Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Spotlight on Realistic Fiction and Fantasy

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Sloppy joe button, spatu-copter, spork phone, rubber glove suction cups, canolli-oculars, chicken nugget bombs…look out!  Here comes Lunch Lady!  Let’s shine the spotlight on this book of fantasy:

Summary

Hector, Dee and Terrence are curious about Lunch Lady’s life outside of school.  Little do they know she is a secret agent, solving crimes and taking care of bad guys!  She has help from Betty, her co-worker, who creates interesting gadget’s for Lunch Lady to use like a spatu-copter: part spatula, part helicopter.  Or rubber glove suction cups: good for hiding on the ceiling during covert operations.

Lunch Lady and Betty think Mr. O’Connell’s substitute, Mr. Pasteur, is up to something.  They make a plan to distract Mr. Pasteur and check out his classroom.  Lunch Lady finds a computer disk with blueprints for robots.  After school, Lunch Lady follows Mr. Pasteur…and the students decide to follow Lunch Lady.  They end up at a warehouse where Lunch Lady finds out Mr. Pasteur is not human.  He’s a robot working with Mr. Edison to help him beat out Mr. O’Connell and win the Teacher of the Year award.  Mr. Edison has created a team of robots to help him with his plan.  The students come into the warehouse and Mr. Edison sends the robots to capture them and Lunch Lady.   

Can Lunch Lady save herself and the students?  Can Mr. Edison and the robots be stopped?  Find out in the first book of the Lunch Lady series!

Discussion

Krosoczka’s book is an engaging graphic novel.  He connects fantasy and fiction in his book, with his interpretations in a graphic format.  This format is highly visual with an easy to follow structure.  He uses square and rectangular boxes to detail the events in the book.  His illustrations are full of detail to depict action sequences and include talking bubbles and labels.  The conversations within the talking bubbles move the story along.  He uses labels in small print for various sounds and gadget identification, as well as large print with capital letters for loud sounds.  The talking bubbles and labels are equally important in helping the reader understand the events in the story.

Lunch Lady is a dynamic character readers will be cheering for.  Readers will appreciate seeing an ordinary woman doing extraordinary things.  She fits the role as a typical lunch lady, with her friendly conversations with students and teachers.  But, she also has her secret agent side, collaborating with Betty, looking for clues and planning her strategy.  The students, Hector, Dee and Terrance, are believable characters.  The book takes place in the realistic setting of a school.  Readers will relate to the students’ curiosity about what the staff members do outside of school.  They will relate to their interactions with each other, with teachers and with other students, like the school bully, Milmoe. 

Readers will be intrigued by the elements of fantasy included in the book, like the secret passage in the school kitchen and the gadgets Betty and Lunch Lady use throughout the book.  Readers will appreciate the humor included in the book, like Lunch Lady’s reference to a “knuckle sandwich” and the expressions she uses when she is in trouble like “Oh, doughnuts” and “Cauliflower!”  Themes consistent with the genre of fantasy are also included.  Lunch Lady works to overcome obstacles and completes the task of saving the day.

Overall, the strength of this book is its consistency.  Readers will enjoy all of the elements of fantasy it includes like Lunch Lady’s secret agent actions and gadgets.  This is the first book in Krosoczka’s low fantasy series.  Readers will be hooked after book one.  The ending will leave readers hanging and give them a feed forward into the second book.

Awards/Reviews

Jarrett J. Krosoczka has published picture books, graphic novels and will soon release a chapter book.  His Lunch Lady series has won a Children's Choice Book Award in the Third to Fourth Grade Book of the Year category twice and was nominated for a Will Eisner Comic Industry Award.  This series is also being developed into a feature film.

Here are samples of a few reviews:

“This tongue-in-cheek superheroine graphic novel will hit the spot for chapter-book readers.  Lunch Lady and Betty, her assistant in both the cafeteria and her role of wrong-­righting supersleuth, investigate the strange case of an absent teacher, his creepy substitute, and a plan to grab the Teacher of the Year Award by truly foul means.  Three little kids join in the action as Lunch Lady, equipped with a variety of high-tech kitchen gadgets like a spatu-copter and a lunch-tray laptop, tracks a cleverly disguised robot to his maker’s lab, where a whole army of cyborgs require kicking, stomping, and the wielding of fish-stick nunchucks. Yellow-highlighted pen-and-ink cartoons are as energetic and smile-provoking as Lunch Lady’s epithets of “Cauliflower!” and Betty’s ultimate weapon, the hairnet. There is a nice twist in the surprise ending, and the kids’ ability to stand up to the school bully shows off their newfound confidence in a credible manner.  Little details invite and reward repeat readings with visual as well as verbal punning.   – Booklist

“Punk Farm creator Krosoczka breaks out of picture books with this agreeably silly graphic novel for young readers.  Classmates Hector, Dee and Terrence have always wondered about the Lunch Lady: What does she do when she’s not making chicken-patty pizza?  Tending to her many cats?  Taking care of her family?  After some amateur sleuthing, the kids discover that their Lunch Lady is out fighting the forces of evil, of course, with her trusty sidekick, Betty.  This dynamic duo uncovers a nefarious plot hatched by a villainous teacher to overrun the school with cyborg substitutes.  Backed up by Betty’s ingenious arsenal of amalgamated cafeteria utensils including Spatu-copter, Chicken Nugget Bombs and Lunch Tray Laptop, the two are on the case.  This graphic novel alternates between boxy, regular panels and full-page spreads, keeping readers’ visual interest piqued.  Filled with goofy puns and grayscale art with cheery yellow accents, this is a delightfully fun escapist read.  Be sure to recommend this to fans of Captain Underpants.” – Kirkus Reviews

“In this campy graphic novel series debut, Krosoczka (Punk Farm) introduces Lunch Lady, a scrappy, permed crime fighter with rolled-up sleeves, yellow dishwashing gloves and an apron.  Down in the school's boiler room, she and her older sidekick, Betty, test gadgets (like a handheld spatula-helicopter and a banana boomerang) and keep an eye on things.  Three children—Hector, Dee and Terrence—speculate about Lunch Lady's after-school life and follow her when she jumps on her moped, in hot pursuit of a suspicious substitute teacher. Krosoczka's plot is somewhat thin: the title and cover illustration announce the trouble with the sub; the only mysteries are the mastermind and motive behind the sub's deployment.  Yet Krosoczka crafts Lunch Lady as a tough, capable heroine who deploys such exclamations as ‘Nutritious!’ and bon mots like ‘Should I serve up some whaaamburgers and cries?’ when on a robot-destroying tear.  With plenty of silliness and slapstick in the text and panel art alike, this comic should alleviate lunch-line boredom with visions of servers wielding fishstick-nunchucks and growling, ‘Today's special is a knuckle sandwich.’” – Publishers Weekly

Teacher’s Tools

Students could engage in a genre study with graphic novels in Literature Circles.  Books like the Babymouse series or the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series could also be included.

Students could engage in an author study by reading other books in the Lunch Lady series by Krosoczka.  Students could compare and contrast the elements of the series which stay the same and elements that change as they read other books.  Students could record ideas on a Double Bubble map. 

Students could create other gadgets for Lunch Lady.  Materials from the lunchroom could be used as props for students.  Students could also diagram and label their new gadgets, then write about how the gadget could be used by Lunch Lady to solve crimes or save the day.

Students can use this book as a mentor text to write what might happen next (at the end of the book) in graphic novel form.

Bibliographic Information

Krosoczka, Jarrett J. 2009. Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0-375-84683-0.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Spotlight on Realistic Fiction and Fantasy

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Miles experiences many “firsts” at boarding school with his new group of friends like his first drink, first smoke, first prank…and first death of someone close to him.  Let’s shine the spotlight on this gripping work of realistic fiction:

Summary

Miles is an expert on famous last words.  He has memorized the last words of many historic figures who are deceased.  Francois Rabelais’s last words rang true for Miles, “I go to seek a Great Perhaps” (Green, 2005, p. 5).  Miles decides he is ready for a change.  He makes the decision to attend boarding school at Culver Creek.  His dad, uncles and cousins have attended the same boarding school, but Miles is going to find his “Great Perhaps.”  He feels there is more out there for him in his life and he is ready to seek it out.

His roommate is Chip, but everyone calls him the “Colonel.” The Colonel nicknames Miles “Pudge.”  Pudge makes another new friend, Takumi, through the Colonel.  Then, there’s their neighbor, Alaska, who is also friends with the Colonel.  Pudge is mesmerized by Alaska.  He is taken with her beauty and is intrigued by her insights on relationships, school and life.  He has strong feelings for Alaska from day one, even though she has a boyfriend, Jake.  Alaska sees Pudge as a friend and tries to set him up with a girl named Lara.  They go out on a “triple and a half date” (Green, 2008, p. 80) with Colonel and his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Sara, Alaska, Jake and Takumi. 

As Pudge settles into his new school, his new friends introduce him to their routines on campus: eating bufriedos (fried burritos) in the cafeteria, hiding alcohol in various containers in their room, smoking in the bathroom with the shower turned on, meeting at the Smoking Hole and planning pranks on Weekday Warriors (the students who only come to campus during the week).   

After Christmas, the friends start planning the junior class prank.  The Colonel has a plan to start with a pre-prank he calls “Barn Night.”  They divide and conquer by distracting Mr. Starnes (the dean of students), setting off fireworks in his yard, putting blue dye in the gel and conditioner of some students who pranked Pudge and sending fake progress reports to a large group of Weekday Warriors.  Then, they meet up at a barn in the woods to spend the night.  They play a drinking game “best day/worst day” and share more details about each of their lives.  The group finds out about Alaska’s best day – going to the zoo with her mom – and her worst day – her mom died of an aneurysm the day after their zoo trip.

The group wakes up hung over the following day, then the Colonel, Pudge and Alaska meet up to celebrate their Barn Night success the following night.   They drink wine and talk most of the night.  After the Colonel falls asleep, Alaska and Pudge play “Truth or Dare.”  Its Alaska and Jake’s anniversary, but after Pudge requests a Dare, Alaska and Pudge start kissing.   Alaska gets tired and goes to sleep in her room. 

Then it all happens so fast…Alaska comes back to their room upset and says she has to get out of there because she’s made a mistake again.  Pudge and Colonel agree to distract Mr. Starnes with fireworks and Alaska drives away.  The next day, Mr. Starnes calls the students to the gym.  He shares that Alaska was in a car accident and passed away.  The Colonel and Pudge are in shock.  They are inconsolable and blame themselves for what has occurred.  They struggle with wondering why Alaska was so upset and with knowing they could have stopped her from leaving.   

The Colonel and Pudge find a note in the margin of one of Alaska’s books that lead them to believe she may not have died from driving drunk.  They begin to wonder if she may have taken her own life.  They try to cope with her death and their feelings of grief and guilt while searching for answers.  They learn to come to grips with what they have experienced together and try to remember Alaska they way they know she would have wanted them to remember her.  They plan one final prank in her honor as the official junior class prank.  

Unfortunately, they do not find out definitive answers about Alaska’s death, but they do find answers about friendship and life.  The book concludes with Pudge’s religion paper, which serves as a final goodbye to Alaska.

Discussion

Green’s book will have a strong impact on readers.  He holds nothing back with his writing style.  The characters’ raw emotions will touch readers.  The story Green develops feels relatable, like it could take place in a reader’s hometown or with a reader’s group of friends.  It feels like a true story being told and fits with the genre of realistic fiction. 

The book is set up in two sections: before and after.  The events in the before section take place before Alaska’s accident and the events in the after section take place after the accident.  Therefore, the plot is developed in a linear format.  Within the two sections, the text divides with headings signifying the day before or after the accident, like “one hundred thirty-six days before” or “twenty-nine days after” then shares the events of that day.  Green sets up the plot methodically.  Readers know an upcoming event will impact the book, but they will not expect what is to come.

Pudge serves as the narrator and provides the reader with an inside view into his thoughts, emotions and experiences during his daily life.  He is an honest teenager who searches for his identity and for more meaning in his life at Culver Creek.  He finds a group of friends to fit in with and negotiates his role within the group and with the Colonel. 

Green’s writing style invites the reader into the book.  He includes various dynamic characters from the Colonel and Alaska, to Takumi and Lara.  Each one has specific traits with definitive actions and emotions.  Readers will be able to select a character with whom they relate.  They will be able to check their thoughts and emotions against the situations within the book and put themselves into different character’s shoes. 

Green accurately portrays the friendships and relationships between characters.  He includes teenage drinking, smoking and cursing in a way that aligns with the characters identities and with the flow of the text.  He also deals with intimate relationships in a suitable way.  His descriptions of intimate thoughts and situations are tasteful.  His portrayal of teenage sexuality fits with the actions and emotions of teenagers.

This book has faced criticism for its sexual content, as well as the descriptions of teenage drinking, smoking and use of explicit language.  Readers can make decisions about selecting this book.  One consideration for readers is the role of this book as a “mirror and window” (Vardell, 2008, p. 140).  Readers will be able to see themselves reflected in this book and expand their worldview about the experiences of others.   

Overall, the strength of this book is Green’s ability to evoke emotions from his readers.  The characters voices, emotions and experiences will impact readers’ emotions throughout the book.  Readers will laugh at the pranks, drop their jaw when reading about Alaska’s accident, cry with the Coloniel and Pudge through their sadness and feel a bit of closure reading Pudge’s final paper for his religion class.

Awards/Reviews

John Green has won many awards for his work.  In 2007, An Abundance of Katherines, was a Michael L. Printz Award Honor book.  Paper Towns won the Edgar Award for the Best Young Adult Novel in 2009.  His books have also been recognized on the New York Times Best Seller list.

Looking for Alaska was the winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, an ALA Quick Pick, a Los Angeles Times 2005 Book Prize Finalist and a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age.

Here are examples of a few reviews:

“Readers will only hope that this is not the last word from this promising new author.” - Publishers Weekly

“Sixteen-year-old Miles Halter's adolescence has been one long nonevent - no challenge, no girls, no mischief, and no real friends.  Seeking what Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps," he leaves Florida for a boarding school in Birmingham, AL. His roommate, Chip, is a dirt-poor genius scholarship student with a Napoleon complex who lives to one-up the school's rich preppies.  Chip's best friend is Alaska Young, with whom Miles and every other male in her orbit falls instantly in love.  She is literate, articulate, and beautiful, and she exhibits a reckless combination of adventurous and self-destructive behavior.  She and Chip teach Miles to drink, smoke, and plot elaborate pranks.  Alaska's story unfolds in all-night bull sessions, and the depth of her unhappiness becomes obvious.  Green's dialogue is crisp, especially between Miles and Chip.  His descriptions and Miles's inner monologues can be philosophically dense, but are well within the comprehension of sensitive teen readers.  The chapters of the novel are headed by a number of days "before" and "after" what readers surmise is Alaska's suicide. These placeholders sustain the mood of possibility and foreboding, and the story moves methodically to its ambiguous climax.  The language and sexual situations are aptly and realistically drawn, but sophisticated in nature.  Miles's narration is alive with sweet, self-deprecating humor, and his obvious struggle to tell the story truthfully adds to his believability.  Like Phineas in John Knowles's A Separate Peace (S & S, 1960), Green draws Alaska so lovingly, in self-loathing darkness as well as energetic light, that readers mourn her loss along with her friends.— School Library Journal

“Green…has a writer’s voice, so self-assured and honest that one is startled to learn that this novel is his first.  The anticipated favorable comparisons to Holden Caufield are richly deserved in this highly recommended addition to young adult literature.”- VOYA

Teacher’s Tools

Students could engage in a book study about banned/challenged books.  Teachers could allow students the choice of a banned/challenged book to read (with parental permission) within a Literature Circle.  

An interview with John Green could be shared with students from: http://www.voya.com/2012/10/19/wouldnt-you-like-to-know-john-green/

Students could watch episodes of Green’s video blog, “Vlogbrothers” on YouTube.  Students could create video blogs discussing this book or the topic of banned/challenged books.

Students could watch Green’s YouTube video defending this book: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHMPtYvZ8tM and discuss reasons why this book should or should not be banned.

Students could explore Green’s website: www.johngreenbooks.com.  The link for Looking for Alaska takes readers to a page with questions and more information about the book.  Students could discuss their discoveries about the book and the author.

Bibliographic Information

Green, John. 2005. Looking for Alaska. New York: Dutton Books. ISBN: 0-525-47506-0.

Vardell, Sylvia, M. 2008. Children’s Literature in Action: A Librarian’s Guide. Westport: Libraries Unlimited. ISBN: 978-1-59158-557-2.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Spotlight on Realistic Fiction and Fantasy

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

What if you found notes left for you by a stranger?  What if those notes prove that someone knows what is going to happen in your future?  Let’s shine the spotlight on this fantasy:

Summary

Miranda lives in New York City with her mom, who finds out she is going to be a contestant on The $20,000 Pyramid.  After coming home from work, her mom is focused on taking care of Miranda and practicing for the show.  Her mom’s boyfriend, Richard, and Miranda help her practice, too.

Miranda’s best friend and neighbor is Sal.  They walk home from school together each day, following the same route past an interesting man on the street they call “the laughing man.”  But one day after school, things start to change.  Sal and Miranda are walking home and out of the blue, a boy named Marcus punches Sal.  Then Sal stops talking to Miranda.  Miranda ends up meeting the boy who punched Sal at school.  She talks to him about the book she is reading, A Wrinkle in Time, and time travel.  (This will prove to be an important conversation later in the book).  

Another day after school, Miranda’s apartment is unlocked and no one is home.  Soon after that, she finds a note in her library book.  It is a mysterious note from someone who says they will save her friend’s life.  They ask for two favors – they need her to write a letter and tell where she keeps her house key.  Miranda shares the note with her mom and they have the locks changed.  

Then she gets a second note.  This note is delivered to the sandwich shop, where Miranda and her friends, Colin and Annemarie, are helping during their lunch period.  This note has more specific directions for Miranda.  They ask her to make sure her letter tells a story, but they say she can’t start writing it yet because the story she needs to tell has not taken place.  Miranda cannot make sense of the notes.  But she believes the person writing them must be onto something, because she finds another note proving the person knows about her future.  They know about something she will find in Colin’s backpack, something about Christmas Day, about her mom’s upcoming appearance on t.v. and about her science poster.  

Miranda continues to try to put clues together in her everyday life to figure out what letter she is supposed to write to the person leaving her the notes.  One day after school, she is walking home with Annemarie.  She can see Sal up ahead and she sees Marcus walking towards Sal.  Sal runs away and crosses the street.  But, he doesn’t see a delivery truck coming.  “The laughing man” ends up saving Sal’s life.  Miranda witnesses it all and her head starts spinning…she begins to put clues together to figure out who wrote the notes and how time travel plays a role in the course of events.  Then she realizes she knows the story she is supposed to tell in her letter!

Discussion

Snead pays homage to her favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle, by weaving in a discussion about its major theme and developing a plot line of time travel in this book.  This book begins with a quote from Albert Einstein (1931) “The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious” and this quote sets up the mysterious events to come.  

The events in Snead’s low fantasy book seem realistic and could actually happen, except for the time travel.  This book may sound like it includes a series of strange events connected with time travel or it may sound like including the plot line of time travel would confuse the reader with abstract thinking.  However, all of the events come together at the end.  Snead does an excellent job of pulling the characters, plot lines and clues together to make for an enjoyable read.  The story builds as Snead puts all of the pieces in place.  Then, readers will fly through the final forty pages of the book as the events pull together.

Miranda serves as the narrator of the book, with her voice speaking to the person who wrote her the notes.  Readers get a glimpse into her thoughts and emotions from her doubts about the person writing the notes, to her process of unveiling the mystery.  Her conversations with her family and friends help move the story along.  Her descriptions about her surroundings prove to be important for the reader.  

Miranda is a character who perseveres throughout the book.  She never gives up on her relationships with friends, like her best friend, Sal.  She stands by her mom in her quest to be successful on the game show.  She also never gives up on figuring out the meaning behind the notes and their purpose.  She is a believable and relatable.  Her relationships with her family and friends seem true to a sixth grader’s experience.  This book could work with a male character in the role of the narrator, but it is enhanced with the placement of a female character leading the way through the fantasy.  Readers will find themselves thinking the same thoughts and asking the same questions as Miranda. 

The plot contains elements that are believable and could really happen.  Readers could be surprised by the element of fantasy, which develops later in the book.  Stead takes time to situate the story in reality, then introduces the reader to the element of fantasy.

The story takes place in Miranda’s neighborhood in New York City.  It is a small scale setting, with many of the events occurring at Miranda’s house, her school, the sandwich shop or on her walk to and from school.  Snead provides the reader with details about each location and connects the locations within the neighborhood.  Readers will be able to visualize the setting, which is helpful as Miranda pulls the mysterious events together.

The themes within this book reflect themes typically seen in other genres like negotiating relationships within ones family and developing friendships.  However, this book also includes themes related to the genre of fantasy like time travel, overcoming an obstacle and completing a task.

Overall, the strength of this book is Stead’s ability to execute a logical story with the detail of time travel.  Readers will enjoy the payoff at the end of this book as the groundwork Stead has laid comes together.

Awards/Reviews

Rebecca Stead has received many honors for When You Reach Me.  This book was a New York Times Bestseller, winner of the 2010 Newbery Medal and winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Fiction. 

Here are samples of a few reviews for When You Reach Me:

“Discerning readers will realize the ties between Miranda's mystery and L'Engle's plot, but will enjoy hints of fantasy and descriptions of middle school dynamics. Stead's novel is as much about character as story.  Miranda's voice rings true with its faltering attempts at maturity and observation.  The story builds slowly, emerging naturally from a sturdy premise.  As Miranda reminisces, the time sequencing is somewhat challenging, but in an intriguing way.  The setting is consistently strong.  The stores and even the streets–in Miranda's neighborhood act as physical entities and impact the plot in tangible ways.  This unusual, thought-provoking mystery will appeal to several types of readers." – School Library Journal

“In this era of supersize children’s books, Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me looks positively svelte.  But don’t be deceived: In this taut novel, every word, every sentence, has meaning and substance.  A hybrid of genres, it is a complex mystery, a work of historical fiction, a school story and one of friendship, with a leitmotif of time travel running through it.  Most of all, the novel is a thrilling puzzle.  Stead piles up clues on the way to a moment of intense drama, after which it is pretty much impossible to stop reading until the last page.” – New York Times

“If this book makes your head hurt, you’re not alone.  Sixth-grader Miranda admits that the events she relates make her head hurt, too. Time travel will do that to you.  The story takes place in 1979, though time frames, as readers learn, are relative.  Miranda and Sal have been best friends since way before that.  They both live in a tired Manhattan apartment building and walk home together from school.  One day everything changes.  Sal is kicked and punched by a schoolmate and afterward barely acknowledges Miranda.  Which leaves her to make new friends, even as she continues to reread her ratty copy of A Wrinkle in Time and tutor her mother for a chance to compete on The $20,000 Pyramid.  She also ponders a puzzling, even alarming series of events that begins with a note: “I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own . . . you must write me a letter.” Miranda’s first-person narrative is the letter she is sending to the future.  Or is it the past?  It’s hard to know if the key events ultimately make sense (head hurting!), and it seems the whys, if not the hows, of a pivotal character’s actions are not truly explained.  Yet everything else is quite wonderful.  The ’70s New York setting is an honest reverberation of the era; the mental gymnastics required of readers are invigorating; and the characters, children and adults, are honest bits of humanity no matter in what place or time their souls rest.  Just as Miranda rereads L’Engle, children will return to this.” - Booklist

Teacher’s Tools

Students could also read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle to compare and contrast plot, themes and literary elements.  Both books could be used in a genre study about fantasy.  Students could read various fantasy books within Literature Circles.

Students could watch an old episode of The $20,000 Pyramid, then play the game in class with topics related to their classroom studies.

Students could discuss the Albert Einstein quote at the beginning of the book “The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious.”  Students could discuss what Einstein meant by his quote and how it relates to this book.  Students could create two timelines: one for the believable events in the story and one for the mysterious events, the discuss how the two connect and overlap.

Bibliographic Information

Stead, Rebecca. 2009. When You Reach Me. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN 978-0-385-73742-5.

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt, read by Joel Johnstone

 Spotlight on Historical Fiction

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt, read by Joel Johnstone

Do you remember your first day of seventh grade?  On day one, Holling is convinced his seventh grade teacher, Mrs. Baker, doesn’t like him and plans to make this school year a difficult one.  But, it could be his best year yet!  Let’s shine the spotlight on this historical fiction audiobook:

Summary

Holling Hoodhood believes he is starting seventh grade with a target on his back.  He is convinced his teacher, Mrs. Baker, hates him.  Most of his classmates spend Wednesday afternoons at Hebrew School or Catechism, but not Holling.  He attends Prebyterian church and therefore, spends Wednesday’s alone with Mrs. Baker.  Holling begins his work on Wednesday’s by cleaning the classroom, straightening the books and pounding erasers.  But after a few weeks, Mrs. Baker let’s Holling know they will be shifting to reading Shakespeare together for the rest of the year.  Holling is even more convinced Mrs. Baker hates him.  They take turns reading parts of the plays and discuss what they read.  Holling soon realizes he enjoys the rhythm of the lines in Shakespeare and even quotes them.

Holling endures various incidents throughout seventh grade: ruining a fresh batch of cream puffs with chalkdust from the erasers he pounds, cleaning the cages of the class pets (rats) and accidentally letting them loose, earning a part in The Tempest for the Shakespeare Company’s Holiday Extravaganza and Mr. Goldman picks him to play Ariel…a fairy, racing to get to the Baker Sporting Emporium to get Mickey Mantle’s autograph only to be turned away for wearing his tights from his performance as Ariel, taking the New York State Standarized Achievement Test in the middle of a snowstorm and dropping all of the silverware packed for the year end camping trip while on a hike to the campsite. 

While Holling is focused on his life and the events of seventh grade, the world around him is enduring a difficult time.  The Vietnam War has impacted the lives of many families.  Walter Cronkite is on the news each night updating the details of the days fighting, bombings, missing soldiers and death counts.  Holling’s sister, Heather, is passionate against the war and turns her focus to the injustices around her.  Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. are rising up as leaders, while many criticize President Johnson.

Holling’s father owns an architecture firm, Hoodhood and Associates, which his father reminds him he could run one day.  His father also reminds him his interactions can affect the business.  Holling has many connections to the business and he feels the pressure to do right by his father.  Mrs. Baker’s brother-in-law owns a sporting good chain, which is being redesigned by his father’s firm.  Mr. Goldman’s bakery may expand one day and Holling’s performance as Ariel the fairy could make the difference.  Holling tries to keep his father’s business in mind when he interacts with others, but this is most difficult when it comes to his friend, Meryl Lee.  Meryl Lee and Holling are friends who are growing closer throughout the school year.  When Holling is talking about Meryl Lee with his father, they realize her father is the president of a rival architecture firm, Kowalski and Associates. 

Mrs. Baker slowly redeems herself in Holling’s eyes.  Holling begins to realize Mrs. Baker is not out to get him.  He realizes more and more that she is a real person, especially as he sees her emotions shift from devastation that her husband may be in trouble in the Vietnam War to joy that he is alive and coming home.  Mrs. Baker makes a strong effort to support Holling, too.  She helps him practice for his performance as Ariel.  After the incident with Mickey Mantle, she surprises Holling and his friend, Danny, with a visit from Joe Pepitone and Horace Clarke.  She coaches him up on his running form before his tryout for the track team.  And when his father is late picking him up to go to the New York Yankees baseball game, she drives him to the game. 

The evolution of their relationship will make readers smile!  This is truly a coming of age story, told through the months of the school year.  It shows how Holling opens himself up to the people (and the world) around him. 

Discussion

This work of historical fiction is an engaging audiobook.  Johnstone provides the narration and voices the characters within the book.  He enhances the listener’s engagement with the book through his use of voices and his attention to detail with his expression, use of pauses and the increase or decrease in his volume.  Listeners will find themselves hanging on his words throughout certain events in the story.  It is an easy audiobook to listen to in longer sessions or to stretch out over time into smaller segments.  The book is divided into chapters by the months of the school year from September to June.  Listeners will be able to keep pace with the book because of its linear structure.  Johnstone draws out emotions from the listener, much like Schmidt has done for the reader.  Listeners will feel a range of emotions throughout the book, with moments of excitement, to worry and empathy, as well as sadness.

Schmidt reveals his own childhood experiences through his book.  He grew up practicing atomic bomb drills, memorizing Shakespeare and pounding erasers for his teachers at school.  He grew up listening to passionate voices protesting the Vietnam War outside of school.  His true to life experiences add to the authenticity of the book. 

The authenticity of the book is also grounded in many United States history details to make this a rich example of historical fiction.  Holling refers to the historical events going on around him.  “We listened to Walter Cronkite report on the new casualty figures from Vietnam…” (Schmidt, 2007, p. 7).  He refers to Walter Cronkite’s news reports throughout the story.  Holling also discusses the struggles President Johnson is facing.  His sister describes the hope people have in Bobby Kennedy and the attention people are giving Martin Luther King, Jr.  Holling interacts with New York Yankees baseball players at a time when baseball is a welcomed distraction for many.  Schmidt easily adds historical elements to enrich the storylines.

Schmidt often uses Holling’s sister, Heather, as a voice for the historical events.  She is defined by her passion against the war.  She tells her father “A flower child is beautiful and doesn’t do anything to harm anyone,” (Schmidt, 2007, p. 36).  She struggles to do what is right by her father’s standards as she tries to stand firm in her beliefs.  She asserts her independence throughout the book.  She is often depicted listening to music in her room, but her choices in music also ground this book in its time.  She runs away from home to assert her independence, which is fitting of this character and of the time this book portrays.

Holling is a down-to-earth seventh grader concerned with his world and the interactions within his world.  He is searching for his identity and independence at home and at school.  He shares interesting stories and experiences from seventh grade, which many listeners will relate to.  The relationships Holling develops with those around him evolve over time. 

Holling’s relationship with Mrs. Baker is the hallmark of this book.   Their interactions will keep the listener coming back to hear more.  The plot of the story is driven by the historical events, as well as the meaningful events Holling experiences each month in seventh grade.  His classroom stories will leave listeners nodding in connection with what has occurred to shaking their head in disbelief.  Listeners will be surprised by many events in the story.

Overall, the strength of this audiobook is in the enhancement of the text.  Johnstone’s ability to carry Schmidt’s words from the text to the listener’s ears and still maintain the emotions elicited by Schmidt’s text is outstanding.  Listeners will not be disappointed in this selection as an audiobook!

Awards/Reviews

Gary Schmidt has received awards for his work.  His book Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy was named both a Printz and a Newbery Honor Book.  The Wednesday Wars was also a Newbery Honor Book.  The audio version of The Wednesday Wars was recognized by AudioFile as an Earphones Award Winner.  This award is given to outstanding audio presentations going above and beyond in the following areas: narrative voice, vocal characterizations, appropriateness for the audio format and enhancement of the text.

Here is a sample of a review of the audiobook:

“Johnstone brings to life one of the most endearing characters to come along in some time.  Holling Hoodhood is starting seventh grade in 1967.  It is a time of change, not just for Holling as he begins his journey into adolescence, but for the world around him as well.  The war in Vietnam is raging and the deaths of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy hang heavy on the American consciousness by the end of the school year.  And for Holling, the world of nascent relationships lies before him, not to mention, baseball, camping and the constant excitement, wonder and terror of being 11 at such a volatile time.  Johnstone's first-person narration perfectly captures Holling's progression from an angst-filled yet innocent boy, to a wiser, self-aware young man.  His reading is touching, funny and insightful; he manages to bring the listener back to a time—real or nostalgically re-imagined, at least—when the crack of a bat against a ball in Yankee Stadium or sharing a Coke with a girl at the Woolworth's counter was all any boy could want.  This is a lovely, heartfelt novel, read with as much care as the author used to create it.” – Publishers Weekly

Here are samples of a few reviews of the hardcover book:

“On Wednesday afternoons, while his Catholic and Jewish schoolmates attend religious instruction, Holling Hoodhood, the only Presbyterian in his seventh grade, is alone in the classroom with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, who Holling is convinced hates his guts.  He feels more certain after Mrs. Baker assigns Shakespeare's plays for Holling to discuss during their shared afternoons. Each month in Holling's tumultuous seventh-grade year is a chapter in this quietly powerful coming-of-age novel set in suburban Long Island during the late '60s. The slow start may deter some readers, and Mrs. Baker is too good to be true: she arranges a meeting between Holling and the New York Yankees, brokers a deal to save a student's father's architectural firm, and, after revealing her past as an Olympic runner, coaches Holling to the varsity cross-country team.  However, Schmidt, whose Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy (2005) was named both a Printz and a Newbery Honor Book, makes the implausible believable and the everyday momentous.  Seamlessly, he knits together the story's themes: the cultural uproar of the '60s, the internal uproar of early adolescence, and the timeless wisdom of Shakespeare's words.  Holling's unwavering, distinctive voice offers a gentle, hopeful, moving story of a boy who, with the right help, learns to stretch beyond the limitations of his family, his violent times, and his fear, as he leaps into his future with his eyes and his heart wide open.” – Booklist

“This entertaining and nuanced novel limns Holling Hoodhood's seventh-grade year in his Long Island community, beginning in the fall of 1967.  His classmates, half of whom are Jewish, the other half Catholic, leave early on Wednesdays to attend religious training.  As the sole Presbyterian, he finds himself stranded with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, whom he's sure has it in for him. S he starts off creating mindless chores for him but then induces him to read Shakespeare-lots of Shakespeare.  Chapters titled by month initially seem overlong, relating such diverse elements as two terrifying escaped rats, cream puffs from a local bakery, his dad being a cheapskate/cutthroat architect, and Holling's tentative and sweet relationship with classmate Meryl Lee.  The scary Doug Swieteck, and his even more frightening brother, and the Vietnam War are recurring menaces.  A subplot involves a classmate who, as a recent Vietnamese refugee, is learning English and suffers taunts and prejudice.  Cross-country tryouts, rescuing his older runaway sister, and opening day at Yankee Stadium are highlights.  There are laugh-out-loud moments that leaven the many poignant ones as Schmidt explores many important themes, not the least of which is what makes a person a hero.  The tone may seem cloying at first and the plot occasionally goes over-the-top, but readers who stick with the story will be rewarded.  They will appreciate Holling's gentle, caring ways and will be sad to have the book end.” – School Library Journal

Teacher’s Tools

Students could listen to the audiobook and complete journal entries about Holling’s experiences as a junior high student.  Students could link comprehension strategies to their entries like: making connections, asking questions and predicting what will happen next.  The audiobook could also be used by struggling readers or ESL students to support their comprehension.

This book may remind some readers of the popular television show, The Wonder Years.  Episodes of the television show could be shown to students to compare and contrast with the book.  A double bubble map could be used to show students thinking.

Students could write about the relationship between Holling and Mrs. Baker and share how it changed over time.  Students could discuss the events in the book and how they led to shifts in their relationship.

Students could explore the pieces of Shakespeare read by Holling.  The quotes Holling repeats could be discussed within their context.  Students could select additional quotes to memorize like Holling. 

Students could engage in additional research about the history of the United States during the 1960’s.  A timeline of significant events could be developed.

Students could write journal entries from the perspective of other characters in the book.  Events from the book could be selected and students could write how other characters felt about those events using characters like: Mrs. Baker, Meryl Lee, Holling’s mom, dad or sister, Mrs. Sidman or Mr. Baker.

Bibliographic Information

Schmidt, Gary D. 2007. The Wednesday Wars. Read by Joel Johnstone. New York: Scholastic Audiobooks. Audiobook, 6 compact discs; 7.5 hrs. CD ISBN 978-0-4399-2501-3

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

Spotlight on Historical Fiction

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

Its summertime in Norvelt and Jack is grounded.  A neighbor, Miss Volker, calls Jack’s mom for his help…and it turns into a summer Jack will never forget!  Let’s shine the spotlight on this work of historical fiction:

Summary

Jack Gantos is grounded.  He accidently fires his Dad’s WWII rifle and gives his mom a scare.  He suffers from chronic nosebleeds.  When his mom hears the rifle and sees the blood, her thinking goes to the extreme scenario.  But, the rifle only fired into the air and the blood was from Jack’s over active nose.  Jack’s homebound status puts a damper on his summer.  He is missing time with his friend, Bunny, and their baseball team.  He is fascinated by history and spends a lot of time reading and thinking in his room.  Jack’s grounding gets even more severe when he mows down his mom’s cornfield (against her directions) in favor of his dad’s plan to build a runway for his J-3 warplane.  Jack follows his dad’s plan, hoping he can have a chance to go for a ride in the plane sometime soon.

Jack is only able to leave the house for two things: to help outside with any projects or yard work or to go to Miss Volker’s house.  Jack’s mom keeps her word with the neighbor, Miss Volker, and “loans” Jack to help her with a project.  He starts working with her after his first incident with the rifle and he’s pleased to find out he gets to continue helping her after his incident with the cornfield. 

Jack learns Miss Volker writes obituaries for the town of Norvelt.  She knows something about everyone in the community and uses her knowledge, along with Norvelt history, to write unique obituaries.  She even has a needlepoint map of the “original Norvelt” where she keeps track of the original homeowners in the community.  She feels pride in her town and wants to take care of it the way Eleanor Roosevelt, the town’s founder, would have.  She enlists Jack’s help with writing down her words for the obituaries because she has arthritis in her hands.  He also gets to deliver the columns to the newspaper.  Anytime Miss Volker finds out someone in the town has passed away, she calls Jack.

Miss Volker’s time spent with Jack draws the attention of Mr. Spizz, the town busybody.  Actually, everything in the town draws the attention of Mr. Spizz.  He is the self-proclaimed deputy of the volunteer police and fire deparments.  Mr. Spizz leaves Miss Volker notes with boxes of chocolates outside her door.  He has always believed he would be the last original Norvelt man living along side Miss Volker, the last original Norvelt woman, and is convinced they are destined to be together.

The town of Norvelt is at a point of transition.  Many of the original homeowners in Norvelt are aging.  Some of the homes in the town are being moved to start a new community in West Virginia.  Then, many of the older women who were original homeowners begin passing away, one by one.  Their deaths seem to be due to natural causes, but as they add up, they become even more mysterious.  Some community members believe a Hells Angel cursed the town when he was hit by a truck and passed away.  Miss Volker is questioned for not performing proper medical autopsies.  Jack’s mom worries she may have poisoned the ladies with bad mushrooms in the meals she prepares and donates to the Community Center.  Jack worries it might have something to do with the 1080 poison being used to kill rats by the town dumpsters and mice in Miss Volker’s basement. 

Soon after Jack’s realization about the poison, Mr. Spizz informs him Miss Volker has been arrested for murder for killing the older women.  Mr. Spizz claims Miss Volker was poisoning the women with 1080 poison, since they found it at her house.  Eventually, its Mr. Spizz who admits to poisoning the older women.  He wanted to kill them in order to get closer to Miss Volker.  Jack rescues Miss Volker and finds out the whole story about Mr. Spizz.  Jack goes home and tells his mom everything.  He ends up ungrounded, makes it to his baseball game and meets his dad in the outfield…for a flight to Florida in the J-3! 

Discussion

This is a historical fiction book set in 1962.  The author weaves real stories from his childhood into his book, like growing up with nosebleeds.  The setting is the real town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, where Gantos spent part of his childhood.  Miss Volker’s character is based on someone he knows from Norvelt and his dad had also had souvenirs from WWII.

Other historic events are added to the story through Jack’s love of reading.  He is interested in history and reads many books from the Landmark history series about historic events like: Captain Cortez Conquers Mexico, The California Gold Rush, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and John F. Kennedy and PT-109.  His thoughts about what he is reading reveal details about the historic events.  He also reads Miss Volker’s “This Day in History” column each day.  She details events from as far back as the 1400’s and 1500’s. The authenticity of this book is enriched through Jack and Miss Volker’s interactions around historic events, as well as through the autobiographical nature of some of the stories and details.

Gantos fills this book with interesting characters.  He uses Jack’s thoughts and actions as the driving force behind the narration.  Jack is written with a strong voice.  It is almost written in Jack’s stream of consciousness with him sharing his thoughts, taking readers off track with his mind deep in thought about history, then bringing readers back to the present situation.  Readers will have a deep understanding of Jack as a character through his thoughts and interactions with the other characters in the book.  Readers will relate to him as a main character.  His relationships with the other characters in the book are genuine and realistic.  The interactions with those around him seem typical for a teenage boy.  He is negotiating his relationship with his parents, friends and neighbors while trying to assert his independence. Throughout the book, readers will see an evolution in thinking and in his interactions. 

Miss Volker is developed as one of the most interesting characters.  Readers will be drawn into the book by Jack’s first encounter with Miss Volker where his imagination gets the best of him.  “You won’t be fine…you won’t ever be fine because you just melted your hands off!” (Gantos, 2011, p. 25)  and “Please don’t eat your own flesh” (Gantos, 2011, p. 25) are quotes from Jack after Miss Volker dips her hands in hot paraffin wax to help with her arthritis.  Miss Volker’s voice is written with a mix of nostalgia and sass in her ‘tell it like it is’ way.  Many other historical details come through Miss Volker and her obituaries.  She relates historic events to the lives of people in Norvelt in a unique way.  She and Jack lay the foundation for the historical details to be interwoven throughout the book.

The plot will keep readers interested as they follow many storylines at once.  The book shifts the readers focus from Jack interacting with one character, then another.  Readers will wonder what the other characters are up to and look for the book to circle back around to find out about those characters again. 

Gantos carries out the theme of the importance of history and knowing where we’ve been throughout the book.  Miss Volker shares, “If you don't know your history you won't know the difference between the truth and wishful thinking," (Gantos, 2011, p. 214) and Jack shares, “The reason you remind yourself of the stupid stuff you've done in the past is so you don't do it again” (Gantos, 2011, p. 340).  The passion Jack and Miss Volker have for history comes through in Gantos’ writing. 

Overall, the strength of this book is in Gantos’ writing style.  He provides vivid characters in Jack and Miss Volker.  He also pulled together stories from his childhood, historical events and fictional stories into an entertaining book.

Awards/Reviews

Jack Gantos has won many awards for his books written for all ages.  His memoir, Hole in My Life, won the Michael L. Printz and Robert F. Sibert Honors.  His book Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key was a National Book Award Finalist and Joey Pigza Loses Control was a Newbery Honor book.

Dead End in Norvelt was the winner of the 2012 Newbery Medal and the Scott O'Dell Award.

Here are examples of a few reviews:

“A bit of autobiography works its way into all of Gantos’s work, but he one-ups himself in this wildly entertaining meld of truth and fiction by naming the main character . . . Jackie Gantos.” — Publishers Weekly

“A fast-paced and witty read.” — School Library Journal

 “There’s more than laugh-out-loud gothic comedy here.  This is a richly layered semi-autobiographical tale, an ode to a time and place, to history and the power of reading.” — The Horn Book

“Gantos, as always, delivers bushels of food for thought and plenty of outright guffaws.” — Booklist

“An exhilarating summer marked by death, gore and fire sparks deep thoughts in a small-town lad not uncoincidentally named ‘Jack Gantos.’  The gore is all Jack’s, which to his continuing embarrassment ‘would spray out of my nose holes like dragon flames’ whenever anything exciting or upsetting happens.  And that would be on every other page, seemingly. . .Characteristically provocative gothic comedy, with sublime undertones.”  —Kirkus Review

Teacher’s Tools

Students can engage in further research about Eleanor Roosevelt’s impact during her husband’s presidency. 

The book references events in United States history occurring at the time of this book.  A time line of the significant events during the 1960’s could be created.

Students could research the events in history for the upcoming week to write a “This Week in History” column like Miss Volker.  The column could be shared in the class newsletter to parents or on a class website.

Students could work in small groups to discuss the relationship Jack shares with one of the characters in the book: Mom, Dad, Miss Volker, Bunny or Mr. Spizz.  Students could discuss how the relationships change throughout the book, then share their understandings with the class.

Bibliographic Information

Gantos, Jack. 2011. Dead End in Norvelt. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN: 978-0-374-37993-3.