Babymouse: Queen of the World (Module 6)

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Holm, Jennifer L. and Matthew Holm. 2005. Babymouse: Queen of the World. New York: Random House. ISBN: 9781415643990.



2. PLOT SUMMARY

Babymouse just wants to be popular (i.e. “Queen of the World”) and would do anything to get invited to Felica Furrypaw’s slumber party because Felicia is the most popular girl in school. Anything includes giving her book report to Felicia to turn in as her own and Babymouse ditching her best friend at the last minute. Babymouse finds out, though, that friends are better when they are made rather than bought and being queen is not about being popular but being loved.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This brother and sister team have a great style of allowing Babymouse to jump into fantasy scenes whenever her imagination takes her away. We get to see Babymouse living in fairy tales (Cinderella), deep space, a Western, etc. These secondary fantasy worlds add a great layer to the first fantasy world in which all animals talk, walk on two legs, and go to school together. The school itself is relateable to readers as it parallels contemporary times with lockers, classrooms, desks, and book reports.

Each page is filled with personality from the words to the drawings. Little descriptions, such as that Babymouse is “stuck with curly whiskers,” make the text fun to read. The black-white-and-pink illustrations are adorable and really bring life to the characters.

Kids will really get this graphic novel on the classic theme of friendship. The Holm’s bring a fresh take to it and allow for us to see that real friends do things for you, not just take from you, which is more important than being popular any day.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)


• ALA Notable Book
• Booklist review: “The Holms spruce up some well-trod ground with breathless pacing and clever flights of Babymouse’s imagination, and their manic, pink-toned illustrations of Babymouse and her cohorts vigorously reflect the internal life of any million-ideas-a-minute middle-school student.”
• Horn Book starred review: “Babymouse is here to stay, and fans of Fashion Kitty and Captain Underpants will now add her to their collection of well-thumbed volumes to read over and over again.”
• Kirkus review: “Young readers will happily fall in line to follow Babymouse through both ordinary pratfalls (“Typical!” is her watchword) and extraordinary flights of fancy.”
• Publishers Weekly review: “This personable, self-conscious mouse, with her penchant for pink hearts, resembles Kevin Henkes's Lilly, with some extra years of grade-school experience.”
• School Library Journal review: “Babymouse, with her black-and-white-and-pink peppered palette, to anyone who thinks that comics are enjoyed primarily by boys.”



5. CONNECTIONS

• 
Babymouse has her own fun website filled with games, a sing-along song, printable pages, and a make your own adventure. It also features information about graphic novels. This website can definitely raise what is already sure to be an enthusiastic love for Babymouse.
  
• Suggested by the Babymouse website, Sidekicks is a graphic novel review website that will appeal to kids and adults. It can help kids find more of what they like and help parents, teachers, or librarians know what’s out there in the world of graphic novels.

• Other graphic novel series sure to charm Babymouse fans: (Multiple ISBNs)


Holm, Jennifer and Mike Holm. Squish: Super Amoeba.

Harper, Charise Mericle. Fashion Kitty Series.

Runton, Andy. Owly Series.

Sonoda, Konami. Chocomimi Series.

When You Reach Me (Module 6)

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Stead, Rebecca. 2009. When You Reach Me. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN: 9780385906647.



2. PLOT SUMMARY

Intertwining fantasy and mystery, the plot jumps around a bit in time, appropriate since it also addresses time travel, as we hear the story of twelve-year-old Miranda and the letters she has been receiving that foretell the future and also give seemingly weird instructions. The entire book is addressed to “you,” the person who has been sending the notes, and follows Miranda’s life as she loses her best friend, makes new ones, figures out who has been writing the notes, and learns what’s really important in life.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Following typical fantasy protocol, When You Reach Me features both a large task (time travel) and a sacrifice (giving of one’s own life, although I won't tell you whose). The author does a great job of creating a "real" life setting, consistently following its rules, and yet explaining time travel in a way that allows for its possibility. The ending is highly satisfying, pulling all the pieces of the puzzle and the ideas of time travel together. Each seemingly random detail falls into place by the end of the book.

Set in New York, Stead has created a vague contemporary feel, although from the beginning the time frame is clearly delineated as 1979. The setting in a big city is vital to the plot so that there is tension and slight feelings of danger with the existence of bullies and homeless on every corner as everyone is living in apartments and walking to places.

The main theme of really accepting the responsibility to do what is right is not preachy and is woven in with themes of friendship, loyalty, and coming of age. The voices of the characters are consistent with the tween age, and Miranda shows how she is maturing and growing from child to young adult.

Readers who love mysteries or science fiction or both will really get into this book and want to read it again once it’s all over to pick up on what was the subtle clues that were overlooked the first time through. I know I did.


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• Newbery Medal Winner
• ALA Notable Book/Best Book for Young Adults
• Booklist starred review: “The ’70s New York setting is an honest reverberation of the era; the mental gymnastics required of readers are invigorating; and the characters, children and adults, are honest bits of humanity no matter in what place or time their souls rest.”
• Kirkus starred review: “Some might guess at the baffling, heart-pounding conclusion, but when all the sidewalk characters from Miranda’s Manhattan world converge amid mind-blowing revelations and cunning details, teen readers will circle back to the beginning and say, ‘Wow...cool.’”
• Library Media Connection review: “This well-written book is planned and executed to keep readers engaged until the very end. The author’s style is appealing because of her character development and clever plot vehicles. The topics are interesting and the short chapters keep the pace flowing quickly.”


5. CONNECTIONS


• Random House’s website page on When You Reach Me has many helps for teaching this book including a video of the author and downloadable teacher’s guide. The teacher’s guide is 16 pages packed with wonderful information and help, including pre-reading activities, vocabulary, curriculum connections, and websites.
  
• Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time is featured throughout this book. Students, whether they have read it or not, will want to look over different parts of the book. It would be especially beneficial to read as a group the moment when Meg is returned to the garden along with the passage in When You Reach Me in which they discuss that part. 

• Read alikes: (from Booklist)
  

Almond, David. Skellig. ISBN: 9780385326537

Creech, Sharon. Walk Two Moons. ISBN: 9780060233341.

Fitzhugh, Louise. Harriet the Spy. ISBN: 9780385327831.

Raskin, Ellen. The Westing Game. ISBN: 9780142401200.

Snyder, Zilpha Keatley. The Egypt Game. ISBN: 9781416960652.

The Book Thief (Module 6)

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Zusak, Markus. 2005. The Book Thief. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN: 9780375842207

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Through the words of Death (the narrator), nine-year-old Liesel’s story of survival plays out in the midst of the horrific events of WWII Nazi Germany. She loses her family, is fostered by a family that hides a Jew in their basement, and steals books from many different sources—including a Nazi book burning. Although she again loses pretty much everything in the end, the reader finds hope in the fact that she did survive and continued to build a life for herself.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Zusak has written a beautiful and highly literary book in The Book Thief. In an interview at the end of the novel, he says, “I like the idea that every page in every book can have a gem on it.” His craftsmanship has allowed him to do this while still sounding natural and keeping the pages turning. For example, Liesel describes Max’s hair as twigs when he first arrives on their doorstep and as feathers once he has been taken care of better. There is a lot of German words thrown in but the narrator, not being German, gives the reader sidenote translations that help with understanding.

Zusak also plays with style by incorporating simple drawings and storybooks within the story. One such storybook had been written on a copy of Mein Kampf that had been painted over in white. The reader of The Book Thief can see the words of Mein Kampf bleeding through the page. Such attention to detail is what helps make this story come alive.

There are many unexpected twists, and yet so often the narrator reveals things way before it happens: “I’m spoiling the ending” (e.g. who is going to die or how). Even so, it seems fresh in the way that it is done and the writing of the characters is so well-crafted that the reader still finds himself hoping it wouldn’t be true and weeping when it was.

The history and events are explained well, without being tedious. The perspective is unique as we get to see the war from the eyes of the children (and adults) who were just trying to survive it, even though many are Nazis in Germany. Even with the obvious moral issues that WWII Germany brings up, because Death is the narrator, there are no pat answers or moralizing within the story—just a description of events. In the end, this story of fighting for what’s right, while not actually being able to fight at all, is one that will stay with the reader haunting him as much as the stories of humans “haunt” Death.


Zusak mentions his research methods in an interview that follows the novel: researched before, during, and after writing, included a trip to Munich to check facts at the end. His sources are also listed in the acknowledgments. For those who want more information, there are also lists of related titles and internet resources.


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)


• Michael L. Printz Honor Book
• ALA Best Books for Young Adults
• Booklist review: “More than the overt message about the power of words, it’s Liesl’s confrontation with horrifying cruelty and her discovery of kindness in unexpected places that tell the heartbreaking truth.”
• Horn Book starred review: “Exquisitely written and memorably populated, Zusak's poignant tribute to words, survival, and their curiously inevitable entwinement is a tour de force to be not just read but inhabited.”
• Kirkus starred review: “The writing is elegant, philosophical and moving. Even at its length, it's a work to read slowly and savor.”
• Library Media Connection starred review: “Part Holocaust tale, part coming-of-age story, and part the book thief's story, this title will have readers thinking and talking.”
• School Library Journal starred review: “Zusak not only creates a mesmerizing and original story but also writes with poetic syntax, causing readers to deliberate over phrases and lines, even as the action impels them forward.”


5. CONNECTIONS


• Markus Zusak has a taped interview online about what brought him to write about this subject. It can be used as a preview for booktalking or as a wrap up after having read the book.
  
• Discussion questions are included in the back of the book. Also, there is an online forum discussion of the book thief hosted by Random House. Encourage those readers who really want to get into more discussions about the book to look at what’s being discussed there. As always, make sure that all students who are participating on anything online understand and adhere to good safety and privacy rules.
  
• Other fiction novels about the Holocaust:


Boyne, John. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. ISBN: 9780385751063
Cormier, Robert. Tunes for Bears to Dance to. ISBN: 9780440219033
Spiegelman, Art. Maus. (Graphic novel). ISBN: 9780394747231
Spinelli, Jerry. Milkweed. ISBN: 9780375813740