A Look into the Lives of Authors

Posted on August 2, 2012 by Mrs.N

I remember learning to write, or rather I remember hating to write.  I never knew what to write or what they wanted me to say or how to do it well.  Things were much easier for me when I got older and we were writing reactions to text or essays.  I knew the topic and I knew how to get a point across.  I wish my teachers had known how to guide young writers the way we do today.

One of the things we teach children is to draw from their own experiences.  Many schools use the Units of Study developed by Lucy Calkins.  In third grade, we started the year with a personal narrative.  It’s sort of amazing the jump between second and third grade.  In my state, third grade is a testing year and the pressures on teachers and students is enormous.  So when we start the year, we hit the ground running.  I can’t say as I have enough hours in the day to teach everything Calkins wants (anyone who has read her lesson plans – feel free to weigh in), but I did find a way to buy myself some extra time and help my students out in the process.

While teaching students to draw from their own experiences in their writing, I conducted a reading unit on autobiographies and memoirs.  I’m not going to tease out the difference between the two because extensive online research never gave me any definitive on the subject (if you have something definitive, comment and link it!!)  The best I ever got is that autobiographies tend to be more fact driven and memoirs are more story telling, but if everyone isn’t standard in this distinction, it sort of makes it irrelevant.

My idea was that if students are going to have to write about their own lives, the more examples of this I gave, the better.  There are tons of great picture books to read aloud – Patricia Polacco and Cynthia Rylant are both amazing authors who have written about their own childhoods. But I wanted books for the students to read for their Guided Reading groups as well (for those unfamiliar with Guided Reading it is a program where reading is taught in small groups based on comprehension skills.  These groups change frequently throughout the year based on reading ability and the skills students need to learn.  The changes occur at the end of a reading unit, not mid book, that would be crazy.)

I always carefully selected books for my groups that I hoped would inspire them to tell their own stories.  This month I’ll share reviews of many different books written by authors about their own lives.  I’m always hoping to find new recommendations for my colleagues and for my students.

For the curious, my classroom selections were:

Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco (sometimes I used Thunder Cake , it depended on how many copies I could find!) This book is a DRA 24, Guided Reading Level M.

26 Fairmount Avenue by Tomie dePaola. This book is a DRA 30, Guided Reading Level N.

Little House in the Big Woods This book is a DRA 40, Guided Reading Level Q.

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Sarah Bishop

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Mrs.N

Sarah Bishop by Scott O’Dell

Sarah Bishop’s brother is headed off to war.  Her father remains loyal to the king (sound familiar?)  When a local men form a raiding party they tar and feather her father, killing him for his beliefs.  Sarah is determine to find her brother and sets out on a journey that leads her to New York City.  Caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, she is hunted by British soldiers and must be constantly vigilant lest she be captured.  She eventually finds peace living in a cave in the woods.

Scott O’Dell is truly fond of a survival novel, isn’t he?  Nothing he really enjoys more than dropping a girl in the wilderness and seeing what happens.  Despite being jam packed with action (Raiding parties! Evil British officers! Wanted notices! Indians! Snake bites!  Potential rapists! Bears! Witch trials!) the pace is pretty slow, with O’Dell reveling in the details of daily life in a cave.

This is somewhat alarmingly (fascinatingly?) based on the life of a real Sarah Bishop.  It’s worth noting that her real life story is even sadder than how O’Dell scripted it. This entry from the Ridgefield, CT Discovery Center mentions that Bishop was subject to an “evil act”.  Many other sites (including this blog entry which includes some citations) go ahead and specify that she was raped, possibly repeatedly.  While O’Dell has edited this down to one attempted rape (little more than a fumble with the bodice strings is reported unless I totally missed something) the trauma from the situation seems significant. It’s worth knowing about the historical suppositions because depending on the age group, you may not want your reader(s) investigating the true story, or at least navigating it independently.

Whether it was in deference to the real life end to Sarah’s story (short version: she lives in the cave her whole life) or just his own whim, O’Dell doesn’t write an ending that is particularly satisfying.  The book sort of drops off into nothingness.  It irked me as an adult, although I’ve grown more used to endings like this, but it would have driven me absolutely mad as a teen.  I would have been very frustrated to have invested that much time in a book and then not have the ends all wrapped up nicely.

I also can’t say much for O’Dell’s depiction of Indians.  If you’re not familiar with Oyate, it’s a great resource for helping you evaluate books for bias in the portrayal of native peoples.  O’Dell’s Indians are caricatures. No tribe is mentioned, they’re just Indians.  One communicates with grunts and others that appear do not speak in proper English sentences: “Indians like ’em Quakers.”

Sex, Nudity, Dating – A man tells her that a girl traveling alone must have “ideas” and pins her up against a wagon.  He attempts to open the front of her dress.
Profanity – A black woman is referred to as a “Negro” and a “Negress.”  Not profane perhaps, but not the preferred language, which is strange because later O’Dell goes on to refer to a “Black” woman (complete with capital B). “Faggot” is used to mean a bundle of sticks for burning, a definition that does not always come up when searched. “hell,”
Death, Violence and Gore – A man was sent to the gallows. A neighbor shoots his musket at them because they are Tories.  Her mother died (prior to the war/start of the book).  The miller implies that her father is in danger of being killed. A man is hit over the head and later dies from the wound.  A woman is held by her thumbs until she gives information.  Father hits Chad.  The book mentions that Henry the VIII beheaded two of his wives. A barn is set on fire, all the animals perish.   A mare’s throat is slit.  Sarah is tied to a tree trunk.  A man is tarred and feathered, he does not survive.  Hessians brag about running people through with their bayonets.  Cannons are fired.  The air smells of dead soldiers for days because they remain unburied after a battle. The prisoners on ships are sick and starving.  Sarah’s brother dies on one.  She shoots deer for food.  A story is told about how an Indian village was burned and over 200 Indians killed. A muskrat is caught in a trap and has gnawed off one front paw and is trying to gnaw off the other.  A man is caught in a bear trap.  A bible story is told where a man dies from having nail hammered through his temple.  A family’s baby died during the winter.  She dreams of a bear biting off her head. An accused witch is beaten bloody with a whip. Another accused witch is tied to the back of a wagon and whipped as she’s dragged out of town.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Sarah’s older brother and another boy come home drunk off rum. Sarah serves alcohol at a tavern. A man drinks Madeira from a jug.  Land is sold for a barrel of “something to drink.”
Frightening or Intense Things – The property of those loyal to the king is burned.  A man shot a wildcat, but a woman has a bloodied bandaged hand the next morning.  There is an implication of witchcraft. Sarah is captured and accused of crimes.  Sarah is in a position where she has to rescue, aide and shelter her would-be attacker.  A family owns slaves.  Sarah is bitten by a poisonous snake.
Religion – Sarah struggles with her faith. At one point she tears out a page of the bible and burns it.

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George Washington’s Socks

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Mrs.N

George Washington’s Socks (Time Travel Adventures) by Elvira Woodruff

Matt and his friends are excited about a campout for the Adventure Club they’ve founded.  Even having Matt’s 7 year-old sister Katie with them doesn’t dampen their spirits.  A night hike to a nearby lake ends up taking them on an Adventure bigger than they’d ever imagined.  They end up in the Delaware River at the time of the American Revolution.  As they try to figure out how to get home they encounter rebel soldiers, Indians,  Hessians and even George Washington himself.

Some of my students had this assigned for their reading group and it seemed to go over very well as a classroom pick.  After doing such intensive reading about the war however, this fell really flat for me.  While it’s easily the lowest reading level (other than The Secret Soldier) it shows, with an utter lack of depth or detail.  The characters had no real personalities or motivations and the war information was insubstantial.  The children encounter “Indians” at one point, but the Indians have no real characteristics other than long black hair and bows and arrows.  They don’t speak any English and are afraid of “white man’s magic.”  One wants the buckles off Matt’s shoes.   They use berries to mark their faces, which the boys excitedly describe as “war paint.”  There was simply no effort on the part of the author to make these Indians specific to the New Jersey region where they purportedly lived.

In a supremely uncool moment, the boys talk about a girl who didn’t look good after getting her hair permed and said that it was “not too smart, but then she’s a girl, what do you expect?”  I understand that boys talk and feel this way, but I don’t have to like it.

Good for: Time travel is a really good way to introduce readers to historical fiction. This book is very history lite.  It won’t satisfy the urge to learn about the past for any serious readers, but it may lure a few readers into the genre. It’s a bit like a more grown-up Magic Tree House offering and as such many fourth grade readers will welcome a familiar format while adults will be grateful they’re trying harder books by different authors.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – A boy thinks an older boy is talking about his girlfriend, but the older boy is really talking about his sister.  A previous time traveler decided to stay because he thought a girl was pretty.
Profanity – “damn,” “hell,”
Death, Violence and Gore – A boy pinches his sister.  People disappear in a lake.  There are muskets, bayonets, hatchets, cannon, howitzers, mortars.  A boy explains that they barely got out of a situation alive with the “Indians and the pox.”  A mother died in childbirth.  Men died on a march.  A foot is puffy and slightly bluish-green from infection.  Hessians will run you through with their bayonets.  An older boy coughs and vomits up blood – some of it gets on the hand of the boy caring for him.  A boy wets himself and finally dies in the cold snow.  Indians aim a bow and arrow at a boy’s heart.  A man falls on his own bayonet and bleeds to death.  A grenadier seems ready to run a child through with his sword.  A stick is thrown and hits a boy in the head; he then has a small gash.  A child is caught in the ice.  A soldier is shot, a musket ball tearing through his back.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – A soldier has “rum breath.”  A boy’s father likes rum and spends too much time at taverns. Another soldier has whisky breath and is accused of celebrating.
Frightening or Intense Things – Hessians capture children. Not frightening for kids, but Matt does actually bother to think about how it would be for his parents if both their kids were missing.  Adults will feel the worry over the children far more keenly.

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The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Mrs.N

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, graved and painted by Christopher Bing.

You can find Longfellow’s poem anywhere.  See?  It’s right here on the internet.  But this version is stunning, so if you’re going to look at one in picture book format, this is it.  The illustrations are gorgeous and go a long way towards helping children understand what is happening in the poem.  The front includes a map of Paul Revere’s ride and the endpapers include both a copy of General Thomas Gage’s order to Lieutenant Colonel Smith of the 10th Regiment ‘Foot and Paul Revere’s Deposition for the Massachusetts Provincial Congress.  Both of these are reprinted primary source documents.

This is probably best used as a read-aloud or read together with students Grades 3 and up.  I found my top reading group in third grade could get through it with support but I expect their classmates would have gotten less out of it.

Great for: If you like picture book versions of poems this is a must have.  I love having illustrated editions of great poems because they really get kids interested in poetry and enable them to understand (with assistance) far beyond what you would expect.

Historical Note: While Revere typically gets credit for the ride, he did not start it alone.  He rode with William Dawes.  During the ride Revere was captured, but Dawes continued, and a rider from Lexington, Samuel Prescott rode ahead to Concord.  After that point, numerous riders spread the alarm throughout the area.  Much of Longfellow’s poem is not historically accurate, but if you like, you can have students do the work of sorting out what is fact and what is myth.

This content review only covers Longfellow’s poem and not any material shown in the or explained in the endpapers.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – None.
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore – Soldiers are shown with their guns.  There is a reference to and illustration of a graveyard.  Longfellow foreshadows the battles by referring to “bloody work.”    A man dies, pierced by a musket-ball. Soldiers are drawn engaged in battle, the guns blazing.  There is no one discernibly dead or injured in the frame however.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Men in a tavern are drawn with full glasses.
Frightening or Intense Things – The dark illustrations lend an air of foreboding to the poem.

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My Brother Sam is Dead

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Mrs.N

My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier & Christopher Collier

I’m not going to be the one to spoil the ending for you.  I’ll leave that up to the authors, but maybe I’ll give you a little itty bitty hint.  Psst – Read the title. You’re not supposed to judge a book by it’s cover, but in this case, the title isn’t a bad thing to notice.  You can’t expect a happy, cheerful, glories of war book with a title like this right?  You need to expect that it will be a bit dark and depressing.

Tim’s older brother Sam is smart, dashing and incredibly obstinate.  He’s decided to join the Patriots (or Rebels, depending on which side is naming them).  His father is staunchly against the war, and forbids him to go.  Sam won’t listen to his father of course and heads off anyway.  Tim is left in the unenviable position of being torn between his father and his brother, with the added bonus of having to lie for his brother and do extra work to help his father.

At its heart, this is an anti-war book.  Even more than The Fighting Ground it lays out the confusion between sides and exactly how many of the participants just didn’t know what they were getting into.  Tim’s family lives in a Tory town, but loyalties become confused and shift rapidly as people witness atrocities committed by both sides.

It is a dense book and while the war does lead to bits of action throughout, this is not a book with a problem that eventually gets solved.  There is a lot of description and a lot of characters.  Some readers will struggle to remember who is a Tory and who is a Rebel, others will simply find large sections of the book boring.  It is best read by older children who are familiar with either the American Revolution or war in general.  I would recommend it for ages 12 and up, but generally strong readers with an interest in historical fiction.  It is also a book that would benefit greatly from discussion.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – Sam has a girl, he writes to her.  Someone undresses before going to bed for the night.
Profanity – “damn” is used at least 10 times.  “bastard,” “son of a bitch,” “God”, “goddamn,” “brat.” A black man is referred to as a “Negro.”
Death, Violence and Gore – Again, we’re talking about a war book, so generally there are reported deaths of people we don’t know or care about.  Growing up, Sam was hit by his father dozens of times.  Father tells of men’s skulls being blown off and their brains sliding out, of men who had their throats cut, blood pouring through their fingers, men who were run through with bayonets.  He’d had to carry his best friend’s body home in a sack.  A soldier hits father’s face with a sword blade.  Tim aims a gun at his brother.  Dead bodies are described.  A girl is grabbed by the hair.  A girl slaps a boy.  A man is hit by a pistol repeatedly, has a black eye and a head injury.  People are tarred and feathered.  Men are shot.  Cows are butchered.  Many people are taken prisoner, including young boys and family members of the main character. Many of those taken prisoner die while incarcerated.  Tim witnesses the massacre of a house full of “blacks.”  They are shot, stabbed and a man he knew well is beheaded before his eyes.  A man is bayonetted and takes 6 hours to die.  A man is shot in half by a cannon with his entrails hanging out both the top and bottom of his body.  Men are whipped or hung for desertion.  There is a public execution that includes a hanging and a shooting.  The shooting death does not go quickly, the man’s clothes catch fire and his body jerks around multiple times.  He needs to be shot an additional time.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – As Father owns a tavern, there is a lot of drinking and beer, ale, wine, rum and liquor are all mentioned.  Both Tim and Sam drink alcohol, sometimes to the point of being drunk.  Mother drinks excessively at times.
Frightening or Intense Things – Despite the title, you never quite know when Sam will die, which results in a fair amount of tension.  He’s alive when the book starts so you’re reading along anticipating this tragedy.  There is also some tension as people are taken prisoner or go missing as you don’t know what the outcome will be.  Also, it is an error to assume that Sam’s death will be the only tragedy.  It’s a war book with a strong anti-war message. Expect a lot of sadness.

 

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The Fighting Ground

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Mrs.N

The Fighting Ground 25th Anniversary Edition by Avi

In April of 1778, Jonathan is working with his father in the fields, but his mind is on the war.  His older brother is fighting with General Washington and his cousin has joined a local regiment, but Jonathan is stuck at home with his parents.  His father had gone off to fight, but returned home injured. He’s incredibly frustrated because his father won’t talk about the war. In Jonathan’s 13 year old mind, war means excitement, glory and a fancy uniform, so when the tavern bell begins to ring, he longs to answer the call for soldiers.  His father outright forbids him to go.  His mother sends him to find out if they are in any danger.  Jonathan only thinks of becoming a hero.  He finds a few men from town gathered around a Colonel who is collecting troops to form a surprise attack on Hessian soldiers nearby.  Jonathan borrows a gun from the tavern keeper and joins their group.  The Fighting Ground takes place over the following 24 hours as Jonathan faces his first skirmish, is taken prisoner and ultimately questions if there is any “right” side in war.

Avi does an amazing job of showing exactly how unfit for fighting teenage boys were at the time, both physically and mentally.  The gun is too and heavy for Jonathan.  He’s not fast enough at loading and shooting.  Terror and confusion rule his every move.

Great for: Showing the confusion of war and showing just how unready the young soldiers were for battle.  Over the course of the book, Jonathan learns that “his” side isn’t always right and the enemy isn’t always wrong.  What had seemed so clear to him while he was safe at home is now entirely mixed up.  It’s interesting to notice that his actions during the course of the book also frequently endanger others.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – None.
Profanity – “Damn” at least five times, “by God,”
Death, Violence and Gore – Jonathan’s father was wounded.  Two family members are soldiers.  A neighbor boy died in the war.  A man is shot and falls right in front of Jonathan.  Another shot man traps his gun.  A small child’s parents are shot and the child sits near the bloodied bodies and plays with his dead mother’s hair.  Her dead body is described in some detail, including how some of her teeth are missing, her tongue is black and how during burial some dirt falls in her open mouth.  A boy is used as a hostage/shield.  More soldiers are shot, their bodies fall twisted.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – A man drinks an ale at the tavern.  Some men drink from flasks.
Frightening or Intense Things – A boy is taken prisoner.  I think the most frightening part of The Fighting Ground was that Jonathan (and therefore the reader) is never sure who to trust.

Posted in Middle Grades, Tween | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Time Enough for Drums

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Mrs.N

Time Enough for Drums by Ann Rinaldi

I have very fond memories of Ann Rinaldi books from my days as a historical fiction loving teenager.  Although there were a few elements that kept this from being a top pick, I still could see the appeal. Rinaldi’s wars are generally without gore. There are, of course, the requisite heart-rending deaths, but we aren’t treated to bloody details, something which came as quite a relief after my last revolutionary pick.  And of course, there’s the romance which is refreshingly innocent (at most intimate, there is some kissing). I don’t think I read this one as a teen, but I would have loved that it took place very close to where I grew up so I had no trouble picturing the locations.

Jem Emerson is undisciplined, headstrong, impulsive and smart.  Her parents despair of her ever acting like a young lady and with the war coming, her behavior is worse than usual.  She skips her lessons to learn how to shoot a musket; she takes off on her horse without permission and she will not behave for her handsome Tory tutor, John Reid.  Her parents resolve to send her to Philadelphia to live with her Tory grandfather and decorous older sister, but John Reid’s insistence that he can teach Jem manners and her lessons convince them to let her stay.

I’m sure you can guess where this is going, and let me tell you, it was my one real objection to the book.  The age difference is significant (eight or nine years), she’s only 16 and of course, he’s her teacher.  Even if none of that bothers you particularly (it might not – I don’t remember being bothered by Laura and Almanzo Wilder) there is something a bit off about how much of their relationship is about him teaching her how to behave.  I also can’t ever get behind books for teens where hatred or anger is really covering up for strong feelings of love.  Boys who are mean to you don’t usually secretly like you.  They are usually just mean.  The sooner girls learn that, the better.  But when I climb down off my soapbox I shall sheepishly admit that despite all of that nettling me, I did enjoy the book and the fraught glances that pass between Jem and John.  I know.  And I probably would have liked it even more when I was a teen, a fact which actually concerns me.

Great for: Girls who want to read something romantic but who aren’t ready for anything racy or explicit.

Age Recommendation: This would be most appealing to readers who are interested in reading something with a bit of romance.  I would say Grades 6 and up, but would be unsurprised if some fourth or fifth graders also enjoyed it.  But if it were my (purely hypothetical) tween reading the book, I would want to make sure that I addressed the questionable aspects of Jem and John’s relationship.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – There’s a bit of kissing, but it really is just that, kissing.  People get betrothed.   A married woman has a baby (and mentioned visiting her soldier husband I suppose so we could be sure it was his?)  There’s a definite vague reference to rape when the Hessians and British come through Trenton; Jem is warned that she might be ravaged.  Grandfather may or may not have married an Indian woman and had a son with her.  Jem’s tutor was involved with her older sister, but that didn’t work out.
Profanity – “damned,” “damn,” “damnation,” “hell,” “Dear God,”
Death, Violence and Gore – Jem is taught to fire a gun, and her brother scan shoot.  There are a number of references to “birching”, which is hitting someone with a birch rod.  There are threats of I should “birch” you and John Reid carries a birch, but does not use it.  The penalty for treason is hanging.  Her sister raises her hand to slap Jem and tells Jem she should be whipped.  Jem says she’d kill a redcoat.   Father threatens to hit David.  Two family members are killed as a result of the war, one’s death is described: the person was beaten and his head was bashed it.  Another fairly important character dies.  Various characters are ill.  As a result of the war, we know people are sick and cold, the soldiers legs are bloodied and the soldiers are emaciated.  John slaps Jem’s hand.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – People drink wine and brandy.  Soldiers are drunk.
Frightening or Intense Things – People are constantly in danger.  Enemy soldiers occupy the house.

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Woods Runner

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Mrs.N

Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen

Samuel’s family lives in a small settlement in the woods.  While his parents stick to the house and clearing, he dearly loves the forest.  At 13 he can find his way easily through the dark trees and is responsible for most of the hunting for his family and neighbors.  He has ventured farther than usual one day and when he turns to survey the land, he notices smoke emanating from the area of his home.  He turns and runs the full 8 miles back to his family and finds the scene of a massacre.

A mixed group of British soldiers and Iroquois had raided the settlement.  Paulsen’s graphic descriptions lay most of the responsibility for the deaths with the Iroquois – people are tomahawked and scalped, while there were few if any that were recounted as shot.

Paulsen’s Afterword seeks to clarify that he is trying to give a new perspective on the war, in particular the atrocities committed against civilians.  He mentions that most accounts focus on the soldiers and glory and seeks to show the war in a new light.  The Afterword throws around a lot of casualty numbers and tells of how the wounded rarely survived.  What Paulsen does not bother to do is engage in any real discussion or provide any real information on the involvement of Native Americans in the American Revolution.  It seems a bit irresponsible, no?  He uses them in the beginning to show just how horrible raids against innocent people could be, but he never explains their stake in the war.  There is one very brief mention that the British are paying for scalps, but that’s about it.  A failure to explain any of the history of Iroquois involvement condemns them to the stereotypical role of savage.  It’s a small detail, but I also couldn’t find evidence that they wore high moccasins. I’d like to assume Paulsen’s research was more detailed than mine, but as he made a conscious decision to demonize the Iroquois and not clarify their position in either the text of the book or the Afterword, I’m just not sure I trust him.  Here’s a short article on Native Americans during the war, it’s not much but it is more than what is offered in Woods Runner.

The Native Americans weren’t the only ones who framed as causing atrocities during the war.  The Hessians (hired German soldiers) also got a healthy portion of the blame.  They are described as having “savage, atrocious behavior, and…they became know as little more than beasts.”  Listed among their sins is the bayoneting of pregnant women and infants.

I have yet to read about a war where atrocities were not committed by both sides.  Although I could find no evidence online of Hessians in particular bayoneting women and children, I am sure they are responsible for any number of horrible things that occurred during the war.  My object to Paulsen’s book is that in his decision to frame the Iroquois and the Hessians as savages (and yes, he uses the term savage to describe both groups) he neglects to lay much blame with the British.  The resulting impression is that the British were simply following the rules of war and not responsible for the same level of atrocities as those they recruited to assist in their efforts.  It is most certainly untrue.

Sadly, the first half of the book which is filled with violence at the hands of these terrible people is also far more interesting than the second half.  The action and tension and excitement and horror give way to a rather dull narrative.   As Samuel takes Annie and tries to reunite with his family his journey becomes fairly safe and predictable, and the ending seems both unlikely and trite.

Due to the very descriptive nature of the violence, I would hesitatingly recommend this for Grades 5 and up, but I would be very careful with your fifth or sixth grader and make sure they can handle the level of gore.  The worst of the descriptions take place before page 40 I believe, so thumb through it first.

Good For: It can be difficult to teach critical thinking and text analysis.  Students are often so focused on understanding what is happening that they don’t get a chance to sit back and wonder at the author’s bias or agenda.  They’ve also often been heavily trained that books contain information that they should learn.  If I were to use this in a teaching scenario, I would combine it with research and analysis so that students could make judgments about whether or not Paulsen was providing an unbiased picture of the war and whether or not the material they were supposed to “learn” was accurate.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – Samuel’s pants are removed so he doesn’t soil himself when he is unconscious.  They claim that George III of England removes his clothes sometimes when he is crazy.
Profanity – “hell,” “damn,”
Death, Violence and Gore – Samuel is a hunter and kills various animals.  He has seen the bodies of men who die in the woods from confusion, Indians or animal attack, including a man who’s head was eaten off by a bear and a man with an arrow through the throat.  Weapons used and describe include bayonets, grape shot, cannons, tomahawks, muskets, rifles.  Samuel can smell blood and death.  Grapeshot rips men apart.  People are filled with arrows.  A man’s scalp is gone and what remains of his face hangs in a droopy manner. Bodies are mutilated past the point of recognition.  The dead include young children.  Samuel must bury bodies so they are not eaten by scavenging animals.  Wounded are left to die.  There are more scalpings and fresh scalps. Samuel kills a few people.  A tomahawk splits his scalp.  Gangrene, amputation and the use of maggots to eat rotting flesh are described.  A man is shot in the stomach and survives for four days in agony before dying.  Hessians are accused of bayoneting children, women, pregnant women and infants.  Two people are shot in cold blood. Soldiers attempt to shoot a child but fail.  A man fears hanging. 10,000 prisoners died of intentional neglect.  Horses are killed.  People are starving to death.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Tobacco is used by many in the form of chewing tobacco, dipping stuff and smoking pipes.  A man drinks milk mixed with rum.  There are drunks.  A man dispenses laudanum to the wounded.
Frightening or Intense Things – The first part of the book is filled with gore, but also with tension as you fear for the lives of the characters.  We learn that most children orphaned during the revolution were raised in institutions, not adopted.  The terrible conditions in prisons are described to an extent.

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Forge

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Mrs.N

Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson

This review was originally published on February 23, 2011.

Anderson’s follow-up to Chains is written from Curzon’s point of view, which was a huge improvement in my mind. I found him much more likable and easy to relate to than Isabel. He clearly has a very deep attachment to Isabel though, and despite not finding her likable at all, I did try to see her through his eyes. It’s something I had a hard time reconciling myself to because I really don’t care much for her.

The book begins as a war book, and it does not skimp on the war. It certainly helps to be interested in Revolutionary War troop conditions and fighting if you’re reading Forge. I’m pretty big into history although not necessarily wars/battles but I did find it all fascinating. Then about two-thirds of the way in, the book shifts and we are no longer on the battlefield. I was very sad to leave Curzon’s wartime friends and enemies and meet up with Isabel again. I might have been even sadder though that Forge also ends in a cliffhanger, this time giving notice that the story will be continued in Ashes.

As in Chains Anderson starts each chapter with a wordy quotation, exactly the type of thing I would skip when I was a young reader. But considering that I don’t think overall Anderson has done a great job of accounting for the interests of young readers it’s not shocking. Again this reads more like something teachers would love to assign than something kids would love to read, but I would recommend it to students seeking war stories.

Age Recommendation: Advanced readers in fifth or sixth grade and up would be able to read this book, with it being easier for those with some background in colonial history/the Revolutionary War.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – Isabel’s hip is touched and her backside smacked by her owner. There is kissing.
Profanity – “damned,” “negar,” and “injun”, “son-of-the-devil,” “gottam”. Often we are told of swearing without the words being reported.
Death, Violence and Gore – Wolves dig up and eat dead bodies. There is a very graphic scene of about the death of a man who is shot in the stomach. At times, it is a continuous litany of war wounds, bayonet to thighs, bullets lodged in skulls, tongues and teeth shot out, amputations. Beatings and whippings seem mild in comparison. There is a hanging. Burns are described graphically including weeping pus. Smallpox causes deaths.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Men drink spruce beer (which may or may not be alcoholic).
Frightening or Intense Things –Eben tells a story about a two headed calf that has the head of a cat and of a goat. Isabel had an encounter with a violent man, she won’t say more about it. My mind goes toward rape, but no idea what others would read into it. Isabel believes in ghosts.

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Chains

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Mrs.N

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

This review was originally published on February 21, 2011

As you can see from the cover, this book is qualifying for and winning all sorts of awards. I fear that at some point the whole cover illustration will be obscured. I wasn’t going to include it in my Black History Month selections, in part because it is written by a white author, but how can you avoid this much hype?

Isabel and her sister Ruth were to be freed upon the death of their owner. But the lawyer who was in charge of the will has vanished, and the girls are sold off by the heir of the estate. They end up in New York and the city is in chaos. Their owners are strong Loyalists in a city full of the Continental army. Angry over her fate and coaxed by promises of freedom, Isabel spies on her owners, risking everything in a bid to free herself and Ruth. She soon learns that nothing is fair in wartime especially for a slave.

From a historical perspective, this was certainly fascinating. Despite five years of American Revolutionary history courtesy of a Social Studies curriculum that was sorely lacking, I had only limited knowledge of how the war played out in New York City. Anderson certainly made the city come alive. On the side of character though, I wasn’t as impressed as I was supposed to be. I was continually surprised by Isabel’s naivety. She always trusts that people will help her, even when she is faced with evidence that promises are often broken. Also, I was uncertain as to how realistic a character portrayal it was given the times. While in keeping with our modern ideals of what a young woman and feisty slave should be like, I wasn’t sure how Isabel fit with how someone of the era would have actually behaved. Also, call me cold-hearted, but I just never really connected with the character.

So was it good? Absolutely. I read it quickly and wanted to get back to it when I put it down. Do I think kids will connect with it? I honestly don’t know. My public library has it filed in Teen, which I believe has more to do with the sometimes violent content than interest. I think it would be great to use with a captive audience (teaching, reading aloud and discussing), but I don’t know how many teens would pluck it off the shelf themselves. I’m really curious and can’t effect my own experiment as my students are way too young for this.

And yes, I think advanced readers in grades 6 and up could manage it. There is a lot of required background knowledge about the Revolutionary War, but I think kids would be able to fight through it all right.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – A pregnant soldier’s wife has a baby.
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore –It’s slavery and it’s war. Slaves are hit, beaten, branded, whipped, and yes those are characters we know and care about. There is domestic violence where a husband beats his wife. Men are hung for their crimes. There is a massive fire in New York. Due to the war, dead bodies abound. We are treated to sights of the war, including a cannonball ripping off a man’s head. Wounds during wartime often lead to amputations and of course, flesh is crawling with maggots.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Rum is sold from the islands. Men smoke pipes.
Frightening or Intense Things – This book is about slavery, so there are many details about slavery that are unpleasant, of course including the buying and selling of people. Illness is also a major factor in this book.

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