Monster

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Myers, Walter Dean. 1999. MONSTER. illus. by Christopher Myers. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 9780064407311.

PLOT SUMMARY
Sixteen year old Steve Harmon is on trial for the murder of a convenience store owner. He is accused of being the lookout for a robbery gone wrong and is in jail awaiting the outcome of the trial. The prosecuting attorney calls him a Monster. Steve wants to be a film maker and copes with his incarceration by making the trial and the events that led up to it a documentary in his mind. The story is written like a movie script. The reader is able to read the transcript of the trial and then witness the flashbacks as Steve plays back the events in his mind to determine how things could have gone so horribly wrong. The reader is left to determine if the sentence Steve receives is just.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This book was written in such a unique way. Author Walter Dean Myers grabs the reader at the beginning when Steve is thinking with gray and handwritten pages. This visual method makes the transition between the jail, courtroom and flashbacks to the event easy to understand. Myers then "rolls the credits" before beginning the story. The lead actor, producer and director are all Steve Harmon. The way it was written on the page reminded me of the Star Wars beginning and that would appeal to young readers too. The trial begins to unfold and Myers uses transcripts which makes it more interesting. Young adult readers like books that are edgy. The topic, a sixteen year old on trial for murder, and the style of the book's presentation both manage to do that.

Students always have thoughts they don't share with others. Steve voices his fears of prison in his head, the fear of disappointing his parents, the fear of his life ending. These are all realistic life stories that some readers could relate to. Young adults like to read about people their age, in real life situations. Myers story paints a realistic picture of life in jail and how youth can be treated in a trial. A powerful statement Steve thinks is to warn a friend about how he lives his life. The phrase he repeats is, "Think about all the tomorrows of your life". Many teens feel that nothing will happen to them; they are untouchable. They live for the moment and don't project how the actions of their youth can affect the rest of their life. Jail is a jarring reality and Steve wants to warn his friends to think twice before they do something stupid. This is a good message for the reader.

A number of students have dreams of making movies. Steve's method of shooting this as a documentary enables him to cope with being locked up. He doesn't want to allow himself to act like the other prisoners because he doesn't see himself as a criminal. Myers writing this as a movie allows him to use fewer words as he moves between scenes and it is effective.

Illustrator Christopher Myers is the son of the author. He has collaborated with his father before on previous books. The black and white photographs are grainy and simple. C. Myers portrays the characters as criminals would be - not carefully staged photographs but a quick shot. The type in the book is like that from an old crime book done on a typewriter.

Myers never really defines the absolute truth of the crime. He gives everyone's point of view and leaves it up to the reader to decide what really happened. That's real world. Things aren't always black and white and clearly defined. Myers ends the book with a question to cause the reader to reflect on the story and answer it by themselves. This book would be great for an open discussion in an English class.

PERSONAL OPINION
I really liked this book. Part of the appeal was the way in which the book was presented. I liked that Myers lets the reader decide the truth. It's the kind of book you want someone else to read so you can discuss it with them.

AWARDS
Michael L. Printz Award
Corretta Scott King Honor Book
National Book Award Finalist
Boston Globe - Horn Book Award Honor Book
Publisher's Weekly Best Book
Book Sense 76 Pick
ALA Best Book for Young Adults

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From School Library Journal
"Grade 7 Up-Steve Harmon, 16, is accused of serving as a lookout for a robbery of a Harlem drugstore. The owner was shot and killed, and now Steve is in prison awaiting trial for murder. From there, he tells about his case and his incarceration. Many elements of this story are familiar, but Myers keeps it fresh and alive by telling it from an unusual perspective. Steve, an amateur filmmaker, recounts his experiences in the form of a movie screenplay. His striking scene-by-scene narrative of how his life has dramatically changed is riveting. Interspersed within the script are diary entries in which the teen vividly describes the nightmarish conditions of his confinement. Myers expertly presents the many facets of his protagonist's character and readers will find themselves feeling both sympathy and repugnance for him. Steve searches deep within his soul to prove to himself that he is not the "monster" the prosecutor presented him as to the jury. Ultimately, he reconnects with his humanity and regains a moral awareness that he had lost. Christopher Myers's superfluous black-and-white drawings are less successful. Their grainy, unfocused look complements the cinematic quality of the text, but they do little to enhance the story. Monster will challenge readers with difficult questions, to which there are no definitive answers."

From Booklist
"Myers combines an innovative format, complex moral issues, and an intriguingly sympathetic but flawed protagonist in this cautionary tale of a 16-year-old on trial for felony murder. Steve Harmon is accused of acting as lookout for a robbery that left a victim dead; if convicted, Steve could serve 25 years to life. Although it is clear that Steve did participate in the robbery, his level of involvement is questionable, leaving protagonist and reader to grapple with the question of his guilt. An amateur filmmaker, Steve tells his story in a combination of film script and journal. The "handwritten" font of the journal entries effectively uses boldface and different sizes of type to emphasize particular passages. The film script contains minimal jargon, explaining camera angles (CU, POV, etc.) when each term first appears. Myers' son Christopher provides the black-and-white photos, often cropped and digitally altered, that complement the text. Script and journal together create a fascinating portrait of a terrified young man wrestling with his conscience. The tense drama of the courtroom scenes will enthrall readers, but it is the thorny moral questions raised in Steve's journal that will endure in readers' memories."

CONNECTIONS
Divide the class into characters - Steve Harmon, James King, Bobo Evans, Osvaldo Cruz and have them defend themselves as a group with oral arguments to the rest of the class.

For a writing assignment, ask students to write what they think Steve should have done when asked to be the lookout.

Have students answer in writing the last question posed in the book, "What did she see?" (There is no right or wrong answer as long as it is thought out).

Students who liked this book might like:

Anderson, Halse. SPEAK ISBN 9780141310886

Cormier, Robert. THE CHOCOLATE WAR. ISBN 9780375829871

Draper, Sharon M. TEARS OF A TIGER. ISBN 9780689806988

Johnson, Angela. THE FIRST PART LAST. ISBN 9780689849237

The Higher Power of Lucky

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Patron, Susan. 2006. THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY. illus. by Matt Phelon. New York, NY: A Richard Jackson Book, Antheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781416901945.

PLOT SUMMARY
Ten year old Lucky Trimble lives in a trailer park in Hard Rock Pan, California (population 43). She lives with a guardian and longs to belong to someone. With the electrocution death of her mother two years earlier and a father who isn't around to care, Lucky is living with a French ex-wife of her father. Lucky listens to several dependence groups (Alcoholics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous and Smokers Anonymous) talk about the Higher Power while completing her job of cleaning up trash after their meetings. She tries to to find a way to learn about her higher power and find a place to permanently belong.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The setting of the book is one probably unfamiliar to many readers - a trailer park. The part that Lucky lives in is welded to another trailer to make it longer. As the story begins, we learn that Lucky's mother was electrocuted by stepping on a live wire after a storm. With no father figure, a guardian had to be found as Lucky was only eight at the time. Enter Brigette, a French ex-wife of Lucky's absentee father who is not married, has no children and has never met Lucky before. Both are coping with each other but Lucky constantly worries that Brigette will go back to France and leave her without a guardian. Author Patron addresses this issue adequately. Children often have fears and don't voice them. Many times parents don't discuss issues with their children as they think they can't handle it. The fact that Brigette talks to her mother every day in France and is homesick worries Lucky. She worries about not being perfect enough for Brigette to stay. Lucky carries around a survival backpack. I think subconsciously she wanted to be ready if she lost her guardian and went to a foster family.

Lucky is somewhat quirky. Her dog is named HMS Beagle and isn't a beagle. Her friend Lincoln spends his time tying intricate knots. She cleans up trash at the Found Object and Wind Chime Museum, where the dependency meetings are held (and she eavesdrops). The illustrations by Phelan scattered throughout the book give insight to what the characters and setting look like.

Patron introduces situations that readers may not be aware of - Alcoholics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous and Smokers Anonymous (is there such an organization?!) Many times people who live in trailer parks don't have as stable a home life as those who live in permanent houses. These organizations, while in every city of the United States, could definitely exist in a trailer park. With a population of 43, some of the members would have to overlap groups! Lucky decides that one way to find your Higher Power was to hit rock bottom. When that day arrives for Lucky, she decides to run away to a better place. This is the only part of the book where the story was somewhat predictable. As Lucky leaves, she learns of a local preschool boy who is missing. There is a terrible dust storm and Lucky ends up finding Miles, the missing boy. She stays with him and learns that she has misunderstood Brigette's intentions. The ending gives a sense of closure for other ten year olds reading the book. They learn from Lucky that everyone has fears they keep inside and that things can turn out for the best.

I was aware of the controversial mention of the word "scrotum" in this book before I began reading. While I think Patron could have told a complete story without this reference, she does explain what it means for those who might not be familiar with the word.

PERSONAL OPINION
I was not a fan of this book. As a parent, it had more information than I would want my ten year old to know (Alcoholics Anonymous and the other dependency groups, a father who didn't care, the mention and further explanation of scrotum). There were many redeeming qualities about Lucky but I just didn't like it. The ending was too predictable.

AWARDS
Newbery Award 2007
ALA Notable Children's Books
Cooperative Children's Book Council Choice
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award Master List (Vermont)
Focal Award
Kirkus Editor's Choice

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From School Library Journal
"When Lucky's mother is electrocuted and dies after a storm, Lucky's absentee father calls his ex-wife, Brigitte, to fly over from France to take care of the child. Two years later, the 10-year-old worries that Brigitte is tired of being her guardian and of their life in Hard Pan (pop. 42) in the middle of the California desert. While Lucky's best friend ties intricate knots and the little boy down the road cries for attention, she tries to get some control over her life by restocking her survival kit backpack and searching for her Higher Power. This character-driven novel has an unusually complicated backstory, and a fair amount of exposition. Yet, its quirky cast and local color help to balance this fact, and the desert setting is fascinating. Lucky's tendency to jump to conclusions is frustrating, but her struggle to come to terms with her mother's death and with her new life ring true."

From Booklist
"Lucky, age 10, lives in tiny Hard Pan, California (population 43), with her dog and the young French woman who is her guardian. With a personality that may remind some readers of Ramona Quimby, Lucky, who is totally contemporary, teeters between bravado--gathering insect specimens, scaring away snakes from the laundry--and fear that her guardian will leave her to return to France. Looking for solace, Lucky eavesdrops on the various 12-step meetings held in Hard Pan (of which there are plenty), hoping to suss out a "higher power" that will see her through her difficulties. Her best friend, Lincoln, is a taciturn boy with a fixation for tying knots; another acquaintance, Miles, seems a tiresome pest until Lucky discovers a secret about his mother. Patron's plotting is as tight as her characters are endearing. Lucky is a true heroine, especially because she's not perfect: she does some cowardly things, but she takes pains to put them to rights."

CONNECTIONS
Amazon.com has a video of the author. Students might enjoy watching that so there is a connection of what they author looks and sound like plus what she says about writing the book.

As a writing exercise, students could be asked to change the ending. What if she didn't find Miles in the dust storm and decide to stay? What might have happened if she left for good?

Look at a map of California and locate desert areas. Where do you think Hard Rock Pan might be located?

Students who liked this book might enjoy:

Larson, Kirby. HATTIE BIG SKY. ISBN 9780440239413

Lord, Cynthia. RULES. ISBN 9780439443821

Perkins, Lynne Rae. CRISS CROSS. ISBN 9780060092740

The Giver

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lowry, Lois. 1993. THE GIVER. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 9780385732550.

PLOT
Jonas is an eleven year old boy who lives in a futuristic community unlike one we know. Speakers are present throughout the town, including inside individual homes so the Elders can hear what is being said and issue orders to be followed. The community is about sameness and void of color. People are not encouraged to think for themselves but rather obey the orders given to them. Rules govern the lives of everyone. There will be one male and one female child given to each family unit. With each passing year up to the age of 12, rites of passage occur, such as seven year olds (referred to as sevens) who get a front button jacket to show their first sign of independence. (Jackets were buttoned in the back before age seven). The nines receive their first bicycle; this is the main form of transportation other than walking. The elevens are assigned jobs when they become twelves. This job assignment is one that has been carefully selected by a committee. Jonas wonders what kind of job he'll get; he doesn't see himself as a Nurturer as his father does every day. On the eventful day, Jonas is assigned the Receiver of Memory. The Receiver was the most important member of the community and revered by everyone. Jonas' world begins to turn upside down as he learns of memories that have been blocked from the rest of the community. Jonas' mentor is The Giver. As Jonas begins to learn more about his community he realizes that when a community member is "released" it means they are killed. He always thought they went to another place to live. Armed with this knowledge and the realization that a small child living with them is about to be killed, Jonas and The Giver begin to plot his escape from the only place he's ever known. This book is the first in a trilogy.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Lois Lowry was awarded the Newbery Medal for this beautifully written piece of literature. To be able to create a world unlike anything we've known could be difficult. Lowry manages to make the place Jonas and his family live believable. When she describes infants and their "comfort object", the object becomes more impersonal, rather than describing a fluffy stuffed bunny to comfort them. The regimentation of the town is shown through privileges we take for granted that are awarded as a rite of passage. Getting buttons down the front of your jacket at age seven would be a very big deal if you hadn't had them before.

This book is meant for older elementary students. During the adolescent years, some teens question authority. Many don't like rules. This book would be appropriate for them to show a world where everyone lives by very strict rules. In the book Lowry writes of a Book of Laws that students spend their days memorizing. Maybe the world we live in isn't so bad after all! When nines receive a bicycle they are told "it is a symbol of moving out into the community". The eights are given a pocket, to be able to keep track of their own belongings. This teaches responsibility. Responsibility, independence, the ability to have our own thoughts are freedoms we take for granted. Lowry reminds us that we are fortunate to have those freedoms. It was chilling in the book to read the words from the Giver, "We need to protect people from the wrong choices". If you never fail, how can you learn?

To live in a world with no color or pain is hard to imagine. Jonas was selected to bear the burden of the townspeople. What a weighty assignment! Jonas was chosen because he was bright and insightful. At the end, this insight led him to the realization that he couldn't continue to live the way everyone around him did. The only way to break the cycle and transfer the pain back to the townspeople was to leave. We often protect younger students. This book treats them as a young adult by presenting a harsh example of life somewhere else and leaving the interpretation of whether or not they like it up to the reader.

Ron Rifkin narrates this book in a four CD collection. Mr. Rifkin does a fine job changing the voices between Jonas and The Giver. The words flow as he reads the book to the listener.

PERSONAL OPINION
This is the second time I've read this book, about five years apart. The first time I didn't like it at all but I had two daughters who were reading it in school. I worried about the content upsetting them. (It didn't). This time I listened to the audiotape, narrated by Ron Rifkin. His gentle voice highlighted the beauty of the words written. What a masterful book. I think every middle school student should be required to read this and engage in a discussion, whether it be at school or home.

AWARDS
Newbery Award 1994
ALA Best Book For Young Adults 1994
ALA Notable Children's Book 1994
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book 1994
Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award 1994
Kentucky Bluegrass Master List 1995
Virginia Young Readers Program Award 1994

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From School Library Review
"Grade 6-9-- In a complete departure from her other novels, Lowry has written an intriguing story set in a society that is uniformly run by a Committee of Elders. Twelve-year-old Jonas's confidence in his comfortable "normal" existence as a member of this well-ordered community is shaken when he is assigned his life's work as the Receiver. The Giver, who passes on to Jonas the burden of being the holder for the community of all memory "back and back and back," teaches him the cost of living in an environment that is "without color, pain, or past." The tension leading up to the Ceremony, in which children are promoted not to another grade but to another stage in their life, and the drama and responsibility of the sessions with The Giver are gripping. The final flight for survival is as riveting as it is inevitable. The author makes real abstract concepts, such as the meaning of a life in which there are virtually no choices to be made and no experiences with deep feelings. This tightly plotted story and its believable characters will stay with readers for a long time."

From Kirkus Review
"In a radical departure from her realistic fiction and comic chronicles of Anastasia, Lowry creates a chilling, tightly controlled future society where all controversy, pain, and choice have been expunged, each childhood year has its privileges and responsibilities, and family members are selected for compatibility. As Jonas approaches the ``Ceremony of Twelve,'' he wonders what his adult ``Assignment'' will be. Father, a ``Nurturer,'' cares for ``newchildren''; Mother works in the ``Department of Justice''; but Jonas's admitted talents suggest no particular calling. In the event, he is named ``Receiver,'' to replace an Elder with a unique function: holding the community's memories--painful, troubling, or prone to lead (like love) to disorder; the Elder (``The Giver'') now begins to transfer these memories to Jonas. The process is deeply disturbing; for the first time, Jonas learns about ordinary things like color, the sun, snow, and mountains, as well as love, war, and death: the ceremony known as ``release'' is revealed to be murder. Horrified, Jonas plots escape to ``Elsewhere,'' a step he believes will return the memories to all the people, but his timing is upset by a decision to release a newchild he has come to love."
Maine Student Book Award 1994

CONNECTIONS
As a class, list the pros and cons of living in a society like the one Jonas and The Giver reside.

Of getting a bike, getting a pocket and getting buttons down the front of your jacket, which one would you want the most and why?

Living in a world without color, music or technology would be completely foreign. Set up the classroom for one day where the class tries to live as Jonas did. Nothing electronic except the lights in the room, memorizing rules, very strict. At the end of the day, have a discussion about the opinion of living this way. It would be most effective if the students didn't know this day was going to occur, they just walked in and found things this way.

Students who liked this book might like:

Lowry, Lois. GATHERING BLUE. ISBN 9780385732567

Lowry, Lois. THE MESSENGER. ISBN 9780385732536

Rowe, Robert. J. DETAINED DIFFERENCES. ISBN 9781424198559

The Green Glass Sea

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Klages, Ellen. 2006. THE GREEN GLASS SEA. New York, NY: Viking published by Penguin Group. ISBN 9780670061341.

PLOT SUMMARY
Eleven year old Dewey Kerrigan lives in Los Alamos, NM with her father, a mathematician who works with scientists on a secret project called "the gadget". Her 1943 daily life of school and home is like many others her age, except for the armed guards and isolation in the camp she lives. With her mechanical mind she doesn't fit in with the girls who tease her by calling her "Screwy Dewey". As the story unfolds, the reader learns about the testing of the first atomic bomb seen through the eyes of a young girl and why the book is so named.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The author makes Dewey Kerrigan a sympathetic character as the story begins by painting a tragic home life; no mother, a grandmother who has had a stroke and a father off at war. Because she has nowhere to go, Dewey boards a train and travels alone from St. Louis MO to Los Alamos NM to live with her father, whom she learns is not really away in a war. In 1943 Dewey traveling by herself would have been acceptable - not today! Klages puts the reader at ease on the train by introducing the character of Dick Feynman, who happens to know her father. Dewey has a million questions when she sees her father, as most children would, and not all are answered immediately. During the course of the story, she learns the real reason her father lives in this camp.

Children want to be accepted at any age. Dewey has a physical handicap which makes her different. She is also intelligent, excelling at math and mechanics. Her tinkering with machines sets her apart from other girls of that era. This leads to teasing and name calling. For the most part, Dewey ignores it but her thoughts are revealed to the reader. Even though this story is set in 1943, these events could happen today and the reader can relate. Dewey has a lot of time on her hands. Her father is caring but has little time to be a father as he is part of a group of mathematicians and scientists racing to build the first atomic bomb.

When her father goes away to continue his work, Dewey is left in the care of a neighbor whose daughter dislikes her. The girls learn to coexist with each other, and eventually become friends. This is a good lesson to the reader, to learn to get along with others. Dewey sends letters to her father which are censored. This is a concept that would be foreign to today's reader. Readers would be intrigued with the secrecy of the place she lives.

Klages inserts historical events which validate the story. A neighbor has an ashtray with "Jam your butts on the skunk" and a picture of Adolph Hitler. 1932 was during WWII, when Hitler was in power and widely disliked. When President Roosevelt dies after twelve years in office, Dewey witnesses the guards and people in the camp crying. Klages says that Roosevelt was the only president Dewey ever knew - a concept we can't imagine today because presidential term limits have been imposed.

Some passages in the book read like poetry. When her drunken father is hit by a car, Klages writes, "Dewey begins to cry, a slow steady trickle, as if she is leaking" and "Now Dewey cried with her whole body, letting the music sweep her away." When the atomic bomb is tested, Klages writes it looked like "A fireball gold and purple and blue and red climbing into the sky. Nothing like it ever before. Not on this earth."

This book is not for the younger reader. Not only is the subject matter of Los Alamos for an older reader, but issues such as smoking and drinking are a part of this story. In 1943 everyone smoked and social drinking was popular. Older students can understand this in the context of the story.

PERSONAL OPINION
I loved this book. Ellen Klages writes a engaging story through the eyes of a believable character. I learned more about Los Alamos than I knew, particularly the part of the green glass sea. Her descriptions make the reader imagine they are sitting alongside Dewey as she lives in Los Alamos.

REVIEWS
From School Library Journal
"Grade 5-8–Two girls spend a year in Los Alamos as their parents work on the secret gadget that will end World War II. Clear prose brings readers right into the unusual atmosphere of the secretive scientific community, seen through the eyes of the kids and their families. Dewey is an especially engaging character, plunging on with her mechanical projects and ignoring any questions about gender roles. Occasional shifts into first person highlight the protagonist's most emotional moments, including her journey to the site and her reaction to her father's unexpected death. After the atomic bomb test succeeds, ethical concerns of both youngsters and adults intensify as the characters learn how it is ultimately used. Many readers will know as little about the true nature of the project as the girls do, so the gradual revelation of facts is especially effective, while those who already know about Los Alamos's historical significance will experience the story in a different, but equally powerful, way."

From Booklist
"In November 1943, 10-year-old budding inventor Dewey Kerrigan sets off on a cross-country train ride to be with her father, who is engaged in "war work." She is busy designing a radio when a fellow passenger named Dick Feynman offers to help her. Feynman's presence in this finely wrought first novel is the first clue that Dewey is headed for Los Alamos. The mystery and tension surrounding "war work" and what Dewey knows only as "the gadget" trickles down to the kids living in the Los Alamos compound, who often do without adult supervision. The novel occasionally gets mired down in detail, but the characters are exceptionally well drawn, and the compelling, unusual setting makes a great tie-in for history classes."

AWARDS
Scott O'Dell Award
Finalist Northern California Book Award - 2007

CONNECTIONS
Students would be interested in seeing what trinitite looks like - the green glass described in the book.

As a class, students could learn more about Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the Atomic Bomb.

After viewing photographs of an atomic bomb being tested, students could draw their depiction of what it looked like, using the colors Ellen Klages describes in the book.

Locate St. Louis MO and Los Alamos NM on a map. Which location is closer to your school? Ellen Klages lives in San Francisco CA. Where is that located?

Students who liked this book might like:

Holm, Jennifer. PENNY FROM HEAVEN. ISBN 9780375836893

Patron, Susan. THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY. ISBN 9781416901945

Pfeffer, Susan Beth. LIFE AS WE KNEW IT. ISBN0152058265