Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

Satrapi, Marjane. 2003. PERSEPOLIS: THE STORY OF A CHILDHOOD. New York: Pantheon Books, 2003.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhoold is just that--the story of Marjane Satrapi's, author of this graphic novel, childhood. Originally published in 2000 and 2001 in two volumes in France, Satrapi tells the story of her life as a child in Tehran from ages six to fourteen. Tehran is the capital city of Iran, not to mention the largest. Her life there was tumultuous, having to live through the Iraq-Iran War, a totalitarian ruler, bombings and deaths. She doesn't make her life any easier by exhibiting her rebellious nature. She chose to share her story in the form of a graphic novel, providing readers with a visual tale as well as a verbal. This was a new type of media for me, having a true story told in graphic format. It adds an entertaining, stimulating quality that may otherwise not have been there. Also, the novel seemed to move at quicker pace because of the short comic strip-like feature. Says one reviewer: "This is a graphic novel of immense power and importance for Westerners of all ages. It will speak to the same audience as Art Spiegelman's Maus (Pantheon, 1993)."

Reference List:

Woodcock, Susan H. 2003. Review of Persepolis: The Story of a Childhoold, by Marjane Satrapi. School Library Journal.

The Plain Janes

Castellucci, Cecil and Jim Rugg. 2007. THE PLAIN JANES. New York: DC Comics, 2007.

 Cecil Castellucci normally writes young adult novels, but with THE PLAIN JANES, she makes her graphic novel debut. No worries, though, this graphic novel is still written with teens in mind. After she's caught in a bomb attack, Jane's parents decide to relocate her from the city to the suburbs. There, bored out of her mind and worried about fitting in, she meets three other girls--all named Jane. Finding a kinship in each other, they form a secret club called the P.L.A.I.N. Janes--People Loving Art in Neighborhoods. They decide to liven up the town with art and manage to gain the title of "art terrorists". If you think that all sounds interesting, well, you're right! This graphic novel was a delight to read, fast paced and extremely entertaining. The artwork by Jim Rugg is clean and somewhat realistic. Says one reviewer: "Regular comics readers will enjoy it, but fans of soul-searching, realistic young adult fiction should know about it as well."

Reference List:

Goldstein, Lisa. 2007. Starred review of The Plain Janes, by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg. School Library Journal.

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies

Sones, Sonya. 2004. ONE OF THOSE HIDEOUS BOOKS WHERE THE MOTHER DIES. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2004.

Boston teen Ruby Milliken’s mother has recently succumbed to cancer. Not only does she have to come to terms with this horrific event, but she has to do it on the other side of the country from her friends and boyfriend. This is because her father, a famous movie star that divorced Ruby’s mother before she was born, lives all the way in Los Angeles. Needless to say, Ruby is not happy. Sonya Sones has a clever writing voice. She takes the subject of a teen losing her mother to cancer and having to move clear across the country away from everything she knows, and makes it an enjoyable, and often times humorous, read.

The novel is written in verse, a style of poetry writing that the average book reader may have to get used to. The entries are short—one to two pages long—and offer quick insights into Ruby’s mind. She also writes emails to her best friend Lizzie and boyfriend Ray, and even to her dead mother. The story is poignant and our lead character is quirky and quick-minded. Young adults everywhere will find a new favorite author in Sones. Says one reviewer: "This is not just another one of those gimmicky novels written in poetry. It's solid and well written, and Sones has a lot to say about the importance of carefully assessing people and situations and about opening the door to one's own happiness."

Reference List:

Scheps, Susan. 2004. Review of One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies, by Sonya Sones. School Library Journal.

HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER'S SHADOW

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2005. HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER’S SHADOW. New York: Scholastic Nonfiction, 2005.

HITLER YOUTH is a winner of the 2006 Newbery Honor medal. It’s a nonfiction book written for children about how young people figured into Adolph Hitler’s plans for the future. While the group Hitler Youth, or Hitlerjugend, was formed in 1926, this book focuses on the years between 1933 and 1945. And though millions of boys and girls belonged to Hitler Youth, this book focuses on 12.  

The subject matter in HITLER YOUTH is fascinating and new to me. Like everyone else my age, I grew up learning about Nazis and the Holocaust and World War II. This is the first time I’ve ever learned about Hitler’s plans to use young people to carry out his mission. It baffles me as to why schools don’t teach this particular part of the Nazi era. It seems to me it would serve as a great way to get students’ interests piqued.

HITLER YOUTH contains photos from that time period, and Bartoletti drew its contents from oral histories, diaries, letters, and interviews with Holocaust survivors and Hitler Youth. She answers the intriguing questions of why they joined, what their responsibilities to Hitler were, and what it was like. It was extremely interesting to read firsthand accounts of specific events.

I would recommend this book to reluctant learners of world history and to young readers interested in war in general. War is currently very much a part of today’s youth. “The final chapter superbly summarizes the weighty significance of this part of the 20th century and challenges young readers to prevent history from repeating itself” (Medlar).

Reference List:

Medlar, Andrew. 2005. Review of Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow, by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. School Library Journal.

THE BOOK THIEF

Zusak, Markus. 2006. THE BOOK THIEF. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006.

 THE BOOK THIEF is interesting from the very beginning because it’s narrated by someone (or something?) a little different: Death. That’s right, Death is telling this story. I dare the reader not to get sucked in by that little nugget of information alone. Let’s face it—when Death has something to say, people take notice.

In BOOK THIEF, Death tells the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl who lives right outside of Munich, Germany during the time of World War II. She is the book thief to which the title refers. She arrives at her foster home at age 9 with her first steal, The Gravediggers Handbook, and her foster father reads to her from it when she has nightmares about her brother’s death. To her, books are treasures and so she continues to steal them throughout the ensuing years, and it’s while she’s pursuing this “hobby” that she makes the most unusual friends.

Readers will be able to relate to Liesel’s love of books and reading, and will be intrigued by her daring as she pilfers from Nazi book burnings and from the mayor’s wife’s personal library. Because this is historical fiction, events that happened in real life are experienced here through the eyes of the characters. World War II and the Holocaust stir up emotions in people to this day—even in people who never had to experience it, and don’t know anyone who did. It was just a bleak and tragic time in history that touches a chord in everyone. This book did that for me.

This book is for all ages 12 and up, for those who love history, those who have had something taken from them and want to take something back in any way they can, and for those looking to add a bit more meaning in their lives. The novel is just captivating: “Zusak not only creates a mesmerizing and original story but also writes with poetic syntax, causing readers to deliberate over phrases and lines, even as the action impels them forward” (Goldsmith).

Reference List:

Goldsmith, Francisca. 2006. Review of The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. School Library Journal.

THE WEDNESDAY WARS

Schmidt, Gary D. 2007. THE WEDNESDAY WARS. New York: Clarion Books, 2007.

There are three things readers need to know about Holling Hoodhood, the protagonist of WEDNESDAY WARS: first, he’s the only Presbyterian in his seventh grade class; second, because of this he is the only one left behind while his Catholic and Jewish classmates attend religious instruction on Wednesday afternoons; and third, the teacher he’s left behind with hates his guts. At least, that’s the way it seems to Holling. These three small facts are what set the events of the novel in motion.

I was pleasantly surprised by THE WEDNESDAY WARS. I was fearful that because the protagonist was a young male, that I would be unable to connect with him as a character. After reading the first few pages, however, my fears were completely set aside because I realized this novel was written in such a way that made Holling likeable and relatable. The book is short, less than three hundred pages, and though the main character is in seventh grade, I would feel comfortable recommending it to fourth grade readers and up.

WEDNESDAY WARS refers to his weekly “battles” with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, whom he is certain took a disliking to him since the first day of school when she realized he would be the only one in class on Wednesday afternoons, when she could be having an otherwise free hour. However, though Holling isn’t involved in an actual “war”, the novel is set during the time period of the Vietnam War, making this a work of historical fiction, and it does have an impact on several characters, Mrs. Baker included.

I found WEDNESDAY WARS to be entertaining, and loved experiencing life through Holling’s eyes because of his amusing and sometimes thoughtful inner dialogue. I was also intrigued because though I was certain Mrs. Baker didn’t actually HATE Holling, there did seem to be something going on, and I wanted to find out what it was. This novel won a Newbery Honor medal in 2008 for reasons best summed up in this quote from a starred review in Booklist: “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” (Engberg).

Reference List:

Engberg, Gillian. 2007. Review of The Wednesday Wars, by Gary D. Schmidt. Booklist.

LITTLE BROTHER

Doctorow, Cory. 2008. LITTLE BROTHER. New York: Tor Teen, 2008.

LITTLE BROTHER by Cory Doctorow features the story of Marcus (a.k.a. w1n5t0n), a tech-savvy teenager who leads a rebellion against the government after his city is turned into a police state after a terrorist attack.

I found LITTLE BROTHER to be highly entertaining. It’s one of those fast-paced, edge of your seat, what’ll-happen-next type of novels. The hero of the novel is very computer smart which I love because it meant I could learn about a subject I’m interested in through his character. It’s always an added bonus when you can close a novel and be a little smarter than when you started.

Marcus makes for a compelling, well-rounded main character. He’s disgusted by the way the government is taking over his city, not to mention the fact that they locked him up for six days after the terrorist attack because he was under suspicion. He’s the unlikely leader of a large rebellion against the government, but at the same time you’re reminded that he’s just a teenage boy, too. He doesn’t have all the answers, he’s scared at times, but the sense of injustice he feels won’t let him rest. One reviewer agrees: “Marcus is a wonderfully developed character: hyperaware of his surroundings, trying to redress past wrongs, and rebelling against authority” (Shoemaker).

Reference List:

Shoemaker, Chris. 2008. Review of Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow. School Library Journal.