Module 14 Poetry and Short Stories: On the Day I Died by Candace Fleming

Image retrieved from:  http://www.amazon.com/On-Day-Died-Stories-Grave/dp/0375867813  

Book Summary:    

This book is a series of nine short stories tied together by the visit of a one Mike Kowalski to a cemetery for those who die too young. The first actually happens in his car on the way there. He unsuspectingly picks up the ghost of Carol Anne who died by drowning. She leaves her shoes in the car and Mike feels the need to take them to her home.Upon arriving he finds out that she has been dead for decades and the mother tells him he can take the shoes to her grave. There he is visited by nine other ghost who want to tell their death story. These stories are somewhat traditional and have classic elements from the non-believer who is killed by ghosts, a tale of a thief who is caught in the act, a character driven to their death by a possessed car, and  the strange and tragic tale of the magic monkey paw. Each tale is slightly scary, but also has the element of reader beware. As in this could happen to you too. In the end it is revealed that Mike was saved by the Carol Anne's Ghost he was driving to fast if he had not stopped for her he would have driven off the bridge that was out and met his untimely end. In end the ghost seem to say slow down, live your life enjoy what we can never have. 

APA Citation:    

Fleming, C. (2012). On the day I died: Stories from the grave. New York, NY: Schwartz & Wade Books.  

Impressions:     

Entertaining is the first word I would use not scary to describe this book. The older ghost story elements were nostalgic, and wonderfully mixed in. The stories were also well placed in the book and worked well flowing from one story to the next. Ending with the most inventive story of all. Each story seems to take from the ghost story elements of the time the character dies adding to the creativity of each short story. Each ghost tale was a great length lending itself to more reluctant reader or those who would like a fast read. This book is rated for ages 10-13 and while I agree somewhat with that I would still, put this book clearly in the Young Adult range. While this story is not a macabre as I was expecting it was none the less well written and enjoyable.

   

Professional Review:  

KIRKUS REVIEW 

Nine creepy tales told by dead teens and positively tailor-made for reading—or reading aloud—by flashlight. 

Fleming uses a version of “The Vanishing Hitchhiker” as a frame story and draws inspiration from several classic horror shorts, monster movies and actual locales and incidents. Within this frame, she sends a teenager into a remote cemetery where ghostly young people regale him with the ghastly circumstances of their demises. These range from being sucked into a magical mirror to being partially eaten by a mutant rubber ducky, from being brained by a falling stone gargoyle at an abandoned asylum to drowning in a car driven by a demonic hood ornament. Tasty elements include a malign monkey’s paw purchased at a flea market, a spider crawling out of a corpse’s mouth and a crazed florist who collects the heads of famous gangsters. Amid these, the author tucks in period details, offers one story written in the style of Edgar Allan Poe (“As I pondered the wallpaper, its patterns seemed to crawl deep inside me, revealing dark secrets… No!”) and caps the collection with perceptive comments on her themes and sources. 

Light on explicit grue but well endowed with macabre detail and leavening dashes of humor.(Horror/short stories. 10-13)

ON THE DAY I DIED by Candace Fleming. (2012). Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved November 30, 2015, from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/candace-fleming/on-day-i-died/ 

Library Uses: I would use this book in a program in which the attendants would be read the ghost story from this book and the ghost story that inspired the tale. After this the group could then compare and contrast the tales and end with writing their own inspired ghost story. 

Module 13 Series: The Sisters Grimm- Book 1 The Fairy tale Detectives by Michael Buckley

Image retrieved from:   http://www.greatschools.org/gk/book-lists/favorite-books-fifth-graders/?lang=es

Book Summary:   

Sabrina and Daphne Grimm have had their world turned upside down for a year they have been shuffled from horrible foster home to horrible foster home. While still holding on to the belief that their parents are still out there. When suddenly out of nowhere the grandmother they thought was dead reappears in their life. Granny Relda introduces them to the life of a Grimm in Ferryport Landing. She tells them that all the fairy tales are true and their family has been documenting the ever-afters for centuries. Their first fairy tale detective assignment is the crushing of a farmer’s house by what looks like a giants foot. The girls, Granny Relda, and Mr. Cannis must find out if it really was a giant and how to stop said giant from causing more damage to the town. The story takes a turn for the worse when Mr. Cannis and Relda are abducted by said giant, and the girls are left to figure out the fairy tale world and solve the crime. That is if they survive meeting Robin Goodfellow himself Puck. In the end they find the real culprit was the famous or infamous Jack. Who was out to make himself something once more. They are also introduced the secretive and dangerous group the scarlet hand. This is the first book in a series of 11, so this is great introduction to the wonderful fairy tale characters in a new setting.  

APA Citation:   

Buckley, M., & Ferguson, P. (2005). The fairy-tale detectives. New York, NY: Amulet Books.

  

Impressions:    

This book was one of the best novels that expands on fairy tale lore. I loved all the characters from Granny Relda to Mr. Cannis and the girls there was such characterization. I felt for the girls being transported from one foster care home to the next. Never really knowing that they were a part of such an amazing and famous family. Sabrina is believable in her quest to find her family and the distrust she has for granny Relda. She has been through a lot and feels that she can only depend on herself. Her sisterly protection over Daphne is also believable, her parents left her in charge and that’s her role as her sisters protector The typical suspects such as Snow White  and the Big Bad wolf were reimagined as real people, put in extenuating circumstances. The author gave each character a job and a calling not to far from their fairy tale existence. Prince Charming is the Mayor and the seven dwarves are his handymen/ henchmen . After reading this book I felt invested in the characters and their story.  I want to know more about Ferryport Landing and the Grimm family. This is a great first book and it gives a good introduction to the characters while still telling a meaningful story. I cannot wait to read the entire series.  

Professional Review:  

KIRKUS REVIEW 

Readers will definitely have to be up on their folktales, as well as children’s lit classics in general, to catch all the references in this terrific, head-spinning series opener. Dumped roughly out of foster care into the arms of Relda, a twinkly-eyed woman claiming to be their grandma, Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, 11 and seven, find themselves in Ferryport Landing, a seemingly normal New York town originally (and more accurately) dubbed Fairyport Landing. It’s inhabited by the likes of Mayor Charming, three chubby cops named Boarman, Swineheart and Hamstead and vulpine Mr. Canis—all transported overseas for their own safety long ago by four-times-Great Grandpa Wilhelm Grimm. Borrowing a flying carpet and a certain pair of silver slippers from a fashion-conscious Magic Mirror, Sabrina and Daphne quickly find themselves springing the renowned Jack from jail to help deal with a destructive giant who has snatched Relda. All is, however, not as it seems. Rich in well-set-up surprises and imaginatively tweaked characters, this tongue-in-cheek frolic features both a pair of memorable young sleuths and a madcap plot with plenty of leads into future episodes. (Fantasy. 10-12) 

THE SISTERS GRIMM by Michael Buckley,Peter Ferguson. (2005). Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/michael-buckley/the-sisters-grimm/  

Library Uses: I would use this book and others that use fairy tale characters in a program in which I book talked books that used fairy tale characters in their story. We would then compare and contrast the take each author used on the same  characters. 

Module 12 Biographies: Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell

Image retrieved from:  www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/patrick-mcdonnell/mejane/

Book Summary:  

This is a sweet and short biography detailing some of Jane Goodall's childhood. It starts with her parents giving her a stuffed chimpanzee toy that she named Jubilee. This toy would go with here everywhere as she observed the outside world. The book describes how she studied about animals on her own and one of her first observational discoveries, how a chicken laid an egg. It goes on to describe her love of all nature and her desire to grow up and study animals which she eventually does. There is an afterword about Jane's life and how most people told her she would never be able to accomplish all she did. Also contained is a message from Jane about making and difference for the environment.  

APA Citation:  

McDonnell, P. (2011). Me... Jane. New York, NY: Little, Brown. 

Impressions:   

While not highly detailed this books is a perfect introduction into who Jane Goodall is and why she is an important figure. The book is meant to inspire young animal lovers by showing that Jane took her love of animals and made a worthwhile career and became an activist because of it. The book is short so that even the youngest child can understand. The images included some of janes own work are well constructed and help tell the story. The colors used are also not too bright, but vivid in their construction. Sweet and briefly informative introduction to the life of Jane Goodall. 

Professional Review:  

Little Jane Goodall and Jubilee (her toy chimpanzee) ramble outside their English country home observing everyday animal miracles and dreaming of a life in Africa, "living with, / and helping, / all animals." Readers familiar with the groundbreaking primatologist will love seeing her as a conventional, buttoned-up child, wearing a plaid skirt, classic bob and hair clip as she squats in a coop to watch a chicken drop an egg. McDonnell’s simple ink-and-watercolor illustrations appear as sunny, amorphous panels in ample white space. Purposeful black lines provide specificity with small suggestive strokes—a tiny apostrophic smile relays Jane’s complete contentment sprawled in grass. Opposite pages offer groupings of faint, intricate stamps that correspond with young Jane’s early outdoor experiences and engage readers with their fine details. The playful interplay among stamps, cartoonish drawings and real photographs of Jane reminds readers of a child’s hodgepodge journal—one like Jane’s, which appears as a double-page spread showing her animal studies, charts, games and doodles. Children will appreciate McDonnell’s original format and take heart that interests logged in their own diaries might turn into lifelong passions. Backmatter includes a pithy biography, additional photographs and a letter and drawing from Jane herself—children will thrill at the connection. (Picture book/biography. 2-10)  

 ME...JANE by Patrick McDonnell , Patrick McDonnell  (2011). Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved November 20, 2015, from http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/patrick-mcdonnell/mejane/  

Library Uses:  

This book would be a great read aloud for a Earth Day program. To inspire young kids to do something for the environment whether it is a small or large act every little bit helps.