10th grader Susan Caraway was just like any other girl. Except for the fact that she is the antithesis to any girl you have ever thought about, met, or stereotyped in high school. She goes by 'Stargirl' She smiles and wins the heart of Leo, the narrator. Everyone seems to envy her upon first meeting her. She's a new student at Mica in Arizona and new students usually don't fair well. But new students often don't parade around lunchrooms with their ukuleles singing 'happy birthday' to strangers on their actual birthdays. Don't overlook the fact that she actually knows their birthdays, this is part of the allure of Stargirl.
Unfortunately, the students at Mica didn't know how to handle this eccentric girl whose display of individualism draws no likely comparisons. At first, she's popular. Then she goes on the school's famed program Hot Seat and subsequently becomes a martyr. She is asked to become a cheerleader and is excited at the opportunity. But she does something interesting: she roots for the team that's losing, no matter if its Mica or not. And students do no react well. She fades from glory and never regains her initial spice.
Stargirl would be an absolutely terrific novel to teach to high-schoolers. It should be on the shelves of any independent reading library for young adolescents. It teaches a message of being yourself. Stargirl's antics are heartwarming and are for all the right reasons. She is never one to judge and loves everyone for their inner soul. She is so dang innocent, but she really knows what she's doing. Stargirl's life goal is to make people happy, how can you not like a girl like this? The other message this novel puts forth to young adults is not to judge someone. Stargirl's melancholy demeanor after she is ridiculed on the television program and for her cheerleading stunts demonstrate to young readers the effect that bullying or chastising can have on a young girl, even one with so much kindness in their hearts. Spinelli's book is fun, quick, hopeful read that takes the reader away for the traditional school culture we see in many other YA novels.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Joyce Carol Oates' Big Mouth and Ugly Girl
Big Mouth & Ugly Girl is a book about two high-schoolers, Matt and Ursula. Matt is accused of plotting to do...something...to his school; perhaps a bomb threat or a school shooting. It is revealed, however, that he was overheard saying something out of context, and the context was intentionally wrongly assumed to get the young man into deep trouble. However, young Ursula, who isn't really Matt's friend at all, comes to help him because she overheard the entire conversation and knows fully well that Matt was just a young jokester, and he really enjoyed school.
The book is about dealing with issues one faces in high school and the emotional despair one can suffer when the entire school knows something about you that hurts your reputation. Matt's reputation was tarnished and he lost nearly all credibility; his best friends stopped talking to him and, even though he was one of the most popular boys, was now being bullied around.
Ursula, however, demonstrates to young readers a common theme I have noticed in young adult literature: how, and the logical reasoning and and answering of the ubiquitous question why?, to do the right thing. It is a lesson of morals, and a lesson on friendship. At first, Ursula is afraid to talk to Matt about his situation, and she goes through emotional turmoil herself because of her family dynamic at home. But she soon realizes that Matt needs help, both emotionally and with the problem at school. She tells the principal immediately, because she realizes the consequences Matt could incur if this misinformation spreads, or even potentially, leads to his indictment.
There are some side stories in the novel about corruption, evil, and family dynamic, but the friendship that erupts out of all the turmoil accentuates the capacity that young adults have for caring for one another in the face of adversity. Ursula consoles Matt, they go through troubles, Matt's dog is stolen and he breaks down, but Ursula is always there. They are seen together in school and chastised, but Ursula is strong enough to ignore this ignorance. Eventually, because of their strong bond, they convince, without doing much emphatic convincing, the rest of their peers that these matters really aren't that big of a deal. They are both good kids, and they both do the right thing. They are to be admired and looked up to, and eventually the student body realizes this and the school goes back to it's old, normal ways, all thanks to kindly Ursula Riggs. This would be a great theme to teach freshman students: the social mores, friendship in the face of adversity, and simply doing the right thing even when it is tough to do and may affect your social reputation, perhaps one of the most important things to a high school student.
The book is about dealing with issues one faces in high school and the emotional despair one can suffer when the entire school knows something about you that hurts your reputation. Matt's reputation was tarnished and he lost nearly all credibility; his best friends stopped talking to him and, even though he was one of the most popular boys, was now being bullied around.
Ursula, however, demonstrates to young readers a common theme I have noticed in young adult literature: how, and the logical reasoning and and answering of the ubiquitous question why?, to do the right thing. It is a lesson of morals, and a lesson on friendship. At first, Ursula is afraid to talk to Matt about his situation, and she goes through emotional turmoil herself because of her family dynamic at home. But she soon realizes that Matt needs help, both emotionally and with the problem at school. She tells the principal immediately, because she realizes the consequences Matt could incur if this misinformation spreads, or even potentially, leads to his indictment.
There are some side stories in the novel about corruption, evil, and family dynamic, but the friendship that erupts out of all the turmoil accentuates the capacity that young adults have for caring for one another in the face of adversity. Ursula consoles Matt, they go through troubles, Matt's dog is stolen and he breaks down, but Ursula is always there. They are seen together in school and chastised, but Ursula is strong enough to ignore this ignorance. Eventually, because of their strong bond, they convince, without doing much emphatic convincing, the rest of their peers that these matters really aren't that big of a deal. They are both good kids, and they both do the right thing. They are to be admired and looked up to, and eventually the student body realizes this and the school goes back to it's old, normal ways, all thanks to kindly Ursula Riggs. This would be a great theme to teach freshman students: the social mores, friendship in the face of adversity, and simply doing the right thing even when it is tough to do and may affect your social reputation, perhaps one of the most important things to a high school student.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Gary Paulsen's The Hatchet
No book has stuck out to me more from my childhood than The Hatchet. Simply put, Paulsen's work is a masterpiece. I grew up in an urban setting, not knowing much about the wild or islands or survival. Paulsen's work places teenage Brian on an island alone after his bush pilot has a heart attack. When I first read this book I must've been 12. Now, twice that age, this book has an even deeper connection to me. Brian is a boy that never gives up hope, even facing some of the most difficult adversities a person can deal with. He becomes a man throughout the novel. He is a young boy that any reader could look up to. Most people in his situation would be completely hopeless, but Brian knows that he must see his parents again. Adding on to his difficult situation, he holds a secret about his parent's divorce that tears him up emotionally. The Secret, it is revealed, is that his mother cheated on his father. His father doesn't know this and Brian seems to plan on telling his father, although in the end he chooses not to do so. I alluded to many themes present in the text on my website, but I have always wondered why he never told his father.
As he matured on the island, he must've realized how much of an impact the secret would have on his father emotionally. He was bright enough to realize that this could create further disparity between his parents. Interestingly, the Secret was kind of what kept Brian going. He had something to cling to, something that only he knew, and that maybe, just maybe, if he survived it wouldn't be his secret anymore. Whatever the reason Paulsen created the secret for, it was an important part of Brian's coming-of-age. He is no closer at the beginning of the book to telling his father about the affair, but everything else about his has changed. He is far more pensive, thinking about every little thing and scrutinizing every action. He marvels at the mass consumerism around him. It's funny, Paulsen probably didn't write this book to teach young adults about the effects of consumerism on their demographic, but it certainly teaches a lesson that we should not take for granted what we have available to us. Every day I think about this. I am not giving the book full credit for this, but it definitely helped in my formative adolescence. Its interesting to think that I have grocery stores down the block from my house, but then I watch a documentary on other cultures in remote areas of the world and see how some people risk their lives daily to provide family for their food. It is demoralizing, but I have become so desensitized by the media that it hardly affects my emotions at all. However, books like Paulsen's really spread great messages to young adults, and I really believe that this inspiring, thoughtful, moral tale can teach young adults quite a bit about growing up.
As he matured on the island, he must've realized how much of an impact the secret would have on his father emotionally. He was bright enough to realize that this could create further disparity between his parents. Interestingly, the Secret was kind of what kept Brian going. He had something to cling to, something that only he knew, and that maybe, just maybe, if he survived it wouldn't be his secret anymore. Whatever the reason Paulsen created the secret for, it was an important part of Brian's coming-of-age. He is no closer at the beginning of the book to telling his father about the affair, but everything else about his has changed. He is far more pensive, thinking about every little thing and scrutinizing every action. He marvels at the mass consumerism around him. It's funny, Paulsen probably didn't write this book to teach young adults about the effects of consumerism on their demographic, but it certainly teaches a lesson that we should not take for granted what we have available to us. Every day I think about this. I am not giving the book full credit for this, but it definitely helped in my formative adolescence. Its interesting to think that I have grocery stores down the block from my house, but then I watch a documentary on other cultures in remote areas of the world and see how some people risk their lives daily to provide family for their food. It is demoralizing, but I have become so desensitized by the media that it hardly affects my emotions at all. However, books like Paulsen's really spread great messages to young adults, and I really believe that this inspiring, thoughtful, moral tale can teach young adults quite a bit about growing up.
Watt Key's Alabama Moon
Alabama Moon is the tale of ten-year-old Moon Blake, a naive boy who has just lost his father and knows not how to assimilate into society due to his growing up in a hideout in the Alabama forest. I touched on a lot of themes on my website I created for this text and others, and the link is mentioned in my previous post. The one I'd like to talk a bit about here, that I did not give much credence to earlier is that of friendship. Moon helped orchestrate an escape from the boy's center he was staying in with the help of two new friends Hal and Kit. They form an unlikely bond and escape into a dense national forest with virtually nothing. Hal and Kit don't know the first thing about surviving the wild, but with the help of knowledgable Moon they hope to survive.
Unfortunately, Kit has an undisclosed illness (perhaps cancer) and doesn't realize that he requires medicine to stay alive. He alludes to this earlier in the novel, but he acts as if he doesn't need the medicine much longer. Moon's father, at the beginning of the novel, died from an infection in his leg that spread. The infection could have been prevented by synthetic medicines, but Moon's father relied on their natural surroundings as medicine. Unfortunately, Moon's father didn't make it. It seems very irresponsible of a father to not think pragmatically and realize what effect his death would have on a ten-year-boy with nothing. Moon reflects on his father's death with much dismay. He mourns, but eventually realizes he must go. He seeks to go to Alaska because there are more people like him. But the walk from Alabama to Alaska is no easy task for a young boy, despite his upbringing in the wilderness.
Hal decides that he must leave and that is was unwise to escape into the forest. He follows a trail along a river with the advisement of Moon and eventually finds a way to his father's home. When Kit's sickness becomes unbearable, Moon searches throughout the forest for traditional medicines his father used. He applies them all and gives them to Kit, but none of them work. Moon must make a choice: does he disobey's his father's ideals and take Kit back to civilization or does he hope that Kit gets better? Moon chooses the former and saves Kit for the time being.
At the end of the novel Moon is saved by Mr. Wellington, lawyer and landowner of the hideout that Moon grew up in. Moon's last wish before being eschewed down to southern Alabama to stay with his newfound family is to see Kit and Hal. The strong bond the boys developed in the novel is a great theme for young readers out there. It demonstrates the capacity for young boys to feel and bond. Some boys may find it difficult to deal with tough situations, but with the help of friends, they can be carried through. The boys survive the escape because they cared so much for one another that they would not let anyone get in the way. There are moral lessons to be learned throughout the text but the greatest one is that of having good friends around. They really are the glue that holds young boys together.
Unfortunately, Kit has an undisclosed illness (perhaps cancer) and doesn't realize that he requires medicine to stay alive. He alludes to this earlier in the novel, but he acts as if he doesn't need the medicine much longer. Moon's father, at the beginning of the novel, died from an infection in his leg that spread. The infection could have been prevented by synthetic medicines, but Moon's father relied on their natural surroundings as medicine. Unfortunately, Moon's father didn't make it. It seems very irresponsible of a father to not think pragmatically and realize what effect his death would have on a ten-year-boy with nothing. Moon reflects on his father's death with much dismay. He mourns, but eventually realizes he must go. He seeks to go to Alaska because there are more people like him. But the walk from Alabama to Alaska is no easy task for a young boy, despite his upbringing in the wilderness.
Hal decides that he must leave and that is was unwise to escape into the forest. He follows a trail along a river with the advisement of Moon and eventually finds a way to his father's home. When Kit's sickness becomes unbearable, Moon searches throughout the forest for traditional medicines his father used. He applies them all and gives them to Kit, but none of them work. Moon must make a choice: does he disobey's his father's ideals and take Kit back to civilization or does he hope that Kit gets better? Moon chooses the former and saves Kit for the time being.
At the end of the novel Moon is saved by Mr. Wellington, lawyer and landowner of the hideout that Moon grew up in. Moon's last wish before being eschewed down to southern Alabama to stay with his newfound family is to see Kit and Hal. The strong bond the boys developed in the novel is a great theme for young readers out there. It demonstrates the capacity for young boys to feel and bond. Some boys may find it difficult to deal with tough situations, but with the help of friends, they can be carried through. The boys survive the escape because they cared so much for one another that they would not let anyone get in the way. There are moral lessons to be learned throughout the text but the greatest one is that of having good friends around. They really are the glue that holds young boys together.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Wills Hobbs' The Maze and Far North
Hobbs' novels The Maze and Far North are both survivalist, coming-of-age tales about young boys that are 'lost'. Gabe, in Far North, is lost with his new roommate Raymond in Canada's Northern Territories. Rick, from The Maze, is lost within himself. He has no family, no real friends, and no guidance in life. All he had was a social worker and even the social worker was fired after a corruption scheme unfolded.
The great thing about Hobbs' style is that his novels are fast-paced, engaging, and are beautifully descriptive. They are often in nature and in remote settings. He includes a map at the very beginning of most of his works to give his reader, an intended YA audience, a concrete example of where the boys in his tales are. I don't want to get into the plots of the texts too much as you can find the plots and more on the themes of the novels on my website, right here.
The benefit of these books to young adults is the positive role models apparent in the boys as they mature into more formative adolescents. Gabe is forced to survive in conditions that he has never experienced before. In addition, he forms a bonding relationship with Raymond as they help one another to survive winter in one of the toughest settings on Earth. The boys have their wits about them and never give up. That, perhaps, is the reason they survived more than anything; the boys were full of hope. They used one another as resources; hiding the meat from the bear, one staying along with the moose meat and the other taking it back to the cabin, and Gabe dragged Raymond on his toboggan across very sketchy patches of ice and over a hundred miles toward Nahanni Butte. The gave the reader a thrill and demonstrated how two young men never give up hope and form a friendship that leads them to survival.
Rick was a boy who had no one. He never knew his father, his mother gave him up, and his grandmother died. The courts shuffled him around foster homes and he landed in Blue Canyon Detention Center. Rick was courageous; he snitched on a corruption scandal and faced a brutal beating if he didn't escape. He serves as a very positive role models to youth not because he escaped, but because he didn't get into a physical confrontation. Furthermore, he did the right thing, and that sometimes is the toughest thing to do. At the end of the text he did the right thing again, and once again it was a tough decision. He risked his life trying to save Leo, and through Leo's tutelage he saved Leo from inevitable death. Leo was a very positive mentor as he warmed up to Rick throughout the novel and acted as a surrogate father taking him back to court to straighten the situation out. Both were great role models for young readers, especially those faced with the decision of doing the right thing though its difficult, or apathy.
The great thing about Hobbs' style is that his novels are fast-paced, engaging, and are beautifully descriptive. They are often in nature and in remote settings. He includes a map at the very beginning of most of his works to give his reader, an intended YA audience, a concrete example of where the boys in his tales are. I don't want to get into the plots of the texts too much as you can find the plots and more on the themes of the novels on my website, right here.
The benefit of these books to young adults is the positive role models apparent in the boys as they mature into more formative adolescents. Gabe is forced to survive in conditions that he has never experienced before. In addition, he forms a bonding relationship with Raymond as they help one another to survive winter in one of the toughest settings on Earth. The boys have their wits about them and never give up. That, perhaps, is the reason they survived more than anything; the boys were full of hope. They used one another as resources; hiding the meat from the bear, one staying along with the moose meat and the other taking it back to the cabin, and Gabe dragged Raymond on his toboggan across very sketchy patches of ice and over a hundred miles toward Nahanni Butte. The gave the reader a thrill and demonstrated how two young men never give up hope and form a friendship that leads them to survival.
Rick was a boy who had no one. He never knew his father, his mother gave him up, and his grandmother died. The courts shuffled him around foster homes and he landed in Blue Canyon Detention Center. Rick was courageous; he snitched on a corruption scandal and faced a brutal beating if he didn't escape. He serves as a very positive role models to youth not because he escaped, but because he didn't get into a physical confrontation. Furthermore, he did the right thing, and that sometimes is the toughest thing to do. At the end of the text he did the right thing again, and once again it was a tough decision. He risked his life trying to save Leo, and through Leo's tutelage he saved Leo from inevitable death. Leo was a very positive mentor as he warmed up to Rick throughout the novel and acted as a surrogate father taking him back to court to straighten the situation out. Both were great role models for young readers, especially those faced with the decision of doing the right thing though its difficult, or apathy.
Jean Craighead George's Julie of the Wolves
I recently completed an individual inquiry project on young adult adventure/survival tales. I compared them to coming-of-age stories and related the fact that pretty much all of the survivalist tales I have read in YA literature are indeed coming-of-age tales. The one common factor among all the books I read for the project, Far North, The Maze, Alabama Moon, The Hatchet, is all the lead characters were male. Julie of the Wolves bumped the trend, and it really is good to see the perspective of a young girl in a 'survivalist' type situation, where one is out in the wild with scarce resources, so that young girls reading texts like these have someone to relate to.
The wolf-pack that Miyax adapts with and learns to survive from is symbolic of how we learn from humans around us and adapt to what others do. Young people reading this in a classroom will begin to understand how to learn from others and gain acceptance, as Miyax gained acceptance into the pact and was able to stay alive because of her adaptability.
We again see a theme of rape, and how Julie deals with this in her flashback is important. Although it is not explicit, as this is a YA (or even children's) novel, the presence of the abuse welcomes an opportune time to teach about the emotional ramifications of rape and sexual abuse. Julie decided to run away to San Francisco rather than dealing with the issue up front and this lead her to further unhappiness. She was clearly naive in her belief that she could make it, but it shows the extreme lengths some are willing to go through to escape such a situation.
The book also opens up the opportunity to explore Inuit (or Eskimo, depending on your location) culture. This incredibly rich culture preceded the Anglo presence in America and is not often seen in YA texts. It is obviously present in history classrooms but that is primarily surface information. This takes the reader into the mindset and lifestyle of an Inuit. This could lead to interdisciplinary assessments, or the educator could teach a nonfiction piece on Inuit culture. Also, the coming-of-age tale could be compared to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian when comparing Native culture in an Inuit village and native culture in a village on a rez in the U.S. Also, this book could be taught alongside any of the texts I read for my individual inquiry project to explore the differences in experiences and themes of a novel focusing on a survivalist/coming-of-age tale between a young girl and a young boy.
The wolf-pack that Miyax adapts with and learns to survive from is symbolic of how we learn from humans around us and adapt to what others do. Young people reading this in a classroom will begin to understand how to learn from others and gain acceptance, as Miyax gained acceptance into the pact and was able to stay alive because of her adaptability.
We again see a theme of rape, and how Julie deals with this in her flashback is important. Although it is not explicit, as this is a YA (or even children's) novel, the presence of the abuse welcomes an opportune time to teach about the emotional ramifications of rape and sexual abuse. Julie decided to run away to San Francisco rather than dealing with the issue up front and this lead her to further unhappiness. She was clearly naive in her belief that she could make it, but it shows the extreme lengths some are willing to go through to escape such a situation.
The book also opens up the opportunity to explore Inuit (or Eskimo, depending on your location) culture. This incredibly rich culture preceded the Anglo presence in America and is not often seen in YA texts. It is obviously present in history classrooms but that is primarily surface information. This takes the reader into the mindset and lifestyle of an Inuit. This could lead to interdisciplinary assessments, or the educator could teach a nonfiction piece on Inuit culture. Also, the coming-of-age tale could be compared to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian when comparing Native culture in an Inuit village and native culture in a village on a rez in the U.S. Also, this book could be taught alongside any of the texts I read for my individual inquiry project to explore the differences in experiences and themes of a novel focusing on a survivalist/coming-of-age tale between a young girl and a young boy.
M. T. Anderson's Feed
This is a book I can't stop thinking about. It was published in 2002 before text messaging was common and the Internet was in its adolescent stages. Cell phones were toddlers waiting to erupt with applications and face-to-face chat a la Skype. Now we have augmented reality applications like Yelp that tell us what we're looking at, ratings on the restaurant or product, and other pieces of information. There are new barcodes called QR codes that can contain a seemingly infinite amount of information on a product and all one needs is a phone with the app capability to find all of this out.
And then we have Feed. I did the math and the book seems to take place about sixty or seventy years from right now. It seems like a strange reality, a world where babies are no longer conceived by womb, but rather grow. Sound familiar? That's because this is becoming a real possibility. We are growing animals in petri dishes and consuming them. It is certainly a feasibility.
There is also 'Feednet' from which the book takes its name. Feednet is a type of alternative Internet that attaches to the human brain and allows users to connect with one another and communicate without speaking. It also displays to its users, or rather consumers, prices and information of products as they are looking at them. This isn't far off at all. We have text messaging now, where texters in a room together can communicate instantly without speaking and can go unbeknownst to others in the room not involved in the text conversations. We have the aforementioned augmented reality apps as well. Anderson's future is not far off at all. One thing missing from Feednet in society: the attachment to the brain. However...if we all carry our cell phones around with us at all times and often feel 'naked' without them, how is this much different? Take a walk through a stretch of downtown Chicago, or a college campus, and most people will probably have their cell phones in hand. We have become androids without even knowing it. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the repercussions can be damaging.
These repercussions are evident in Anderson's text: they become so reliable on Feednet that if it is 'hacked' it can malfunction and thus is fatal as it is attached to the brain. Although the loss of a cell phone is not fatal, it certainly is emotionally damaging. The other ramifications are the loss of vernacular. In the text, Titus, the central character, barely can hold an intelligent conversation and when speaking to his love interest Violet's father, does not understand a word he is speaking. I have thought about this a lot lately and I experience this myself. I start saying thing and that and using non-definitive pronouns in place of the words used to define the items or places or what have you. People do this all the time. Instead of searching for the absolute correct word in their brains, they just come up with whatever they think of, maybe trying to explain it, but often we just have to assume, and miscommunication can become rampant.
This is certainly a dystopian work, but also a poignant and necessary one. Students need to read this to understand where their generation can head if we become too dependent on technology and consumerism. It is important that texts like these be written so we can make ourselves more aware of our future and understand the implications that come along with advents in technology.
And then we have Feed. I did the math and the book seems to take place about sixty or seventy years from right now. It seems like a strange reality, a world where babies are no longer conceived by womb, but rather grow. Sound familiar? That's because this is becoming a real possibility. We are growing animals in petri dishes and consuming them. It is certainly a feasibility.
There is also 'Feednet' from which the book takes its name. Feednet is a type of alternative Internet that attaches to the human brain and allows users to connect with one another and communicate without speaking. It also displays to its users, or rather consumers, prices and information of products as they are looking at them. This isn't far off at all. We have text messaging now, where texters in a room together can communicate instantly without speaking and can go unbeknownst to others in the room not involved in the text conversations. We have the aforementioned augmented reality apps as well. Anderson's future is not far off at all. One thing missing from Feednet in society: the attachment to the brain. However...if we all carry our cell phones around with us at all times and often feel 'naked' without them, how is this much different? Take a walk through a stretch of downtown Chicago, or a college campus, and most people will probably have their cell phones in hand. We have become androids without even knowing it. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the repercussions can be damaging.
These repercussions are evident in Anderson's text: they become so reliable on Feednet that if it is 'hacked' it can malfunction and thus is fatal as it is attached to the brain. Although the loss of a cell phone is not fatal, it certainly is emotionally damaging. The other ramifications are the loss of vernacular. In the text, Titus, the central character, barely can hold an intelligent conversation and when speaking to his love interest Violet's father, does not understand a word he is speaking. I have thought about this a lot lately and I experience this myself. I start saying thing and that and using non-definitive pronouns in place of the words used to define the items or places or what have you. People do this all the time. Instead of searching for the absolute correct word in their brains, they just come up with whatever they think of, maybe trying to explain it, but often we just have to assume, and miscommunication can become rampant.
This is certainly a dystopian work, but also a poignant and necessary one. Students need to read this to understand where their generation can head if we become too dependent on technology and consumerism. It is important that texts like these be written so we can make ourselves more aware of our future and understand the implications that come along with advents in technology.
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