Book Review - Echo
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ryan, Pam. 2015. Echo. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. ISBN
978-0-439-8740-21
PLOT SUMMARY
This story marries 5 different individual stories into one intriguing connection in the end. From an enchanted forest, to Nazi-controlled Germany, then on to Pennsylvania, California, and finally New York, each new character acquires a harmonica marked with a mysterious “m” and each are changed for the better. Friederick, in Germany, is a young boy who struggles to fit in, but is most confident when he is enjoying music. The harmonica gives him courage to save his father from one of Hitler’s work camps. Mike, in Pennsylvania, has a high aptitude for music, but is limited due to his life in an orphanage. When Mike and his brother are adopted by a strange woman who acts coldly toward them, the harmonica seems to have healing power that brings them all together as a family. Ivy, in California, learns to play the harmonica from her teacher at school, and has great talent and love for the instrument. When Ivy’s family moves in hopes of stability for work for her father, Ivy finds herself in a community where it is difficult to fit in. Her love for the harmonica encourages her toward the school orchestra where she learns to play the flute, and the world around her seems to make slow improvements. All of the individual experiences tie together in a grand concert in New York City where each of the characters who are changed by the magic and healing powers of music, perform together.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Echo is a fascinating combination of stories that culminate beautifully into one event where all of the characters’ fates lead them to the same place. I chose to listen to the audiobook, and I can’t imagine experiencing it any other way. With each transition to a new character’s story, the person narrating changed so that the listener could better experience what was happening. The narrator’s sex matched that of the main character in the section, and the dialogue was read with accents that highlighted the ethnicity of each character. Also, this story, driven by the magic of music was amplified in the audio version since the actual music was played at various times. Not only did the characters experience it’s magical healing, but the listener also gets to experience this as Friedrich plays sad sounding music on his cello, Mike plays his moving rendition of America the Beautiful on the piano, and Ivy plays hopeful tunes on her flute. All of the characters played the harmonica, and the listener hears the songs that they practice and play. The author does a nice job of giving descriptions of the very different settings, both physical and time period, which provides a variety of starting points for discussion. This books has a uniqueness about it in that there is an undeniable magical quality to the harmonica that makes its way into the hands of each main character. The characters hear music when it isn’t actually physically being played. The harmonica gives them courage to face difficulties in life, and seems to truly change their lives. This fantastical piece, however is woven into very realistic and historical settings that leads the reader to understand the “magic” of the music in a different light, that this “magic” is real.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Starred Review in Kirkus - “A grand narrative that examines the power of music to inspire beauty in a world overrun with fear and intolerance, it’s worth every moment of readers’ time.”
CONNECTIONS
~This would be a great book to use while studying fiction lending opportunities for discussion about the historical connections, and literary devices. It might be fun to have students write their own additional short story of an encounter with the harmonica, and make a connection to the other characters in the book.
~It would be interesting to have students do a compare/contrast activity as they read each story of the main characters’ experiences, and the world around them as they are going through these things.
Book Review - Roller Girl
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Jamieson, Victoria. 2015. Roller Girl. New York, NY: Penguin Group ISBN
978-0-525-42967-8
PLOT SUMMARY
Astrid is a young girl who is in the summer before her first year of junior high when she discovers Roller Derby. She is immediately enamoured with the sport, and wants to attend a summer camp put on by her local team. Much to her dismay, Astrid’s best friend, Nicole, chooses not to attend camp with her. Astrid chooses to keep this fact from her mother and proceeds to go to camp on her own and roller skate all the way home each day while her mother thinks that she is getting a ride with Nicole’s mother. Astrid finds that she does not have immediate talent, and that the camp is much more challenging that she expected. She does make a new friend, but grows farther apart from Nicole who begins hanging out with Astrid’s enemy. Through her summer experiences Astrid learns about the importance of hard work, honesty, and forgiveness. She improves enough in roller derby to get to play in a half-time bout with the other youth members, comes clean with her mother about Nicole, and apologizes to Nicole to mend their friendship.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This graphic novel tells a fun story full of life lessons that would be good for any pre-teen. Astrid is going through many life changes that young people can relate with. From parental encounters to changes in hobbies and friends, these are typical happenings to junior high students. The comic strip style of the books makes it a quick read with fun pictures to guide the reader through. The writing is simple and occurs in speech bubbles and thought boxes, so a reluctant reader can bypass the intimidation of pages with lots of small words. The bright illustrations add to the story as they bring to life the colorful hair and wild makeup of the roller derby crowd, as well as the funny expressions of a young girl trying to navigate life.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Starred Review in Kirkus - “Full of charm and moxie—don’t let this one roll past.”
CONNECTIONS
~Book would be a good option to recommend to reluctant readers.
Book Review - Savvy
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Law, Ingrid. 2008. Savvy. New York, NY: Penguin Group ISBN
978-0-8037-3306-0
PLOT SUMMARY
The Beaumont family appears to be a normal group of people, but actually they have some very unique “know-how”. Mississippi is no different. Like her brothers, “Mibs”, gets her special savvy on her 13th birthday and will begin to be homeschooled in order learn how to “scumble” her new abilities. When Mibs’s Poppa is in a bad car accident and ends up in the hospital the kids become distraught. In a desperate attempt to get to her father, Mibs sneaks onto a bus driven by a Bible salesman at her birthday party. Her siblings and the preacher’s kids follow her, and the group set out on an adventure. Mibs discovers that she has telepathic capabilities related to tatoos or other ink on peoples’ skin, and learns a lot about herself, others, and life on her mission to get to her Poppa.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This story presents seemingly normal people with extraordinary abilities that make the pre-teen years even more challenging. It is tough enough to be a young person, and Mibs and her siblings have even more new changes to deal with when they turn 13. Though their “savvys” are almost comical at times, they present a great starting point for conversation about dealing with change as a young adult, and the challenges they present are quite relatable. Though the Beaumont children feel alone in their differences, this adventure highlights that everyone has their own secrets and situations to deal with, which in fact, makes them quite normal. The tight knit nature of the family sets a warm background to the chaos. The story is an interesting page turner which makes it a quick read, and appealing to readers on many different levels.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Starred Review in Kirkus - “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. ”
CONNECTIONS
~This is a great coming-of-age story for junior high students to read in class. Students could read the book, and then create their own Savvy.
Book Review - Calamity Jack
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hale, D. & Hale, S. (2010). Calamity Jack. Ill. Hale, Nathan. New York, NY: Bloomsbury U.S.A.
Children’s Books ISBN 978-1-59990-076-6
PLOT SUMMARY
Jack is a thief who enjoys the thrill of a good heist. After truly seeing his mother’s disappointment in him, he vows to change his ways after acquiring enough to help his mother make repairs to save her bakery. When his plan goes awry, his mother tells him to leave. While Jack is gone, he does, in fact acquire enough “golden eggs” to help his mother, and meets Rapunzel, a feisty and beautiful companion. As Jack brings Rapunzel to his city he discovers that the giant, Blunderboar, has taken over and is destroying the city while holding his mother captive as his personal baker. Jack quickly comes up with an adventurous plan to save his mother while exploring his own complicated feelings for his partner, Rapunzel.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The graphic novel is very detailed with themes of adventure, comedy, and romance. Included are dialogue bubbles and boxes of short descriptions, but the story relies heavily on the pictures to move the plot along. The allusions to Jack and the beanstalk and Rapunzel also add a hint of fairytale. This book is best suited for a specific audience that appreciates comic style stories and an edgy sense of humor. While the book could be suitable for older children, there is quite a bit of challenging vocabulary, and the plot can be somewhat hard to follow for readers who are more comfortable with the traditional novel format.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Kirkus - “Readers will relish this gleeful mix of fairy tale, adventure and romance.”
CONNECTIONS
~Use the book in conjunction with Jack and the beanstalk and Rapunzel. Assign compare and contrast activities. It would also be a good basis for vocabulary lessons.
