One Crazy Summer (Module 6)

Summary
 During the middle of the Civil Rights movement and the height of the Black Panthers, Delphine and her three younger sisters go visit their mother in Oakland, California. The three sisters live with their father and grandmother, Big Ma, in Brooklyn and have never known their mother- she left when the girls were very young. Their mother seems to have no interest in them or their visit- in fact she encourages them to leave everyday. Eventually she starts sending the girls to a Black Panther summer camp, where the three of them make friends a learn a lot about what it means to be a black girl and how to stand up for themselves.

Suggested Activities
This would be a wonderful book to help children with the a deeper understanding of the Civil Rights movement. If the school was doing a decade study, or even certain classes could use it to supplement history lessons. There are so many references to pop-culture at the time and things that could lead to a bigger research project about the movement and The Black Panthers. It would be great to have kids look into the music of the time, books of the time and poetry of the time. They could use One Crazy Summer as a starting point and then explore the pop-culture of the times and present that to fellow classmates. For example the poem "We Real Cool" by Gwen Collins is mentioned in the book. Students could read this and then go find other popular poems from this time period.

Reviews
The titular summer is that of 1968, when Delphine and her little sisters, Vonetta 
and Fern, travel from Brooklyn, where they live with their father and grandmother, 
to Oakland, California, the home of their estranged mother. Once there, they find 
that their mother, Cecile, has renamed herself “Nzila,” that she’s a poet, printing 
on her own kitchen press, and that she has no interest in her visiting kids (“I 
didn’t send for you. Didn’t want you in the first place”). She kicks the kids out 
during the day, sending them off to get breakfast from the Black Panthers at the 
People’s Center, where they decide to stay for the summer camp program. Delphine 
finds some friends there, and she also makes some inroads into connecting with 
her prickly, irascible mother and the cause that she’s supporting. There are occasional contrived moments in the tale, but the characters are compelling enough 
to overcome the flaws. Eleven-year-old Delphine, plain-faced and plain-spoken 
and big-sister capable, is a compelling narrator, and her perspective on the cultural contrasts and shifts is enlightening and credible. She’s coming from a home 
dominated by an Alabama-grown grandmother, who’s determined that the girls 
not make a “grand Negro spectacle” in public, but her stubborn independence and 
inquiring mind echo her mother’s defiant ways and bring her to consider the new 
ideas she’s encountering. This is for younger readers than Magoon’s The Rock and 
the River (BCCB 3/09), also a story of black activism in 1968, and while it’s got 
some details about the Panther movement, it’s even more effective as a portrait of 
a girl whose understanding of both her family and her racial identity is enriched 
by the challenges she faces.
Stevenson, D. (2010). One crazy summer. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 63(6), 266. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/223698160?accountid=7113

My Thoughts
 I was surprised by this book in many ways, and how it moved me so much. The story is so heartbreaking, even at the beginning, the story of these three girls who are forced to spend the summer with their mother who doesn't seem to want them in anyway. I just felt like Delphine got the short end of the stick throughout the whole book. She has to protect her sisters from everything- each other, the world and their own mother. And while Delphine and her mother eventually cleared some of their past up- her mother, Cecile, never fully explains her reasons for leaving or shows her full love towards the girls. I wanted it to have a wrapped up, nice, happy ending- and that just didn't happen. Which is more truthful to life, I know, but harder to handle.

I was also surprised by how much I learned from the book. I really thought I knew a lot about the Civil Rights movement as it is something that interests me so much. But I was clueless about the Black Panthers and Huey Newton. I was so happy to see Delphine find herself and learn to stand up for herself in ways. At one point in the novel, Cecile tells Delphine that it would do her good to be MORE selfish. And I feel in some ways, Delphine did learn to do this. She really stood up for herself, and stood her ground in so many ways at the end. Just by going to business to ask them to put up Black Panther flyers in their windows, especially when so many sad no. Delphine will always look after her sisters and be their caregiver, but I felt she learned to balance that with her own needs as the book went on.

Bibliography
Williams-Garcia, R. (2011). One crazy summer. New York, NY: Amistad.

What I Saw and How I Lied (Module 6)

Summary
Evie lives in Queens with her beautiful mother, her stepfather and her step-grandmother (Grandma Glad). Evie's stepfather, Joe, has just returned from World War II and is welcoming new success. He decided to take the family to Palm Beach, Florida for a vacation at the beginning of fall. Fall is Palm Beach's dead season and there aren't many things to do or people to meet. Evie's family soon meets Peter, a gorgeous 23 year old who knew Joe in the war. Evie quickly falls in love Peter but he's hiding a secret about her stepfather and her mother, that even Evie doesn't catch onto until it's too late. During a hurricane, everyone but Evie goes on a boat ride, and Peter turns up dead. Now Evie must decide whose side she's really on and what's more important- true love or family love.

Suggested Activities
This could be a great book used to highlight certain times of history. It would be great to have this, along with other books, displayed when middle school classes are covering World War II. Blundell's book would be a great choice for girls who are less interested in the War but more interested in the culture of the time. With lots of talk of "Commie Spies" it would also be a great lead way into the Cold War.
One fun activity with this book, and other historical fiction, is to have the kids who read it research the historical facts in the book. They could try to see how accurate the book actually was and try to find any false information about the time period.

Reviews

 

World War II is over; fifteen-year-old Evie’s stepfather, Joe Spooner, is home; and

with several of his newly opened appliance stores busily supplying returning GIs

with a post-rationing glut of consumer goods, Joe has announced a spontaneous

trip to Palm Beach, Florida for Evie and her mother. Palm Beach isn’t quite what

Evie expected. It’s a ghost town in autumn, and their hotel—one of the very few

even open before the winter season—has few residents. Fellow guests the Graysons

seem like a friendly enough couple, decent dinner companions who propose an

entrepreneurial venture with Joe; another visitor, Peter Coleridge, a young veteran

who knew Joe before they returned from Austria, quickly becomes the object of

Evie’s infatuation. Evie is so thoroughly smitten that she fails to interpret the halfheard

conversations of the adults around her or to question carefully the increasingly

odd behavior of her parents. Eventually, though, even a lovestruck teen can’t

ignore the explosion of tensions in their tiny, closed community—the Graysons are

Jewish and unable to transact any business at all in restricted Palm Beach; Peter is

blackmailing Joe for his share of illegally obtained treasure confiscated by the Nazis

from their Jewish victims; Mom has been slipping out with Peter on the sly. When

Peter is found dead after a boating excursion with Joe and his wife, suspicion falls

squarely on Evie’s parents, and it’s the testimony of the betrayed teen at the inquest

that will determine their futures. Blundell crafts a richly atmospheric period piece,

reminiscent of the films that intrigue adolescent Evie, movies about worldly wise

dames played by Joan Crawford or Barbara Stanwyck. The girl’s heartbreaking

coming-of-age tale rings true as she brazenly joins the world of adult deception

and lies yet manages ultimately to pull off her own small but significant stand for

social justice.

 

Bush, E. (2008). What i saw and how i lied (review). Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 62(4), 150. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2153/journals/bulletin_of_the_center_for_childrens_books/v062/62.4.bush10.pdf

My Thoughts

I felt like this book less focused on the history part of "historical fiction" and leaned more into the fiction side of things. While the fact that her father had returned from war, that was how Peter knew him and together they had taken some things that helped them earn money from Austria helped move the plot along it wasn't the biggest factor. This book could have been set at almost any time and could still have the same plot line- just instead of World War II, Joe could owe Peter money some other way.
However, I still thought this book was great- especially the end. I felt the overall themes of this book were strong and very mature, yet any teen could relate. I loved how Evie was so in love and blind to all around here. As a reader there was so many times when I put the pieces together faster than Evie, which was frustrating, but also realistic to show how blind love can be. Also, the end of the book was just a shock - in a good way and a bad way. Evie betrayed someone she loved to save someone else she loved. I think that really showed the reader that sometimes things aren't black and white and sometimes there's no right choice, just two bad choices that you have to make the best of. The book was very moving and I would recommend it to anyone.

Bibliography
Blundell, J. (2008). What I saw and how I lied. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale (Module 5)

Summary
Skilley, is an ally cat, who gets "hired" to become a mouser at the Cheshire Cheese Inn. But Skilley has a deep, dark secret. He doesn't like the taste of mouse, instead he loves cheese. Skilley befriends a mouse, Pip, and the rest of the mouse gang only to find out Pip has a secret! Pip is hiding a raven from the Tower of London, who has been wounded and can't make it back to the Tower. The two friends decide to help the raven get back, all while fighting off the cooks, and another evil cat. This book has cameo's by Charles Dickens, and Queen Victoria.

Suggested Activities
This book would be great to use along with a history lesson. It covers a lot of history of England in the 1800s all while being very entertaining. Using excerpts of the book, you could teach about the Tower of London or even Queen Victoria. I also thought this would be a great book to use in a high school English class to help introduce Charles Dickens and his work. You could use the scenes that include Charles Dickens as a way to get kids interested in his writing.

Reviews

Part historical fiction, part fantasy, THE CHESHIRE CHEESE CAT is an action-packed story with a little something for everyone. The book takes the reader back to the streets and alleys of 19th century London where a street cat named Skilley longs to live comfortably at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. When a cat is needed to handle the mouse infestation, Skilley becomes their mouser. Unfortunately for Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese he has a secret; he is a cheese-loving cat that has no taste for mice. An unlikely alliance forms between Skilley and the mice that reside there. Author Charles Dickens is a frequent customer to the establishment. He has a case of writer’s block, so instead of writing he has been observing the interactions between the cat and mice jotting down notes and theories in his journal. Another mouser is brought in to help alleviate the mouse problem. This tom, Pinch, is a vicious cat with a taste for blood. The mice are no longer safe and Skilley’s secret could possibly be revealed as well as what the mice are hiding in the attic.

Moser’s drawings are scattered throughout the book and add personality to the characters. Pages from Dickens’ journal are also included which show his suspicions and his humor.

Jergensen, J. (2012, February 26). The cheshire cheese cat: A dicken's of a tale. Retrieved from http://librarianschoices.blogspot.com/2012/02/cheshire-cheese-cat-dickens-of-tale.html

My Thoughts
My aunt had told me several times how much she loved this book, but I wasn't interested. I've never read Charles Dickens and I hate cats so I just didn't feel like this book was for me. Seeing it on the list, I thought I might as well read it since she had suggested it and she usually doesn't steer me wrong. I'm glad I did decide to read it, I found this book so charming and engaging. I loved the story of a cat and mouse becoming friends and I loved all the history it taught at the same time. I had no idea there were ravens at the Tower of London (and I've been there!) and I didn't know much about Queen Victoria. I felt like this book was a great way to get readers interested in other topics and would be a challenging, but fun read for kids.

Bibliography
Deedy, C. A., & Wright, R. (2011). The chesire cheese cat: A dickens of a tale. Atlanta: Peachtree.

The Grimm Legacy (Module 5)

Summary
Elizabeth goes to a fancy private school in New York City- but has no friends. She lives with her dad and her evil stepmother since her mother has died, very similar to a fairy tale we've all heard. Elizabeth also loves fairy tales, especially the real Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Her history teacher recommends her for a job at the New York Circulating Material Repository. It's like a library where users check things out, but instead of books they check out objects- historical, modern or just plain odd. But down in the dungeon is the special collections and the most interesting is the Grimm Collection. The Grimm Collection holds magical objects from fairy tales but something is wrong. Many of the objects are being stolen or losing their magic. Elizabeth and her new friends at work must figure out how to save the Grimm Collection.

Suggested Activities
This book would be great focus in a collection of fairy tales- modern or classic. While I was reading it, I kept thinking of A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. Gidwitz takes the Grimm fairy tales and adds his own twist on them. Also, this year is the 100 year anniversary of the Grimm Fairy tales. At the school library, you could create a collection of all different kinds of fairy tales-classic, retold, modern. This could be in the collection as something to read when you have finished most of the fairy tales. It does help to be familiar with the fairy tales to read The Grimm Legacy.  I know a lot of teachers also do fairy tales in the classroom and this could be used to support their classroom lessons.

Reviews
Elizabeth Rew's Social Studies teacher has just helped her land the perfect parttime high-school job—as a page at the New-York Circulating Material Repository, a quirky cross between a library and a museum, specializing in realia of all sorts and catering to both the business needs and personal whims of researchers, artists, [End Page 43] and curiosity seekers. Perks include a generally friendly and supportive staff; the proximity of Marc Merritt, a school basketball star well above Elizabeth's social set; and some deliciously creepy rumors of a huge bird that haunts the stacks. Best of all is the bonus promised to all pages who work their way up—access to and borrowing privileges from the Grimm Collection, a locked room filled with magical items pertaining to fairy tales collected by the folklorists themselves. Elizabeth and her fellow pages earn their way in and do a bit of forbidden but harmless larking about, borrowing the seven-league boots and a mermaid's hair-enhancing comb. The threatening bird, however, turns out to be quite real, and there are dastardly persons who have been pilfering charmed items for their own permanent collections; it's up to Elizabeth and her new friends to solve the crime and keep the world safe from abused magic. Conversations can be pretty leaden, and character development nearly nonexistent, but the premise of a repository for fairy-tale material culture is bewitching enough to carry an otherwise tepid mystery. Readers who enjoy the tales of Gail Carson Levine (but are still a long way from reveling in Bill Willingham's Fables) can muse on the malignant and benign possibilities of DIY magic.

Bush, E. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Volume 64, Number 1, September 2010, p. 44 (Article)

Published by The Johns Hopkins University Press DOI: 10.1353/bcc.2010.007

My Thoughts
I was dreading reading this book- the cover made it look just so dark. It looked like a high fantasy book to me book and I hate reading high fantasy books. But I was wrong to judge this book by it's cover. I loved everything about it. I enjoyed the library feeling of where she worked, the mystery, the magic and the romance as well. I really liked Elizabeth as a character and her good intentions- that don't always turn out so good. What I really loved most about this book is you never knew who you could trust. I was always guessing at who was responsible for the missing Grimm items and I was usually wrong. I spent about half of the book thinking the basketball stud, Marc, was to blame and then towards the end I started to blame Aaron.( I really didn't want to blame Aaron- he liked Elizabeth! So he couldn't be bad!) But luckily in the end I was wrong about both of them.
I loved this book so much it had me wishing there was a sequel.  But I just found out there is a sequel! I can't wait to read it!

Bibliography
Shulman, P. (2010). The grimm legacy. (1st ed. ed., Vol. 1). New York City: Putnam Pub Group.

Anna and the French Kiss (Module 4)

Summary
Anna has been forced to go to a Parisian boarding school for her senior of high school. Her father (who sounds VERY similar to Nicholas Sparks) wants her to receive an education and a cultural background. Anna must leave her best friend and a boy she has an almost relationship with and start all over again. In Paris, Anna begins to enjoy school, make friends, and finds it is a city filled with classic films. This happens to be very lucky as Anna wants to be a film editor when she graduates. While at school, Anna also finds Étienne St. Clair- a gorgeous, British senior with a very serious girlfriend. There seem to be sparks between Anna and St. Clair, but what can she do when he is taken?

Suggested Activities
This novel could be fun to use in a Study Abroad section of the library, which could have books around focusing on students traveling around the world. This could encourage students to do a foreign exchange program in high school or even college.
Since the book is so lovey-dovey it could also be fun to use it for Valentine's Day programming. The librarian could have students recommend their favorite romantic novels and post them around the library to get everyone in the spirit!

Reviews

This is the first novel from American author Stephanie Perkins. It is written in the first person from the point of view of Anna, 17 year old high school student from Atlanta. Her father has a new lucrative career as a romance author, and has decided that Anna should spend her final year of high school at the School of America in Paris. Anna is very much opposed to the idea, but she soon makes friends.

She very quickly develops a major crush on one of her new friends, Etienne St Clair. It is obvious to the reader that Etienne feels the same way as Anna, but it is not obvious to her. The novel follows the developing relationship between Anna and Etienne, and Anna's growing confidence as she learns to navigate a new city, culture and language.

This is an easy, pleasant read, if a touch predictable. Adolescent girls should be able to relate to Anna, who is an authentic character with an authentic voice. There are also some interesting facts about France, Paris, literature and history scattered in the text, which gives it some extra depth. There are some brief references to sex and alcohol. On the whole it should be a well used addition to an upper secondary school library.

Kemble, R. (2011). Anna and the french kiss. Reading Time,55(2), 36. doi: GALE|A258438950

My Thoughts
Stephanie Perkins: you are no Sarah Dessen. Ok, I may be a little biased, I started reading Sarah Dessen books when I was 14 and honestly I just haven't stopped since then. I basically think Dessen hung the moon when it comes to high school romance novels and I found this one, Anna and the French Kiss, fell short of all my Dessen-like expectations.

There were some qualities I liked. St. Clair seemed dreamy, yet realistic, he was short! I loved that he came off as popular, sweet, funny, charming- but was still short and had a weird home life. That seemed more real then these perfect high school boys most authors create. Anna also had some interests that kept her interesting- she loved classic films, her little brother and was very involved in school. Another plus in my mind, a main character who accepts school and family life and isn't trying to rebel- I think is needed for many readers,  someone they can relate to. I also loved the setting of this novel-Paris, what's not to love? It was charming to read about an American high schooler struggling with French and enjoying the good food.

Now onto the things I didn't love... Anna seemed a little bit like a one trick pony throughout the novel. She loved classic films and she wasn't passionate about much else, except St. Clair. I dislike the depiction of a girl who loves only one thing, and obsesses on that and the boy she likes. Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but in high school my friends were multi-dimensional, my best friend loved ice skating, horses, she had a job at a pizza shop and struggled with low self esteem. And yes, she also obsessed over her crush but she had more character than Anna did while she obsessed. I just hate that readers get this idea that they should be so intensely focused on one thing and not be a well rounded individual.

In general, I also felt this book gave an unrealistic idea of relationships and how they should start to high school girls. I hated that St. Clair was in a relationship, made out with Anna publicly and then left his girlfriend to be with Anna in the end. I just don't agree with what that teaches girls- especially at the age they are reading it, high school age or even younger than that. I think what we should be teaching these girls is that most guys, who have serious girlfriends, and make out with you- won't expect much more from you. They may not make you their girlfriend and instead you are left alone, while he goes back to his girlfriend. Then you have to deal with feelings of rejection and guilt on your own. I would love to see a book that shows high school girls how healthy relationships should start and how they should continue. Unfortunately, I don't think that would be the page turner that Anna and the French Kiss is.

Bibliography
Perkins, S. (2011). Anna and the French kiss. Speak.

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key (Module 4)

Summary
 Joey is a boy who many would describe as ADD or ADHD. He is always moving, can't pay attention and seems to bother every adult around him. His mother left him when he was little, along with his father, and he was raised by his grandmother. Eventually Joey's mom comes back to raise him and creates a ton of rules for Joey to follow, and tries to help him with medication. Joey wants to be a good kid, but even with medication, he just can't seem to follow the rules.

Suggested Activities
This book would be great in a "Just for Boys" section of the library or even in an all boys reading club. Joey's behavior really comes through in Gantos' writing and would be great for any boy, especially one who has trouble paying attention. So many times there are books focused on girls, or even books with boy characters can come across as "girly". This would be a great book for boys to read and to encourage more boy students to read.

Reviews
Joey knows that he's "wired" and that his medication only intermittently enables him to calm down and focus on school tasks and reasonable behavior. More often he's swallowing his house key on a bet, sharpening everything he can find (including his finger) in the pencil sharpener, and sneaking the special scissors out of the teacher's desk-which results in another student's trip to the emergency room. This drastic event results in Joey's being moved from the special education class in his own school to "intensive counseling at the special-ed center downtown," but it also results in a more comprehensive and ultimately more helpful approach to his problems. The plot has some similarities to familiar learning-disability problem novels, but the treatment is quite different indeed. For one thing this starts after most of them leave off-the problem isn't that Joey's undiagnosed, and mere recognition of the problem isn't enough to solve it. Gantos has a heartbreaking honesty about the lot of a kid treated poorly by fate that makes you realize how much other children's authors tend to pull their punches. Joey's mother really does love him; she also left him for years with his creepy grandmother while she threw her lot in with his alcoholic father (whereabouts of Grandma and her son both currently uncertain), and she has missed several opportunities to improve Joey's situation for reasons we never quite know. Joey's narration is a particular achievement: it offers a vivid insight into his world, making his insistent internal pressure to bounce and fiddle tangible and contagious while also making it completely understandable that adults who deal with him don't really know what to do and are often at their wits' end. Jane Cutler's Spaceman (BCCB 5/97) decorously broke some new ground on this topic; Gantos roars past genre boundaries and takes readers to a place they've probably never been before. DS

Stevenson, D. (1998). Joey pigza swallowed the key. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 52(3), 95. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/223712945?accountid=7113

Joey Pigza Swallowed The Key by Jack Gantos

You'll love ft because: Joey Pigza's behavior gets him into loads of trouble. Will he ever get himself under control? You won't stop reading until you find out.

Book nook: Secrets and surprises from the world of books. (2002, Nov). Storyworks, 10, 4. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/213415175?accountid=7113

My Thoughts
 This book broke my heart. I felt so sad reading this book. I have such a hard time relating to ADD or ADHD students in the classroom. I can be overly focused on one thing for too long of time- I just can't imagine my mind being all over the place. Reading Joey's thoughts helped me understand how some of my students must feel. They can't pay attention, they can't sit still- but they want to so badly.  What really made this book hard for me to swallow was the fact that there was no solution. In the end Joey did get some medicine that helped, through a process I found quite extraordinary and in no way believable. I don't know how the public school system could get Joey to all those doctors and appointments. I have seen several students, in Joey's shoes, and when the parents work a lot and aren't able to be as involve,d  there is just no way for a teacher or school to get them to a doctor and brain scans. But besides the unbelievable moments of him finding medicine, I was just hoping it would be give me an answer of how to help these ADD or ADHD kids- and it just didn't.
I did love the message though- that even the most difficult kids can be lovable, likable and special. So many kids don't get that message and just think they are "bad" but Joey can change that idea in kids. And that is something I really liked.

Bibliography
Gantos, J. (2001). Joey pigza swallowed the key. New York: HarperCollins.

From The Mixed up Files of Basil E. Frankweiler (Module 3)

Summary
Claudia lives in Connecticut with her family and decides it's time to run away. She feels stuck in her life and needs to be different, to make a change. She invites along her brother Jamie (because he has money, and she doesn't) and together they hide out in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for over a week. While there they discover a statue, The Angel, which is rumored to be created by Michelangelo. Claudia will stop at nothing to find out if that's true, and she drags Jamie along with her.

Suggested Activities
This book could be used in a literature circle setting about Utopian societies (or Dystopian societies) for students who dislike the futuristic, fantasy genre and prefer more realistic fiction. Claudia believes moving into the museum will make her different and make her life different. But she realizes in her idea of Utopia, things are just the same for her. This would be challenging for students to make that connection but would also help with the genre issues and could be good for lower level readers in middle school.

Another activity for this book would be grammar exercises! There are so many  moments in the book where Claudia badgers Jamie for his bad grammar habits. Mostly they relate to ending a sentence in a preposition, but there are several to choose from. It would be great to take these paragraphs where she is pestering him about his grammar, because she never comes out and says the problem, and have students find a pattern of what he's doing wrong. It would make grammar more interesting and hopefully make students want to read this book.

Reviews
What's your favorite kids book?

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E. L. Konigsberg

-Courtney CoxArquette, star of Friends

What's your favorite kids' book? (2003, Apr). Storyworks, 10, 4. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/213407570?accountid=7113

Two years later, in 1968, the Medal went to E. L. Konigsburg's From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Unlike Treviño's work, this novel remains a favorite title, not only because it is well written and amusing but also because, like Treviño's work, it offers a seductive fantasy of private mastery of public culture, set in more familiar territory: New York City, specifically the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In Konigsburg's story, Claudia and Jamie Kincaid run away from home and hide out in the Met. The novel includes a map of the Met so that readers can follow along. Claudia burns with intellectual curiosity, while Jamie is obsessed with money; Claudia calls him "Mr. Pinchpenny" (96). Capital and the desire for cultural capital inform their every move. They show "cultural goodwill" toward art, sensing "the magic of the name of Michelangelo" (65), and set off to determine the authenticity of a statue named Angel. Is Angel an original work of art, everyone wonders, or is it merely a copy?

Kidd, K. (2007). Prizing children's literature: The case of newbery gold. Children's Literature, 35, 166-190,271. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/195588802?accountid=7113

My Thoughts
 I loved this book. I loved the mystery, the improbability of it all, the idea of running away someplace as fancy as the MET, I just loved everything about it. I really enjoyed the depiction of each of the characters and their strong personalities. Claudia is the uptight planner who follows the rules, Jamie is the mischievous penny pincher, and Mrs. Frankweiler comes across as a grumpy old woman-until the very end. I felt like everyone could relate to someone in this story, and I must related to Claudia. I can be a big planner who allows does everything just so and sometimes I try to escape that persona. But as Claudia learned, it's hard to change your personality.
I also found the book to be full of wise wisdom that young kids could appreciate. One of my favorite lines is from Jamie, when he's talking to Claudia about being home sick, he says, "Yeah, I guess homesickness is like sucking your thumb. It happens when you're not very sure of yourself" (Konigsburg, 1998).I feel like that line really rings true, but it's something I've never thought about. I hope kids stop to understand and appreciate that line while reading. It meant a lot to me.

Bibliography
Konigsburg, E. L. (1998). From the mixed-up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Atheneum.