The following reviews were made as part of an assignment for the Literature for Children course through Sam Houston State University.
New Kid
Craft, J. & Callahan, J. (2019). New kid.
Harper. ISBN: 9780062691217
Jordan Banks is
about to start at a new school. He would rather be going to art school, but his
mother insists that attending Riverdale Academy Day School will serve him best
later in life. Although Jordan belongs because of his academic abilities, his
appearance sets him apart – he is one of only a few students of color. During
his first form year (seventh grade) he deals with overt and accidental offenses
by students and teachers alike. He learns the importance of not judging a book
by it’s cover. While the focus is on Jordan and the trials and frustrations he
faces in middle school, we also see the affect his new school has on his mother
and father. Mom is thrilled to rub shoulders with the well-to-do families and
gets caught up in the prestige while dad struggles with his own feelings of
inadequacy because of the stark difference between what he can offer Jordan
verses what the other parents can offer their children. In the course of one
school year, we watch Jordan change from the kid that wants to blend in to the
kid who stands up for the truth.
While any
student can probably relate to the feeling of not fitting in during middle
school, Jordan literally turns it into an art form in this graphic novel. Jordan’s
story is almost a how-to manual for dealing with people who come from a
different background or culture than our own. We get to experience “normal”
school life through a new lens and perhaps groan a time or two when recognizing
a misstep, we have taken or a well-meaning gesture that had opposite the desired
effect. A great read for any age, race, or social class.
From Common Sense
Media: “The move to middle school
confuses many students and has inspired many comics, but this funny and
heartfelt graphic novel covers new territory. Throughout New Kid, seventh-grader Jordan Banks proves to be a sensitive and
likable protagonist, eager for friendship but unsure how to fit in a school
culture that deals awkwardly with issues of race and class.” Retrieved
from: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/new-kid-book-1
The Texas Bluebonnet Awards website contains many resources
and activities for New Kid including discussion questions, reader’s theater,
and a drawing lesson at: https://sites.google.com/view/texasbluebonnetaward2021/master-list/new-kid.
The classroom bookshelf also has ideas for graphic novel activities such as
close reading of illustrations using New Kid that could be modified for
other graphic novels as well at: https://theclassroombookshelf.com/2019/05/20/new-kid-by-jerry-craft-is-a-middle-school-must-read/
You may also
like: Class Act also by Jerry Craft or All’s Faire in Middle School
by Victoria Jamieson
Savvy
Law, I. (2008).
Savvy. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 978-0-8037-3306-0
Mibs Beaumont
is about to turn thirteen, an exciting time for any young person but even more
so for Mibs. She is eagerly anticipating the arrival of her “savvy.” The Beaumonts
aren’t like other families, they have special skills or powers that manifest on
their thirteenth birthday. For her grandpa and brothers these skills are never
more apparent than when they are feeling emotional – angry, upset, worried,
etc. When Mibs’ dad is badly injured just days before her birthday she prays
that her savvy will help her dad wake up and on her birthday morning she thinks
that her prayer has been answered. Unfortunately, at her last-minute birthday
party put together by her well-meaning pastor’s wife, her true savvy reveals
itself to her. Undaunted she charges ahead with her plan to get to her dad’s
bedside so that she can help him recover from his injuries. The journey that
follows is nothing short of adventurous. Over the next 24 hours she learns that
people aren’t always what they seem and uses the new discoveries to strengthens
relationships with her new savvy.
In this
fanciful but down to earth – in some ways literally – tale children will be
delighted to ride along with Mibs and her fellow stowaways and get lost in the
details of this fantasy novel. Although it started a little slowly for me, once
Mibs’ savvy shows up the pages practically turned themselves. The fanciful language
is not too distracting and usually appears at times when the meaning is clear.
The story demonstrates that we all have secrets but if we share them with the
right people there is a relief in sharing the burden rather than hiding it.
From Kirkus
reviews: ” Sending
her young cast on a zigzag odyssey through the “Kansaska-Nebransas” heartland,
Law displays both a fertile imagination (Mibs’s savvy is telepathy, but it
comes with a truly oddball caveat) and a dab hand for likable, colorful
characters. There are no serious villains here, only challenges to be met,
friendships to be made and some growing up to do on the road to a two-hanky
climax. A film is already in development, and if it lives up to this
marvel-laden debut, it’ll be well worth seeing.” Retrieved from: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ingrid-law/savvy/
Six weeks of lesson plans using the
book are available in a free PDF download from Penguin Classroom at: https://penguinclassroom.com/books/savvy/.
Some of the lessons included are literature circles,
journal entry prompts, and color poems.
You may also like: Scumble also
by Ingrid Law or A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff
El Deafo
Bell, C. (2014). El deafo. Amulet Books. ISBN: 978-1-4197-1217-3
Cece Bell leads
a normal life until she suddenly gets very sick and spends weeks in the hospital.
She contracted meningitis and recovered but realizes that her life is forever
changed because it caused her to lose her hearing. As a child this is hard to
deal with, but she and her family find ways to cope. When it is time for school,
she is fitted with a phonic ear that helps her hear some, but she is not a fan
of the large box that is strapped to her chest and the cords that feed the
amplified sound to her ears. On the first day of school, she is relieved that
everyone else in her class looks like her. She is not in a regular school but
one where she learns to work around and cope with her hearing loss in a hearing
world. The next few years are tough, she goes to regular school where she looks
different because of her cords and her family moves so she must make new
friends in the neighborhood. Cece deals with all of this by imagining she is a
superhero – El Deafo – because her phonic ear gives her the special power of
hearing her teacher wherever she is, even in the bathroom! Cece goes through
the normal trials of childhood friendships and learns that the fear of being
different was wasted energy as she builds solid friendships.
Readers can’t
help but empathize with Cece as she describes through words and images in this
graphic novel what it is like to be deaf. You are sure to recognize some
well-intentioned mistakes you may have made when interacting with a hearing-impaired
person. Cece even gives a do and don’t lesson. She learns to stand up for
herself and that we all feel alone or different in one way or another. Through
this book the reader can be encouraged to be the person who reaches out when we
see others left of the outside and that we need to speak up for ourselves
whether our issues are visible or not.
From New York
Times: It takes a bit of an inner
superhero to get along as someone “special” in a classroom full of “normal”
kids. Bell’s book should be an inspiration for those who are “different,” and
it should help others to understand just what being different means. Required
reading isn’t always fun reading. “El Deafo” should be the first and is
definitely the second. Retrieved from: www.nytimes.com/2014/08/24/books/review/el-deafo-by-cece-bell.html
El Deafo presents an opportunity to examine cultural representation
through leveled reflections available from Teaching Books that help students explore
how to be more inclusive. Reflections and additional resources available at: https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=40736.
Cece learning to lip read presents good tips on page 30 that can be used to
help students improve their reading skills.
You may also
like: Smile by Raina Telgemeier or Sunny Side Up by Jennifer
Holm.
Roller Girl
Jamieson, V.
& Guerra, A. (2015). Roller girl. New York: Scholastic. ISBN: 978-0-545-93497-8
One fateful night,
Astrid’s mom treated her and her friend Nicole to an evening of cultural enlightenment
at a roller derby bout. Astrid was hooked. Her friend Nicole, not so much. This
is the beginning of a major shift in their friendship, and it happens during
the summer before they enter junior high school. Astrid and Nicole are as
different as their two favorite colors: black for Astrid and pink for Nicole
but they have been best friends since first grade. Instead of spending the
summer together, Astrid goes to Junior Roller Derby Camp while Nicole goes to
dance camp with Astrid’s enemy Rachel. Astrid struggles at first, partially
because she has no real skating skills and partially because she knows no one
at camp and a rift has formed between her and Nicole. As camp progresses Astrid’s
skills do as well and she makes a friend at camp. Astrid nearly ruins
everything that is going right in her life, but she manages to salvage both her
new and old friendship as well as her relationship with her mother after
getting caught in a lie.
This graphic
novel takes a look at a critical developmental stage in every child’s life and it
tackles conflict without making it too weighty. The story teaches that there is
always a lesson to be learned when we go through hard times. Astrid shows grit
and determination as she works to go after what she wants. Astrid pushes
herself physically to accomplish her roller derby goals, but she avoids the
uncomfortable interpersonal interactions that help her mature when she can avoid
them no longer. She also demonstrates that it is easy to make poor decisions
when we let our emotions take control like when she didn’t get what she had
worked so hard for. Astrid is the perfectly imperfect middle school role model.
From Common
Sense Media: “This colorful, engaging, and lively debut graphic novel has girl power
galore. Big kids and tweens will easily relate to Astrid as she learns how to
navigate a world where everything -- especially feelings and friendships -- is
getting so much more complicated. ... Astrid really is worth admiring as she
powers through the bumps and bruises and picks herself up after each of the
(seemingly millions) of times she falls down.” Retrieved from: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/roller-girl
Roller Girl lends itself to great activities for PE or the classroom on
rainy days when students need to get out some energy by playing “Simon Says”
using roller derby moves. Practicing “War Face” could be a fun activity on day
when students need to let out some tension and inevitably have a laugh – show that
test they aren’t afraid of it. These and other activities as well as Readers
Theater, a book trailer, an author interview, and more are available at the
Texas Bluebonnet Award website: https://texasbluebonnetaward2017.wordpress.com/roller-girl/.
You may also like: Real Friends by Shannon Hale or Drama by Raina Telgemeier
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