WORTH

BIBLIOGRAPHY
LaFaye, A. 2004. WORTH. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0689857306


PLOT SUMMARY
WORTH is the historical fiction story of a boy named Nathaniel (Nate) and an orphan boy named John Worth that Nate's father brings home after a tragic accident leaves Nate unable to help any longer with the day-to-day operations of the family farm. Nate is at first resentful of John Worth because he feels that John is getting closer to his father. Nate longs to be close to, admired, and respected by his father. Nate's father feels responsible for the accident that caused the permanent misuse of Nate's leg. This causes Nate's father to draw farther and farther away from his son in addition to the fact that during this day and time is was unconsidered "unmanly" for males to show or display any affection.

Nate's mother is cold and uninviting to John initially but by the end of the story has grown to love and accept him as a second son. Even Nate's father starts to treat John as a second son rather than a "slave" which is what John actually is because he is fed and clothed but not paid for all of the labor he performs on the farm. He does not even initially sleep in the house but in a shed outside. John and Nate start to form a bond when they realize that they can help each other with what each is lacking in--Nate in reading and John in how to use and operate the tools needed to conduct the daily farm work in addition to learning other basics such as how to ride a horse. The story ends with the reader knowing that through the trials and tribulations of daily living that these people have finally found the courage and risks that it takes to become a family--one that loves, accepts, and respects one another.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This book won the Scott O'Dell award in 2005. This book definitely deserved this award based on the criteria of setting, characters, plot, theme, and style. When it comes to setting LaFaye definitely did her research for this time in America's history. This is evident in the book when in one place she describes how many people in America and in this particular instance Nebraska survived "We lived by trade mostly. Come winter, Ma traded for food goods. By spring, she traded for shares of folks' seed. Tinkering kept us going...".


Characters are easy to identify with eventhough the reader may not have had any personal experience with the actual events in the story. One can feel Nate's frustration, disappointment, and embarrasement when he states that he "never wanted to recite my 7s like a baby in front of all those kids who could figure any old numbers they cared to." LaFaye also does a excellent job when it comes to the plot of the story. The plot grows out of the characters and how they really behave given the circumstances of their setting. One example of this is when Nate becomes frustrated because he can't read, eventhough he doesn't realize at this point that it takes time, patience, and practice to become a fluent reader. Nate states "And I never, ever wanted to read another darn book like a stuttering old fool. So I threw that stupid reader out the window and buried myself in bed. God could have His stupid old world. I wanted nothing more to do with it. Amen."


The theme in a historical fiction book should be reflective of the day and time of the setting while at the same time connecting the reader to the present. LaFaye shows her skill at doing this because John Worth is an orphan and there are children today who are orphans and instantly connect with him and the variety of thoughts, feelings, and emotions that he expresses. At one point John states "I miss her" (referring to his mother)"till it chokes me." Later John during a conversation with Nate asks "What right do we have to wish our family away from Heaven?" A child that has lost a family member, orphan or not, will understand what it is like to want to have that family member back on earth and then wondering if it is being selfish to want that for themselves.

The last major competent of an historical fiction novel is that the style of writing must be twofold--a natural way of writing for the author and at the same time reflect the speech patterns and dialect of the characters during that era. LaFaye is truly a master at her craft because the reader can tell that she remains true to herself while at the same time being faithful to the time period that the novel is set in. One example of this is when Nate, John, and Nate's parents are at the dinner table and John says "Thank you for the meal, ma'am." A few minutes later Nate inquires of his mother, "Need any help with the dishes, Ma?" Overall, this is a wonderful novel and is a great tool to get young people interested in reading historical fiction.



REVIEW EXCERPT
School Library Journal:" A compelling and historically accurate story beautifully rendered."


CONNECTIONS
A couple of other historical fiction books by A. LaFaye are:
THE YEAR OF THE SAWDUST MAN. ISBN 0689831064
EDITH SHAY. ISBN 0689842287

Other activities that could be used as follow-up after reading the book are:
1)Plan the film version of the book--have the student(s) write the film from the perspective of one of the main characters (John or Nate) or LaFaye. Write a letter to a producer suggesting or defending choice of actors and actresses bbased on knowledge of characters, select locations, and describe how would stage specific scenes. Finally, design the movie poster and plan the trailer.

2)A reviewer has read WORTH and written a bad review of it so now acting as LaFaye the student must now respond to this review.

MATILDA BONE

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cushman, Karen. 2000. MATILDA BONE. New York, New York: Random House. ISBN 0440418224

PLOT SUMMARY
MATILDA BONE is a historical fiction novel set in medieval England. Matalida is an orphan that is brought by her guardian Father Leufredus to be a servant to Peg, the "wrong sides of the track" bonesetter. Peg takes care of the poor people who cannot afford to go to a "real" doctor to reset their broken bones. In the beginning of the story Matilda does not want to be there and thinks that Father Leufredus will becoming back for her soon. Matilda is an educated girl who can speak, write, and understand Latin in addition to being able to communicate with the saints that she prays to daily. These are not skills that are valued on Blood and Bone Alley and Matilda must learn new skills in order to pull her weight and become the kind of servant, and in time apprentice, that Peg needs. Some of the new skills that Matilda acquires are starting a fire, mixing up the substances that Peg needs for her patients, learning how to choose the best quality produce at the best negotiated price she can get at the local food market using the small amount of money she has given by Peg each day, and to start to rely on her wits to solve issues that occur instead of praying to her saints that do not answer her prayers.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
It is obvious that Cushman conducted through research for this novel because the details are accurate and exemplify the life and times of the people that lived during this time and place in our world's history. Eventhough the characters are not real people that lived in medieval England there is accuracy in her writings that if were researched would reveal that people truly lived, spoke, and acted in the same way that her characters do. For example, it was a common practice to leech people whom it was believed had too much blood in their bodies which in turn caused their ailments-"too much blood is the cause of most trouble." "Bleeding reduces pains, without a doubt, once we let the extra blood out. ....The leeches fed on her blood, until, swollen and satiated, they dropped off."

Cushman's book is logical and easy to follow. The reader first learns of Matilda, then of Peg, of the mannerisms unique to each that seemed to peculiar to each of them in turn, and then it expands to include the world that made up their daily lives-the sick and poor, the people who lived as they did and some that didn't(some worse and some better), and the chores, work, and resilience that was required to make it from day to day. Cushman even provides a section at the back of the book entitled "author's note" that discusses the information that she gathered while conducting her research for this book. Cushman's style of writing captures the reader's attention from the very first sentence. "Matilda stood before the scarred wooden door and stared at the bright-yellow bone painted there." This is a book that will educate the reader about this place and time in the history of the world.

REVIEW EXCERPT
Parents Choice:"The richness of the book lies in its setting."

CONNECTIONS
Three of Cushman's other books are:
CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY. ISBN 0064405842
THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE. ISBN 006440630X
THE BALLAD OF LUCY WHIPPLE. ISBN 0064406849

Students can continue where the story leaves off in MATILDA BONE by either writing the next chapter in the book or by following the life of one of the characters during the next year.

SHIPWRECK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Armstrong, Jennifer. 1998. SHIPWRECK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD: THE EXTRAORDINARY TRUE STORY OF SHACKLETON AND THE ENDURANCE. Frank Hurley, Photographer. New York, New York: Crown Publishers. ISBN 0517800136

PLOT SUMMARY
This is the amazing true story of Captain Ernest Shackleton and his crew of twenty-seven who set out in August 1914 to attempt to be the first explorers to cross Antarctica. It details the hardships they endured during the worst weather that part of the world had ever experienced. They spend the next several months toughing out on their ship the Endurance through relentless icestorms. When one of the worst of the worst icestorms hits causing big rips in the sides of the Endurance Shackleton realizes that in order for he and his men to survive he must make the tough and wise decision to abandon ship. Once this decision was made Shackleton then decided that he and his crew had no other options but to continue on across the ice and try and reach Antarctica on foot, which brought about a new set of challenges.


These challenges included such things as what to leave behind and what was necessary for survival, living out in the frigid weather 24/7 with few tents between them, pulling their two smaller boats across the ice (they knew that they would need these once they could sail again), and keeping everyone alive. They spent months on the ice floes until finally refuge on Elephant Island. Finally, in an attempt to find help and have them rescued Shackleton and five men he chose set out in one of their remaining boats. This was a daring and treacherous journey across eight hundred miles of ocean. Shackleton and all twenty seven of his crew were rescued with none of them dying after having spent all that time in such horrendous conditions.


CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Armstrong does a superb job of recreating for the reader the story of how twenty eight brave men accepted a mission and then through perserverance lived to tell about their experiences. She did many hours and months of research to make sure that she got her facts straight and that the whole story was told. She weaves conversations, diary entries, facts, and details into a cohesive easy-to-read story. Armstrong's qualifications make her an excellent choice for telling this story. She has written or co-authored over 100 books and many of them have been nonfiction and included historical events. For example, she wrote a book about Holocaust survivors (see reference below) which required as this book does that the facts are accurate and happened as presented in the book. This is a requirement of nonfiction books--that the facts are true just as the author states because every fact in the book can be proven or contradicted through reliable sources.

When it comes to the organization of the material presented in SHIPWRECK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD Armstrong again shows that she has done her homework because the story is sequential, she describes the position of each of the crew members and the developing relationships and trust that they developed for each other. The design of the front cover of the book gives a glimpse into what is in store for the reader eventhough the reader does not realize it at the time. The stark white dominates over the crew as they toil with the daunting task of pulling the ship across the ice. This image illustrates the power of the weather and how it can make the independent become the dependent.

Armstrong has a style of writing that immediately captures the reader's attention and makes one want to read the entire book to find out what becomes of the characters at the end of the story. She provides many new vocabulary words for the reader to add to his/her knowledge base. Some examples of this are when she is describing the scene at the whaling station and she states "the carcasses of blue and humpback whales putrefying in the midnight sun..."; in order for the reader to truly understand what a whaling station was and what it was like at this particular whaling station they would need to either have background knowledge or research the words "whaling station", "carcasses" and "putrefying." She also uses the word "cabin fever", a word that is not probably in most children's vocabulary. The word "floe" is used many times in the book, another word that the reader would need to understand in order to fully appreciate what the crew was up against. This is an impressive book that provides insight into what the true meaning of courage and perserverance really mean especially when it is realized that this was the time before more advanced technology had been developed.

REVIEW EXCERPT
Library School Journal:"The text moves from diary entries to explanations of how to read the sun, and the descriptions of the terrain and weather are superb."


CONNECTIONS
Armstrong has written or co-authored over 100 books for all ages so here are just a few of her award-winning nonfiction books:
PHOTO BY BRADY: A PICTURE OF THE CIVIL WAR. ISBN 0689857853
IN MY HANDS: MEMORIES OF A HOLOCAUST RESCUER. ISBN 0385720327
THE CENTURY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. ISBN 0385327080

Here are some alternatives to doing the traditional bookreport on the book that will still offer the teacher a way to determine if the student(s) did indeed read the book:
1. Write a professional looking resume for one of the crew and attach cover letters that would have been written by that person. Simulate an interview of this man applying for the job with Shackleton and convince Shackleton why he should hire him.
2. Using Shackleton or one of his crew members write an epitaph for his tombstone, a newspaper obituary, and present in front of the class present his eulogy.
3. Pretend that you are Shackleton and create two alternate scenarios concerning a decision that he made. These can either be written or dramatized in front of the class.

ALMOST GONE/THE WORLD'S RAREST ANIMALS

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Jenkins, Steve. 2006. ALMOST GONE/THE WORLD'S RAREST ANIMALS. New York, NY: HarperCollins. ISBN 0060535989.

PLOT SUMMARY
In this nonfiction book Jenkins gives the reader insight into the Earth's animals that are gone, almost extinct, and those that will become extinict if people do not take steps to preserve the animals habitats. In the first section of the book Jenkins provides a one page spread on several animals with detailed information about the name of each animal, where it lives, the best guess scientists have about the number of each remaining in the wild, a physical description of each, and in some instances what caused the reduction in the number of the species.

In the second section that Jenkins entitles "Gone Forever" he highlights animals that are extinct. Again he gives a physical description of each species along with a visual of each. He also lists in some cases possible reasons for their extinction. The final section in Jenkin's book is entitled "Coming Back" gives the same basic information as in the other two sections with the difference being that he gives details about what is being done to prevent these animals from being wiped off the Earth forever.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Jenkins does a great job of illustrating-in both words and pictures-the plight of these rare and lost animals. He provides factual information about each species of animal while at the same time providing theories about possible reasons for the extinction of some species without expressing his personal opinion. For example, the Guam Flying Fox according to Jenkins is theorized to have become extinict when in the 1940s the Brown Tree Snake was brought to Guam.

The book is logical in the organization of the material. Jenkins first hooks the reader with animals that are almost extinict, then provides the reader insight into animals that will no longer be seen by anyone due to poor hindsight, to finally giving the reader hope that there are animals that can make a comeback due to conservation efforts. Eventhough the illustrations of each species are not drawn to scale it does not deter from the enjoyment and sense of urgency that must take place in order for all of us as inhabitants of the Earth to continue to enjoy the range of species that share the world with us. This book will inspire people "to get moving" to participate in saving the world's creatures from further extinction.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal:"Starred Review. This engaging title is informative as well as visually stunning."

CONNECTIONS
A couple of other books that deal with this topic are:
Mullins, Patricia. V FOR VANISHING: AN ALPHABET OF ENDANGERED ANIMALS.
ISBN 006023556X
Wrights, Alexandra. WILL WE MISS THEM?/ENDANGERED SPECIES. ISBN 0881064882.

Students can also write about what they as well as people everywhere can do to help prevent further loss of the earth's creatures. They could also research what techniques and/or products were utilized to cause the destruction or reduction of certain species. For example, the Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat is almost extinict due to sheep and cattle ranching. The students could research this and then offer possible alternatives that would have accomplished the ranchers objectives without destroying the wombat's habitat.

TORNADOES

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Simon, Seymour. 1999. TORNADOES. New York, New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc. ISBN 068814673

PLOT SUMMARY
This is a nonfiction, an informational, book about tornadoes. This book provides factual information about tornadoes such as other names for them, what they look like, origin of the word, a vivid description of what exactly a tornado looks like and is formed, and how meterologists determine the strength of a tornado which translates into the amount of damage a tornado can cause once it touches the ground. Also, Simon gives information about the destruction tornadoes can cause and some true stories about the worst storms that have been recorded in the history of the United States as of the writing of the book. The later pages of the book give information about common myths about tornadoes and what to do to try and prevent becoming a tragedy of a tornado.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Simon does a great job giving factual information about tornadoes in a way that does not scare children but also does not sugar-coat the facts either. Simon states that "you don't have to worry too much in advance about tornadoes, but finding out when they are coming and knowing what to do is certain to help you if one strikes." Simon also organizes the information in a logical, sequential order. This is evidenced by the fact that he starts with discussing tornadoes in general to the specifics about the different types and the destruction each of the five types can cause.

The illustrations are double page spreads that capture the essence of the text that accompanies them. One example of this is when Simon is describing what meterologists do when tracking potential tornadoes. The reader can see clearly in the color photographs the computer technology used during tornado season. The photograph shows in detail what meterologists are looking at and for when using computers to help them in keeping the public informed about a potential tornado.

Simon is also a master when it comes to satisfying a desire about wanting to know more about tornadoes and also leaves the reader wanting to learn more about weather. He also provides many new vocabulary words for the reader to add to his knowledge base. For example, tornadoes can have many names such as "dust devils, twisters, whirlwinds, waterspouts, and cyclones." Whatever the age or knowledge base of the reader he/she will surely come away from reading this book having a new appreciation for tornadoes.

REVIEW EXCERPT

Booklist:" Incredible full-color photographs and diagrams, clearly portraying the different formations and devastating power of the windstorms, complement the text perfectly."

CONNECTIONS

Students can write a summary of what they learned from the book. They can also write about any experiences they may have had with a tornado.
The students can read or the teacher can read some other books related to weather such as:
Mogil, H. EXTREME WEATHER: UNDERSTANDING THE SCIENCE OF HURRICANES, TORNADOES, FLOODS, HEAT WAVES, SNOW STORMS, GLOBAL WARMING AND OTHER ATMOSPHERIC DISTURBANCES. ISBN 1579127436

Grace, Catherince O'Neill. FORCES OF NATURE: THE AWESOME POWER OF VOLCANOES, EARTHQUAKES, AND TORNADOES. ISBN 0792263286
Onish, Liane WIND AND WEATHER: CLIMATES, CLOUDS, SNOW, TORNADOES, AND HOW WEATHER IS PREDICTED. ISBN 0590476467

LIZARDS, FROGS, AND POLLIWOGS

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Florian, Douglas. 2001. LIZARDS, FROGS, AND POLLIWOGS. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 015202591X


PLOT SUMMARY
There is not a plot in this book. This book contains twenty-one original poems written by Florian about reptiles and amphibians. He writes poems about some of the more unusual reptiles and amphibians that are not usually the subject of poetry. For example, he has a poem about several types of frogs and toads such as: the midwife toad, glass frog, wood frog, red-eyed tree frog, the bullfrog, and poison-dart frogs. The Komodo Dragon even has his own poem! These poems are just the type of reading that children love to do-- poems about the unusual, strange, and scary creatures of the world.


CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Florian uses a variety of rhythms and sounds in his poems that really hook the children in. For example, in his poem The Skink he uses rhyming words and the pattern of AA, BC. The poem reads as follows:"Along the ground I'm found--I slink./Through grass I pass--I am a skink./Bite my tail and it releases./I don't fight back--/I fall to pieces." However, in The Gecko the pattern is AA,BB--"Across the ceiling it may roam,/But don't you try this in your home./The gecko's trick is climbing walls./Like glue it sticks and rarely falls."

The Gecko is also a clever poem in the way that the verses are written on the page. The reader can actually get a visual through Florian's watercolor illustration and in the mind's eye of the gecko walking around on the ceiling because the verses are written in such a way to form a square, like the actual four walls in a room that form the ceiling. Florian is as adept an illustrator as he is a writer. His watercolor illustrations bring his words to life and give readers an idea about what these amphibians and reptiles look like even when they performing human like acts as in The Newt who is wearing an orange suit. The reader can see what a newt looks like while at the same time realizing that a newt cannot do what is being illustrated-sitting in a chair, reading a newspaper, drinking a cup of coffee, wearing an orange suit. Florian truly has a gift for writing and illustrating about topics that fascinate children.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL:"Twenty-one poems, each about a particular amphibian or reptile, are full of surprises, and are a delight to read aloud."

CONNECTIONS
A couple of other books that involve animals and poetry are:
Oyer, Kalyn Aimar. CRITTER JITTERS. ISBN 1419626884
Davies, Gill. FUN SIZE. ISBN 185479230X

Other poetry books of Florian's that deal with non-humans are:
insectlopedia. ISBN 0152163352
BEAST FEAST: POEMS. ISBN 0152017372
bow wow meow meow: it's rhyming cats and dogs. ISBN 0152163956
in the swim. ISBN 0152024379
on the wing. ISBN 0152023666
mammalabilia. ISBN 0152050248