Living History…New Titles for 2014

Posted on April 13, 2015 by pslamediaselectionreview

Living History. San Diego: Reference Point Press, 2015. 96p. 12-Book set $347.40. Individual Titles $28.95. Gr. 6-12.

Kallen, Stuart A. Life During the Crusades. 978-1-60152-720-2.

Nardo, Don. Life in Ancient Egypt. 978-1-60152-638-0.

Woog, Adam. Life During the Spanish Inquisition. 978-1-60152-722-6.

Reference Point Press continues its Living History series with three new titles. Unlike other topical history series, Living History focuses not only on the historic period, but also on the daily life of those living through the period. Each text provides a timeline, chapters that divide each event into more manageable topics, source notes, and a section, “For Further Reading”, that provides students with additional books and websites for research. Intertwined with each chapter are primary sources, artwork, and “Word in Context”, a section highlighting terms specific to the time period covered. This series is a great addition for world history research or comparative research between historic periods and today.

History (900s) Erin Parkinson, Lincoln JSHS, Ellwood City

This year one of our English 10 teachers and I began collaborating on independent reading projects. Each project focuses on a different aspect of literature. For our third quarter project we focused on historical fiction and accuracy. Students completed reading discussions with classmates, and then they wrote an essay explaining how their novel was historically accurate, inaccurate, and why the author chose to have accuracies and inaccuracies in the novel. In order to do this, students had to find one informational text in the library to use as a basis for their argument. The Living History series came in handy for students with this assignment because not only does this series highlight events and time periods, but it also provides primary source references which helped students better understand their historical fiction novels.

The Library of Medieval Times

Posted on April 13, 2015 by pslamediaselectionreview

The Library of Medieval Times. San Diego: Reference Point Press, 2015. 80p. $193.00 series. $38.60 individual title. Gr. 6-12.

Allman, Toney. Medieval Medicine and Disease. 978-1-60152-656-4.

Currie, Stephen. Medieval Punishment and Torture. 978-1-60152-658-8.

Kallen, Stuart A. Medieval Food and Customs. 978-1-60152-718-9.

Nardo, Don. Medieval Knights and Chivalry. 978-1-60152-636-6.

Nardo, Don. Medieval Warfare. 978-1-60152-682-3.

The Library of Medieval Times is a great addition to any nonfiction collection. This 5-title series highlights various aspects of medieval history and living from torture to medicine to warfare and food, while providing various primary source documentation to support explanations and understanding of this period in history. The focus of each text is of great interest to students, especially the title about punishment and torture, and provides information not only to increase understanding of the medieval ages but also for further research. Each individual text includes a timeline, chapters to further focus on specific aspects of the main topic, “Source Notes”, and “For Further Research”, a section providing books and websites for students to explore. This series is a great source for world history research or comparative research in world cultures classes.

Medieval History Erin Parkinson, Lincoln JSHS, Ellwood City

Each year our world cultures classes complete a required research paper. One teacher requires a specific topic for research, while the other teacher tells students their paper has to deal with something pertaining to the world. In other words…anything (as long as it didn’t happen in the United States). This makes gathering sources for students, and collection development, much more challenging because topics change from class to class and year to year. The Library of Medieval Times was a great addition to our collection for this year’s assignment. Many students enjoy the idea of knights and medieval history, but we lacked appropriate sources. This series breaks apart medieval times into easy, accessible topics which helps students better focus their research and writing. This is a great series to add for world history research. It is available both in print and eBook format.

Revolution…Book Two of The Sixties Trilogy

Posted on April 13, 2015 by pslamediaselectionreview

Wiles, Deborah. Revolution (The Sixties Trilogy, Book 2). New York: Scholastic Press, 2014. 978-0-545-10607-8. 509p. $19.99. Gr. 5-9.

It’s summer 1964; the Beatles have invaded; troops are heading to Vietnam; the Civil Rights movement is in full force, and Sunny Robinson is a twelve-year-old ready to enjoy a summer of freedom. With her step-brother, Gillette, in tow, Sunny’s summer is turned upside down before it even begins when they witness a black boy, Ray Bullis, swimming in the “white” pool. Soon Freedom Summer takes hold in Greenwood, Mississippi, and the northern Freedom Riders begin establishing schools, registering blacks to vote, desegregating the town, and turning a once quaint, southern town into a place of violence, hatred, and distrust. As Sunny deals with her own family issues, she is thrust into national politics on race, segregation, and war. Told through alternating narrators (the tint of the pages change as the narration alternates between Sunny and Ray), Revolution, is a beautiful story of growth and understanding during the tumultuous summer of 1964, Freedom Summer. Similar to Countdown, Book One of The Sixties Trilogy, Wiles again integrates the stories of maturation during a time of tumultuous national and world affairs with pictures, transcripts, quotes, and propaganda from the 1960s, while connecting the novels through Jo Ellen Chapman, Franny’s older sister from Countdown, one of the volunteers who comes to Greenwood, MS, and interacts with Ray and Sunny.

Revolution skillfully weaves together the stories of Sunny and Ray as they mature throughout Freedom Summer with the growth of our nation as it questioned the validity of segregation, Jim Crow Laws, war in Vietnam, voting rights, education, and social issues for all, not just white citizens. The connectedness of the white and black experience through children is flawless, while maintaining accuracy and a mature understanding of what is happening around them in Greenwood, and throughout the southern United States as Freedom Summer takes hold. The harsh reality of 1964 is not overlooked because of the age of the narrators, but instead is intensified because of their innocence (this is similar to the narration by Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird). This is a perfect historical fiction novel for middle school and high school students not only because of the quality of the story and writing but because of the integration of photographs, transcripts, personal stories, and quotes that add to the experience of this novel and a better understanding of Freedom Summer.

Historical Fiction (1964) Erin Parkinson, Lincoln JSHS, Ellwood City

Breakfast Served Anytime

Posted on April 13, 2015 by pslamediaselectionreview

Combs, Sarah. Breakfast Served Anytime. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2014. Print. 978-0763667917. 272p. $16.99. Gr. 9+.

This is a sweet, simple coming-of-age tale that will interest readers preparing for the leap from high school to college. Gloria has always believed that she and her best friend, Carol, would go to New York City after they graduated to make it in the big city, far away from their native and unglamourous hometown in Kentucky. That is, until Gloria is accepted to attend Geek Camp, thus assuring herself a full-ride to the University of Kentucky. Assuring Carol that she won’t consider accepting the scholarship, Gloria plans to go to Geek Camp and picks the major “Secrets of the Written Word,” curious about the cryptic title. The professor doesn’t disappoint. In his introductory letter, he requests that students leave all forms of technology at home, and on the first day of classes sends the students on a scavenger hunt. The small group of four students in the class are an eclectic mix of individuals, including one boy that Gloria at first can’t stand but interests her nonetheless. When the professor eventually surfaces, he sees it as his mission to teach the students about life in Kentucky and gives them their task for the summer- to select one novel as the Great American Novel. The dialogue is witty and engaging, and the relationships between Gloria and her friends are believable as teens trying to navigate the slippery slope between high school and the college world. This is an excellent book to highlight as a summer reading option for those students beginning to look at life beyond their immediate community.

Realistic Fiction Lindsey Myers, Peters Township High School

I found this lovely book by doing a general search on Goodreads for new Young Adult novels. It was a nice change from the many books on suicides that have cropped up lately. Gloria is an interesting character, and I enjoyed reading about her transition into adulthood. In the upcoming month I plan on giving a few book talks for summer reading suggestions, and this one will definitely be included on my list that I share with students. Gloria and her relationships with her new roommate, classmates, and professor give her a glimpse into the life of a college student, which is a great opportunity that would benefit many students. Gloria spends a good amount of time reflecting on her own actions and how they affect people, which is something that I wish more students would do, and I hope that they begin to do as they leave high school. Empathy is one characteristic that is missing in many students, and to see it in action in a book might push them to develop an understanding of how important it is to show to others.

New Titles…At Issue, Nutrition and Health, and Social Issues in Literature

Posted on April 13, 2015 by pslamediaselectionreview

Foleff, Tamara L. Beauty Pageants. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2014. 978-0-7377-6825-1. 93p. $27.00. Gr. 9 and up.

These thin volumes are full of information and statistics about contemporary issues. Following an introduction, the book is divided into sixteen separate opinion articles about the individual topic, beauty pageants. The publisher provides a list of organization’s contact information, bibliography, and index. The At Issue series includes seventy-five different titles and is a good addition to middle and high school libraries.

791.66 (Public Performances) Robin Burns, Salisbury High School

The At Issue: Beauty Queens could be used to extend current events projects, individualized research, and to make connections to the greater issue of beauty in society. The titles in the series provide more than one viewpoint for each issue. High school debate teams would also find the series helpful for the primary source articles contained in each title.

Nardo, Don. Sleep Problems. Detroit. Lucent Books: 2014. 978-1-42051-150-5. 104 p. $27.00. Gr. 5 – 8.

Sleep Problems is part of a series, Nutrition and Health, geared toward middle school and junior high students. The text is easy to read and is augmented with colorful photographs and pop out statistical charts and graphs. Sleep disorders is a growing problem for both adults and children in the United States, and the book gives a good overview of the contributing factors to the often undetected disease. The book has a glossary, web-site resource list, bibliography for further reading, and an easy to use index.

616.849 (Diseases and Disorders) Robin Burns, Salisbury High School

Health classes will find this series and title helpful for student research. However, this is a subject matter that many adults also struggle with and would be applicable for personal use. The ease of the text and setup makes it accessible for both middle and high school students. All of the pictures are credited, and the titles could be used as part of copyright lesson as well.

Johnson, Claudia Durst Ed. Race In The Poetry of Langston Hughes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2014. 978-0-7377-6981-4. 168 p. $30.00 Gr. 9 and up.

This series is a best book selection. The books in this series examine a variety of social issues in literature. The titles are split into three parts with information equally distributed into well thought out sections. Although there are only a few black and white photographs in these books, they are packed full of information and include in depth explanations for each article to engage readers. Each book begins with a section titled, Introduction and Chronology, and concludes with a section listing further discussion and further readings, a bibliography, and index.

818.52 (American Literature) Robin Burns, Salisbury High School

Each year English students conduct literary analysis, and this title touches upon many of the issues students examine for their research. Unlike many other texts, this series does not simply list information about the author and his works. Instead the series provides articles by various authors pertaining first to the author, the social issue (ex: race) and lastly provides a contemporary perspective to the social issue (ex: race).

Lies We Tell Ourselves

Posted on April 13, 2015 by pslamediaselectionreview

Talley, Robin. Lies We Tell Ourselves. New York: Harlequin Teen, 2014. 978-0-373-21133-3. 384 p. $17.99. Gr. 9 and up.

Sarah Dunbar is one of the first black students to integrate a small Virginian high school in 1959. Sarah, who had previously been an honors student at her old high school, is placed into remedial classes for no other reason than the color of her skin. Alternating chapters throughout the book are told from Sarah’s perspective and from a white privileged classmate, Linda Hairston. Each chapter’s title is a lie that either Sarah or Linda tells herself as a way to deal with topical issues of racism, sexism, gender, homosexuality, and child abuse. Forced to work together on a school project, the two young women must face the realities of race, power, and how they really feel about each other. Talley could have written a simple story about desegregation in the South but digs deeper into interracial and homosexual relationships during a time period where both were not only not widely accepted but in many instances illegal.

Historical Fiction Robin Burns, Salisbury High School

I really enjoyed this complicated story of friendship and redemption set against the backdrop of 1950’s Virginia. Talley offers no easy answers or happy endings for her characters but instead examines the traits both good and bad in all of us. This coming of age story gives a glimpse inside the mind of a teenage girl who has suffered abuse but is not just a victim. The story although set in a different decade will appeal to teens seeking characters they can relate to who are also struggling with their identities.

On a Clear Day

Posted on April 13, 2015 by pslamediaselectionreview

Myers, Walter Dean. On A Clear Day. New York: Crown, 2014. 978-0-385-38754-5. 244 p. $17.99. Gr. 9 and up.

Dahlia Grillo, a Gator, lives in the year 2035 where the chasm between the haves and have-nots has widened, and the world is now under the control of C8, corporations that operate purely for their own benefit. Gators are the people trying to live together in small closed off communities so that the Sturmers, gangs of thugs, don’t prey on what few resources are available to people in the future. A team of young people who want to stop C8 and uncover the root of their corruption travel to England in hope of learning who controls C8. The characters are fully flushed out and unlike many dystopian novels the main characters are eclectic from a variety of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Dystopian Robin Burns, Salisbury High School

Readers who enjoy dystopian stories will find this gritty story both compelling and disturbing. The story is similar to the television show Torchwood Miracle Day in that the world has undergone a cultural and societal change thrusting everyone under the control of large corporations. I found this book to be a good addition to fiction collections looking for another option in the growing dystopian genre.

The Haven

Posted on April 10, 2015 by pslamediaselectionreview

Williams, Carol Lynch. The Haven. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2014. 978-0-312-69871-3. 209p. $18.99. Gr. 9 and up.

Haven Hospital & Halls Where You Matter Established 2020.

Shiloh has only ever known life at Haven Hospital & Halls. She has only ever eaten food grown at Haven; she has only ever had friends at Haven; only ever known the walls of Haven. She has been educated by Haven, and yet, Shiloh knows deep down that something is not quite right at Haven Hospital & Halls. When Dr. King, head of Haven, comes “too soon” according to Shiloh, she, and her friend Abigail, can only hope that he has not come for one of them, a Terminal fighting the Disease. As Shiloh continues her life in Haven as a Terminal, Abigail and Gideon, another terminal, convince Shiloh that something is wrong; something else exists beyond the walls of Haven, and it is up to them to find out the truth behind Haven Hospital & Halls.

Carol Lynch Williams delivers a hauntingly futuristic look at society, medicine, scientific discovery, and biomedical advancement and ethics in The Haven. Although 2020 is only five years away, Williams novel goes beyond that year. The events and setting of the novel establish it as very futuristic, yet forces the reader to question whether or not Haven Hospital could be or should be a reality, and how soon we may be faced with this reality. The Haven is a short novel but very challenging. Williams is vague throughout the beginning, mirroring Shiloh’s lack of memory and understanding. This forces the reader to become involved in figuring out the setting, characters, and plot. As it develops, her literary techniques only add to the intensity and horror of what Haven Hospital & Halls actually is and the reality that could face our society at any time. The Haven is one of the best YA books of 2014 because it takes a look at a realistic future, even if terrifying, and develops characters and events because of that future reality. Williams’s characters question themselves and their situation, love, feel loss, follow, and lead, while continually recognizing that they are flawed because of the choices made by society. The Haven will challenge readers understanding and hope of technology in the future.

Science Fiction Erin Parkinson, Lincoln JSHS, Ellwood City

Jackaby

Posted on April 10, 2015 by pslamediaselectionreview

Ritter, William. Jackaby. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books, 2014. 978-1-61620-353-5. 299 p. $16.95. Gr. 7 and up.

Abigail Rook is unlike many other young ladies from late 19^th century Britain. Against her family’s wishes, she has abandoned college to join an archeological dig in the Ukraine. When the expedition is suspended, she boards a ship to America and ends up in the city of New Fiddleham. Abigail’s situation is desperate; she doesn’t have proper clothing; she needs money, and she has few real job skills. She soon meets R.F. Jackaby, a detective who hires her as his assistant on a trial basis. Jackaby is a different sort of detective; he considers himself a “seer” who can recognize supernatural creatures (including a Ukrainian house spirit who hitched a ride to America on Abigail’s dress).

As the story begins, Jackaby is searching for a serial murderer. While the city’s police are convinced that the criminal is human, he suspects a paranormal being. Abigail has a knack for noticing ordinary but significant details, which makes her the perfect complement to Jackaby, with his otherworldly mindset. The relationship between Jackaby and the police is strained, but Jackaby and Abigail find a friend in the police department’s new detective, Charlie Cane. Together, they discover that the culprit is a red cap goblin who stays alive by keeping his red cap soaked in fresh human blood. The goblin has taken on the form of a man, and his human identity is quite unexpected.

This is simply a fun book. Jackaby is a fascinating character. He is condescending but also displays great compassion to those in need. His house is wildly disorganized, and the disarray has spread to his trademark many-pocketed coat and ugly hat. Abigail befriends his resident ghost, Jenny, and his former assistant (who has been turned into a duck by a malevolent spirit). The different supernatural spirits also add some color and excitement to the story. This book had the potential to be both bloody and grim. However, it is full of tongue-in-cheek humor, much like a classic “Dr. Who” episode. Jackaby, Abigail, and Charlie are not yet fully developed characters, but this is the first volume in a series of Jackaby tales. The second book will be published in September 2015, so there is room for future development in many areas.

Mystery; Paranormal Susan Fox, Washington Jr. /Sr. High School

We Were Liars

Posted on April 10, 2015 by pslamediaselectionreview

Lockhart, E. We Were Liars. New York: Delacorte, 2014. 978-0-385-74126-2. 227p. $17.99. Gr. 9 and up.

Seventeen year old, Cadence Sinclair Easton, is the eldest grandchild of the Sinclair family, a wealthy, Massachusetts family driven by perfection, wealth, and material goods but holding many secrets. Vacationing together on their private island, Beechwood, for as long as she can remember, Candace spends her summers with the “liars”; her cousins Johnny and Mirren and Gat, the nephew of her Aunt Carrie’s boyfriend. Since Summer 8, the year Gat first visited Beecchwood, the liars have been inseparable. That is until Cadence is injured in an accident during Summer 15, the summer she falls in love with Gat and he with her. After two years, Cadence returns to the island during Summer 17 and tries to remember what happened to her during Summer 15. As her memories come back, in between debilitating headaches, her remaining reminder of the accident, she learns the secrets hidden away by her family that she lost after the accident. We Were Liars is a haunting tale of familial bonds and the lengths loved-ones will go to to protect reputation, expectation, secrets, lies, and the innocent (or not-so-innocent).

I listened to We Were Liars, and it was brilliant. It is read by Ariadne Meyers, the actress who played Emma McArdle on the television show Kate and Allie (one of my favorites). Her voice is mesmerizing and only intensified the experience that is We Were Liars. That being said, I don’t know how I feel about the novel itself (it received starred reviews from pretty much every review journal: Booklist, Horn Book, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal…to name a few). I loved the audio of it, but I’m not sure that I would have had the same experience reading it for myself. E. Lockhart’s language is beautiful, and I loved her use of symbolism and how she weaves fairytales into the novel to add depth to the reader’s understanding of Cadence and the Sinclair family, but I still don’t know how I feel. I struggled to connect with any of the characters. For the most part, I just thought they were spoiled brats who couldn’t appreciated the lives they were handed. I was not expecting the ending, and I loved it because of that; my jaw truly dropped as I listened to Cadence remember Summer 15. E. Lockhart wrote a beautifully, haunting novel that resonates for its literary components more than its characters or plot. This is a different side to current YA novels, and one that I like…even though I still can’t decide if I enjoyed this novel or not.

Realistic Fiction Erin Parkinson, Lincoln JSHS, Ellwood City

Literature Review

Part of the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association (PSLA)

Monthly Archives: April 2015

Living History…New Titles for 2014

The Library of Medieval Times

Revolution…Book Two of The Sixties Trilogy

Breakfast Served Anytime

New Titles…At Issue, Nutrition and Health, and Social Issues in Literature

Lies We Tell Ourselves

On a Clear Day

The Haven

Jackaby

We Were Liars