One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

 

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia

 

 

Bibliography:  Williams-Garcia, Rita. 2010. One crazy summer. New York: Amistad.

ISBN:  9780060760885

Plot Summary: For one month in the summer of 1968, eleven year old Delphine and her two younger sisters Vonetta and Fern are forced to go cross country from Brooklyn to Oakland to meet their mother that had abandoned them at a young age. Once there, Delphine must care for her younger sisters while learning about her estranged mother that sends her daughters to a Black Panther summer camp.   However after a series of events and learning new information about the revolution taking place, the girls adapt to their new lifestyle and finally get what they traveled nearly 3,000 miles for. This story is relatable and heartbreaking, a must read for any student.

Critical Analysis: The book One Crazy Summer begins with the girls on a plane from Brooklyn to Oakland in the summer of 1968. Delphine, the oldest sister is in charge of watching her sisters and taking care of them while they visit their mother who had abandoned them. Their mother Cecile, does not care for them and sends them to a Summer Camp hosted by the Black Panthers. The girls join the revolution with reluctance in order to get breakfast which is seen with the quote, "We didn't come for the revolution. we came for breakfast." (73) The story follows the girls through their time in Oakland, while Delphine tries to understand her mother. The girls find resolution at the end of the book when they are leaving and hugging their mother at the airport.

The characters are relatable because broken families still exist to this day, and many children will be able to identify with the sisters longing for a mother and sense of abandonment. These types of situations happen on a daily basis, making it believable and appealing to readers because they are able to relate to the text. The girls are grounded within the time period when describing the clothing of the other girls and the setting of the story. The language of the text is appropriate and is reminiscent of an 11 year old girl in the 1960's. The history within the text is presented accurately and in a way that children can understand while leaving the plot simple to appeal to readers of all abilities. The setting of the story is depicted in such a way that the reader can easily imagine the city of Oakland in the 1960's. It describes Cecile's house with green stucco and the Chinese restaurant with detail reflecting the time period and contributing to the authenticity of the text. While the overall theme of the text reflects the time period of the story, it may also be considered relevant today as the theme of family transcends all generations and are timeless parallels that almost everyone can relate to. The style of the text and the language used reflect the time period and the story is written in a seamless way that presents both factual information from the time period woven with the fictional story of Delphine and her two sisters. The text is authentic and includes an acknowledgement section in which Mrs. Williams-Garcia discusses reading articles and books from the time period, as well as her time she spent researching the Black Panthers.  The text is relatable and written in a way depicting both a narrative story with authentic pieces of information which accurately show the time period.

Awards Received:

·         Scott O’ Dell Award for Historical Fiction

·         2011 Coretta Scott King Award

·         National Book Award Finalist

·         2011 Newberry Honor Book

Review Excerpts:

·         From Kirkus – Starred Review - “Delphine is the pitch-perfect older sister, wise beyond her years, an expert at handling her siblings...while the girls are caught up in the difficulties of adults, their resilience is celebrated and energetically told with writing that snaps off the page”

·         From Booklist – Starred Review -  “Regimented, responsible, strong-willed Delphine narrates in an unforgettable voice, but each of the sisters emerges as a distinct, memorable character, whose hard-won, tenuous connections with their mother build to an aching, triumphant conclusion.”

·         From Horn Book – Starred Review - “The setting and time period are as vividly realized as the characters, and readers will want to know more about Delphine and her sisters after they return to Brooklyn...”

·         From School Library Journal – Starred Review - “Emotionally challenging and beautifully written, this book immerses readers in a time and place and raises difficult questions of cultural and ethnic identity and personal responsibility. With memorable characters (all three girls have engaging, strong voices) and a powerful story, this is a book well worth reading and rereading.”

·         From Publishers Weekly - “Delphine’s growing awareness of injustice on a personal and universal level is smoothly woven into the story in poetic language that will stimulate and move readers.”

Connections/ Activities:

·         Have students research the time period in which the book examines and the role of the Black Panthers.

·         Incorporate social studies when looking at a map and examining the states of New York and California.

·         Have students explore the meanings of their names.

·         Have students create their own story and respond to the prompt, "What would you do if you were Delphine?"

·         Have students complete an author study over Rita Williams Garcia.

·         Have students examine the setting of the story from a historical perspective.

·         Have students write as if they were a character in the story.

Selected other texts by Rita Williams-Garcia

·          Jumped – 9780060760939

·         Like Sisters on the Homefront – 9780140385618

·         No Laughter Here – 9780064409926

·         P.S. Be Eleven - 9780061938641

Related Texts:

·         Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai - 9780061962790

·         A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park - 9780547577319

·         Brown Girl Dreaming  by Jacqueline Woodson - 9780399252518

Personal Connections:

·         I have heard of this book in the past, however, I never had a chance to read it and I wish I would have sooner! This is a great story filled with all of the requirements of a good hearty historical fiction text. It can be read as a read aloud when doing a cross-curricular unit over the Civil Rights Movement. I would definitely recommend this text!



What To Do About Alice By Barbara Kerley, Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham

 

What To Do About Alice? By Barbara Kerley, Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham

 

 

Bibliography: Kerley, Barbara, and Ed Fotheringham. 2008. What to do about Alice?: how Alice Roosevelt broke the rules, charmed the world, and drove her father Teddy crazy! New York: Scholastic Press.

ISBN: 9780439922319

Plot Summary: “From a time she was a little girl, she ate up the world”, is how the adorable picture book biography of the life of Alice Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt’s oldest daughter begins. It captures the spontaneity and curiosity of Alice Roosevelt in a clever and easy to read format that is appealing for all ages. The book is colorful and presents Alice’s life in a way that all readers can relate to.  

Critical Analysis: The book What to do about Alice?: how Alice Roosevelt broke the rules, charmed the world, and drove her father Teddy crazy!, is a picture book biography.  This biography is great for read alouds, and the digital illustrations by Fotheringham are bright and vibrant and draw the reader into the story. The text has won many honors for its accurate portrayal of Alice Roosevelt's life. In the Author's note, it provides information about the life of Alice Roosevelt and contains a short bibliography to add to the validity of the text. Supporting the text is a letter that Theodore Roosevelt personally wrote to his daughter. The text is organized in chronological order and begins when Alice is born, following her throughout her life as the Presidents daughter. A clear sequence aligns with the story and it is presented using simple text and details that appeal to all readers. The design of the text is attractive and inviting and the colors are rich with fun illustrations depicting Alice's life. These illustrations are arranged in a variety of ways on each page, complementing the text. The design of the text and illustrations communicates the subject matter in a clear and concise way. The style of the book is lively and depicts the childhood and life of an exuberant, curious, and outgoing girl not afraid to be different and who "ate up the world". Kerley presents the book in an enthusiastic and exciting way, encouraging the reader to find out more about the life of Alice Roosevelt.

Awards Received

·         Sibert Honor Book

·         Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book

·         Irma Black Award Honor Book

·         Parents’ Choice Award

·         Washington State Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award

·         California Collections

·         A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

·         A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

·         A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year

·         An ALA Notable Book

Review Excerpts:

·         From Booklist, Starred Review - Irrepressible Alice Roosevelt gets a treatment every bit as attractive and exuberant as she was....The large format gives Fotheringham, in his debut, plenty of room for spectacular art.

·         From Kirkus Starred Review - Theodore Roosevelt’s irrepressible oldest child receives an appropriately vivacious appreciation in this superb picture book.... Kerley’s precise text presents readers with a devilishly smart, strong-willed girl who was determined to live life on her own terms—and largely succeeded.

·         From School Library Journal - Kerley’s text gallops along with a vitality to match her subject antics, as the girl greets White House visitors accompanied by her pet snake, refuses to let leg braces cramp her style, dives fully clothed into a ships swimming pool, and also earns her place in history as one of her fathers trusted advisers. Fotheringham’s digitally rendered, retro-style illustrations are a superb match for the text.

Connections/Activities:

·         Students could compare different texts about Alice Roosevelt.

·         Students can pretend their father is President, and describe what they would act like/do while he is in office in a quickwrite.

·         Students can read similar biographies.

·         Students can research the time period or Alice and write a report.

·         Teachers can use the text to introduce and biography/autobiography unit.

·         Students can research other children that have lived in the White House.

·         Teachers can read aloud the text.

Selected other texts by Barbara Kerley

·         A Home for Mr. Emerson – 978-0545350884

·         Those Rebels, John and Tom – 978-0545222686

·         The Extraordinary Mark Twain - 978-0545125086

Related Texts:

·         Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker by Stacy Cordery - 978-0143114277

·         Alice Roosevelt Longworth by Carol Felsenthal - 978-0399132582

·         Princess Alice: The Life and Times of Alice Roosevelt Longworth by Carol Felsenthal - 978-0312302221

Personal Connections:

This is a great book that I have used in the third grade classroom to introduce biographies. It is a picture book biography read as a story, which allows students to see the layout of the text in chronological order. I think it is a wonderful book that can be used in the elementary classroom and beyond.



Actual Size by Steve Jenkins

 

Actual Size by Steve Jenkins

 

Bibliography: Jenkins, Steve. 2004. Actual size. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

ISBN: 9780618375943

Plot Summary: Actual size is an informational text about the sizes of different animals. Each page features a different animal and gives the reader information about the physical size of the animal. The animal’s pictures are also featured in the text at their actual size using a collage type style of artwork. The book concludes with information about each animal featured within the pages of the text.

Critical Analysis: This is a relatively short informational text falling in the category of a concept book. It features 18 animals created to scale using cut outs and collages. Some animals like the dwarf goby are able to fit on the page because its length is 1/3 inch. However, parts of other animals are featured because of their enormous size. This is seen with the giant squid that can be up to 59 feet long, and has eyes that are 12 inches across. With this animal, only the eye and a small portion of the body is featured.  With each animal, facts are presented on the page spanning no more than two sentences. Then, at the end of the text, there is a page dedicated to informing the reader about each animal, providing interesting facts. The accuracy of the book cannot fully be determined because no sources are cited within the text that let us know where the information originates. Since this is a shorter book, the information can be validated through research. Overall, Jenkins is known for his easy to read informational texts and the illustrations he created depict the animals being shown. The organization of the text is clear to the reader and it contains a general pattern of information. The text presented on each page gives the size of the animal and a fact. The animals featured are bolded which allow the reader to look at the end of the book to learn more interesting facts. The overall design of the text is appealing to younger readers and the collage images are placed appropriately on the page so that they reader is able to grasp the size of the animals effectively. The style of the text is clear and concise, presenting the information in a simplistic way that encourages curiosity and leaves the reader wanting to learn more about each animal.

Review Excerpts:

·         From School Library Journal - PreSchool-Grade 5–In striking torn-and-cut paper collages, Jenkins depicts 18 animals and insects–or a part of their body–in actual size. One illustration compares an atlas moth with a 12-inch wingspan to a dwarf goby fish, which is 1/3-inch long. The eye of a giant squid, at a foot across, occupies a spread to terrific effect; only the snout and tongue–curling its two-foot length across two pages and littered with termites–are visible in the picture of the giant anteater. The hand of a gorilla fills a page opposite the entire pygmy mouse lemur with its tiny human-fingertip-sized palm. The saltwater crocodile grows to 23 feet, so tremendous that its head occupies a three-page foldout. On the reverse side is the rat-eating Goliath frog, a staggering 36 inches long in full hop. One or two lines of text briefly introduce each animal and give specific measurements, e.g., the gorilla stands 5 ½ feet tall and weighs 600 pounds, while the mouse lemur is 2 ½ inches tall and weighs 1 ounce. The end matter offers full pictures of the creatures and more details about their habitats and habits. Mixing deceptive simplicity with absolute clarity, this beautiful book is an enticing way to introduce children to the glorious diversity of our natural world, or to illustrate to budding scientists the importance of comparison, measurement, observation, and record keeping. A thoroughly engaging read-aloud and a must-have for any collection.–Dona Ratterree

·         From School Library Journal "A thoroughly engaging read-aloud and a must-have for any collection."

·         From Booklist, ALA, Starred Review "Jenkins' artwork is gorgeous (a gatefold of a frog in midleap is particularly memorable)... An unusual, unusually effective tool for connecting children to nature's astonishing variety."

·         From The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Starred - "Jenkins' imaginative paper collages work their usual magic in transcending their medium to capture the spirit and detail of their subjects. The real triumph here, however, is the compositions...the book makes brilliantly creative use of its tight focus, resulting in startling closeups."

Connections/Activities:

·         Students can compare/contrast the sizes of different animals depicted in the text.

·         Students can choose one of the animals to start a research project.

·         Students can write facts about the animals and look up more about the animals featured in the text.

·         Students can use this book when discussing measurement.

Select other texts by Steve Jenkins

·         Biggest, Strongest, Fastest - 978-0395861363

·         What Do You Do When Something Wants To Eat You? - 978-0618152438

·         What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? - 978-0618997138

·         Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest - 978-0618494880

Related Texts:

·         More Life-Size Zoo: An All-New Actual-Size Animal Encyclopedia by Kristin Earhart - 978-1934734193

·         Zoo by Gail Gibbons - 978-0064460965

Personal Connections:

I think this would be a great book to use in the younger grades to introduce non-fiction texts and to get students interested in different animals. It would also be a great book to use when discussing measurement and comparisons.



They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

 

They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

 

 

Bibliography:  Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2010. They called themselves the K.K.K.: the birth of an American terrorist group. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

ISBN: 9780618440337

Plot Summary: “Boys, let us get up a club or society” (25), marks the beginning of the first terrorist group in the United States of America.  The club began with a group of six well-educated soldiers from Tennessee, and was sparked as a result of the events surrounding the Civil War. The club became known as the KKK or Ku Klux Klan. The KKK spread rapidly throughout the South and had many secret dens for members to meet. They brought terror to slaves and freed African Americans for more than a century with raids and night rides. The book, They called themselves the K.K.K.: the birth of an American terrorist group, is full of firsthand accounts, documents, primary sources, and images that leave you remembering how much of an impact the KKK had on American society.  

Critical Analysis:

Bartoletti creates an accurate portrayal of the events surrounding the beginnings of the first terrorist group in the United States. She writes it in a way that is readable and includes a vast amount of information about the beginnings and demise of the KKK. Included in the text are images, political documents and cartoons, photographs, and even diary and newspaper entries of firsthand accounts and dealings with the KKK. This book gives an excellent and authentic overview of the time period by creating a well-documented and cited piece of literature that is littered with facts and information that is accurate, understandable, and verifiable.  When reading, the reader becomes immersed in the time period and is able to see the impact the KKK has had on American society.  The accuracy of the text is well documented and laid out in chronological order, allowing the reader to learn about the facts as they happened. The text includes reference aids such as captions, an index, a Civil Rights Timeline, quote attributions, bibliography and source notes, and a table of contents, promoting the accuracy and validity of the information presented in the text. The design of the text is attractive, as the cover, a picture of a white-hooded mask that the KKK is known for wearing, with a stark black backdrop, draws the reader in with its simplicity. As you read the text, it becomes apparent that it is full of vital information in understanding the KKK. The illustrations and graphics within the text are all in black and white and complement the dreary content of the book. The effective placement and design of the graphics are used in a way to help the reader understand the complexity of the text. The style of the book is appropriate and interesting, and reveals Bartoletti’s passion and enthusiasm for history. She also writes the text in a way that draws you in by placing interesting quotes of firsthand accounts throughout the book. This encourages critical thinking and leaves the reader wanting to learn more about both the victims and the KKK. This book is a good resource to use in the classroom and is an accurate portrayal of the KKK, jam packed with information from primary sources, adding to the validity of the book.

Awards Received:

·         2011 ALA Notable Children’s Books

·         2011 NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended

·         YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist, 2011

Review Excerpts:

·         From School Library Journal - Gr 7-10–This richly documented, historically contextualized account traces the origin and evolution of the Ku Klux Klan from a small mischievous social club into a powerful, destructive organization. With compelling clarity, anecdotal detail, and insight, Bartoletti presents the complex era of Reconstruction, 1865-1877, that gave rise to the KKK. After the Civil War, the defeated South was a simmering cauldron of political, economic, and social instability. As the federal government struggled to provide law and order and to protect the rights of freed slaves, secret groups of Southern whites banded together to vent their anger over lost property, prosperity, and power. From six men in a law office in Pulaski, TN, KKK dens spread across the South targeting freed blacks and their supporters. Although the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 was meant to end violence, KKK activity persisted through the 20th century, diminishing in the last 30 years as civil rights became a reality for all Americans. Bartoletti includes excerpts from slave narratives, archival illustrations, and historical quotes to convey the human drama of KKK terrorism. An annotated bibliography and source notes illuminate the variety and significance of reference works. Additional secondary titles include Chester L. Quarles's scholarly The Ku Klux Klan and Related American Racialist and Antisemitic Organizations (McFarland, 2008). Bartoletti effectively targets teens with her engaging and informative account that presents a well-structured inside look at the KKK, societal forces that spawn hate/terrorist groups, and the research process.Gerry Larson, Durham School of the Arts, NC

·         From Booklist - *Starred Review* Bartoletti follows multi-award-winning titles such as Hitler Youth (2005) with another standout contribution to youth history shelves. Here, she examines how the Ku Klux Klan formed and grew out of the ashes of the Civil War. Bartoletti, who taught eighth-graders for 18 years, writes in admirably clear, accessible language about one of the most complex periods in U.S. history, and she deftly places the powerfully unsettling events into cultural and political context without oversimplifying. It’s the numerous first-person quotes, though, that give the book its beating heart, and her searing, expertly selected stories of people on all sides of the violent conflicts will give readers a larger understanding of the conditions that incubated the Klan’s terrorism; how profoundly the freed people and their sympathizers suffered; and how the legacy of that fear, racism, and brutality runs through our own time. In an author’s note, Bartoletti describes visiting a contemporary Klan rally as part of her research, and that bold, immersive approach to her subject is evident in every chapter of this thoroughly researched volume. Like the individual stories, the powerful archival images on every page will leave an indelible impression on young readers, who will want to move on to the extensive annotated resources. The adjacent Story behind the Story feature fills in more details about this lucid, important title, which should be required reading for young people as well as the adults in their lives. Grades 7-12. --Gillian Engberg

·         From Kirkus  Reviews, Starred Review - "Balancing the stories of the Klan and the former slaves' determination to remake their lives, Bartoletti makes extensive use of congressional testimony, interviews, journals, diaries and slave narratives to allow the players to speak in their own voices as much as possible...An exemplar of history writing and a must for libraries and classrooms."

·         From Publishers Weekly, Starred Review - * "Copious photos, engravings, and illustrations provide a hard-hitting graphic component to this illuminating book. And while Bartoletti notes that contemporary 'hate groups wield none of the power or prestige that the Ku Klux Klan held in earlier years,' her account of attending a Klan meeting while researching the book is chilling to the core."

·         From The Horn Book, Starred Review - * "As in Hitler Youth, Bartoletti tackles a tough, grim subject with firmness and sensitivity...Period illustrations throughout make seeing believing, and the appended civil rights timeline, bibliography, and source notes are an education in themselves. Exemplary in scholarship, interpretation, and presentation."—The Horn Book, starred review

·         From School Library Journal, Starred Review - * "Bartoletti effectively targets teens with her engaging and informative account that presents a well-structured inside look at the KKK, societal forces that spawn hate/terrorist groups, and the research process."

 

Connections/Activities:

·         Students can research the time period in which the KKK was founded and learn more about the Civil War.

·         Students can compare the KKK to another terrorist group.

·         Students can create a timeline of events surrounding the existence of the KKK.

Select other books by Susan Cambell Bartoletti

·         Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow - 978-0439353793

·         Kids on Strike - 978-0618369232

·         Growing Up in Coal Country - 978-0395979143

·         Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850 - 978-0618548835

Related Texts:

·         Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case by Chris Crowe - 0803728042

·         Hooded Americanism: The History of the Ku Klux Klan by David J. Chalmers - 978-0822307723

·         The Fiery Cross: The Ku Klux Klan in America by Wyn Craig Wade - 978-0195123579

·         Behind the Mask of Chivalry: The Making of the Second Ku Klux Klan by Nancy K. MacLean - 978-0195098365

·         Women of the Klan: Racism and Gender in the 1920s by Kathleen M. Bee -  978-0520257870

Personal Connections:

I found this book to be very interesting and informative. I wanted to read it the moment I saw it on the list because I have always been fascinated with U.S. History. The content is too mature for the elementary classroom, but I think it would be a good book that students in High School could read because there are a lot of activities and connections that can be made between literary and historical subjects.



One Of Those Hideous Books Where The Mother Dies by Sonya Sones

 

One Of Those Hideous Books Where The Mother Dies by Sonya Sones

Bibliography:

Sones, Sonya. 2004. One of those hideous books where the mother dies. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

ISBN: 1442493836

 

Plot Summary: This Free Verse Novel is about a young girl named Ruby who's mother dies. She lives with her mother on the East Coast, and has never had contact with her father until she is forced to fly across the country to live with him when her mother dies. Her father is a famous movie star living in Los Angeles, and is seemingly happy to have her around. She however, is not thrilled because she is having to leave her best friend, Lizzie and her boyfriend Ray behind. As the story progresses, Ruby learns more about her father and starts to make friends at school, and even befriends her father's assistant Max. In  the process Ray and Lizzie find love in one another and Ruby's heart is broken. Through a series of events in the story, she learns more about her father and his past with her mother and realizes that he has always been there for her, and she is finally able to be at peace with the way her life has turned out.

 

Critical Analysis:  Sonya Sones paints a beautiful poetic tragedy about loss, love, and growing up in her free verse novel One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies.  In the beginning of the story we meet Ruby, a girl filled with teenage angst and sadness because her mother dies, and is forced to move across the country away from her boyfriend and best friend to live with her father that she has never met. Through a series of events in the story she finds acceptance and love and is able to appreciate her new life in California.

 

The free verse novel is set up with headings describing each section of the novel and is easy to read. it has short lines and mixed within the free verse poems, there are emails exchanged between characters which add to the overall appeal of the novel. There is a great use of imagery and sensory language which appeals to the readers senses and creates a vivid mental image of the story. For example, in the beginning of the text, Ruby is on the plane flying to Los Angeles  to meet her father. She describes the plane as "gigantic silver bullet with wings... [a] monstrous steel pterodactyl". This adds to the overall description of the plane and creates a mental picture in the readers mind that they are able to make connections with.  The author also describes the setting of California in great detail so the reader can imagine what Ruby is feeling and seeing throughout the book. The novel has many elements of fiction and reminds me of a story, but is written in free verse. This book would be appealing for many young adult readers.

 

Review Excerpts:

·         From School Library Journal  - Grade 7-10–In one- to two-page breezy poetic prose-style entries, 15-year-old Ruby Milliken describes her flight from Boston to California and her gradual adjustment to life with her estranged movie-star father following her mother's death. E-mails to her best friend, her boyfriend, and her mother ("in heaven") and outpourings of her innermost thoughts display her overwhelming unhappiness and feelings of isolation, loss, and grief ("…most days,/I wander around Lakewood feeling invisible./Like I'm just a speck of dust/floating in the air/that can only be seen/when a shaft of light hits it"). Ruby's affable personality is evident in her humorous quips and clever wordplays. Her depth of character is revealed through her honest admissions, poignant revelations, and sensitive insights. 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. Despite several predictable particulars of plot, Ruby's story is gripping, enjoyable, and memorable.–Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH

·         From Booklist - *Starred Review* Gr. 7-12. After the death of her mother, high-schooler Ruby is sent from Boston to L.A. to live with the father she has never met: "He's such a scumbag / that he divorced my mother / before I was even born." The "scumbag" is Whip Logan, a famous movie actor, but Ruby is too angry to be impressed; at the airport she wonders whether to "ask him for his autograph, / or kick him in the balls." Sones' latest free-verse novel follows Ruby through her first few months in her new home, a mansion where her every desire is granted--except what she longs for most: her best friend, her boyfriend, and of course, her mother. Sones' novel is an unusual combination of over-the-top Hollywood fairy tale and sharp, honest story about overcoming grief. Teens may predict the novel's surprises long before Ruby discovers them... and, as in every fairy tale, many things are too good to be true--especially Whip's eager devotion and celebrity. It's Ruby's first-person voice--acrimonious, raw, and very funny--that pulls everything together, whether she is writing e-mails to her deceased mother, attending Dream Analysis class at a private L.A. high school, or finally learning to accept her father and embrace a new life. A satisfying, moving novel that will be a winner for both eager and reluctant readers. Gillian Engberg

·         Booklist, starred review -  "A satisfying, moving novel." 

·         Publishers Weekly - "A winning portrayal of a teenage girl's loves and losses."

·         Bookpage - "Ruby's voice is pitch-perfect."

Connections/Activities:

·         Students can rewrite the ending of the free verse novel.

·         Students can try writing their own free verse poem.

·         Students can compare/contrast the characters of other Sonya Sones free verse novels.

·         Select other books by Sonya Sones

o   What My Mother Doesn't Know - 1442493852

o   What my Girlfriend Doesnt Know - 1442493844

o   To Be Perfectly Honest: A Novel Based on an Untrue Story - 068987605X

·         Related Texts

o   The Firefly Letters by Margarita Engle - 0805090827

o   Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill - 0061853283

Personal Connections: I have never read a free verse novel before, and I thought that this was a very interesting type of book. I feel that this type of text would be great to use in the middle grades and beyond. It is written very similarly to a chapter book, and is easy to read. I look forward to reading more free verse novels in the future.