Cleary, Beverly. 1983. Dear Mr.Henshaw. Ill. by P. O. Zelinsky.
New York: HarperTrophy.
Leigh Botts is a boy who is going
through a rough time due to his parents’ divorce and moving to a new town. He
is not adjusting well in the new town and having to deal with his anger and
sadness about his parents’ situation at the same time is not helping him at all.
That is until a class assignment requires him to write to an author. Written in
the style of letters addressed to Mr.Henshaw, the author Leigh has chosen to
write to, the reader can see how Leigh’s writing gets better as his interest in
writing increases and as he starts maturing in the process. The view of gender
is prevalent in the story as the reader sees how, as a boy, Leigh struggles
with his feelings and the absence of a good father figure. Culture, not as race
but as in society, is also prevalent as we see how conflicted Leigh is with his
feelings about divorce and seeing his parents date again. (Gender & Culture, Style)
Draper, Sharon. 2010. Out of my mind. New York: Atheneum Books
for Young Readers
The main character in the story is
Melody who has cerebral palsy and cannot move or talk but despite what others
may believe, she can think. She gets assistance with a machine that would allow
her to communicate with others. Everyone is in disbelief of how intelligent she
is but still belittle her triumphs along the way due to her disability. The
theme of the story is about the struggles that teens with disabilities face in
school and in society when people think they are not capable of them making
their own decisions and being good at something independently. Melody’s
character demonstrates this when she tries out for the quiz team and succeeds
in making the team. Her efforts are still trumped by her peers when Melody
receives more acknowledgement than the entire team. Throughout the story her
feelings become complicated for trying to make a difference and yet still being
brought down by peers.
Lord, Cynthia. 2006. Rules. United States: Scholastic Press
Catherine’s life as well as her
autistic brother David’s are lived by rules created by Catherine to avoid
embarrassing situations more for herself than for David which can be seen
throughout the story and as headings for each chapter. As Catherine narrates
this uplifting but at times heartbreaking story, the reader can see how
stressed she becomes from having to look after her brother and even a sense of
abandonment from her parents for her relying so much on her for the well-being
of David. Catherine tries to keep it together while trying to make a new social
life for herself with her new neighbor Kristi. Her point of view changes when
she meets Jason, a nonverbal paraplegic, at David’s therapy clinic whom she
communicates with through his communication book and even designs cards for.
Jason makes her see that it shouldn’t matter what people think about her when
she is around him or David and should only focus on what is really important:
happiness. (Characters, theme, style)
Pastis, Stephan. 2013. Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made. Indiana.
Candlewick Press
Timmy Failure is written in a style
similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid with comical illustrations made by Timmy
himself. The humorous story is about Timmy’s attempt at being the best
detective alongside his imaginary bear friend Total. The story, narrated by
Timmy, described all of his delusional adventures alongside with his
illustrations and his efforts to fix mysteries and mistakes but fails to do so
effectively while pinpoint some of his own mistakes and flaws in a comical way.
Timmy can be described as imaginative but almost delusional with a high sense
of superiority although his way of thinking as well as his trouble with school
and home life beg to differ. Although that is the case, it is astounding the
world Timmy creates for himself to bring a sense of happiness and control in
his life in a very humorous way. (Characters, Style, Plot)
Paterson, Katherine. 1977. Bridge to Terabithia. Ill. by D.Diamond.
New York: HarperTrophy.
The characters Jess Aarons and
Leslie Burke form an unlikely friendship at school when they try to see who the
fastest runner is. Leslie’s imagination and in collaboration with Jess, they
create a magical kingdom named Terabithia where they reign as royalty and makes
for an interesting setting for the story. Terabithia is a place where both
friends escape from their troublesome lives and go on many adventures together.
The character of Jess changes in the course of the story after Leslie’s passing
and makes him mature and gather strength to overcome his struggles.
(Characters, Setting)
Urban, Linda. 2009. A Crooked Kind of Perfect. United
States: HMH Books for Young Readers.
The title for the book is very
fitting to what the Zoe’s life in the story entails. Zoe starts wanting to own
a grand piano but ends up getting an organ instead. With the help of her
slightly dysfunctional family and unexpected friends, she goes through the
organ lessons and signs up for the annual Perform – O – Rama organ competition
but does not expect too much out of it due to how things in her social life
have been going. The plot of the story is a slightly complex one with all the
little bumps happening in Zoe’s life that keep her from her main goal but she
still ends with a happy ending. The author’s chosen style of writing although
short within chapters did not abruptly pause the story but led to Zoe’s actions
and thought processes. (Plot, Style)
No comments:
Post a Comment