Module 4: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (SLIS 5420 review)

Summary: The residents of the Sunset Towers apartment building get wrapped up in a mystery masterminded by an eccentric millionaire named Samuel Westing. After Westing is found dead, his lawyer follows Westing’s instructions and gathers the 16 people named in his will for a reading of the document. In his will, Westing outlines the rules for what he calls the Westing game. He claims he was murdered (by one of the people in the room) and challenges them to find the culprit. The person who solves the mystery will inherit the substantial Westing fortune. The 16 “heirs” do their best to decipher Westing’s clues and unravel the mystery, but one of them isn’t who they claim to be. Westing keeps the contestants (and the reader) guessing until the very end, and it takes one especially clever contestant to win the Westing game.

Citation: Raskin, E. (2001). The Westing game. New York: Puffin Books.

Impression This wonderful mystery from Ellen Raskin won the 1979 Newbery, and I can see why. One of the biggest things that struck me about this book is that even though it was first published in 1978, it doesn’t feel dated at all. I started the book expecting to come across lots of technology and popular culture references that would date the book for modern readers. I was pleasantly surprised when I didn’t find many at all. (The only reference that really dates the book is Turtle listening to stock reports on a transistor radio.) The dialog and descriptions all have a timeless sort of feel that modern readers will connect with and appreciate.

Another strength of the book is pacing. Raskin reveals just enough information to help readers solve pieces of the puzzle. For example, most readers will realize the initial clues given to the heirs form the lyrics to a famous song. However, she keeps the answer to the big mystery under wraps until the very end. I am an avid mystery reader. I love trying to solve the mystery along with the characters, and I can usually figure out whodunit. The end of The Westing Game was a complete surprise to me, and it made me want to read it again so I could pick up on all the clues I missed the first time.

Review:
School Library Journal:
Another mystery puzzle for fans of Raskin’s earlier novels. This one centers on the challenge set forth in the will of eccentric millionaire Samuel Westing. Sixteen heirs of diverse backgrounds and ages are assembled in the old “Westing House,” paired off, and given clues to a puzzles they must solve— apparently in order to inherit. (Not so coincidently, most of these characters have recently moved into a new luxury apartment building behind the mansion.) So the race is on, intensified by the shifting identities and the suspicion that Westing was murdered by one of the heirs. Readers may solve the initial puzzle sooner than the characters, but the central mystery holds until the end. The heroine is 13-year-old Tabitha-Ruth “Turtle” Wexler, and she the only character that’s given more than one dimension— though most are wittily conceived that all serve admirably for this genre. Young readers will be satisfied that Turtle turns out to be the real winner and they will enjoy the process by which she learns— and earns— her reward.

Dorsey, M. A., (1978). [Review of the book The Westing Game, by E. Raskin]. School Library Journal, 24(8), 87. Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/

Uses in a library: A library could have their own version of the Westing Game. It would be a wonderful program for older elementary school or middle school students. Librarians could create their own murder mystery, scavenger hunt, or treasure hunt based on the book.

Module 4: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (SLIS 5420 review)

Summary: Kate DiCamillo’s Newbery-winning book tells the reader a story about a young mouse Despereaux Tilling. Mice like Despereaux are supposed to be scared of humans, but Despereaux falls in love with light and music and a human princess named Pea. He commits the ultimate mouse faux pas when he speaks to Pea. He is shunned by the rest of the mice and sent to the damp, dark dungeon with the rats. While there, he is saved by Gergory, the jailer. Before he escapes, he overhears a conversation between a rat named Roscuro and a serving girl named Miggery Sow. Roscuro plans to use Miggery to help him exact his revenge on humans by kidnapping Princess Pea. Despereaux realizes it’s up to him to become an unlikely hero and save the day.

Citation: DiCamillo, K., & Ering, T. B. (2003). The tale of Despereaux. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press.

Impression: I was sucked into this book from the very beginning. It has the feeling of an old-fashioned fairy tale, which is enhanced by the occasional illustrations from Timothy Basil Ering. DiCamillo’s language is formal and elegant and weighty, without using an advanced vocabulary with too many words that children won’t know. Sometimes DiCamillo’s omniscient narrator address the reader directly and asks questions, which will lend well to reading out loud and interacting with kids.

The characterization is another one of the book’s strongest elements. It’s easy for the reader to sympathize with the humans, mice, and rats in the story. I was rooting for poor, sweet Despearaux from the moment when his mother named him Despereaux “for all the sadness, for the many despairs in this place” (p. 3). There are and there are even moments when you feel for the villainous rat Roscuro. In the dedication for the book DiCamillo says the book is for “Luke, who asked for the story of an unlikely hero.” DiCamillo has definitely created that hero I in Despereaux, I think the underdog aspects of the story will really appeal to kids.


Review:
Horn Book:
Despereaux Tilling is not like the other mice in the castle. He's smaller than average, with larger than average ears. He'd rather read books than eat them. And he's in love with a human being--Princess Pea. Because he dares to consort with humans, the Mouse Council votes to send him to the dungeon. Book the First ends with Despereaux befriending a jailer who resides there. Books two and three introduce Roscuro, a rat with a vendetta against Princess Pea, and Miggery Sow, a young castle servant who longs to become a princess. Despereaux disappears from the story for too long during this lengthy middle section, but all the characters unite in the final book when Roscuro and Miggery kidnap Princess Pea at knifepoint and Despereaux, armed with a needle and a spool of thread, makes a daring rescue. Framing the book with the conventions of a Victorian novel ("Reader, do you believe that there is such a thing as happily ever after?"), DiCamillo tells an engaging tale. The novel also makes good use of metaphor, with the major characters evoked in images of light and illumination; Ering's black-and-white illustrations also emphasize the interplay of light and shadow. The metaphor becomes heavy-handed only in the author's brief, self-serving coda. Many readers will be enchanted by this story of mice and princesses, brave deeds, hearts "shaded with dark and dappled with light," and forgiveness.

Sieruta, P. D. (2003). [Review of the book The Tale of Despereaux, by K. DiCamillo]. Horn Book Magazine, 79(5), 609-610. Retrieved from http://www.hbook.com/

Uses in a library: The Tale of Despereaux would be a great choice for a book club for elementary students. It would lead to a great discussion about bravery, friendship, and good versus evil. It would also be a great read aloud for a library or a classroom.

Module 3: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (SLIS 5420 review)

Summary: Sylvester is a young donkey who loves to collect rocks. One day he finds a bright red pebble and discovers that it can grant wishes. He makes several wishes to test out the rock’s power, then starts home to share his amazing discovery with his family. On the way home he crosses paths with a lion, and in his panic he wishes to become a rock so he can avoid the lion. Without the magic pebble, Sylvester can’t turn himself back. Sylvester is afraid that he will have to stay a rock forever, but a happy coincidence turns him back into a donkey and reunites him with his loving family.

Citation: Steig, W. (1969). Sylvester and the magic pebble. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Impression: I can see why Steig’s Caldecott-winning book has stood the test of time.
The premise of the book is interesting and doesn’t become dated easily. The idea of an ordinary object having such extraordinary powers will always be fascinating to children and adults alike. Even though Sylvester and the Magic Pebble was originally published in 1969, Steig’s illustrations don’t feel old fashioned. He used many bright colors, especially in the characters’ clothes and home furnishings. His drawings are simple enough that children could try to replicate them, but detailed enough to provide lots of visual interest.

I also think the book still resonates because young readers can connect with the different emotions Sylvester experiences. Seig’s words and illustrations work together perfectly to convey emotions, like Sylvester’s excitement at finding a treasure like the magic pebble, his fright at running into the lion, the despair of his parents when he goes missing, and their joy at being reunited. One of best examples of this is a panel where Sylvester’s mother sits in a rocking chair, a tear coming down her check. Part of the text on the page reads “Mr. and Mrs. Duncan no longer knew what to do,” and there is a vase with wilted flowers in the background. Steig was great at including those little details in the illustrations to help readers get the whole story.

Review:
Kirkus:
Sylvester's "only chance of becoming himself again was for someone to find the red pebble and to wish that the rock next to it would be a donkey"--surely the prize predicament of the year and, in William Steig's pearly colors, one of the prettiest. How Mother and Father Duncan (donkey), despairing of finding their son, do eventually break the red pebble's spell and bring back Sylvester is a fable of happy families of all breeds.

(1969, March 1). [Review of the book Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, by W. Steig]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com/

Uses in a library: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble could be used in a storytime about magic. Afterwards, the children could decorate their own magic pebble. If the students or patrons are a little bit older, they could write a simple story about their pebble’s magic powers.

Module 3: A Sick Day for Amos McGee (SLIS 5420 review)

Summary:

This sweet picture book was the winner of the 2011 of the Caldecott Medal. Amos McGee is a faithful zookeeper who has made friends with all the animals at the zoo. One day, Amos is sick and can’t come to work. The animals go in search of their friend and when they find him sick at home, they all help take care of him and make him feel better.

Citation: Stead, P. C., & Stead, E. E. (2010). A sick day for Amos McGee. New York: Roaring Brook.

Impression: A Sick Day for Amos McGee is one of the sweetest books I have read in a long, long time. I’m a sucker for a good animal story, so I loved the plot of this book. The way Amos interacts with the animals at the zoo and the way they repaid the favor when he was sick is so touching. (I especially loved how he plays games with the elephant and the tortoise.) I was also impressed with how Erin E. Stead’s illustrations compliment her husband Philip C. Stead’s story perfectly. Stead’s illustrations are reminiscent of Robert McCloskey and have a slightly old-fashioned feel, but that’s not a bad thing. Stead uses lots of soft, muted colors with pops of brighter color (a red balloon, a red scarf, etc.) for emphasis. Her illustrations give the book a cozy, homey feel. All the elements of the book combine to make a story that feels warm and soft like a favorite blanket, and just begs to be read at bedtime.

Review:
Publisher’s Weekly:
With quiet affection, this husband-and-wife team tells the story of a zookeeper whose devotion is repaid when he falls ill. On most days, the angular, elderly Amos rides the bus to the zoo, plays chess with the elephant ("who thought and thought before making a move"), sits quietly with the penguin, and spends time with his other animal friends. But when Amos catches a cold, the animals ride the bus to pay him a visit, each, in a charming turnabout, doing for Amos whatever he usually does for them. The elephant sets up the chessboard; the shy penguin sits on the bed, "keeping Amos's feet warm." Newcomer Erin Stead's elegant woodblock prints, breathtaking in their delicacy, contribute to the story's tranquility and draw subtle elements to viewers' attention: the grain of the woodblocks themselves, Amos's handsome peacock feather coverlet. Every face--Amos's as well as the animals'--brims with personality. Philip Stead's (Creamed Tuna Fish and Peas on Toast) narrative moves with deliberate speed, dreaming up a joyous life for the sort of man likely to be passed on the street without a thought. Ages 2-6.

(2010, May 10). [Review of the book A Sick Day for Amos McGee by P. Stead and E. Stead]. Publishers Weekly, 257(19), 41. Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/

Uses in a library:
A library could use A Sick Day for Amos McGee as a part of a storytime. It would fit in with several different themes, including friendship and being sick. It could also be a part of any display or program about the Caldecott Award.

Module 2: How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell (SLIS 5420 review)

Summary: Boys will be boys in this classic book first published in 1973. It all starts when a boy named Alan dares another boy named Billy to eat 15 worms in 15 days. If Billy can do it, Alan owes him $50 dollars, which he doesn’t have. Alan’s friend Joe and Billy’s friend Tom get involved too, and the two teams go to great lengths to win the bet. Between Billy’s creative ways to choke down the worms and Alan’s ingenious (but devious) schemes to stop him, it’s unclear who will win the bet right until the very end.

Citation: Rockwell, T., & McCully, E. A. (2006). How to eat fried worms. New York: Random House.

Impression: How to Eat Fried Worms is completely different than the books I normally read, but I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. I felt that even though it was published in 1973, for the most part it still holds appeal for readers today. Kids, especially boys, will relate to the sense of competition and rivalry between the characters in the book. They will also love the gross-out factor of Billy eating the worms. I think readers will be surprised at some of the things Billy does to try and make the worms edible. (Although I don’t think it will inspire anyone to go out and eat a worm themselves— thank goodness.) The only drawback to the book is that some of the language is dated and stilted, which can be a real stumbling block for modern readers. For example, Alan calls Billy a lunk and a fink, and Joe says his mother “collapsed all helter-skelter” (pg. 36). These kinds of words and phrases will be unfamiliar to most modern readers, which could make them frustrated and take away from their enjoyment of the books. Overall, I think the premise of book and the humor in it will win over modern readers. How to Eat Fried Worms was made into a movie in 2006, which will also help bring modern readers to this classic book.

Review:
Kirkus:
Even fried with ketchup, mustard and horseradish sauce or baked as "Alsatian Smothered Worm" with onions and sour cream by Billy's supportive Mother, fifteen nightcrawlers are still a lot of worms to eat. Having made a fifty dollar bet, Billy persists in his one-a-day regimen much to the disgust of his friend Alan, who knows his father won't let him use his money this way in any case and tries all sorts of schemes to sabotage and psych Billy into quitting. The person who comes off best here is Billy's mother, who after a quick call to the doctor accepts the plan with perfect equanimity, but Rockwell's sensibilities (if that's the word) are so uncannily close to those of the average ten year-old boy that one begins to admire Billy as a really sharp operator.

(1973, September 01). [Review of the book How to Eat Fried Worms by T. Rockwell and E. McCully]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com/

Uses in a library:
A library could read How to Eat Fried Worms as a part of a book club. After discussing the books and eating snacks (gummy worms, of course), the participants could watch the 2006 movie based on the book. Once they’ve watched the movie, they could have another discussion about the differences between the book and the movie.

Module 2: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (SLIS 5420 review)

Summary: In Where the Wild Things Are, a little boy named Max loves to cause trouble. One night after he’s sent to bed without supper, he takes a journey to land full of monsters called the wild things. He becomes king of the wild things and has many adventures with them, but eventually he decides to return home and finds a wonderful surprise waiting for him.

Citation: Sendak, M. (1963). Where the Wild Things Are. New York: HarperCollins.

Impression:
This was my first time reading Where the Wild Things Are, and I can see why it won the Caldecott Medal and why it has become such a classic. Many elements of Sendak’s story, like Max’s room turning into a magical forest and his wild rumpus with the wild things, still hold a lot of appeal for kids. Also, his illustrations of the wild things are bold and unusual, but not too scary— in most images they are smiling. However, there are some darker elements to the book as well. There is an image of Max chasing the family dog, he tells his mother “I’LL EAT YOU UP,” and the wild things “roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth.” These darker elements don’t take away from the book or make it inappropriate for young children. Instead, they add another layer of interest and complexity to the book.

Where the Wild Things Are was made into a movie in 2009. The movie captures the look and feel of the book perfectly, but there are significant differences. Parents, especially with parents with very young children, should be aware that the movie emphasizes the harsh, almost violent elements of the book.

Review:
Booklist:
*Starred Review* This simply written but subtle book became a classic not only because it legitimized children's angry feelings and their ability to use their imaginations to deal with those feelings but also because it showed punishment and love coexisting in a parent-child relationship. When mischievous Max, wearing his wolf suit, romps around the house and drives his mother to distraction, she calls him Wild Thing and sends him to bed without his supper. But in the quiet of his room, a forest grows, where claw-footed monsters with horns, Wild Things just like Max, lurk and leap. Max joins their wild rumpus and is made king of all wild things, but still he misses his home. When he finally returns, he discovers his supper waiting, and it is still hot. Where the Wild Things Are, which was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1964, has never gone out of print and is now available in several editions including paperback and a twenty-fifth anniversary remastered version. The year 2008 is sure to bring even more attention to this beloved children's book: Dave Eggers will publish an adult novel based on the 338-word story at the same time that a combination live-action and animatronic movie, scripted by Eggers and directed by Spike Jonze, is released. How Jonze will translate Sendak's exceptional crossed-hatched-watercolor artwork to the screen remains to be seen.

Zvirin, S. (2007, November 01). [Review of the book Where the wild things are, by M. Sendak]. Booklist 104(5). Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/

Uses in a library:
One of the ways libraries could use Where the Wild Things Are is to hold a “Wild Rumpus” night. They could invite children and their families for a storytime featuring Where the Wild Things Are and similar books, have children draw a picture of their version of the wild things or what they would look like as king or queen of the wild things, and watch the movie.

Module 1: The Plot Chicken by Mary Jane and Herm Auch (SLIS 5420 review)

Summary: The Plot Chickens is a story about a plucky chicken named Henrietta who loves reading. One day she decides she wants to write her own book. She gets some ideas and help from the other chickens on the farm and from a writing book. She sends her book. The Perils of Maxine, off to the publisher, but she gets rejected. When she publishes the book herself, it gets poor reviews. Just when Henrietta really starts to gets discouraged, she finds that some very important people do like her book.

Citation: Auch, M. J., & Auch, H. (2010). The plot chickens. New York: Holiday House.

Impression: I thought this was an extremely charming book. I love wordplay and puns, and The Plot Chickens is full of both— Henrietta types on a Hunt & Peck typewriter, the librarian suggests she send her book to The Corn Book for review, etc. (I don’t want to give away all the clever little surprises.) I also really enjoyed the illustrations. According to the jacket flap, the illustrations were created by combining oil paintings and digital techniques. The result is crisp illustrations with lots of bold, bright colors and a surprising amount of detail. Another reason I liked the book was because the overall message was that you should never let anyone discourage you from pursuing your dreams.

Review:
School Library Journal:
K-Gr 2-Henrietta the chicken, star of Souperchicken (Holiday House, 2003), is an avid library user and decides that because reading is so much fun, "writing books must be eggshilarating." She finds a manual of writing rules and creates her own story-with the unsolicited help of the other fowl. When it is rejected by a publisher, Henrietta decides to self-publish. She takes a copy to her librarian, who tells her to send it to The Corn Book Magazine for review. Henrietta gets another rejection: "odoriferous." Then she wanders into the library at storytime and sees that her book was chosen best of the year by the children. Henrietta is asked to read it aloud. "She read with dramatic expression. Of course, all the children heard was BUK, BUK, BUK.." The illustrations, a combination of oil paints and digital technology, are bold and colorful. The pictures are busy, with Henrietta at her typewriter while her friends cavort around her. There are imagined scenes in cloud shapes, word balloons, and jokes aplenty. A droll chicken with a repeating line adds to the humor. This offering works on two levels. It's a funny picture book that could be used as a manual on writing.-Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI

Bates, I. (2009, March 01). [Review of the book The Plot Chickens, by M. Auch and H. Auch]. School Library Journal. 55(3). Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/

Uses in a library:
An elementary school library could use The Plot Chickens with older students (2nd through 5th graders) who are working on creative writing projects. Hearing Henrietta’s story will entertain them and encourage them to write their own stories. A public library holding some kind of writing program could use it in the same way. A really ambitious library could turn it into a puppet show, play, or reader’s theater. The humor in the book would make it a hit with kids and parents alike.