Formal Review- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Gaiman, N. (2008). The graveyard book. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishing.

Grade level: 5-8

Review: The Graveyard Book is a highly imaginative fantasy novel with a fast-paced, exciting plot. It is written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Dave McKean and won the Newbery award in 2009.  The Graveyard Book is about a young boy, Nobody ‘Bod’ Owens, who is raised  by ghosts after escaping a grisly murder scene at his own home. The story follows Bod into adolescence as he learns the truth about what happened to his family. As he grows, he faces new dangers and perils while learning life lessons from his ghostly protectors.  Gaiman has a captivating style of writing that entices and intrigues the reader. I also enjoyed the fantasy aspect of the book, particularly  the graveyard setting, because it is an especially unique setting for a work of children’s literature. Additionally, the idea of graveyard residents creating a sense of community and raising a living boy is fresh and ingenuous. While the book was enjoyable, there were parts of the plot that were somewhat disjointed which detracted from the overall flow of the story. For instance, Gaiman only briefly mentions “the ghoul gate” early in the novel without much further development or description later in the book. Even with some faults in the plot, this was an entertaining, charming novel that would be great for upper elementary and middle school aged children.

Recommendation: Recommended

Byline: Marcy Singson, Graduate Student, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA

(Image retrieved from amazon.com)

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett Krosoczka

Krosoczka, J.(2009). Lunch lady and the cyborg substitute. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett Krosoczka is a graphic novel about an undercover lunch lady and her helpful sidekick protecting the world from evildoers! It’s a classic good versus evil tale. Hector, Terrence, and Dee have always wondered what the lunch lady does outside of school so they follow her not knowing that this would lead to an adventure of epic proportion complete with a cyborg substitute and a science teacher with an evil plan! They work together to fight the evildoers and finally defeat them...or do they?!

This graphic novel is fun, witty, and clever! I really enjoyed the gadgets created by Betty to fight crime. Also, the illustrations are thoughtfully created and add so much to the plot. Like many graphic novels, Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute, would be a great book for upper elementary reluctant or lower level readers. Using the pictures as support, struggling readers could still enjoy and understand this story that has themes and context appropriate for them. Additionally, it is a quick read and reluctant readers would be less likely to lose interest. I also think this book would appeal to male readers since it is written like a comic book.

I would use this book to boost fluency and expression. In small groups, students could practice reading aloud paying special attention to the characters’ emotions and expressions as they read. Again, the illustrations would provide visual support for readers as they read aloud. Further, since this book is the start of a series of books and this book ends with a cliffhanger, students could write predictions about what might happen in the following books.

(Image from amazon.com)

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Creech, S. (2001). Love that dog. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech is a narrative poem about a reluctant young poet named, Jack. At first, Jack is adamant about being unable to write poetry but over the course of the year his confidence grows under the guidance of his teacher, Miss Stretchberry. She encourages him to find his inspiration which eventually leads to Jack meeting his own muse, Walter Dean, and writing a lovely, emotional poem about his late dog Sky. Jack is a likable and dynamic character. Through his poems the reader understands that Jack changes throughout the year and becomes a truly thoughtful, expressive author. Jack gains confidence and overcomes his fears of writing.

The overall message of the story is very warming and heartfelt. Jack learns to overcome his fears and express himself in new ways. This theme is very relatable to older elementary or middle school aged children. The poem structure and the use of actual poems in the novel is unique and intriguing. Also, I enjoyed that the inspirational poems are included in the back of the book. I have used this novel as a literature circle novel in my own classroom of 4th graders. They read the book independently and then came together to discuss the plot, characters, and themes. The novel was also an inspiration for my students to create their own poems. They particularly enjoyed creating concrete poems. While I do not personally love poetry, I really enjoyed this story because I loved the underlying plot and message.

(Image from sharoncreech.com)

Amelia Rules! True Things (Adults Don’t Want Kids to Know) by Jimmy Gownley

Gownley, J. (2010). Amelia rules!: True things (adults don’t want kids to know). New York,

     NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Amelia Rules! True Things (Adults Don’t Want Kids to Know) by Jimmy Gownley is a graphic novel about an eleven year old girl’s life. Amelia Rules! is a series and this particular edition focuses on Amelia’s 11th birthday, her plummeting school career, her heart-breaking crush, and her aunt’s new adventure. Amelia starts her 11th year with a magical birthday complete with a special performance by her rockstar aunt Tanner who performs a song for and about Amelia. However, some things take a turn for the worse as Amelia continues to struggle with her parents’ recent divorce, bickering friends, and her crush who is just not that into her. In the end, Amelia learns some things about herself and grows up a little along the way.

I am still new to the graphic novel genre and my first impression of graphic novels, including this one, is one of apprehension. I tend to not expect a lot from graphic novels, but so far I have been pleasantly surprised. This graphic novel had a great underlying message about growing up and experiencing the ups and downs of adolescent life. Amelia, the main character, has to deal with her parents going through a divorce. Since many children have to experience divorce they could easily relate to Amelia and her frustrations. Further, most children have an adolescence full of ups and downs where they must make mistakes and learn to succeed and fail just like Amelia. This book is certainly relatable to middle school aged children.

I found that I really enjoyed the illustrations in this graphic novel. They are simple, but expressive. I especially like the use of various types of thought and speech bubbles. The shape, color, and texture of the bubbles change depending upon what the character is thinking or speaking. I think they add a lot to the overall meaning of the text.

This book could easily be used for a literature circle especially because it is a series and deals with relevant themes for middle school students. Students could read and discuss several of the books in the series. Additionally, Amelia Rules! True Things (Adults Don’t Want Kids to Know) would be a good mentor text for students to use to create their own graphic novel.

(Image from https://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/books/view.dT/9781416986119)

What Color is Caesar? by Maxine Kumin (Tumblebook)

Kumin, M. (2013). What color is caesar?  [Ebook]. Retrieved from www.tumblebooks.com

What Color is Caesar? by Maxine Kumin is a fun, engaging story about a dog having a bit of an identity crisis. Caesar, the main character, is a black and white dog that wonders whether he is black with white spots or white with black spots.  Caesar goes on a quest to find out his true color and meets many black and white animals on the way. Finally, he meets a guru who leads to him figure out his own true colors. The message of the story is very valuable. It teaches that the most important thing about a person is not their outward appearance but rather who they are on the inside. It promotes positive self worth. This message would be especially valuable for elementary school students. Additionally, elementary school students could easily connect with Caesar because he is a likable character. He is wondering about his own place and importance in the world which is something that children also struggle with.

This story would be a great story to use to build the classroom community at the beginning of the school year. A positive classroom community and atmosphere are essential for a productive learning environment. After reading the story, students could turn and talk with a partner to discuss the importance of the story (i.e., the message of self worth). To extend the lesson, students could then write about what they think their own true colors are and describe and even illustrate them. Overall, I think this was a decent story and I really enjoy the fact that it is on tumblebooks.com so that students can hear the story read to them. Tumblebooks.com is a great resource for beginning or lower level readers.

(Image from www.tumblebooks.com)

Knock, Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me by Daniel Beaty

Beaty, D. (2013). Knock, knock: My dad’s dream for me. New York, NY: Little, Brown, and Company.

Knock, Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me is written by Daniel Beaty and illustrated by Bryan Collier. Collier was awarded the Coretta Scott King Award for his breathtaking illustrations in Knock, Knock. This is a brilliant story about a young boy’s tumultuous relationship with his father. The main character was very close to his father as a young child. Sadly, the young boy is abandoned by his father (presumably due to incarceration) and longs for his father’s return. He learns to live with the void left by his father’s absence but is forever changed by it. The story ends with a note of hope as the reader sees the young boy grow into a happy man with his own family to love.

Not only is the story touching, but the illustrations created through watercolor and collage are amazing! They add so much to the story by adding layers of texture and depth much like the emotions of the young boy. This book would be particularly powering for young people that have experienced life with only one parent and abandonment. The book shows struggle and pain, but ultimately triumph as well. Due to the interesting and creative illustrations, this book could be used to discuss both writer’s craft as well as the artistry of the illustrator. A teacher could use this text to model using different mediums to create illustrations. Students could then create their own picture book complete with text and illustrations. Perhaps this book could be used by a guidance counselor to help students cope with their feelings because, as I said previously, this book could be particularly significant for some children. It could even be used to help them connect with and overcome their feelings of abandonment. Overall, I really enjoyed this beautiful, touching story and glorious art work.

(Image from www.danielbeaty.com)

The Arnold Lobel Book of Mother Goose

Lobel, A. (1986). The arnold lobel book of mother goose. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

The Arnold Lobel Book of Mother Goose is a beautifully illustrated collection of traditional nursery rhymes. Some well known nursery rhymes are included such as “Three Blind Mice” and “Rock-a-bye Baby.” Lesser known classics are included as well such as “Fishy, fishy in the Brook” and “When Clouds Appear Like Rocks and Towers.” My personal favorite is “This is the Key of the Kingdom” because it starts out describing the kingdom and then narrows down to describing just a basket in a single room of a house. Then the next page basically reverses the whole rhyme and builds back up to the kingdom. It’s cute and clever. This collection would be best suited for younger children to use as a read aloud or in small groups. The repetition and rhyming would be beneficial to help young students practice fluency and accuracy. For older students, the nursery rhymes could be used as a model for how to write and illustrate the rhymes. Using these models, the students could then write and illustrate their own nursery rhymes. After that the teacher could have students read their own rhymes aloud to the class to practice presentation and public speaking skills. This is a wonderful comprehensive collection of classic nursery rhymes that would be a good addition to any home or classroom library.

(Image from www.publishersweekly.com)