MODULE 6 - FICTION, FANTASY AND YOUNG ADULT


1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Rosoff, Meg. 2004. How I live now. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN

038590908X.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
How I Live Now tells the story of a very troubled fifteen-year old Daisy. She steps off the plane, sometime in the near future, at Heathrow Airport, London suffering from a host of modern day egocentric adolescent maladies compounded by the threat of impending world war. Confused by parental authority and self-imposed destructive behaviors, Daisy seeks a rural refuge with her maternal Aunt Penn and four cousins: Piper, Edmond, Isaac, and Osbert. Daisy immediately finds acceptance, stability and love within the bosom of her adopted family. When Aunt Penn, expeditiously sent off to a peacekeeping effort, leaves behind no parental authority, Daisy and fourteen-year old Edmond begin a forbidden incestuous affair. War ensues initially bringing an idyllic isolation to the farm – where everyday feels like a new adventure and being left alone without supervision feels exciting and empowering. All too soon the powers that be dictate a military-enforced division of the family. Separated by gender, Daisy and the youngest family member, Piper, are sent to one refugee location, the boys to another. The plot follows Daisy and Piper on their quest to reunite the family. Told in the first person, Daisy recounts her experiences of war and the reader witnesses, through Daisy’s words, her gradual metamorphosis from child to adult.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Meg Rosoff’s first novel, How I Live Now received much acclaim by winning the 2005 Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature. Told as a first person narrative, Daisy chronicles her thoughts and experiences during her months long stay in war torn Britain. With all events filtered exclusively through Daisy’s eyes, the young adult reader becomes intimately acquainted with the protagonist. Arriving in rural England an emotionally wounded narcissistic teen, Daisy is permanently transformed by the relationships she develops coupled with her experiences of the war. Daisy’s maturation constitutes a metamorphosis and this theme remains gradual yet constant throughout the novel.

The story, however, falls short in believability and resolution. The war, more fought with rumor than force, is against an unnamed enemy with no explanations for how or why communications, food, and transportation are fully and successfully knocked out or for what caused the fighting in the first place. Rosoff chooses to leave the details a total mystery, perhaps for effect. Daisy’s biggest challenge appears to be keeping herself and Piper fed – many pages are devoted to descriptions of forging for food; this constant quest for sustenance eventually cures Daisy’s anorexia. Also, the rural English setting could easily have been a farm in Kansas for the lack of cultural detail. For example, upon Daisy’s arrival at the farm, she craves a cold glass of water, without a word spoken Edmond reads Daisy’s mind and presents her a glass of water loaded with ice cubes. Americans die daily, when in Britain, trying to find their beloved ice; the Brits think they are crazy!

The story delves into many serious life issues, yet the plot abandons or leaves many of them: dysfunctional families, self-mutilation, underage sex, psychic abilities and incest, hanging or abandoned completely. Perhaps Rosoff intentionally introduces many other conflicts to demonstrate how they pale in comparison to the reality of war. The writing style also takes some getting used to. The entire novel is written, as if spoken, in paragraph long run-on sentences. Random capitalization adds to the confusion; believing it is intended for emphasis many times makes no sense. Award winner or not, How I Live Now is a novel with grit and a lot of heart that begs for a rewrite. The meat is there; it is the execution that falters.


4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

HORN BOOK MAGAZINE - “Daisy’s account, in eccentrically punctuated run-on sentences, has a breathless directness, a mixture of urbane self-mockery and first-time wonder, that is utterly captivating.”

PUBLISHING WEEKLY – “Like the ripple effects of paranoia and panic in society, the changes within Daisy do not occur all at once, but they have dramatic effects. In the span of a few months, she goes from a self-centered, disgruntled teen to a courageous survivor motivated by love and compassion.”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL – “Daisy’s voice is uneven, being at times teenage vapid, while elsewhere sporting a vocabulary rich with 50-words, phrases, and references. In addition, Rosoff barely scratches the surface of the material at hand. At times, this is both intentional and effective (the enemy is never named) but for the most part the dearth of explanation creates insurmountable questions around the basic mechanisms of the plot.”

5. CONNECTIONS
How I Live Now is not a novel that lends itself to class discussion due to the sensitive and private side issues addressed. Students could research and share current young adult titles dealing with war and its effect on society. Also it would be very interesting to have students seek out poetry that addresses issues of war and present them.


1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sachar, Louis. 1998. Holes. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN

0374332657.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Falsely convicted of robbery, Stanley Yeknats arrives at Camp Green Lake and gets assigned to Group D to serve out his eighteen-month detention. Group D turns out to be the expected ensemble of tough-guy wannabes. Dogged by a century and a half-old family curse, Stanley also suffers from a lack of friends, self-confidence, worries about his family’s welfare, and from being overweight. Green Lake, a gross misnomer for a barren Texas desert, has been bone dry for well over a hundred years. The one and only duty for each detainee is the “character building” exercise of digging a five-foot deep, five-foot round hole each and every day. The Cruella Deville-like warden watches from her cabin and the shade of her lone twin oak trees as the boys dig and the “counselors” ration out meager water allotments from the back of a pickup as the sun blazes hotly from above. Once their holes are properly dug, the boys are dismissed for the day. Anything “interesting” found must be reported immediately to the warden. Befriended by Zero, the lowest ranking member of the group, Stanley forges an alliance that leads to escape, rescue and numerous near brushes with death. Throughout the book, Stanley’s paternal family history weaves through the plot as a seemingly unrelated back-story. The pieces fall slowly together and connection is found at every corner as this coming-of-age story finds a happy and satisfying resolution.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Louis Sachar’s 1999 Newbery Medal winner, Holes, mixes young adult realism with a little ethnic folklore and a dash of Texas-sized tall tale. This unique combination engages the adolescent reader, especially the boys, with its high adventure, fast-paced plot, and can-you-figure-it–all-out element. Although the action takes a while to rev up, the necessary back-story fills in behind the basic plot set-up, once Stanley makes the decision to steal the water truck it's full throttle ahead. However, the reader must pay attention to the historical narrative in order to pull all the pieces together because Sachar never dots all the i’s nor crosses all the t’s. The reader comes to know and like Stanley through his words and thoughts. Stanley embodies many of the insecurities typical of the teen years and through his physical and social struggles at Camp Green Lake he grows in self-worth and moral fortitude. The other vivid characters show their colors through their words and deeds.

Sachar writes with clarity, brevity, and humor. The descriptions of the Texas heat and parched lakebed literally leave the reader racing for a water bottle. Stanley’s assorted ancestors as well as his eclectic camp-mates continually amuse and enthrall the reader. Initially Stanley timidly accepts injustice as his due; gradually he comes to believe he possesses power and is not defenseless, that he can exact change. The tried and true coming-of-age theme shines through with a subtle and true grace. Stanley’s maturation reveals itself through his decisions to rescue Zero and put his friend’s welfare above his own, to stand up for himself and do what he knows is right. This wonderfully executed novel pushes all the boundaries of the expected and finishes with well-deserved applause.


4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

KIRKUS REVIEWS – “Through flashbacks, Sachar weaves a complex net of hidden relationships and well-timed revelations as he puts his slightly larger-than-life characters under a sun so punishing that readers will be reaching for water bottles. Good Guys and Bad get just deserts in the end, and Stanley gets plenty of opportunities to display pluck and valor in this rugged, engrossing adventure.”

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY – “Readers (especially boys) will likely delight in the larger-than-life (truly Texas-style) manner in which Sachar fills in the holes, as he ties together seemingly disparate story threads to dispel ghosts from the past and give everyone their just deserts.”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL – “The author’s ability to knit Stanley and Zero’s compelling story in and out of history of intriguing ancestors is captivating. Stanley’s wit, integrity, faith, and wistful innocence will charm readers. A multitude of colorful characters coupled with the skillful braiding of ethnic folklore, American legend, and contemporary issues is a brilliant achievement.”


5. CONNECTIONS
Other well reviewed youth adult novels dealing with a group motif:

Duncan, Lois. 1973. I know what you did last summer. Boston: Little,

Brown. ISBN 0316195464.

Duncan, Lois. 1978. Killing Mr. Griffin. Boston: Little, Brown. ISBN

0316195499.

Hobbs, Will. 1991. Downriver. New York: Atheneum. ISBN 0689316909.

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Farmer, Nancy. 2002. The house of the scorpion. New York: Atheneum

Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689852223.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Between the United States and what used to be Mexico lies a strip of land called Opium, where eejits, humans controlled by brain implanted computer chips, work tirelessly in endless fields of poppies. Ruled by the heartless, iron-fisted drug lord, El Patron, Opium enjoys a frisk and immensely profitable drug trade. El Patron, the 140 year-old patriarch of the Alacran family is kept alive by numerous transplants from his collection of clones. Despised as beasts, clones normally suffer brain stunting at birth; however because El Patron wishes to witness “himself” experiencing an indulged childhood, Matt is the exceptional clone allowed to develop normally. Cared for by a maternal maid, Celia and befriended by El Patron’s bodyguard, Tam Lin and Maria, a frequent young visitor to the Alacran estate, Matt grows up educated and pampered, though loved by few and hated by most. Just as Matt, now a fourteen year old, begins to put all the convoluted pieces of his existence together, his beloved El Patron collapses and requires Matt’s heart in order to survive. Matt flees Opium and El Patron dies; in an out of the frying pan and into the fire twist Matt escapes right into a communist-type work camp/orphanage where life is extremely hard but no one knows he is a clone. Able to make friends for the first time ever, Matt plots another escape, this time for more than just himself, to eventual freedom and justice.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Nancy Farmer’s award winning science fiction novel, The House of the Scorpion, tells the coming-of-age story of Matt Alacran, clone of the revered and feared El Patron. Set in the not-too-distant future, in a small dominion located south of the United States and north of what once was Mexico, the novel makes an immediate connection to current day issues of border control, illegal aliens and drug trafficking concerning the US, Mexico, and Central America. In this realm however, the illegal movement of people goes equally north and south as the United States is not the desirable haven it is today. While most of the minor characters take on a one-dimensional quality, Farmer spends significantly words fully developing Matt’s personality. The first half of the book details Matt’s childhood on El Patron’s estate, isolated away from everyone except Celia for the first six years, then captured and treated like an animal and finally introduced by El Patron as his exceptional clone and mandating Matt’s special position and treatment henceforth. Matt experiences feelings of unworthiness and doubt, conflicting with the good feelings he gets from Celia, Tam Lin and even from the outward actions of El Patron. As Matt comes to understand his true status with El Patron, he battles strong opposing emotions toward his master. Young adult readers will identify with the agony of such internal conflict.

In The House of the Scorpion, Farmer brings many important issues to the forefront. Questions dealing with the value of an individual’s life, the value of the quality of that life, the value of friendship, and what responsibility do we have to care for each other are all addressed at some point. When Matt contemplates his escape from the work camp, he laments, “ Fidelito should probably be left behind. / Friendship was a pain. / All these years he’d wanted friends, and now he discovered they came with strings attached.” The ethics of cloning are ever-present. At numerous points throughout the book, the plot slows to a snail’s pace. The first half of the story takes place entirely on the Alacran estate, yet even as Matt flees in the second half there are several times when the story stalls. Unfortunately, this may well frustrate the reader and jeopardize the reader’s completion of the novel. Also frustrating to the reader may be the simplicity of the writing. Vocabulary and sentence length are simple and somewhat juvenile. Despite these shortfalls, this work of science fiction finds its strength in the thought provoking issues it raises. Science fiction lovers will plow through the slow sections and dig deep into the meat of its controversial side.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

BOOKLIST – “This is a powerful, ultimately hopeful, story that builds on today’s sociopolitical, ethical, and scientific issues and prognosticates a compelling picture of what the future could bring. All of these serious issues are held together by a remarkable coming-of-age story, in which a boy’s self-image and right to life are at stake.”

HORN BOOK MAGAZINE – “Though certain portions of the book go on far too long, other parts of the story are riveting. / Still, Farmer has shown great imagination in creating a unique and plausible view of the future with enough connections to current issues to make her vision particularly disquieting. Throughout the story, she has raised questions about the meaning of life and death and about the nature of one’s responsibility for others, and in so doing, has created a thought-provoking piece of science fiction.”

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY – “The author strikes a masterful balance between Matt’s idealism and his intelligence. The novel’s close may be rushed, and Tam Lin’s fate may be confusing to readers, but Farmer grippingly demonstrates that there are no easy answers. The questions she raises will haunt readers long after the final pages.”


5. CONNECTIONS
Aside from the obvious discussions that might ensue from this novel, a different point to ponder with middle or high school students might be from Maria’s viewpoint. From the very beginning, when she is no more than six years old, she is able to see the value in Matt’s life. No one ever dissuades her from this view. How is this? Given the amount of peer pressure, not to mention authoritative pressure, Maria is able to stand firm in her devotion for Matt and the downtrodden. And in general, why is it that we all identify with the persecuted protagonist in books, yet in real life, we more than often side with a majority who view the standout as a freak or undesirable? Many, many other young adult novels could be used in this exercise as well.

MODULE 5 - HISTORICAL FICTION

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cushman, Karen. 1995. The midwife’s apprentice. New York: Clarion

Books. ISBN 0395692296.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Beetle, a filthy, malnourished, homeless orphan living in fourteenth century England, has fended entirely for herself, for as long as she has memory. Her vagabond existence teaches her many ways of the world, abet from necessity rather than curiosity. While seeking warmth from a rotting dung heap, Beetle with her innate intelligence and sharp wit, convinces the village midwife to take her on as an assistant. Life in the village, though far from ideal, gives Beetle her first taste of stability and belonging. Beetle works hard to prove herself to a difficult taskmaster, though seldom receiving encouragement or commendation for her efforts. Fighting a strong lack of self-confidence, self-worth and appreciation of her own intelligence, Beetle begins to develop an identity and place for herself. After experiencing several note worthy successes within the social dynamics of the village, Beetle’s confidence collapses with one inconsequential failure in midwifery. Ashamed and anticipating banishment, Beetle flees the village and finds a position as a lowly inn girl. Adding old experiences with new ones, Beetle comes to understand herself and to realize that only through perseverance and determination can she have the life she really wants and, most importantly, that she truly deserves!

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Integral to the historical fiction genre, Karen Cushman successfully creates an accurate and believable fourteenth century setting in The Midwife’s Apprentice. Weaving in descriptions of the living conditions, prevailing superstitions and attitudes, and commonly used herbal remedies give her readers a feeling for life in medieval England as well as the occupation of midwife. The village is alive with eccentric characters, from the brusque midwife, Jane Sharp, to the portly blacksmith’s daughter, Grommet, to Edward, a fellow orphan, to Beetle herself. Beetle, the protagonist and therefore the most developed character exhibits many typical adolescent emotions such as doubt, fear, and lack of self-confidence making her easy for the young reader to relate to. The midwife, however, is more difficult to get a handle on. “Jane Sharp became a midwife because she had given birth to six children (although none of them lived), went Sundays to Mass, and had strong hands and clean fingernails. She did her job with energy and some skill, but without care, compassion, or joy.” Cushman gives the reader two strong female characters, one easily likeable, the other, harder to fathom and like, yet the reader is left somehow finding reason to like or at least not dislike the irascible midwife.

The Midwife’s Apprentice is, at its heart, a journey of self-discovery. A lowly orphan, through this growing process, comes to be named Beetle, Brat and finally exerting her individuality and backbone, she renames herself Alyce. Alyce learns to recognize and draw on her innate strengths and talents to stand up for herself. Cushman wraps her plot around a universal and important life lesson regardless of time and place. The story has a fast-paced tempo. Episodic in form, the plot moves swiftly. Neither does Cushman pull punches about the harshness of the people or times. The book begins with Beetle sleeping in a pile of rotting animal dung in order to keep warm! The narrative is filled with rough dialogue and adult situations: the midwife is having an adulterous affair with the baker, the blacksmith’s daughter is found in bed with the manor pig boy, and plenty of the text deals with childbirth, though none overly graphic. Written with directness, humor and intelligence makes this 1996 Newbery Medal winner a wise choice for all young adult readers.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

BOOKLIST – “ It’s rough, dangerous, primitive, and raucous. Cushman writes with a sharp simplicity and a pulsing beat. / Kids will like this short, fast-paced narrative about a hero who discovers that she’s not ugly or stupid or alone.”

KIRKUS REVIEWS – “…in language that is simple, poetic, and funny.”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL – “Earthy humor, the foibles of humans both high and low, and a fascinating mix of superstition and genuinely helpful herbal remedies attached to childbirth make this a truly delightful introduction to a world seldom seen in children’s literature.”

5. CONNECTIONS

Other medieval historical fiction titles by Karen Cushman:

Cushman, Karen. 1994. Catherine called Birdy. New York: Clarion Books.

ISBN 0395681863.

Cushman, Karen. 2000. Matilda Bone. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN

0395881560.

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Curtis, Christopher Paul. 1999. Bud, not Buddy. New York: Delacorte

Press. ISBN 0385323069.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Tired of children’s homes and foster families, ten-year-old African-American Bud Caldwell strikes out on his own to find his illusive jazz musician father. Bud, Not Buddy is set in 1936 in Flint, Michigan while the nation reels from the devastating grip of the Great Depression; racial tensions, fierce competition for few jobs and long food lines rob many families of their dignity, their very homes and stability. Especially hard-hit are the many abandoned children. Bud’s mother dies suddenly when he is six, leaving him with nothing but a suitcase of memorabilia that serve as his only connection to the past as well as the only clues to his father’s identity and whereabouts. Told in the first person Bud takes the reader through his thought processes and the many adventures he experiences during his quest to find his father, Herman E. Calloway. Along the way Bud’s path crosses with many colorful characters. Bud employs several coping mechanisms: for instance, his official guidebook to life: “Bud Caldwell’s Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar out of Yourself” and his inherent distrust of all adults. Bud wholly believes all this subterfuge serves his purpose of survival well. Alternately persecuted and rescued, Bud’s story winds around episodically to, for our protagonist anyway, a surprising yet satisfying ending.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
True to the genre’s criteria, Bud, Not Buddy is historically set during 1936 in Michigan, precisely Flint, Grand Rapids and parts in-between. Time wise, the novel takes place deep in the Great Depression; Christopher Paul Curtis seamlessly incorporates many aspects of this period into his plot: rampant unemployment, illegal rail riding, labor organizers, free food kitchens, and Hooverville shantytowns. Curtis’ plot moves along swiftly punctuated by funny dialogue and Bud’s ever-present philosophizing. A valid but minor criticism might be that Bud unrealistically encounters too many benevolent people during his quest. The reader readily connects with Bud and his plight; circumstances have made him a scrapper, yet he can mix things up just as quick as he will show his heart of gold and help anyone in need. Bud is a riotous genius, beyond his years in judging human character and, though he fronts himself as a great liar, his narrative demonstrates motives and actions absolutely sincere and true. Lefty Lewis, the jazz band, The Dusky Devastators of the Depression: Steady Eddie, Doo-Doo Boy, Dirty Deed, Mr. Jimmy, and Herman E. Calloway round out a wonderfully eclectic cast of characters.

The overriding theme of his historical work of fiction must be the power of family, family in its many forms. Bud and his mother constitute a family. Then, when Bud eventually builds a type of family with the children at the home he gets parceled out to intolerable foster “families.” After going “on the lam,” Bud decides to seek out his absent father and while doing so encounters a number of conventional and unconventional families, i.e. The Dusty Devastators of the Depression. Through this story, Curtis subtly conveys the psychological importance of family: the need to belong, the spoken and unspoken expectations of each member and the emotional investment of the familial bond. Laced with humor, Curtis possesses a smooth writing style that holds the reader’s attention. Add in the characters’ colorful speech, “.. woop, zoop, sloop..” and Bud’s imaginative guidebook rules, “RULES AND THINGS NUMBER 83: If a Adult tells you Not to Worry, and You Weren’t Worried Before, You Better Hurry Up and Start ‘Cause You’re Already Running Late” and the audience is completely enthralled. Accompanied with background period jazz music Bud, Not Buddy makes a fantastic read-aloud.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

BOOKS IN CANADA – “His [Bud’s] narration is immensely engaging thanks to his folksy philosophizing and his overactive imagination.”

BOOKLIST – “Curtis says in an afterword that some of the characters are based on real people, including his own grandfathers, so it’s not surprising that the rich blend of tall tale, slapstick, sorrow, and sweetness has the wry, teasing warmth of family folklore.”

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY – “Bud’s journey, punctuated by Dickensian twists in plot and enlivened by a host of memorable personalities, will keep readers engrossed from first page to last.”

VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES – “Curtis writes with a razor-sharp intelligence that grabs the reader by the heart and never lets go. His utterly believable depiction of the self-reliant charm and courage of Bud, not Buddy, puts this highly recommended title at the top of the list of books to be read again and again.”

5. CONNECTIONS

After reading aloud Bud, Not Buddy invite the students to research, age appropriately, life during the Depression. Specifically, have them research Hoovervilles across the country. Have them identity where these shantytowns were located and what living conditions within each town were like.


1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Parks, Linda Sue. 2001. A single shard. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN

0395978270.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Twelve-year old Tree-ear wants nothing more than to learn the ancient art of pottery from old master Min. Having spent many days observing from afar, Tree-ear eventually convinces Min to allow him to perform menial tasks in exchange for a midday meal cooked by Min’s generous wife. Tree-ear works for the potter from sunup to sundown and returns each night to his makeshift home under a bridge and to Crane-man, his crippled elderly friend who has cared for him since Tree-ear was only two. When a new pottery technique is introduced to their village of Ch’ulp’o, Tree-ear knows the only potter who can perfect it for a royal commission is his master, Min. Working tirelessly beside his master, Tree-ear and the potter are devastated when uncontrollable difficulties cause Min to miss the deadline for showing his wares. One final hope for a commission exists if the finished pieces can be brought personally to the royal court, an arduous many days journey over mountains and unfamiliar terrain. Min and his wife are too old to make the trip so Tree-ear, who has never been beyond the outskirts of Ch’ulp’o, bravely volunteers to transport his master’s treasures. Perseverance and unflappable determination bring Tree-ear to the royal emissary with but a single shard of the fine pottery.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
In a society where the normal polite greeting is “Have you eaten well today?” hunger must be a constant concern. Linda Sue Parks’ A Single Shard brilliantly captures village life in twelfth century Korea. Ch’upl’o is a small seaside village where every enterprise supports the pottery industry. This historical novel is unique in time and place as well as in its subject of pottery making. The plot, though simple, tells an endearing story. At times slowed by detailed descriptions of inlaying and perfecting the glaze color, the plot moves at a moderate pace. The reader is drawn, not to a fast-paced, action-filled storyline, but instead to the characters that Parks develops more through their actions than their words. Tree-ear hides half this midday meal each day so that he can bring it home to Crane-man while Min’s wife finds the bowl and refills it every afternoon. Crane-man, Tree-ear, Min’s wife, and even the irritable potter Min himself possess a calm integrity that Parks lets speak eloquently through their deeds and their few words of dialogue.

A Single Shard transcends time and place thanks to its overriding theme of personal integrity. Under the guise of integrity lies a strong sense of right and wrong, responsibility and generosity and the determination and perseverance to see that integrity lived up to. Tree-ear routinely questions his actions for morality and depends on Crane-man for ethical guidance. When Tree-ear informs a traveling merchant that his rice sack has sprung a hole and then is rewarded for his efforts with the grains that fell to the ground, Tree-man wonders if he is truly deserving since he hesitated before warning the merchant. After Min’s wife repeatedly refills the half-eaten lunch bowl, Tree-ear considers eating all his lunch hoping that she will still refill the bowl, then decides that it would be greedy to take advantage of the wife’s generosity. These ethical concerns even reach to questions of ownership of ideas. Parks writes with a smooth, fluid style giving the text a quiet dignity much associated with Asian cultures. This intelligent story of medieval Korea proves to be intelligent, unique, thought-provoking, and unpretentious making this 2002 Newbery Award winner an excellent choice for the middle school reader.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

BOOKLIST – “This quiet, but involving, story draws readers into a very different time and place. Though the society has its own conventions, the hearts and minds and stomachs of the characters are not so far removed from those of people today. Readers will feel the hunger and cold that Tree-ear experiences, as well as his shame, fear, gratitude, and love.”

KIRKUS REVIEWS - “It is in the details that the story lays claim to a sort of Zen quality. Ethical decisions regarding acceptance of lunch and his responsibility to Crane-man are decided with fastidiousness and rectitude. / Tree-ear’s story conveys a time and place far away and long ago, but with a simplicity and immediacy that is both graceful and unpretentious.”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL – “…this book not only gives the readers insight into an unfamiliar time and place, but it is also a great story.”

5. CONNECTIONS
After Min refuses to teach Tree-ear the art of throwing pottery on the wheel, Tree-ear discovers the art of hand molding clay, eventually making Crane-man a monkey figurine (Crane-man often referred to Tree-ear as “Monkey-boy”). Provide books on pottery making, especially hand molding, if possible, and provide clay for the students to try their hand at this ancient art.