The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie. Illustrated by Ellen Forney. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2007. 230 pp. ISBN-13: 9780316013680


“And Indian boys weren’t supposed to dream like that. And white girls from small towns weren’t supposed to dream big either….We were supposed to be happy with our limitations. But there was no way Penelope and I were going to sit still. Nope, we both wanted to fly.” p. 112


Reader's Annotation
Fourteen-year-old Junior has left his reservation school to attend Reardan High. Not white like his new classmates, yet considered a traitor by his fellow tribe members, he doesn’t feel like he fits in anywhere. But possibly with humor and bravery, and his sketches and a couple new friends, he just might make it through freshman year...

About the Author
Just like Junior in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington state, had severe childhood health issues, and attended Reardan High. In university, he planned to be a doctor, but soon realized that this path was not for him. A new direction came when by chance he came across a poetry workshop. After graduation, Alexie received a state and NEA poetry fellowships, and soon published two poetry collections. In his twenties, he began publishing short stories and novels. He’s also involved in film, music, comedy, and national discussion of cultural issues. Alexie lives in Seattle, Washington, with his wife and two sons.

Genre
Realistic Fiction

Reading Level/Interest Age
12-14 years

Plot Summary
Junior is Arnold Spirit, Jr., a fourteen-year-old Native American boy who lives on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington state. Since childhood he’s had hydrocephalus and seizures, in addition to a lisp, conditions which have all earned him much bullying from a few fellow tribe members. He enjoys reading, and loves drawing even more, and his funny and vivid sketches about situations both hilarious and tragic are interspersed throughout the novel. After his first day at Wellpinit High and some advice given to him by teacher Mr. P., he makes the difficult decision to transfer to Reardan High, a public school 20 miles away attended by white students, in an attempt to give himself a greater chance at a successful and hopeful future life. His best friend, Rowdy, a volatile boy who is abused by his father, is extremely upset by Junior’s decision, and cuts off contact with him. With trepidation, yet buoyed by the support of his parents, Junior begins to forge ahead through his freshman year at Reardan. Along the way, he meets new friends such as Gordy, the smartest person he’s ever met; Penelope, the most beautiful girl in the school; and Roger, a jock who at first challenges Junior, then reveals a caring nature. Challenging social situations at school are matched by tragedy on the reservation, and Junior must look for the strength within himself and the joy in life -- as well as discover the common bonds between people which transcend race and class -- in order to make it.

Critical Evaluation
Honesty, humor, and insight are the foundations of this novel. Junior tells his own story in the first person, and his character is by far the most vividly drawn. He openly shares with us his experiences and thoughts (in both words and sketches) on everything from high school to friends to family to Native American culture to white culture, and all that he encounters in this year of his life. He is observant, bold, introspective, and can see the funny aspects of even the most difficult of situations. Junior’s parents are not idealized, and Junior does not hide the fact that his dad is an alcoholic, but Junior's parents love him dearly and are ready to do – in as much as they have the means to -- what it takes to give him the best opportunities possible and support him. Junior’s grandmother does not make many appearances in the novel, yet her acceptance and forgiveness of others no matter their beliefs or acts, guides Junior. Through his friendships at Reardan High, Junior learns that many people are eager to connect with others and are quite generous if you give them a chance. We see the similarities that Alexie illustrates between Junior and each of Penelope, Gordy, and Roger; just as Junior comes to the life-changing realization that he is not only a Spokane Indian, but also a member of the “tribes” of “bookworms,” “cartoonists,” and “small-town kids,” we readers are reminded that we each belong in this world and are never really alone.

Booktalking Ideas
• Give an episode booktalk of Junior’s first day at Reardan High.
• Give a character booktalk as Penelope, including her thoughts about Junior.
• Give a character booktalk as Grandmother Spirit, giving advice on common tween concerns.

Curriculum Ideas
• Literature: Students study Alexie’s poetry, picking out themes and ideas common to this and the novel.
• Social Science: Students research the history and contemporary life of Native Americans in or near their area, also spending time on a reservation if possible.
• Language Arts: Students from a reservation middle school and a non-reservation middle school engage in a year-long penpal correspondence, via the Internet and/or other means.

Potential Challenge Issues & Defense
Some graphic language and violence:
• Become familiar with the book’s content in order to promote its literary merits.
• Refer to library’s collection development policy.
• Refer to book reviews from authoritative sources such as ALA, School Library Journal, etc.
• Obtain book reviews from tweens who have read it.

Why I Chose This Book
We read this book as a class assignment, but it is one of the most honestly and engagingly written novels I have ever read, and I highly recommend it to anyone.

Name That Style: All About Isms in Art, by Bob Raczka

Name That Style: All About Isms in Art, by Bob Raczka. Minneapolis: Millbrook Press, 2009. 32 pp. ISBN-13: 9780822575863


“Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso began taking things apart in their minds. Then they put the pieces back together on the canvas in an abstract form. Rather than showing one side of a thing, which is the way our eyes see, the Cubists wanted to show all sides of a thing at once.” p. 21

Reader's Annotation
Intrigued yet mystified by art styles and artists? Bob Raczka has the answers, and in two pages each on fourteen different art styles, he tells us the key facts about each style’s characteristics, techniques, and artists and their motivations.

About the Author
As a boy, Bob Raczka loved to draw, and eventually studied art in high school and college. When he had his first child, Raczka rediscovered children’s books and decided to try writing books about art for children. After five years of writing, he published the first of several art books. He has also written on other topics. He lives in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, with his wife, three children, and dog, Rufus.

Genre
Nonfiction (visual art)

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 9-11

Content Summary
This book discusses fourteen art styles chronologically, from the fifteenth through the twentieth centuries, including: Naturalism, Mannerism, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, Pointillism, Fauvism, Cubism, Futurism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Op Art, and Photorealism. In Raczka’s introduction he discusses the fact that “-ism” can refer to an artistic style or movement, and that in his book, he hopes to make the ideas behind the fourteen art styles understandable. On each two-page spread, Raczka shows a work of art representative of a certain style on the left side, and a summary of key points about that style on the right side. Each style summary begins with a short description of the style, its history, how it relates to previous styles, and the philosophy of its artists. Following this are a few lines about when and where the style was popular, usually with more historical notes. Then Raczka lists the name, country, and birth and death dates of a few of the more well-known artists of that style. He then gives a bullet-point summary of some of the most dominant characteristics of the style. The last section discusses why the work of art shown is a good example of the style, and the techniques that the artist used. Finally Raczka defines any difficult or unusual terms that he’s used in his summary.

Critical Evaluation
This book is an excellent summary for both tweens and adults alike. I feel that I’ve come away with a solid grasp of what each style looks like, what motivated artists of that style, and the techniques they used to create the interesting effects of each style. And all without having to experience the esoteric information overload that can scare non-artists like me away from art books. The word I would use overall to describe Raczka’s presentation is “succinct”. Many of his sentences are fairly short and he only makes one key point in each, not rambling on. His notes on the history of each style, its artists, and the exemplar works of art are clear and interesting, including comments such as: “But they [the Impressionists] weren’t interested in unpleasant things. They wanted to capture a moment, or a quick impression of a scene” (p. 15) and “So why did Matisse paint this woman with such strange colors? Maybe they are the colors of love, since this is a portrait of his wife, Amelie” (p. 19). One of my favorite aspects of this book is that Raczka describes the key characteristics of each style in short bullet points, and doesn’t bury this information in lengthy description. And it is a beautiful book, as the background of each two-page spread is a different color, with the left and right pages being different hues. Against these complementary backdrops, the works of art truly shine, encouraging a new generation of art lovers.

Booktalking Ideas
• Show several of the works of art in the book, asking the audience how these make them feel, and then sharing the common themes often associated with paintings in these styles.
• Very briefly summarize about seven of the styles discussed in the book, noting how they relate to each other chronologically.
• Talk about and/or demonstrate some of the unique techniques used by some of the highlighted artists.

Curriculum Ideas
• Art: Over the course of several weeks, students create artwork in each of the fourteen styles.
• History: Students study the historical periods and events surrounding the art styles discussed.
• Literature: From among the art styles which were associated with literary movements, students read a novel associated with their favorite art style.

Potential Challenge Issue & Defense
I do not foresee any challenges to this book, but if any were to arise, the following steps could be taken in defense:
• Become familiar enough with the book’s content to promote its literary and artistic merits.
• Refer to library’s collection development policy.
• Refer to book reviews from authoritative sources such as ALA, School Library Journal, etc.
• Obtain book reviews from tweens who have read it.

Why I Chose This Book
I discovered Bob Raczka through the American Library Association’s Building a Home Library (Ages 8-11) list of recommendations, and chose this book to fill in the gaps in my own knowledge of painting/art styles.

Love That Dog, by Sharon Creech

Love That Dog, by Sharon Creech. New York: Joanna Cotler Books, 2001. 86 pp. ISBN-10: 0060292873


“Remember the wheelbarrow poem / you read / the first week / of school? / Maybe the wheelbarrow poet / was just / making a picture / with words / and / someone else – / like maybe his teacher – / typed it up / and then people thought / it was a poem / because / it looked like one / typed up like that.” p. 22

Reader's Annotation
Jack doesn’t want to write poetry…he feels that he’s just not good at it, and only girls write poetry anyway. But then his teacher, Miss Stretchberry, reads aloud something by a guy named William Carlos Williams…

About the Author
Sharon Creech was born in Ohio, and grew up with her parents, a sister and three brothers. Her childhood experiences, and especially family car trips, often figure into her writing. She earned a Master’s degree in literature and writing, and has taught high school language arts in Switzerland and England. Creech has written several books for children -- including the Nobel-prize-winning Walk Two Moons -- but has also written a play, adult fiction, and poetry. She and her husband, who have two grown children, are living in a cottage in England this year. On her Web site (link above), she writes: “Being with my family is what I enjoy most. The next-best thing is writing stories.”

Genre
Journal, Poetry, Novel in Verse

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 9-11

Plot Summary
The novel is told in the first-person through Jack’s journal entries from September through June, in which he communicates every few days with his teacher, Miss Stretchberry. Jack’s age is never given, but the level of vocabulary in his journal and the nature of what is important to him appear to suggest that he is about ten or eleven years old. Miss Stretchberry is attempting to expose Jack and his classmates to the enjoyment and writing of poetry, but Jack at first does not want anything to do with it. He feels that boys don’t write poetry, and that he’s just not good at it. But then Miss Stretchberry reads aloud The Red Wheelbarrow, by William Carlos Williams, which so vividly and yet so simply captures a scene in only sixteen words, without capitalization, and with only one mark of punctuation. This opens up an entirely unforeseen adventure for Jack, as he realizes that poetry is not defined by form, but by descriptive language and the expression of feeling. He begins to try writing poetry, and gradually becomes more and more comfortable with Miss Stretchberry posting his pieces on the class bulletin board for all to see. In his poems, Jack addresses his feelings about Sky, his late and much beloved pet dog. Jack becomes so enthralled with poetry that he eventually contemplates inviting poet and novelist Walter Dean Myers to visit his classroom, but isn’t sure if he would want to hear from someone who’s just “a boy who likes his poems”.

Series Note
The sequel to this novel is Hate That Cat (2008), which I have reviewed here.

Critical Evaluation
This is a quietly powerful book about the magic of poetry. The leisurely pace of the novel realistically shows the gradual nature of narrator Jack’s transformation from a boy who feels that he has no desire to try writing poetry to one who becomes completely engaged by the sounds of and feelings evoked by poems, and writes his own pieces from his heart. Through his honest entries in his poetic journal, we can see that Miss Stretchberry’s enthusiasm for Jack’s writing greatly increases his confidence in his abilities. Thus the novel also celebrates the huge potential of a supportive child/teacher relationship. The language of the novel is fairly simple for the most part, yet not childish, appropriate for a boy Jack’s age who has some exposure to literature. Details of setting -- except those that relate to Jack’s reminiscences about his dog -- are few and rather unnecessary in this book which focuses on inner growth. And as this is a journal, the tone varies and changes, from apprehensive to content to exuberant, to many moods in between. Above all, the feeling that I get when reading this novel is one of Creech stopping the world for a moment to highlight the importance of taking time to absorb the simple loveliness of language, and empowering us with the implied advice that each of us has the ability to express ourselves honestly and beautifully.

Booktalking Ideas
• Read a couple of the well-known poems mentioned in the book, together with the poems that Jack writes in these styles.
• Talk about Jack’s dog, asking audience to talk about their pets too.
• Talk about Jack’s changing feelings about reading, hearing, and writing poetry.

Curriculum Ideas
• Literature: Every day students take turns reading favorite poems aloud.
• Literature: Students invite a local poet to their classroom to read and talk about writing poetry, and before she arrives, brainstorm questions to ask her.
• Language Arts: Students keep a poetry journal, in which teacher writes responses. Students read their own poems aloud periodically.

Potential Challenge Issues & Defense
I do not foresee any challenges to this book, but if any were to arise, the following steps could be taken in defense:
• Become familiar enough with the book’s content to promote its literary merits.
• Refer to library’s collection development policy.
• Refer to book reviews from authoritative sources such as ALA, School Library Journal, etc.
• Obtain book reviews from tweens who have read it.

Why I Chose This Book
I picked up this novel by chance several months ago, and was immediately captured by its honest and engaging narrator, and simple yet powerful poetic journal format. Reading the entire book a few days ago, my initial feelings about its concise beauty were more than confirmed.