, and the struggles we engage in to love those in our lives most difficult to understand. In terms of the authenticity of this particular work, very few sources are specifically sited. In an acknowledgements section at the end of the text the author specifically notes Black Panther accounts and perspectives as well as The Black Panther Intercommunal News Service. While general news articles and readings from the time period are noted no other specific sources are mentioned. The authenticity of the work could be better verified with an additional bibliography or works referenced section. 4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S) READINGRUMPUS.COM: “Author Williams-Garcia simply understood that most folks wouldn’t be shedding any of those tears for Delphine’s mother. I'm sure Ms. Williams-Garcia knew it was Delphine and the crazy summer she grew into a young lady of strength her mother could never have that makes One Crazy Summer an award-nomination worthy title..” KIRKUS REVIEWS: Each girl has a distinct response to her motherless state, and Williams-Garcia provides details that make each characterization crystal clear. The depiction of the time is well done, and while the girls are caught up in the difficulties of adults, their resilience is celebrated and energetically told with writing that snaps off the page..” 5. CONNECTIONS Coretta Scott King Award Winner National Book Award Finalist *Students could compare and contrast, through primary source research, the differing actions and reactions of groups supporting equal rights for Black-Americans in the 1950’s and 1960’s. *Students could attempt to locate primary source documentation such as newspaper articles and interviews that they could then compare to Williams’-Garcia’s telling of the story and determine how authentic they feel the story is based on their findings. *Other books for high school readers about Black Power and the Civil Rights Movement: Aretha, David. BLACK POWER. ISBN-10: 1-59935-164-1 Anderson, Michael. THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. ISBN-10: 1-40344-179-0

The Earth Dragon Awakes - Book Review-TWU 5603-Spring 2012

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Yep, Laurence. 2006. THE EARTH DRAGON AWAKES. New York: Harper Collins Children’s Books. ISBN 9780329675981

2. PLOT SUMMARY
The everyday lives of Henry, the child of a well-to-do San Francisco family and his friend Chin, the son of Henry’s family’s “houseboy” take a tumultuous turn when the ground beneath their feet moves viciously. While they spent their days prior to the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 reading “penny dreadfuls” and dreaming of heroes like Wyatt Earp, they spent the days after seeing their families and friends become true heroes. Pulling trapped neighbors out of wrecked homes and fighting fires are only a short number of the events these two families take part in as the story of how this horrific series of events affected hundreds of thousands living in the greater San Fran area. While moments of sadness ring true, the overall message is one of hope and courage, which young readers can take to heart.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Yep has a true gift for creating genuine, down-to-earth and accessible characters for young readers in truly authentic and accurate settings. Henry and Chin, from different backgrounds, different cultures, different nations and different worlds are an unlikely set of friends whose strong desire to reunite after the quake keeps readers pushing for them. “Chin watches the column of smoke rising from the south and east. ‘Henry should be okay. His house is to the west.’ His father brushes the fuzz on the crown of Chin’s head. ‘You worry too much.’”

In addition to Chin and Henry their fathers, mothers and friends are richly detailed, with their eccentricities, fears, hopes and strengths portrayed in rich detail. These characters are woven into a plot that seamlessly moves back and forth between the dual fights for survival waged by the two families from such different lives in San Francisco. Yet the fires that rampage through the city after the great quake succeed in consuming both Nob Hill and Chinatown alike. No area is safe, regardless of its affluence. Yep expertly helps young readers see that when nature becomes the enemy, wealth is no protection.
Through both visual language and excellent geographic wherewithal Yep helps young readers to truly “see” the city of San Francisco at the turn of the century. The flavor of the buildings, the lives of butchers, bankers and soldiers, the green of the parks and the smell of the water churning with boats of every size and shape come to life through the author’s words.

In all this though, the theme of strength, courage and devotion to friends and family in times of crisis rings through. Young readers will feel a sense, as Henry and Chin later realize, that they are seeing the heroic in the every day. While Yep certainly has created these characters for us, their authenticity, and the reality of the struggles they endure, make us believe that others out there must have lived much as these two families did during this event.

Yep is careful to ensure that young readers feel connected to the truth of the story, most specifically in his afterward. He notes in a more expository manner statistics related to the quake and the fire that followed as well as selected readings to help students find further information. A bibliography is not included however the additional readings feel sufficient to verify to a reasonable extent the authenticity of the piece. Finally a series of photographs, credited on the t.p. verso allow readers to truly see what young people and their families would have seen during this time. It is a masterful telling and one that will surely bring students to a new level of interest in the topic.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
GOODREADS.COM: “Based on actual events and told from the alternating perspectives of two young friends, The Earth Dragon Awakes is a suspenseful novel about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake by Newbery Honor author Laurence Yep.”
KIRKUS REVIEWS: “…this is solid historical fiction full of details about the times and backed up with an afterword explaining the author’s connection and suggesting sources for further reading. It is notable especially for the attention paid to the experience of San Francisco’s Chinese immigrants, and a good choice for reluctant readers.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*Students could create their own “penny dreadful” based on the stories of true life heroes they research and read about in their local, regional or national newspapers or through online searches.
*A mapping activity would be an ideal curricular connection as students use the locations in the story to map out the series of events on historic city maps of San Francisco. These can then be overlaid on maps of the current city and students can hypothesize how a quake of this magnitude would affect the modern city today.
*Other historical fiction books for children about the San Francisco earthquake of 1906:
Sibley, Linda.. DAVID EXPERIENCES THE SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE. ISBN: 0-7569-0297-5
Kudlinski, Kathleen V. EARTHQUAKE! : A STORY OF OLD SAN FRANCISCO. Original ISBN-10: 0-14-036390-4 *From the Once Upon America historical fiction series.

Marie Curie-Book Review- TWU LS5603 - Spring 2012

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Krull, Kathleen. 2007. MARIE CURIE. New York, NY: Puffin Books. ISBN 9780142412657

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Kathleen Krull does another stand-up job in the Giants of Science biography series with her take on the life and work of Marie Curie. In a world of science dominated by men Krull takes young readers through Marie’s early days struggling to find lab space and components to work with to the trying times where she sat by and watched her work read aloud at symposium by others. “Marie’s report ‘Rays emitted by Uranium and Thorium Compounds’ was read aloud by one of her professors. She couldn’t read it aloud because she wasn’t a member, no women were allowed.” Additionally her life with her beloved Pierre, good times and bad are also part of the tale. Through the loss of the great minds of science to radiation poisoning, Krull even brings young readers into the work of Marie Curie’s daughter who carried the torch of scientific greatness after the renowned woman’s death. In a touching and all too human tale of brilliance mixed with personal trials and tragedies, Krull makes this biography shine with huge moments that changed the world and small moments that changed only the lives of the Curie family. It is indeed a great telling and one that will grab young readers and keep them enthralled.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Krull has often been recognized for her outstanding work in non-fiction for young readers and this biography is no different. Taking pains to stay true to the sources she uses quotes from those involved and cites a nice array of works in her bibliography that are specifically chosen for further reading by her younger readers. Indexed to allow readers to seek out key information about the scientific great, the biography is written in a chronological manner that allows the reader to see the life and work of Madame Curie develop over the years. The language used is age-appropriate and very accessible to young readers. The tone is informative without being dry, enticing without being melodramatic. Overall, the piece is a definite home-run. In addition Boris Kulikov’s illustrations give readers a glimpse into what the life and times of Marie Curie may have looked like. They are not so over-bearing, though as to detract from the story. The book is organized in a way that quotes are embedded into the voicing of the work. It allows the true primary-source material to speak directly to the young readers and Krull flows from her narrative into the quotes and out again with ease. A well-organized and well-designed book, it would be a great addition to any school or home library.


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
GOODREADS REVIEW: “As with her previous star-studded biographies of Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton, and Sigmund Freud, all three chosen as ALA Notable Books, Kathleen Krull offers readers a fascinating portrait of this mythic giant of science who abhorred publicity. And she also places Curie’s ground-breaking discovery of two elements within the framework of science at that time.”
KIRKUS REVIEWS: “Krull presents another top-notch scientific biography in the outstanding Giants of Science series. Readers have come to expect chatty, direct narratives that develop distinct characters and place those individuals squarely in the context of both their times and their disciplines, and this account of the noted physicist’s life delivers the goods.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*Science teachers could incorporate this and other Giants of Science biographies into units on inventors as well as on a study of the periodic table of elements and the identity of properties of matter.

*Other Marie Curie biographies
Wishinsky, Frieda. MANYA'S DREAM : A STORY OF MARIE CURIE. ISBN 1894379535
Cobb, Vicki. MARIE CURIE. ISBN 9780756638313