Module 8: The Grimm Legacy

Summary: Elizabeth has been forced to go to a new school because her stepmother has coerced her father into paying for her daughters' educations instead of Elizabeth's. After writing a paper on the historical aspects of the Brothers Grimm works, Elizabeth's history teacher sends her to the New York Circulating Material Repository to work as a page. The Repository houses items, not books, that people can check out. Elizabeth soon earns the right to access to the Grimm Collection, a room that holds actual magical items from fairy tales, such as Snow White's stepmother's mirror and the seven-league boots. Something strange is afoot, however. The items start disappearing and are being increasingly replaced with non-magical ones. Elizabeth and her fellow pages must discover who is behind the thefts and how to stop them. 

Shulman, P. (2011). The Grimm legacy. New York, NY: Puffin


My Impression: This is a fun book for those well-versed in fairy tale lore. There is typical teenage drama, including unrequited crushes, popularity issues, and the ubiquitous "evil stepmother" conflict. Since the book is told from Elizabeth's perspective, the reader is taken along her journey of trusting, then mistrusting, then trusting her friends. We feel her jealousy at the other pages' romance and her embarrassment at Snow White's mirror revealing hidden feelings between her and another page. The pages break rules, subvert authority, and sneak around, but it is all for the best of the repository. Their adventure in saving the artifacts, and two of their friends' lives, is a fun adventure reminiscent of some of the best of children's fantasy.

Reviews:

"This modern fantasy has intrigue, adventure, and romance, and the magical aspects of the tale are both clever and intricately woven, from rhyming charms to flying-carpet rides. The author brings the seemingly disparate elements together in the end, while still making certain that her protagonist's problems are not completely solved by the world of magic. Shulman's prose is fast paced, filled with humor, and peopled with characters who are either true to life or delightfully bizarre. Fans of fairy tales in general and Grimm stories in particular will delight in the author's frequent literary references, and fantasy lovers will feel very much at home in this tale that pulls out all the stops." - School Library Journal


Menaldi-Scanlan, N. (June 1, 2010). Grades 5 & up: The Grimm Legacy. School Library Journal. Retrieved October 13, 2011, from http://www.libraryjournal.com/slj/printissue/currentissue/884612-427/grades_5_amp_up.html.csp.


"Shulman (Enthusiasm) intermingles classic fairy tale elements and modern-day conflicts in this clever novel set in New York City. The story begins when teenager Elizabeth Rew lands a plum part-time job, working as a page in the "New-York Circulating Material Repository," an institution housing rare objects to be lent to an exclusive circle of patrons. The most secret and by far most interesting section of the building is the basement, where magic objects mentioned in the Grimm Brothers' tales are stored. Much to the librarians' dismay, however, some of these valuable items go missing. With the help of her fellow pages, Elizabeth gets to the bottom of the mystery, but catching the thief poses enormous danger and necessitates the aid of some powerful equipment, including Snow White's mirror, a pair of winged sandals, and a magical golden key. Mixing tongue-in-cheek humor (like the magic mirror's blunt appraisal of Elizabeth's beauty: "Bitsy Rew is brave and true./ A pity she's not pretty too") with suspense, Shulman conjures an enticing slice of magic realism that fairy tale buffs should relish. Ages 10–up." - Publisher's Weekly.

The Grimm legacy (June 28, 2010). Publisher's Weekly. Retrieved October 13, 2011, from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-399-25096-5.

Uses in the Library: This could be used to support a unit on fairy tales, or to highlight an often overlooked genre, urban fantasy. 

Module 7: If I Stay

Summary: Mia, a 17 year old cellist, is involved in a horrific car accident that kills the rest of her family. While Mia's body lies comatose in the ICU, her spirit must reflect on her life and her future and decide whether she should stay or move on. She deals with her insecurities, including whether to travel to Julliard or stay with her boyfriend in Oregon, her quality of life without her family, and what her leaving will mean to her grandparents and friends.

Forman, G. (2010). If i stay. New York, NY: Puffin.

My Impressions: This book hooked me. I was an orchestral musician in high school, although not as talented as Mia, and I was able to identify with her passion for music. The car crash scene was perfectly surreal and hyper-real simultaneously, and the rest of the book kept me eager to find out Mia's decision. The book is well-written, the characters real, and the debate in Mia's mind excruciating. Should she continue her life of such promise and be with her boyfriend, her best friend, her grandparents? Or should she succumb, forfeiting all the grief she'd feel knowing she was the sole survivor of her family's tragic car crash? Forman keeps you guessing until the end, and she makes a good case for both sides.

Reviews:

"Forman creates a cast of captivating characters and pulls readers into a compelling story that will cause them to laugh, cry, and question the boundaries of family and love....Readers will find themselves engrossed in Mia's struggles and will race to the satisfying yet realistic conclusion. Teens will identify with Mia's honest discussion of her own insecurities and doubts. Both brutal and beautiful, this thought-provoking story will stay with readers long after the last page is turned." - School Library Journal


Rashid, L. (May 1, 2009). Grades 5 & up: If I stay. School Library Journal. Retrieved October 8, 2011, from http://www.libraryjournal.com/slj/printissuecurrentissue/857319-427/grades_5_amp_up.html.csp.


"Intensely moving, the novel will force readers to take stock of their lives and the people and things that make them worth living. Ages 14–up." - Publisher's Weekly.

If I stay. (March 2, 2009). Publisher's Weekly. Retrieved October 8, 2011, from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-525-42103-0.

Uses in the Library: Teen read week. It also might be useful as a conversation starter before prom, homecoming, etc., to discourage drinking and driving. Even though Mia's dad isn't at fault, the agonizing decisions Mia must make as she hangs between life and death might make some kids stop and think twice about driving drunk.

 

Module 7: The Other Half of My Heart

Summary: Minni and Keira King are one-in-a-million twins: Minni is fair with red hair, like their father, and Keira is dark skinned like their mother. Minni and Keira are the best of friends, with an unbreakable bond, until their grandmother from North Carolina calls them out to participate in the Miss Black Pearl of America Program. Minni faces complete acceptance from their grandmother but racism from the other girls in the pageant, while Keira finally feels like she belongs with the other girls, but her grandmother is hyper-critical of her. The girls learn that it isn't easy being in the other's shoes, and the conflict threatens their relationship. Through the strife of the pageant, Minni and Keira come to realize that they are each other's best support - two halves of the same heart.


Frazier, S. T. (2012). The other half of my heart. New York, NY: Yearling Books.

My Impression: This is now one of my favorite young adult books. The strife Minni and Keira feel is palpable. Minni's confusion, heartbreak, and ultimate realization that she isn't as saintly as she thought she was is a lesson that many young girls need to learn. The characters are realistic; the only two-dimensional character really is the twins' father, who is wonderfully supportive but a bit cardboard. The women in the story are nicely rounded. Grandmother Johnson, who starts out as a bit of a caricature, eventually gets her chance to show the girls who she is and her motivation for worrying over Keira's kinky hair and darker skin. This is one of the best realistic fiction novels for upper elementary/middle school students I have read.


Reviews:

"As in Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It (Delacorte, 2007), Frazier addresses issues faced by mixed-race children with a grace and humor that keep her from being pedantic. The story is enjoyable in its own right, but will also encourage readers to rethink racial boundaries and what it means to be black or white in America." - School Library Journal

Dare, K. (July 1, 2010). Grades 5 & up: The other half of my heart. School Library Journal. Retrieved October 7, 2011, from http://www.libraryjournal.com/slj/printissuecurrentissue/883830-427/grades_5-up.html.csp.

"Funny and deeply affecting, this novel by the Steptoe Award winner for Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It (2007) revisits the still largely unexplored world of multiracial heritage....Frazier highlights the contradictions, absurdities, humor and pain that accompany life as a mixed-race tween. Never didactic, this is the richest portrait of multiracial identity and family since Virginia Hamilton's 1976 novel Arilla Sun Down. An outstanding achievement." -- Kirkus Reviews

 The Other Half of My Heart. (2010). Kirkus Reviews, 78(10), 462.


Uses in the Library: Black History Month, or as part of a display of books about family.

Module 6: My Friend is Sad

Summary: Gerald the Elephant is sad, so his dear friend Piggie decides to cheer him up. She dons various costumes, but nothing seems to work. Eventually, Piggie finally presents herself to Gerald without a costume, trying to figure out why Gerald is so sad when he's seen all these wonderful characters.  Gerald moans, "But you were not there to see [them]!" Piggie learns that having friends around is more important than being entertained by costumes. She also realizes, in typical Mo Willems style, that Gerald needs new glasses.

Willems, M. (2007). My friend is sad. New York, NY: Hyperion.

My Impressions: I love the Elephant & Piggie books. Okay, I actually love pretty much anything Mo Willems does. Gerald and Piggie have a sweet, supporting relationship. There is little text on each page, and what is there is graphically designed to indicate emphasis, so it is a perfect book to help kids learn expressive reading. The sly asides to the audience are entertaining for kids as well as adults. Willems often breaks the fourth wall in his books, and the results are hysterical.

Reviews:

"Nevertheless, even inexperienced readers will not be busy long, whether or not they pause to chuckle at the dueling characters' changing facial expressions. Compared to Willems's more nuanced character studies, these episodes feel all too brief. Still, readers will likely clamor for more." - Publisher's Weekly


Today I will fly!; My friend is sad. (February 26, 2007). Publisher's Weekly. Retrieved September 29, 2011, from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4231-0295-3.

"When Elephant appears to be inconsolable, Pig pulls out all the stops to cheer him up–dressing like a cowboy, doing clown tricks, and acting like a robot. But when nearsighted Elephant confesses that he just wants to be with Pig, the two friends find that the solution was right there in front of Elephant the whole time." - School Library Journal 


My friend is sad. (March 26, 2008). School Library Journal. Retrieve September 29, 2011 from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6544806.html.

Uses in the Library: A storytime themed around friendship or emotions would be a great venue for this book.