Satrapi, Marjane (2003). New York: Pantheon Books. ISBN 978-0-375-71483-2
Plot
This is a comic book telling the story of Marjane Satrapi’s life. She was born in Iran in 1969, just before the fall of the Shah and the rise to power of the Ayatollah. The early section shows Marjane’s life with her liberal parents and her loving extended family. The pictures show the changes in culture as the little girls acquire veils, the children are separated on the playground, and Western music or posters must be smuggled in. Her parents send Marjane to high school in Vienna, where she feels like an outsider and is very homesick. She gradually makes friends, but at the end of her 4 year stay in Vienna ends up living on the street in poor health. Marjane is happy to return to Iran, but things have grown even more restrictive. She eventually returns to college, marries and divorces, and ultimately must decide whether life for a modern woman is still possible in Iran.
Reader’s Annotation
In sharp black and white comic book format Satrapi gives her memoir—life as a child in the Ayatollah’s Iran, years as a lonely teen away at school in Vienna, culminating in her eventual return to Iran and efforts to come to terms with what she finds there.
Critique
Although the pictures are often funny and sometimes amplify the irony or horror of the text, often I found myself wanting the expanded observations that a written memoir could offer. Satrapi is very brave about putting her real personality into the narrative—she is loving and observant, but also spoiled, harsh, and cranky. One of the great achievements of the book, which could make it so great for a high school read, is to show how regular, recognizable people are caught up in the extreme events of Islamic revolution.
About the author
Marjane Satrapi was a small child in Iran during the years of the Ayatollah Khomeini’s riseto power. Her parents sent her to high school in Vienna so she could escape the oppression of Ian. She now lives in Paris. She is an illustrator and wrote and directed the movie of Persepolis.
Genre
Graphic memoir
Curriculum Ties
Excerpts for Social Studies
Booktalking Ideas
Life with a headscarf
Drawings sometimes the best way to communicate concisely—enlarge examples
Boarding school far from home
Reading Level/Interest Age
12-18 (YALSA) and up
Challenge Issues
This always happens to me. At first I say there are none, because these things aren’t the focus of the story. Then when I consider a school-wide read and go back and read for that, all these issues pop out at me: drug use, profanity, smoking, lots of sexual material.
Use description of ALA list found at http://www.librarything.com/bookaward/ALA+Outstanding+Books+for+the+College+Bound
Why Included?
Still looking for books for a school read that raise awareness of other cultures and the experience of being a cultural outsider. Many awards listed at https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/vbitters/www/Authors.html
Selection Tools
ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound
Maus II: A Survivor's Tale--And Here My Troubles Began
Spiegelman, Art (1992). New York: Pantheon. ISBN-10: 0679729771
ISBN-13: 978-0679729778
Plot
Maus II, subtitled with vicious irony, “And Here My Troubles Began”, follows Vladek and Anja, Speigelman’s parents, when they are sent to Dachau after losing all that they owned and their precious son. At the same time, Spiegelman records the process of eliciting from the aged Vladek his testimony about events during the war, and depicts his difficult relationship with Vladek over the years and at the end of Vlatek’s life. This book is the sequel to the great Maus I—My Father Bleeds History. In this volume in addition to the ink drawn Jewish mice, Nazi cats, and pig Poles, there are some frog Frenchmen in the camp, and the rescuing Americans are dogs. Vladek continues to use his observant opportunism to increase their chances of survival, but after the war these same traits intensify, making him impossible to live with. Anja survives the war and she and Vladek are reunited, but she remains mentally fragile and later commits suicide. Of Vladek’s entire family, only his younger brother was left after the war—not even one picture.
Reader’s Annotation
The Holocaust in small pen and ink comic book frames—mouse Jews, Nazi cats, and pig Poles. In this sequel Art Spiegelman’s aging and difficult father Vladek continues telling his son about his years in the Auschwitz and after, when he and his wife Anja leave Poland, first for Sweden and later for America.
Critique
Maus II is a seamless continuation of the narrative, style, and quality of the first book—see review under Maus I posting. Both books were originally part of an ongoing serial in Raw magazine.
About the author
In addition to the facts given in the Maus I posting, Art Spiegelman is, amazingly, the creator of the Garbage Pail Kids.
Genre
Graphic Novel
Curriculum Ties
History, English
Booktalking Ideas
Can a person who endures experiences such as Anja and Vladek survive avoid passing their damage on to their children?
What pictures would you save if they would be all you would have of your past?
How can someone who survived genocide still be prejudiced against other races?
Reading Level/Interest Age
High school-adult (SLJ)
Challenge Issues
Horrific events;Format?
Be knowledgeable about the book and prepared to discuss it calmly. Provide complaint form per board policy; Refer to reviews available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Maus-II-Survivors-Troubles-Began/dp/0679729771
Pulizer Prize
Why Included?
Sequel to astonishing Maus I
Selection Tools
Recommendations from own children; reviews/
ISBN-13: 978-0679729778
Plot
Maus II, subtitled with vicious irony, “And Here My Troubles Began”, follows Vladek and Anja, Speigelman’s parents, when they are sent to Dachau after losing all that they owned and their precious son. At the same time, Spiegelman records the process of eliciting from the aged Vladek his testimony about events during the war, and depicts his difficult relationship with Vladek over the years and at the end of Vlatek’s life. This book is the sequel to the great Maus I—My Father Bleeds History. In this volume in addition to the ink drawn Jewish mice, Nazi cats, and pig Poles, there are some frog Frenchmen in the camp, and the rescuing Americans are dogs. Vladek continues to use his observant opportunism to increase their chances of survival, but after the war these same traits intensify, making him impossible to live with. Anja survives the war and she and Vladek are reunited, but she remains mentally fragile and later commits suicide. Of Vladek’s entire family, only his younger brother was left after the war—not even one picture.
Reader’s Annotation
The Holocaust in small pen and ink comic book frames—mouse Jews, Nazi cats, and pig Poles. In this sequel Art Spiegelman’s aging and difficult father Vladek continues telling his son about his years in the Auschwitz and after, when he and his wife Anja leave Poland, first for Sweden and later for America.
Critique
Maus II is a seamless continuation of the narrative, style, and quality of the first book—see review under Maus I posting. Both books were originally part of an ongoing serial in Raw magazine.
About the author
In addition to the facts given in the Maus I posting, Art Spiegelman is, amazingly, the creator of the Garbage Pail Kids.
Genre
Graphic Novel
Curriculum Ties
History, English
Booktalking Ideas
Can a person who endures experiences such as Anja and Vladek survive avoid passing their damage on to their children?
What pictures would you save if they would be all you would have of your past?
How can someone who survived genocide still be prejudiced against other races?
Reading Level/Interest Age
High school-adult (SLJ)
Challenge Issues
Horrific events;Format?
Be knowledgeable about the book and prepared to discuss it calmly. Provide complaint form per board policy; Refer to reviews available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Maus-II-Survivors-Troubles-Began/dp/0679729771
Pulizer Prize
Why Included?
Sequel to astonishing Maus I
Selection Tools
Recommendations from own children; reviews/
Maus I: A Survivor's Tale--My Father Bleeds History
Spiegelman, Art (1986). New York: Pantheon Books. ISBN-10: 0394747232/ ISBN-13: 978-0394747231
Plot
In this graphic novel, Art Spiegelman presents, in black and white drawings and simple text boxes, a story within a story—his own relationship with his aging father ,Vladek, as ‘Artie’ interviews him about his experiences in the camps during World War II, and then the story of Vladek’s survival itself. In the drawings, the Jews are mice, the Nazis are cats, and the Poles are pigs. It starts when Vladek is a young man before the war living in Czechoslovakia, working as a textile salesman and considered handsome by all the girls. He meets Artie’s mother, Anja, who also survived the war, they begin a life, have a beautiful little boy, Richieu, and then the Nazis arrive in Poland. In this book Vladek is sent to Germany as forced labor, but makes it home. The family is sent to a smaller village Srodula, when their property is taken. Later they are imprisoned with other Jews in the Sosnowiec ghetto, but they have sent Richieu to live withfriends in a location they think is safer. At the end of the book, Anja and Vladek are on their way to Auschwitz, and Richieu suffers a tragic fate. This story is told in episodes, interspersed with the story of the comtemporary Vladek, his unreasonable attacks on his second wife, his emotional demands on his frsgile son, and his pathological need to save food,money, and potentially useful items.
Reader’s Annotation
The Jews are mice and the Nazis are cats in this graphic novel of the Holocaust. Art Spiegelman records his discussions with his father at the end of Vladek Spiegelman’s life, and also depicts the horrific events which lead to the imprisonment of he and his wife in Auschwitz.
Critique
It is a tragedy that, just as the victims of inhuman violence become inured to its horrific sights, we as readers become so familiar with the elements of Holocaust survivor narratives that we no longer receive their full impact. Art Spiegelman’s little drawings somehow present the story as a new thing; it’s like hearing of it for the first time. The dialogue is so evocative and realistic, and the pen-and-ink drawings are so effective—emphasizing the narrowing escape routes, and the inexorable progression of the Nazis’ plan—that many readers may find this comic book to be the most successful work created on the persecution of the Jews in World War II.
Genre
Graphic Novel
Curriculum Ties
History, English
Booktalking Ideas
What qualities in Vlatek both contribute to his survival and make him a difficult old man?
Effects on Art of his parents Survivor status ?
What is the effect on the story of making the people into animals?
Reading Level/Interest Age
8th grade -adult
Challenge Issues
Horrific events;Format?
SLJ Review available at http://www.amazon.com/Maus-Survivors-Father-Bleeds-History/dp/0394747232
Pulitzer Prize; Gather comment from religious and community leaders
Why Included?
Reputation; recommendations from my own children—always wanted to read
Selection Tools
YALSA –Outstanding Books for the College Bound
Plot
In this graphic novel, Art Spiegelman presents, in black and white drawings and simple text boxes, a story within a story—his own relationship with his aging father ,Vladek, as ‘Artie’ interviews him about his experiences in the camps during World War II, and then the story of Vladek’s survival itself. In the drawings, the Jews are mice, the Nazis are cats, and the Poles are pigs. It starts when Vladek is a young man before the war living in Czechoslovakia, working as a textile salesman and considered handsome by all the girls. He meets Artie’s mother, Anja, who also survived the war, they begin a life, have a beautiful little boy, Richieu, and then the Nazis arrive in Poland. In this book Vladek is sent to Germany as forced labor, but makes it home. The family is sent to a smaller village Srodula, when their property is taken. Later they are imprisoned with other Jews in the Sosnowiec ghetto, but they have sent Richieu to live withfriends in a location they think is safer. At the end of the book, Anja and Vladek are on their way to Auschwitz, and Richieu suffers a tragic fate. This story is told in episodes, interspersed with the story of the comtemporary Vladek, his unreasonable attacks on his second wife, his emotional demands on his frsgile son, and his pathological need to save food,money, and potentially useful items.
Reader’s Annotation
The Jews are mice and the Nazis are cats in this graphic novel of the Holocaust. Art Spiegelman records his discussions with his father at the end of Vladek Spiegelman’s life, and also depicts the horrific events which lead to the imprisonment of he and his wife in Auschwitz.
Critique
It is a tragedy that, just as the victims of inhuman violence become inured to its horrific sights, we as readers become so familiar with the elements of Holocaust survivor narratives that we no longer receive their full impact. Art Spiegelman’s little drawings somehow present the story as a new thing; it’s like hearing of it for the first time. The dialogue is so evocative and realistic, and the pen-and-ink drawings are so effective—emphasizing the narrowing escape routes, and the inexorable progression of the Nazis’ plan—that many readers may find this comic book to be the most successful work created on the persecution of the Jews in World War II.
Genre
Graphic Novel
Curriculum Ties
History, English
Booktalking Ideas
What qualities in Vlatek both contribute to his survival and make him a difficult old man?
Effects on Art of his parents Survivor status ?
What is the effect on the story of making the people into animals?
Reading Level/Interest Age
8th grade -adult
Challenge Issues
Horrific events;Format?
SLJ Review available at http://www.amazon.com/Maus-Survivors-Father-Bleeds-History/dp/0394747232
Pulitzer Prize; Gather comment from religious and community leaders
Why Included?
Reputation; recommendations from my own children—always wanted to read
Selection Tools
YALSA –Outstanding Books for the College Bound
The Princess Diaries: Volume I
Cabot, Meg. (2002). {Kindle 2.0.3 version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com.
Plot
Mia Thermopolis has enough to worry about as a regular freshman girl. She tall and flat-chested, has a crush on popular Josh, who doesn’t know she exists. She’s flunking Algebra, which is exacerbated by the fact that her best friend Lily is a genius, and worse, by the fact that her mom, an absent-minded artist, is dating her Algebra teacher. Mia deals with these challenges by recording them all in her diary. Then suddenly, things get worse, when her European ‘businessman’ father, who can’t have any more children due to his now-cured cancer, reveals that he is the Prince of Genovia, and Mia is now heir to the throne. Mia, more given to overalls and boots than tiaras, is not thrilled, especially when her dad announces she must move to Genovia to begin preparing for her role. This problem is solved by a worse one—Mia’s formidable Grandmere arrives at the Plaza to give Mia ‘princess lessons’. The demands of her secret role begin to cause problems for Mia; she quarrels with Lily when Mia can’t help to film an episode of Lily’s public access TV show, and now that a chauffeur/bodyguard Lars is driving her to school, Mia has to eat lunch with the other school body-guarded weirdo, Tina Hakim Baba, whose father is a wealthy Arab. Also involved in the story is Lily’s also-a-genius brother Michael, who seems surprisingly willing to tutor Mia in math. When her secret is disclosed Mia has to learn who truly values her for herself.
Reader’s Annotation
Nice Manhattan high school freshman Mia Thermopolis has to deal with problems: she is flat-chested; her mom is dating her Algebra teacher; she is the princess of a small European country. Cabot’s lighthearted and charming novel is the first in a long series.
Critique
Way more substantial than the frothy movie, but still lots of pink cover and tiara fun. Cigarette smoking, sidecar-drinking Grandmere is no Julie Andrews, and there is some real emotion evoked as Mia learns what a true friend is, and just how far she can depend on her father and his family. Mia is not a prodigy of diary-writing, but she has funny observations—the body guards comparing favorite weapons was a highlight, and it’s always enjoyable to read New York stories, where there is a doorman, friends’ parents are psychotherapists, and people have to go to the Plaza for tea with their grandmothers. The story also makes way more sense when set in Manhattan, where accessible public transportation makes geographic freedom for teens more of a norm.
About the author
Cabot’s actual first name is Meggin. She comes from Indiana and moved to New York to be an illustrator, but she ended up managing a dorm at NYU instead. Now there are over 15 million copies of her books in print and she lives in Key West Florida
Genre
Teen Chick-Lit/Contemporary (Genreflecting)
Curriculum Ties
Recreational
Booktalking Ideas
Would you be more excited to be a princess than Mia is? What would you do?
New York Navigation
Prince Charles, MIa's dad? Why aren't princes charming anymore?
Reading Level/Interest Age
Middle through high school (Genreflecting)
Challenge Issues
None
Why Included?
Genre project; sparkly tiara
Selection Tools
Best Books Young Adults--YALSA
Plot
Mia Thermopolis has enough to worry about as a regular freshman girl. She tall and flat-chested, has a crush on popular Josh, who doesn’t know she exists. She’s flunking Algebra, which is exacerbated by the fact that her best friend Lily is a genius, and worse, by the fact that her mom, an absent-minded artist, is dating her Algebra teacher. Mia deals with these challenges by recording them all in her diary. Then suddenly, things get worse, when her European ‘businessman’ father, who can’t have any more children due to his now-cured cancer, reveals that he is the Prince of Genovia, and Mia is now heir to the throne. Mia, more given to overalls and boots than tiaras, is not thrilled, especially when her dad announces she must move to Genovia to begin preparing for her role. This problem is solved by a worse one—Mia’s formidable Grandmere arrives at the Plaza to give Mia ‘princess lessons’. The demands of her secret role begin to cause problems for Mia; she quarrels with Lily when Mia can’t help to film an episode of Lily’s public access TV show, and now that a chauffeur/bodyguard Lars is driving her to school, Mia has to eat lunch with the other school body-guarded weirdo, Tina Hakim Baba, whose father is a wealthy Arab. Also involved in the story is Lily’s also-a-genius brother Michael, who seems surprisingly willing to tutor Mia in math. When her secret is disclosed Mia has to learn who truly values her for herself.
Reader’s Annotation
Nice Manhattan high school freshman Mia Thermopolis has to deal with problems: she is flat-chested; her mom is dating her Algebra teacher; she is the princess of a small European country. Cabot’s lighthearted and charming novel is the first in a long series.
Critique
Way more substantial than the frothy movie, but still lots of pink cover and tiara fun. Cigarette smoking, sidecar-drinking Grandmere is no Julie Andrews, and there is some real emotion evoked as Mia learns what a true friend is, and just how far she can depend on her father and his family. Mia is not a prodigy of diary-writing, but she has funny observations—the body guards comparing favorite weapons was a highlight, and it’s always enjoyable to read New York stories, where there is a doorman, friends’ parents are psychotherapists, and people have to go to the Plaza for tea with their grandmothers. The story also makes way more sense when set in Manhattan, where accessible public transportation makes geographic freedom for teens more of a norm.
About the author
Cabot’s actual first name is Meggin. She comes from Indiana and moved to New York to be an illustrator, but she ended up managing a dorm at NYU instead. Now there are over 15 million copies of her books in print and she lives in Key West Florida
Genre
Teen Chick-Lit/Contemporary (Genreflecting)
Curriculum Ties
Recreational
Booktalking Ideas
Would you be more excited to be a princess than Mia is? What would you do?
New York Navigation
Prince Charles, MIa's dad? Why aren't princes charming anymore?
Reading Level/Interest Age
Middle through high school (Genreflecting)
Challenge Issues
None
Why Included?
Genre project; sparkly tiara
Selection Tools
Best Books Young Adults--YALSA
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Brashares, Ann (2001). New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN 0-385-172933-2
Plot
Four girls, friends since before birth, face their first summer-long separation assisted by an almost magical pair of jeans, which seem to look good on each of the differently shaped friends. The girls make rules for wearing the jeans and plans to share them through the mail. Beautiful Lena and her sister spend the summer in Greece with their grandparents; thoughtful, loyal Carmen visits her father in South Carolina, cranky, reluctant big sister Tibby has to work at the local ‘Wallman’s’, and risktaking Bridget, the sporty one, goes to soccer camp in Baja California. Each girl has a turn with the pants as she faces the challenges of her new environment. Bridget must navigate the difficult road to sexual maturity and self-awareness; Lena learns about romance in an unfamiliar culture, Tibby develops a difficult relationship with a very ill young girl, and Carmen, the main narrator, must deal with her father's remarriage, and his thoughtless treatment of her in the process. The summer holds many challenges, but the loving friendship between the four girls sustains them through all.
Reader’s Annotation
This genuinely sweet novel features four high school friends remain connected during a far-flung summer apart through their shared custody of a magically adaptable pair of jeans.
Critique
This is a very charming book. The divided plot set-up, with the four disparate girls and locales raises critical concern that two-dimensional stereotypes will populate a generic coming-of-age tale, but each girl is presented realistically, much aided by the epistolary, first person narratives. The difficult situations—first sex; the death of a friend--are handled without either exaggeration or flippancy. The Greek setting is very nicely described and contributes to the slightly fantastical nature of the pants story. It’s interesting that the exploration of Carmen’s unexpressed anger at her absent father is repeated in several of the ‘Chick Lit’ books read for this blog. The best feature of the book, and the thing which draws so many girls to the series is the warmth and love, not unrealistic but rarely depicted, which endures among the girls.
About the author
Born in 1967, Ann Brasheres grew up in the Virginia/Maryland area where the Travelling Pants books are set. She went to Sidwell Friends, where the Obama girls go, and then Barnard College. She now lives in New York with her husband and several children.
Genre
Chick Lit/Epistolary Novel (Genreflecting)
Curriculum Ties
Recreational
Booktalking Ideas
Why does it take so long for Carmen to get mad at her dad?
What’s the connection between Bridget’s recklessness and the death of her mother?
Describe the relationship between Tibby and Bailey.
Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 7-12
Challenge Issues
None
Why Included?
Best Books for Young Adults—ALA. Very popular and recommended by my sophomore class readers
Selection Tools
Student Recommendations; ALA List
Plot
Four girls, friends since before birth, face their first summer-long separation assisted by an almost magical pair of jeans, which seem to look good on each of the differently shaped friends. The girls make rules for wearing the jeans and plans to share them through the mail. Beautiful Lena and her sister spend the summer in Greece with their grandparents; thoughtful, loyal Carmen visits her father in South Carolina, cranky, reluctant big sister Tibby has to work at the local ‘Wallman’s’, and risktaking Bridget, the sporty one, goes to soccer camp in Baja California. Each girl has a turn with the pants as she faces the challenges of her new environment. Bridget must navigate the difficult road to sexual maturity and self-awareness; Lena learns about romance in an unfamiliar culture, Tibby develops a difficult relationship with a very ill young girl, and Carmen, the main narrator, must deal with her father's remarriage, and his thoughtless treatment of her in the process. The summer holds many challenges, but the loving friendship between the four girls sustains them through all.
Reader’s Annotation
This genuinely sweet novel features four high school friends remain connected during a far-flung summer apart through their shared custody of a magically adaptable pair of jeans.
Critique
This is a very charming book. The divided plot set-up, with the four disparate girls and locales raises critical concern that two-dimensional stereotypes will populate a generic coming-of-age tale, but each girl is presented realistically, much aided by the epistolary, first person narratives. The difficult situations—first sex; the death of a friend--are handled without either exaggeration or flippancy. The Greek setting is very nicely described and contributes to the slightly fantastical nature of the pants story. It’s interesting that the exploration of Carmen’s unexpressed anger at her absent father is repeated in several of the ‘Chick Lit’ books read for this blog. The best feature of the book, and the thing which draws so many girls to the series is the warmth and love, not unrealistic but rarely depicted, which endures among the girls.
About the author
Born in 1967, Ann Brasheres grew up in the Virginia/Maryland area where the Travelling Pants books are set. She went to Sidwell Friends, where the Obama girls go, and then Barnard College. She now lives in New York with her husband and several children.
Genre
Chick Lit/Epistolary Novel (Genreflecting)
Curriculum Ties
Recreational
Booktalking Ideas
Why does it take so long for Carmen to get mad at her dad?
What’s the connection between Bridget’s recklessness and the death of her mother?
Describe the relationship between Tibby and Bailey.
Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 7-12
Challenge Issues
None
Why Included?
Best Books for Young Adults—ALA. Very popular and recommended by my sophomore class readers
Selection Tools
Student Recommendations; ALA List
Little Brother
Doctorow, Cory (2008). New York,:Tor. ISBN-13: 978-0-7653-1985-2
Plot
A very few digital evolutions ahead of now, when schools are policed by ‘gait recognition’ software, a group of San Francisco teens ditches class to play a roving GPS game. As they begin the game, the Bay Bridge is bombed by terrorists. One of the group, Darryl, is wounded in the ensuing mayhem. While seeking help for Darryl, the acute and technologically adept Marcus is rounded up by the Department of Homeland Security, imprisoned, and subjected to humiliation and psychological torture. In the fear-filled weeks after the bombing and his release, Marcus sees the range and power of the DHS begin to grow, and he gathers the technological and social resources available to him to fight a technological guerilla campaign for the principals of the US Constitution.
Reader’s Annotation
After the San Francisco Bay Bridge is bombed by terrorists, the Department of Homeland Security exploits the fear of residents to justify growing intrusions into the privacy and civil rights of Americans. Sharp teen techno-whiz Marcus, himself an early victim of DHS imprisonment, uses his gamer background to create a guerilla techno resistance, but there are digital spies everywhere—even within his own movement.
Critique
Little Brother is a stirring book—the emotions evoked by Marcus’ imprisonment, his first love, his relationship with his parents are compelling; the idealistic passion of the author in defense of Constitutional freedoms is inspiring. The complex plot usually moves at high speed, full of intriguing technological strategies and lurching from precarious situation to desperate escape. For a large group of techie reluctant boy readers, this book can be a game-changing recommendation, especially when combined with the information that the book can be downloaded for free in numerous formats. On the downside—even when it’s on the side of causes we support—propaganda is propaganda. The book presents a very simplified view of a complex problem—only the imperfectly drawn character of the father acknowledges any difficulty in balancing security and freedom, and when occasionally the entire plot comes to a standstill for Marcus to share some cut-and-paste information from the electronic Frontier Foundation, the sense that Marcus is a puppet and the strings are showing undermines the whole book’s emphasis on free thought. Still, the book is highly recommended for its exciting but thoughtful story, and especially for its wonderful emphasis on the potential positive power of teen intellect and creativity in preserving American freedoms.
About the author
Cory Doctorow, born in 1971, is a Canadian author, blogger, copyright activist, and Independent Studies Scholar in Virtual Residence at the University of Waterloo, Ontario.
Genre
Techno-science fiction/political dystopia
Curriculum Ties
Would make a great assignment for a Civics/Social Studies class, especially if combined with a non-fiction source and a reasoned defense of security.
Booktalking Ideas
How does Facebook interact with this books ideas about privacy?
How far should the government go to keep us safe?
Discuss the dad’s behavior
Reading Level/Interest Age
9th and up
Challenge Issues
Sex scenes, not graphic but intense; more controversial for its strong views on the Patriot Act and national security measures.
Be knowledgeable about the book and prepared to discuss it calmly. Provide complaint form per board policy; list Hugo finalist, John W Campbell and other awards; SLJ and Booklist reviews available at http://www.amazon.com/Little-Brother-Cory-Doctorow/dp/0765319853; gather teen responses.
Why Included?
Required for class; great YA read, especially for tech boys and political or potentially political kids of any persuasion
Selection Tools
Instructor Assignment--thanks!
Plot
A very few digital evolutions ahead of now, when schools are policed by ‘gait recognition’ software, a group of San Francisco teens ditches class to play a roving GPS game. As they begin the game, the Bay Bridge is bombed by terrorists. One of the group, Darryl, is wounded in the ensuing mayhem. While seeking help for Darryl, the acute and technologically adept Marcus is rounded up by the Department of Homeland Security, imprisoned, and subjected to humiliation and psychological torture. In the fear-filled weeks after the bombing and his release, Marcus sees the range and power of the DHS begin to grow, and he gathers the technological and social resources available to him to fight a technological guerilla campaign for the principals of the US Constitution.
Reader’s Annotation
After the San Francisco Bay Bridge is bombed by terrorists, the Department of Homeland Security exploits the fear of residents to justify growing intrusions into the privacy and civil rights of Americans. Sharp teen techno-whiz Marcus, himself an early victim of DHS imprisonment, uses his gamer background to create a guerilla techno resistance, but there are digital spies everywhere—even within his own movement.
Critique
Little Brother is a stirring book—the emotions evoked by Marcus’ imprisonment, his first love, his relationship with his parents are compelling; the idealistic passion of the author in defense of Constitutional freedoms is inspiring. The complex plot usually moves at high speed, full of intriguing technological strategies and lurching from precarious situation to desperate escape. For a large group of techie reluctant boy readers, this book can be a game-changing recommendation, especially when combined with the information that the book can be downloaded for free in numerous formats. On the downside—even when it’s on the side of causes we support—propaganda is propaganda. The book presents a very simplified view of a complex problem—only the imperfectly drawn character of the father acknowledges any difficulty in balancing security and freedom, and when occasionally the entire plot comes to a standstill for Marcus to share some cut-and-paste information from the electronic Frontier Foundation, the sense that Marcus is a puppet and the strings are showing undermines the whole book’s emphasis on free thought. Still, the book is highly recommended for its exciting but thoughtful story, and especially for its wonderful emphasis on the potential positive power of teen intellect and creativity in preserving American freedoms.
About the author
Cory Doctorow, born in 1971, is a Canadian author, blogger, copyright activist, and Independent Studies Scholar in Virtual Residence at the University of Waterloo, Ontario.
Genre
Techno-science fiction/political dystopia
Curriculum Ties
Would make a great assignment for a Civics/Social Studies class, especially if combined with a non-fiction source and a reasoned defense of security.
Booktalking Ideas
How does Facebook interact with this books ideas about privacy?
How far should the government go to keep us safe?
Discuss the dad’s behavior
Reading Level/Interest Age
9th and up
Challenge Issues
Sex scenes, not graphic but intense; more controversial for its strong views on the Patriot Act and national security measures.
Be knowledgeable about the book and prepared to discuss it calmly. Provide complaint form per board policy; list Hugo finalist, John W Campbell and other awards; SLJ and Booklist reviews available at http://www.amazon.com/Little-Brother-Cory-Doctorow/dp/0765319853; gather teen responses.
Why Included?
Required for class; great YA read, especially for tech boys and political or potentially political kids of any persuasion
Selection Tools
Instructor Assignment--thanks!
The Secret Diaries of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4
No one knows what pain we intellectuals feel, especially if we're at the same time not very clever.
Townsend, Sue (1982). New York: Avon Books. ISBN: 0-380-73044-8
Plot
A young teen living in Ashby-de-la Zouch in Leicester, England, Adrian records the obsessions and difficulties of his teenage life in his secret diary. He is a hypochondriac, worries incessantly over his complexion as not only a social crisis but also a medical emergency, and records his ongoing love for his posh classmate Pandora and her “treacle hair”, his battles with the school bully, Barry Kent, to whom he has to pay protection money, and his efforts on behalf of his “Good Samaritan” school service project, the aged, unwholesome, but still vital old communist Bert Baxter. Adrian is in a constant, admittedly often justified frenzy of self-righteous disapproval concerning the behavior of the underemployed, feckless, lower middle class adults who surround him as they struggle to survive in the 1980’s Britain of Margaret Thatcher. Plus he has to spend a lot of time up in his room measuring his thing and looking at his precious copies of “Big and Bouncy”.
Reader’s Annotation
Adrian Mole, England’s most beloved suburban adolescent till the kid with the glasses and the scar came around, writes in his secret diary of his love for Pandora, his worries about his spots and the size of his thing, and the failures of the adult world, such as the way Malcolm Muggeridge never answers his letters, even though they are both intellectuals.
Critique
The early Adrian Mole Diaries are hilarious. Adrian’s swoops from pomposity to paralyzed self-consciousness are British humor at its best. The half-child’s partially-aware view of adult foibles as his mother has an affair with the neighbor, his father grows more ineffectual and pathetic, and hypocrites like Pandora’s wealthy father betray Britain’spromise to working class veterans like Bert Baxter are black comedy with a sharp social awareness. The addition in the American edition of the letters to and from Hamish Mancini as a glossary to British idioms is horrible—Townsend’s ear for the peculiarities of British usage doesn’t give her any familiarity with American forms
About the author
Sue Townsend married very young, was abandoned by her husband and suppoting several young children alone when she first created Adrian Mole. The books became the greatest best sellers in England in the 80’s and 90’s, and she became a wealthy woman.
Genre
Humor
Curriculum Ties
English—use excerpts
Booktalking Ideas
Things Adrian is oblivious about
Do you like Pandora?
British Social System
Reading Level/Interest Age
8th grade and up
Challenge Issues
Thing measuring, “Big and Bouncy”-reading, sexual humor.
Be knowledgeable about the book and prepared to discuss it calmly. Provide complaint form per board policy; provide copies of SLJ, New York Times, and critical analyses; gather student responses
Why Included?
Used for author study; always wanted to read
Selection Tools
Author’s bibliography
Townsend, Sue (1982). New York: Avon Books. ISBN: 0-380-73044-8
Plot
A young teen living in Ashby-de-la Zouch in Leicester, England, Adrian records the obsessions and difficulties of his teenage life in his secret diary. He is a hypochondriac, worries incessantly over his complexion as not only a social crisis but also a medical emergency, and records his ongoing love for his posh classmate Pandora and her “treacle hair”, his battles with the school bully, Barry Kent, to whom he has to pay protection money, and his efforts on behalf of his “Good Samaritan” school service project, the aged, unwholesome, but still vital old communist Bert Baxter. Adrian is in a constant, admittedly often justified frenzy of self-righteous disapproval concerning the behavior of the underemployed, feckless, lower middle class adults who surround him as they struggle to survive in the 1980’s Britain of Margaret Thatcher. Plus he has to spend a lot of time up in his room measuring his thing and looking at his precious copies of “Big and Bouncy”.
Reader’s Annotation
Adrian Mole, England’s most beloved suburban adolescent till the kid with the glasses and the scar came around, writes in his secret diary of his love for Pandora, his worries about his spots and the size of his thing, and the failures of the adult world, such as the way Malcolm Muggeridge never answers his letters, even though they are both intellectuals.
Critique
The early Adrian Mole Diaries are hilarious. Adrian’s swoops from pomposity to paralyzed self-consciousness are British humor at its best. The half-child’s partially-aware view of adult foibles as his mother has an affair with the neighbor, his father grows more ineffectual and pathetic, and hypocrites like Pandora’s wealthy father betray Britain’spromise to working class veterans like Bert Baxter are black comedy with a sharp social awareness. The addition in the American edition of the letters to and from Hamish Mancini as a glossary to British idioms is horrible—Townsend’s ear for the peculiarities of British usage doesn’t give her any familiarity with American forms
About the author
Sue Townsend married very young, was abandoned by her husband and suppoting several young children alone when she first created Adrian Mole. The books became the greatest best sellers in England in the 80’s and 90’s, and she became a wealthy woman.
Genre
Humor
Curriculum Ties
English—use excerpts
Booktalking Ideas
Things Adrian is oblivious about
Do you like Pandora?
British Social System
Reading Level/Interest Age
8th grade and up
Challenge Issues
Thing measuring, “Big and Bouncy”-reading, sexual humor.
Be knowledgeable about the book and prepared to discuss it calmly. Provide complaint form per board policy; provide copies of SLJ, New York Times, and critical analyses; gather student responses
Why Included?
Used for author study; always wanted to read
Selection Tools
Author’s bibliography
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