Module 10: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Citation:

Chbosky, S. (2006). The perks of being a wallflower. New York, NY: Recorded

Books.  

Summary:

Told in an epistolary style, “Charlie” (an alias), writes to a person anonymously about his life throughout his freshman year of high school. Charlie is not really someone that “fits in” easily. As a matter of fact, many folks call him a freak. He is a quirky and very sensitive young man, who doesn’t make friends easily. His only friend from middle school has committed suicide, and he starts the high school journey nervous and alone. He shares his experience of meeting Patrick and his step-sister Sam, and becoming part of a group of eclectic friends that appreciate him for who he is. Charlie likes Sam romantically, but she has let him know that she doesn’t care for him the same way. As the year progresses, his new friends expose him to a wide range of new experiences (some illegal); and, the friendships morph in different ways. Charlie is extremely smart and insightful, and this is nurtured by an English teacher that takes an interest in helping Charlie to develop his writing style and introduces him to many different types of novels. Throughout the year Charlie has been seeing a psychiatrist who asks him a lot of questions about his childhood that seem irrelevant to him; but, with each passing new experience with his friends, Charlie comes closer and closer to the cause of his strange and disconnected behavior.

Impressions:

I found the book very thoughtful and honest. I appreciated the format of letter writing to someone that didn’t know Charlie as a means of fostering/eliciting complete honesty from the character. There are some very “adult” topics addressed in this book:  sex, homosexuality, drugs, masturbation, suicide, depression, teen pregnancy, abortion, and molestation. Talk about potential for controversy. I must say however, that I feel all of these topics are handled very well, in that the character does not take them lightly, they are not spoken of in a crass or derogatory way. Instead, the audience walks with Charlie as he unpacks his thoughts on these topics, and learns more about the human experience.

Usage in a Library:

This is obviously a book you need to be careful with promoting, as it needs to be in the hands of those mature teenagers that can appreciate it for its literary merit rather than someone who just want to read it for its shock value. It could definitely be used as part of a banned books presentation in some way. It may also be very valuable to collaborate with the Communities in Schools (CIS) mentors or the school counselors to hold a seminar on coming of age issues in the library and share this as one of the books that can help teenagers think about the challenges they face through the eyes of a character.

Review:

Charlie is an outsider, a typical wallflower. He gets bullied at school and prefers taking the forty minute walk home instead of the school bus. Charlie is sixteen years old and when he starts high school, his life is going to change forever.

Isn't this a familiar set-up, don't we already know these stories where the loser turns out to be the really cool, popular guy? Well all this is true too for The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, but just wait and you will find so much more. This book is going to catch and surprise you every time you turn a page.

In a series of letters written by Charlie and sent to an anonymous person we learn about his life, his new friends, his family and especially Charlie himself. He writes about school and his English teacher, Bill, who gives Charlie extra books to read. Charlie then writes essays about them. He would like to become a writer someday.

Charlie himself is a mystery. He has mental problems, gets angry, sees things and then passes out. Right before he started high school his best friend shot himself, but there is also another, worse reason for his problems. At school Charlie meets Patrick and Sam, both of whom are outsiders too, just cooler ones. Patrick is gay and before his stepsister Sam introduced him to "good" music, he was a popular kid. They introduce Charlie to all kinds of new things. Parties, drugs and rock music become new parts of Charlie's life and for the first time he knows what it really means to have good friends.

What makes this book so special and authentic is its reality. As an adult it takes you back to when you were a teenager, as a child it shows you what lies ahead and as a teenager it inspires you. And as we all know there is no other time when finding out who you are and where you belong to is more immediate than when you are a teenager.

Review Citation: 

Readr. (2013, January 20). The perks of being a wallflower (review). The Guardian. Retrieved from: http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2013/jan/20/review-perks-being-wallflower-stephen-chbosky

Module 10: The Good Neighbors: Kin

Citation:

Black, H. & Naifeh, T. (2008). The good neighbors: Kin. New York: Graphix.  

Summary:

Rue’s mother has been missing for more than three weeks, and she happened to hear her parents arguing the night her mother disappeared. Rue sometimes “sees” strange things out of the corner of her eye. People that look like fantasy creatures with leaf patterns on their skin and horns on their head. She always assumed that her mind was playing tricks on her. But lately, the sightings have been increasing in frequency and detail. When Rue’s father is arrested one night on the charge of murder, she learns that one of his students has been found dead, and now there’s question as to whether he murdered both his student and his wife. Her father’s long-time friend Amalia Vailia takes the liberty of helping Rue stay afloat in her father’s absence. In the meantime, Rue is beginning to learn that her visions are not just tricks of the mind after all, but actual evidence of a world most cannot see. When Rue talks to an actual faery in the hallway of her school, she begins to wonder if her mother’s disappearance has more to do with this world she does not understand, and less to do with her parents’ disagreement. Rue’s grandfather insists on taking temporary custody of her and thinks it’s time that she get to know her real family now that she’s beginning to “see.”  Rue decides to do a little research of her own. Aubrey and his sidekick Tam trying to keep Rue locked up; but, she manages to escape and begin exploring her new found powers. Rue’s mother unexpectedly turns up at home again, alive, but apparently ill. She manages to get Rue’s father released from jail and the charges dropped. It seems like things should be returning to normal; but after talking to her mother, Rue knows this figure she is conversing with is not the mother she grew up with. When she finds out her father’s friend Amanda has more to do with her mother’s disappearance that she thought,  she confronts her. So many questions, so few answers… Is her mother really sick? Why did her mother raise her as a normal child rather than the faery she was? Why did Tam tell her that she was the only person that could bring her grandfather down? Rue must find the answers to her past, but will she stay alive long enough to uncover the mysteries surrounding all her questions?

Impressions:

This is actually my very first graphic novel, and I’m thankful that I chose it, because I just might be willing to read more. I am NOT naturally drawn to graphic novels, and never cared for comic books as a child. As a reader I gravitate toward text rather than pictures, which means I often miss pertinent information in this type of read since the drawings are often just as important (or more important in some cases) than the text itself. Overall, I managed to follow along fairly well, and really enjoyed the storyline. I look forward to reading more in the series.  

Usage in a Library:

This could be used as part of a visual literacy lesson in which you display artwork from all different types of books, and ask students to discuss the different approaches to illustrating. This would not have to be a verbal discussion at a formal program if you did not have time for it. Instead you could facilitate a poster dialogue. Displaying a handful of different large-scale illustrations in one space of the library, you could invite students to leave comments on large tablet sheets about whether they like the illustration, what merit it holds, how it may add to a story, etc. A poster dialogue is always a safe and anonymous way for students to share their thoughts on a topic, and can be accomplished very easily and quickly. Hopefully if you can draw in students with the large illustrations, you can also get them to check out books from a nearby graphic novel display.

Review:

Rue isn’t sure how she will cope with a mother who has disappeared and a father so beaten down by depression that he may as well have. Life only gets worse, however, when her father is arrested for the murder of one of his students (suspiciously, he never reported his wife’s absence). Add into the mix the fact that Rue is now seeing faeries where no one else can, and it is little wonder that she feels as though her life is in crisis. This graphic novel, the first in a series, is primarily an introduction, offering portraits of characters who will undoubtedly be explored further in future volumes: the imposing but loving grandfather who clearly only sought to protect his faerie daughter from the fickle love of humans, Rue’s inadequate parents, who have failed her by not being present (emotionally or physically) in her life, and Rue herself, clearly overwhelmed and heartbroken but struggling to retain the defiance and independence that mark her personality. The searing and exceptionally well-written examinations into each of these individuals more than compensates for the comparative paucity of action. The rich illustrations, stunning contrasts of dark and light wherein shadow competes with blinding brightness, supplement Rue’s own straightforward (and deceptively cool) narration by hinting at depths of turmoil not present in her recounting. The dramatically rendered faeries, all consisting of sharp points and otherworldly elements, will captivate fantasy fans, who will find it intriguing to see Black’s always evocative descriptions transformed into pictures. The dramatic cover, the provocative premise of a faerie mother yanked back to her own world because of her philandering husband, and, of course, the memorable Rue herself, will all draw in readers, who will certainly anticipate future novels in this series. 

Review Citation:

April S. (2008, November). The good neighbors: Kin (review). Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 62(3), 111. doi: 10.1353/bcc.0.0506

Module 9: That Sweet Diamond: Baseball Poems

Citation:

Janeczko, P. B. (1998). That sweet diamond: Baseball poems. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Summary:

This book is filled with poems specifically about baseball. It touches on many interesting aspects of the players themselves and the experience of going to a game, such as: before the game, the batter, the umpire, and even the vendors or the nuns sitting behind the first-base dugout. There are 19 poems in total of varying lengths.

My Impressions:

I'm really excited to have been introduced to this book, as it can be very difficult to find poems that may appeal more to male readers. Even though I'm not a fan of baseball, I enjoyed reading the book overall. It was very cleverly written. My favorite poems in the book were "Catcher Sings the Blues" and "How to Spit." 

Review: 

As satisfying as a home run on a three-two pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning, Janeczko's (Wherever Home Begins) homage to the game played on "that sweet diamond" will be a sure hit for baseball fans of all ages. Unlike Robert Burleigh's recent ode to basketball, Hoops, in which the text is a single poem, this paean to the sport includes 19 poems describing the sport's essence--not only what it feels like to play the game, but also the peanut-crunching delights of the stadium and its enthusiastic fans. Newcomer Katchen's smudged, indistinct pastels emphasize the body language of players of varying ages, but occasionally focus on the visages of apple-faced fans or the intense stare of a single batter. Initially, these full-page portraits opposing each poem seem reminiscent of children's sidewalk chalk drawings, but closer inspection reveals a deft design that highlights each poem's action or character. Janeczko's imagery is startling, whether describing how the center fielder like a "ball hawk... eyes lost in the shadows/ of the bill of his cap,/ alert to small movements--/ takes flight," or how "the nuns from Holy Name,/ [who settle] in a row/ behind the first-base dugout/ straight as piano keys" fall "victim to The Wave." From its account of "the barnyard,/ with the infielders/ scratching/ in the dust/ with their toes," to the vendors calling out "Iiiiiiice cream!/ Getcher peanuts!" this winning book captures all the spirit and fun that accompanies America's favorite sport. Ages 8-12. (Apr.) 

Review Citation:

That Sweet Diamond. (1998, March 16). Publishers Weekly, 245(11), 64.