Module 4: When You Reach Me

Full Citation


Stead, Rebecca. When You Reach Me. New York: Wendy Lamb, 2009. Print.


Summary 


It's 1978, and twelve year old Miranda is dealing with a few issues. Her best friend Sal has been totally avoiding her since he was mysteriously punched, there's a mysterious "laughing man" hanging around, and to top it off, she starts receiving mysterious notes that seem to be written from the future. As the note-writer implores her to tell him/her everything about her sixth grade year, Miranda talks about her family (her mother's getting ready to go on the $20,000 Pyramid), her friends (her issues with Sal as well as her new friends Annemarie and Colin), and her school life.


My Impressions


This is a book that definitely requires multiple readings. The first time I read it, I was so caught up in the central mystery that I missed the greater theme of a girl growing up and learning that people aren't always what they seem. Stead puts in lots of great detail of the era, such as the $20,000 Pyramid as well as Miranda's favorite book (and fellow Newbery winner!) A Wrinkle in Time. 

What Other Reviewers Said

Gr 5-8-Sixth-grader Miranda lives in 1978 New York City with her mother, and her life compass is Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. When she receives a series of enigmatic notes that claim to want to save her life, she comes to believe that they are from someone who knows the future. Miranda spends considerable time observing a raving vagrant who her mother calls "the laughing man" and trying to find the connection between the notes and her everyday life. Discerning readers will realize the ties between Miranda's mystery and L'Engle's plot, but will enjoy hints of fantasy and descriptions of middle school dynamics. Stead's novel is as much about character as story. Miranda's voice rings true with its faltering attempts at maturity and observation. The story builds slowly, emerging naturally from a sturdy premise. As Miranda reminisces, the time sequencing is somewhat challenging, but in an intriguing way. The setting is consistently strong. The stores and even the streets-in Miranda's neighborhood act as physical entities and impact the plot in tangible ways. This unusual, thought-provoking mystery will appeal to several types of readers. (1)

A science-fiction tale firmly rooted in reality, When You Reach Me is the written correspondence between Miranda, a latchkey kid growing up in New York City during the 1970s, and the time traveler she has yet to meet. In order to prevent a tragedy Miranda must tell the truth about her sixth-grade year. "You won't be yourself when you reach me," Miranda writes to the mysterious stranger, "but you will get the job done." Rebecca Stead successfully reveals two important portals to the future--time travel and preadolescence. "It's kind of a special time," says Stead, when kids realize, "life is so much more complicated than I thought--and it's not all about me." Like the heroine of her favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time, Miranda struggles just as much with immaturity as she does with the laws of physics. With issues ranging from her mom's embarrassing wardrobe to her sudden estrangement from her friend Sal, Miranda learns that growing apart is part of growing up. "A lot of my strongest memories about friendship come from the making and the breaking and the discovering," says Stead. Like all preadolescents, she said, Miranda discovers the "ability to look at people from a slightly wiser point of view." (Ages 10-14) (2)

Suggested Activities


Have kids discuss other favorite books, movies, and TV shows that feature time travel. How are they alike? How are they different?

Other Citations

(1) Augusta, Caitlin. "When You Reach Me." School Library Journal 55.7 (2009): 93. MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 26 Sept. 2010.

(2) "When You Reach Me." Kirkus Reviews 77.22 (2009): 16. MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 26 Sept. 2010.

Module 4: The Wheel on the School

Full Citation


DeJong Meindert. The Wheel on the School. New York: Harper, 1954. Print.

Summary


For years, migrating storks have avoided the roofs of the small Dutch fishing village of Shora, and Lina, the town's only school-girl wonders why. Inspired by her teacher's encouragement and a town elder's stories, Lina and her schoolmates Jella, Auka, Pier, Dirk, and Eelka, begin search for wagon wheel to place on every roof in town for the storks to nest. In the process, they get to know other figures around the town.

My Impressions


The first three or so chapters of this fairly obscure Newbery winner really drew me in. I wasn't really familiar with life in Holland beyond the old legend of the Dutch boy with his finger in the dike, and the book did a really good job of painting a mental picture for me. (Maurice Sendak's brilliant-as-usual illustrations might have also played a role in that.) The story meandered near the end, but still it would make a great pick for young readers because it shows children being resourceful while also learning that there's often more to the adults in their lives than they think.

What Other Reviewers Said

"This is so much more than the story of a group of school children trying to bring storks to their Dutch fishing village on the North Sea. It is a story of people - people everywhere. It is a story of how important people are, irregardless of their age, physical condition, or how they make a living. It encourages us to go beyond what we see on the surface. It shows us that when we help others and care about others, good things will come to us. The children originally wanted to lure storks to their little village because the storks were said to bring good luck. Little did they know that storks would send good fortune ahead in the form of new-found friendships, help for others, and a community that came closer together than it had been before. Miendert DeJong does a masterful job of telling the story and providing strategically planted links as the events take place and unfold. I am an elementary teacher in Cabarrus County, NC. I have read this book to my children each year for many years. When I ask my new class if anyone has heard of the book, no one raises a hand. By the time we finish, the children feel like they have been right there with Lina and the boys. They have also grown to realize that Janus was far from being the mean old man that they met at the beginning. They realize that he just needed to be needed. Each time I read the book, I see more and I learn more. Don't read this story just once. You will be walking over a hidden treasure." (1)

"Frankly, the book didn't sound very interesting when I finally managed to get the title right. When I picked it up, though, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was illustrated by Maurice Sendak, and that the wheel in the book goes on top of the school to attract storks. Storks are definitely more interesting (to me, anyway) than schoolbuses - which are no where to be found in this book, my mind just sticks wheels and buses together because of the preschool song - the wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, ad nauseum. Anyway, I found The Wheel on the School a gentle and interesting if not overly exciting read. It reminded me a bit of Roller Skates in this respect - and like Roller Skates, DeJong's story does an excellent job of portraying a community of interesting characters and a time and place that is unfamiliar to most of us.... For kids (and adults) that have the patience for this story - it is a bit long, especially compared to some of the other winners - there is a lot to enjoy. DeJong shows a fine understanding of environmental relationships (and how cool would it be to have storks on your roof?), community and family interactions, and how kids think. I'm glad I read The Wheel on the School, and I wouldn't mind reading some of DeJong's other books - a couple of the others won Newbery Honors, and several more are also illustrated by Sendak." (2)

Suggested Activities


Have children work together in groups of four to six to identify a problem in their own community, then have them do a creative project (like a picture or a diorama) to illustrate what their solution to the problem would be. It can be a real problem with realistic solutions, or totally silly, just as long as they are showing creative and critical thinking.

Other Citations


(1) "Each Time I Read This Book, I Love It More." Rev. of The Wheel on the School. Amazon.com. 7 Sept. 1999. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. <http://www.amazon.com/Wheel-School-Meindert-Dejong/dp/0064400212>.


(2) D., Sandy. "The Wheel on the School." Rev. of The Wheel on the School. Web log post. The Newbery Project. 31 Mar. 2008. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. <http://newberryproject.blogspot.com/2008/03/wheel-on-school_31.html>.

Module 3: Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Full Citation


Taback, Simms. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. New York: Scholastic, 2000. Print.


Summary


Joseph, a Jewish man living in early 20th century Poland, notices that his overcoat is getting worn, so he uses the material and makes a vest. When the vest gets worn, he takes that and makes a scarf. When that gets worn... find out for yourself!

My Impressions


My first impression when I opened the book was "The book is damaged!" Then I realized it was just part of the story; the overcoat becomes a vest through specially cut holes in the pages. This is just one example of the cleverness that went into this book. If you don't take time to check out the illustrations in this Caldecott winner, you'll be missing half of the fun. Taback adds little details to each page through his drawings as well as some photographs. The story itself, based on an old Yiddish folk song, is simple and memorable for any little kid. It's definitely one to enjoy over and over.


What Other Reviewers Said


As in his Caldecott Honor book, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, Taback's inventive use of die-cut pages shows off his signature artwork, here newly created for his 1977 adaptation of a Yiddish folk song. This diverting, sequential story unravels as swiftly as the threads of Joseph's well-loved, patch-covered plaid coat. A flip of the page allows children to peek through to subsequent spreads as Joseph's tailoring produces items of decreasing size. The author puts a droll spin on his narrative when Joseph loses the last remnant of the coat button and decides to make a book about it. "Which shows... you can always make something out of nothing," writes Taback, who wryly slips himself into his story by depicting Joseph creating a dummy for the book that readers are holding. Still, it's the bustling mixed-media artwork, highlighted by the strategically placed die-cuts, that steals the show. Taback works into his folk art a menagerie of wide-eyed animals witnessing the overcoat's transformation, miniature photographs superimposed on paintings and some clever asides reproduced in small print (a wall hanging declares, "Better to have an ugly patch than a beautiful hole"; a newspaper headline announces, "Fiddler on Roof Falls off Roof"). With its effective repetition and an abundance of visual humor, this is tailor-made for reading aloud. All ages. (1)


"Joseph had a little overcoat. It was old and worn. So he made a jacket out of it and went to the fair." So begins this adaptation of a Yiddish folk song (a newly illustrated version of a book Taback first did in 1977). The text is simple to the point of prosaicness — nowhere near as inventive and jazzy as the illustrator's riff on There Was an Old lady Who Swallowed a Fly — but the art sings with color and movement and humor and personality. Taback employs die-cuts with the same effectiveness and cleverness as he did in There Was an Old Lady to tell the story of resourceful Joseph, a farmer/tailor of Yehupetz, Poland, who recycles his worn overcoat into ever-smaller elements (jacket, vest, scarf, tie, handkerchief, and button). Taback incorporates detail after detail of Jewish life — the Yiddish newspaper the Morning Freiheit; references to Sholom Aleichem and other writers and philosophers; Yiddish proverbs and Chelm stories — to create a veritable pageant of pre-WWII Jewish-Polish life. (In fact, the book is as much a tribute to a vanished way of life as it is a story, but the tribute only enriches the tale.) Broad comedy plays an important part of the pageant: Joseph looks so unhappy and gets such expressively reproachful looks from his animals when his garments become "old and worn"; in contrast, he is all smiles when, each time, he makes something new out of the old. (The exceptionally clever cover design — which incorporates die-cuts to show first a distressingly full-of-holes and then a jauntily patched overcoat — echoes this satisfying pattern.) Double-page spreads employ a mixture of painting and collage to somewhat surreal but delightful effect, such as the one in which Joseph is standing in a field covered with photographs of fruits and vegetables of every kind, from watermelons to jalapeno peppers. In the end, Joseph loses his button, his last bit of overcoat; left with nothing, he makes one more item — this book. Don't you lose it: clever, visually engrossing, poignant, it's worth holding on to. (2)


Suggested Activities 


Have kids think of their own examples of things old and seemingly worthless that can be used again. They can make a book out of their own drawings or magazine clippings illustrating just how far they can go to make "something out of nothing."

Other Citations


(1) Rev. of "Joseph Had a Little Overcoat." Publisher's Weekly. "Amazon.com: Joseph Had a Little Overcoat (Caldecott Medal Book) (9780670878550): Simms Taback: Books." Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & More. Web. 13 Sept. 2010. <http://tinyurl.com/2a4lj8e>.

(2) Parravano, Martha V. "Joseph Had a Little Overcoat." Horn Book Magazine 76.1 (2000): 68-69. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 12 Sept. 2010.

Module 3: Bud, Not Buddy

Full Citation

Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bud, Not Buddy. New York: Delacorte, 1999. Print.


Summary


The year is 1936, the place is Flint, Michigan, and the hero is 10-year-old Bud Caldwell. Bud ("not Buddy," as the title says and the book repeatedly emphasizes) has been living in an orphanage since he was six, when his mother died. After escaping from an abusive foster family, Bud decides to head out to Grand Rapids, with only his treasured suitcase and "Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself" in tow, in search of famous musician Herman E. Calloway, who he believes is his father. Finding Calloway, however, is only the beginning...

My Impressions


This book, published in 1999, is a "new classic" in every sense of the word. It follows a lovable, relatable young hero through a series of events both hilarious and dramatic. It always provides a picture of life during the Great Depression, a time in American history that has particular resonance today as foreclosures and job losses once again seem all around us. This Newbery and Coretta Scott King winner is a must-have for any public, school, or home library for its memorable characters and satisfying story.


What Other Reviewers Said 

As in his Newbery Honor-winning debut, The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963, Curtis draws on a remarkable and disarming mix of comedy and pathos, this time to describe the travails and adventures of a 10-year-old African-American orphan in Depression-era Michigan. Bud is fed up with the cruel treatment he has received at various foster homes, and after being locked up for the night in a shed with a swarm of angry hornets, he decides to run away. His goal: to reach the man he, on the flimsiest of evidence, believes to be his father, jazz musician Herman E. Calloway. Relying on his own ingenuity and good luck, Bud makes it to Grand Rapids, where his "father" owns a club. Calloway, who is much older and grouchier than Bud imagined, is none too thrilled to meet a boy claiming to be his long-lost son. It is the other members of his band, Steady Eddie, Mr. Jimmy, Doug the Thug, Doo-Doo Bug Cross, Dirty Deed Breed and motherly Miss Thomas, who make Bud feel like he has finally arrived home. While the grim conditions of the times and the harshness of Bud's circumstances are authentically depicted, Curtis shines on them an aura of hope and optimism. And even when he sets up a daunting scenario, he makes readers laugh, for example, mopping floors for the rejecting Calloway, Bud pretends the mop is "that underwater boat in the book Momma read to me, Twenty Thousand Leaks Under the Sea." Bud's journey, punctuated by Dickensian twists in plot and enlivened by a host of memorable personalities, will keep readers engrossed from first page to last. Ages 9-12. 

Grade 4-7-When 10-year-old Bud Caldwell runs away from his new foster home, he realizes he has nowhere to go but to search for the father he has never known: a legendary jazz musician advertised on some old posters his deceased mother had kept. A friendly stranger picks him up on the road in the middle of the night and deposits him in Grand Rapids, MI, with Herman E. Calloway and his jazz band, but the man Bud was convinced was his father turns out to be old, cold, and cantankerous. Luckily, the band members are more welcoming; they take him in, put him to work, and begin to teach him to play an instrument. In a Victorian ending, Bud uses the rocks he has treasured from his childhood to prove his surprising relationship with Mr. Calloway. The lively humor contrasts with the grim details of the Depression-era setting and the particular difficulties faced by African Americans at that time. Bud is a plucky, engaging protagonist. Other characters are exaggerations: the good ones (the librarian and Pullman car porter who help him on his journey and the band members who embrace him) are totally open and supportive, while the villainous foster family finds particularly imaginative ways to torture their charge. However, readers will be so caught up in the adventure that they won't mind. Curtis has given a fresh, new look to a traditional orphan-finds-a-home story that would be a crackerjack read-aloud.- Kathleen Isaacs, Edmund Burke School, Washington, DC 

Suggested Activities

Listen to the afterword from author Christopher Paul Curtis on the audio book version (available from Random House Audio.) Curtis tells how the book was inspired in part from the stories of his own grandfathers about life during the Depression. He ends with a charge to young readers to listen to and learn their own family stories. After reading the book, children can talk to their parents, grandparents, or other family members about these stories. They can share it in their classrooms or book discussion groups and then make their own storybook about it. 

Other Citations

Rev. of "Bud, Not Buddy." Publishers Weekly. Amazon.com: Bud, Not Buddy (Readers Circle (Laurel-Leaf)) (9780553494105): Christopher Paul Curtis: Books." Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & More. Web. 13 Sept. 2010. <http://tinyurl.com/39vcwqt>.

Issacs, Kathleen. Rev. of "Bud, Not Buddy." School Library Journal. Amazon.com: Bud, Not Buddy (Readers Circle (Laurel-Leaf)) (9780553494105): Christopher Paul Curtis: Books." Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & More. Web. 13 Sept. 2010. <http://tinyurl.com/39vcwqt>.

Module 2: Understood Betsy

Full Citation

Fisher, Dorothy Canfield. Understood Betsy. New York: Dell, 1993. Print.

Summary

Nine-year-old Elizabeth Ann is an orphan who is sheltered and smothered by her Aunt Francis. When Elizabeth Ann's great-aunt Harriet, Aunt Francis's mother, becomes ill and Aunt Francis has to move to a warmer climate to take care of her, city girl Elizabeth Ann is sent to live in rural Vermont with her relatives the Putneys (her great-uncle Henry, great-aunt Abigail, and second cousin Ann.) Though helping a troubled schoolmate, learning multiplication tables, and other adventures, Elizabeth Ann, dubbed "Betsy" by those around her has to learn to take care of herself and learn her own lessons for the first time, which comes in handy when her Aunt Francis comes to "rescue" her precious niece. 

My Impressions

I almost can't believe I have never heard of this book until a week ago; it's exactly the kind of book I would have enjoyed when I was Betsy's age. Though Fisher's narration tends to become patronizing at times, the story always remains enjoyable. I was so enthralled that I celebrated right along with Betsy whenever she made a new discovery about what she was capable of. As someone who was discouraged as as young girl reader by a perceived lack of books with "girl heroes", it's great to see a strong protagonist such as Betsy. I think both girls and boys will see parts of themselves in Betsy and enjoy the story (you can tell them it's okay to skip the moralizing.) 

What Other Critics Said


Anyone who fondly remembers how the fresh air of the moors puts a blush in the cheeks of sallow young Mary in The Secret Garden will love Dorothy Canfield Fisher's Understood Betsy just as much. First published in 1916, this engaging classic tells the tale of a thin, pale 9-year-old orphan named Elizabeth Ann who is whisked away from her city home and relocated to a Vermont farm where her cousins, the "dreaded Putneys," live. The Putneys are not as bad as her doting, high-strung Aunt Frances warns, however, and Elizabeth, who had been nurtured by her aunt like an overwatered sapling--positively blooms under their breezy, earthy care. Elizabeth Ann's first victories are small ones--taking the reins from Uncle Harry, doing her own hair, making her own breakfast--but children will revel in the awakening independence and growing self-confidence of a girl who learns to think for herself... and even laugh. Along the way, "citified" readers of all ages will get a glimpse into the lives of people who are truly connected to the world around them--making butter ("We always bought ours," says Elizabeth Ann), experiencing the "rapt wonder that people in the past were really people," and understanding the difference between failing in school and failing at life. Fisher is a wise, personable storyteller, steeped in the Montessori principles of learning for its own sake, the value of process, and the importance of "indirect support" in child rearing. She also captures the tempestuous emotional life of a child as few authors can, crafting a story that children will find deeply satisfying. And in the end, readers will have grown as fond of the happier, stronger "Betsy" as the gentle, unassuming Putneys have... (Ages 8 to 12) --Karin Snelson (1)


"Understood Betsy is as satisfying in its evocation of an earlier, simpler way of life as Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books, and psychologically more acute. Fisher is a master of presenting, in a low-key, humorous way, a 'New Englandy' way of doing and saying things . . . Understood Betsy is sure to delight a new generation of very busy, over-scheduled children whose own chances for early independence and initiative are limited. It may even teach their parents a thing or two about the best way to raise a child." --New York Times Book Review (2)

Suggested Activities


This story provides many opportunities for readers to put themselves in Betsy's shoes and think critically about what they would have done. The children can take a situation from the story, such as when Betsy's friend Molly has fallen in a pit or when Betsy and Molly are left stranded at the county fair and create a short skit or narrative about how they would have handled the situation. The life of Understood Betsy's author, Dorothy Canfield Fisher, is also very fascinating to study. Students, teachers, and librarians may especially be interested in learning more about the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award, which since 1957 has been given to a book selected by Vermont students. Past winners include classics such The Incredible Journey and Bunnicula and more recent favorites such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid. 


Other Citations


(1) Snelson, Karin. "Amazon.com: Understood Betsy (9788132026303): Dorothy Canfield: Books." Rev. of Understood Betsy. Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & More. Web. 06 Sept. 2010. <http://tinyurl.com/2aaxe55>.

(2) "Amazon.com: Understood Betsy (9788132026303): Dorothy Canfield: Books." Rev. of Understood Betsy. New York Times Book Review. Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & More. Web. 06 Sept. 2010. <http://tinyurl.com/2aaxe55>.

Module 2: Caps for Sale

Full Citation
Slobodkina, Esphyr. Caps for Sale; a Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys & Their Monkey Business;. New York: W. R. Scott, 1947. Print.


Summary


A hat peddler takes an unusual approach to hawking his wares: he wears his caps stacked one on top of the other as he walks up and down the street. After one fruitless morning, he goes for a walk in the country and takes a nap under a big tree. When he wakes up, all but his own cap are gone; they have been taken by some mischievous monkeys. It takes a bit of "monkey see, monkey do" on the peddler's part to get his pilfered merchandise back.

My Impressions


I was only slightly familiar with the book before I read, but I can see now why it's a classic. It's got all the makings of a children's favorite: lots of repetition both in the narrative and illustrations and lots of adorable animals, monkeys in this case. It's definitely a book that gets more enjoyable with every reading.

What Other Reviewers Said


Subtitled A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business, this absurd and very simple story has become a classic, selling hundreds of thousands of copies since its first publication in 1940. A peddler walks around selling caps from a tall, tottering pile on his head. Unable to sell a single cap one morning, he walks out into the countryside, sits down under a tree, checks that all the caps are in place, and falls asleep. When he wakes up, the caps are gone--and the tree is full of cap-wearing monkeys. His attempts to get the caps back generate the kind of repetitive rhythm that 3- and 4-year-olds will adore. (Preschool and older) --Richard Farr --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. (1)

Good natured nonsense tale in text and pictures. The text is almost unnecessary as text and pictures tell the story of the peddler who fell asleep and had his whole stock in trade of colored caps stolen by the monkeys. And of how mere chance made him do the one thing that persuaded the monkeys to throw away the caps. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. (2)

Suggested Activities


Play a variation on "Simon Says" which I call "Monkey Business": have the children stand up and copy your actions just like the monkeys copy the peddler. Be silly and be sure to give some of the kids a chance to lead! You can also watch the Reading Rainbow episode "A Three Hat Day" (available on VHS.) The book highlighted is a sweet story of a man named R. R. Pottle the Third who really loves hats (and likes to stack them almost as much as the peddler.) Host LeVar Burton introduces viewers the many roles hats can play in the jobs of different people, such as jockeys, hockey goalies, and (miniature) railroad conductors. Caps for Sale gets a brief plug near the end.

Other Citations


(1) Farr, Richard. "Amazon.com: Caps for Sale Big Book (Reading Rainbow Book) (9780064433136): Esphyr Slobodkina: Books." Rev. of Caps for Sale. Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & More. Web. 05 Sept. 2010. <http://tinyurl.com/27b3xal>.

(2) "Amazon.com: Caps for Sale Big Book (Reading Rainbow Book) (9780064433136): Esphyr Slobodkina: Books." Rev. of Caps for Sale. Kirkus Reviews. Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & More. Web. 06 Sept. 2010. <http://tinyurl.com/27b3xal>.