When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

 

-from Picture Book Perfect blog, by Rachael Davis

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jamieson, Victoria and Omar Mohamed. 2020. WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED.  New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-1-72548-313-2.

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Omar and Hassan are two young brothers.  They play soccer with their friends, do their chores, and go to school, but their lives are anything but normal.  They live in a refugee camp in Kenya, Africa. This story brings the harsh reality of refugee life to the middle grade reader’s level.  The boys confront the realities of hunger, loss, loneliness, and despair. However, hope, kindness, joy, and inspiring determination are intertwined throughout their life story. 

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Unlike many graphic novels, this is a biographical account of the very challenging and unique lives of two young brothers.  The content and setting of this story make it stand out from other graphic novels. It is weighty and more serious than most other books in its genre.  This is not another Dog Man.

Truly, there are heartbreaking moments in this book.  Jamieson gives brief, but poignant descriptions of relevant issues like the violence in Somalia, the premature loss of loved ones, the reality of food scarcity, the difficulties of disability, and the heartbreak and hope of immigration. At one point, Omar says, “It was nice talking like this. Pretending we were normal kids, with normal futures to look forward to.” 

Typical of the genre, most of Maieson’s writing is conversational, alternating between character dialogue and the narrator’s thoughts. So much of this book feels didactic, at least for the typical, American reader. The story is rich with cultural context, from explanations of the Muslim Ramadan to the perspective of privileged education. 

This is a book that all of us should read, to better understand life experiences that are different from our own. 

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

ALA Notable Children's Books, 2021

Booklist starred, (March 2020)

Horn Book Magazine starred, (March 2020)

Kirkus Reviews starred, (February 2020) “This engaging, heartwarming story does everything one can ask of a book, and then some.”

Publishers Weekly starred, (March 2020)

Schneider Family Book Honor, 2021

School Library Journal starred, (February 2020) “ Heavier on text compared with Jamieson's usual fare, this title still features the expressive, gentle style of Roller Girl or All's Faire in Middle School-the language of cartoons makes the subject matter accessible to a middle grade audience.”

5. CONNECTIONS

*This book would pair beautifully with another Refugee fiction graphic novel, like Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang or Illegal by Eoin Colfer. 

*To accompany a broader study on Africa or African life, one could add books such as Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate, or The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney.

The Ideal Library

 

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/1707568530615960165

This library floor plan is based loosely on the Creek View elementary library.  However, after studying UDL design and ADA compliance, I wanted to make some changes!  

Since this is theoretical- the sky was the limit!  I added a computer lab, a giant maker's space table, different seating options, etc. I knew that furniture needed to be place at least 40 inches apart, to allow for wheelchair access.  Doorways and pathways should also be at least 36 inches wide.  The height of shelves are a consideration, as well as lighting and signage.  

To design and organize your own library would be quite the task, but it would be exciting! 

The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Yep, Laurence. 2006. THE EARTH DRAGON AWAKENS: THE SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE OF 1906. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 9780060275242. 

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Chin and Henry are friends. Chin’s dad, Ah Sing, works for Henry’s family as a ‘houseboy.’ The young boys both love to read about ‘ol West heroes, and they both live ordinary lives on opposite sides of San Francisco. Until the early morning of April 18th, when the whole city is suddenly plunged into chaos when a powerful earthquake rips open the ground. The story follows the hardships and turmoil that both boys and their families experience, from the destruction of their homes to the imminent danger of the great fires. Both boys discover there are modern-day heroes all around them.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
I learned a lot from this book!  Yep includes a significant amount of historical facts in the story, as well as some geological information. The story goes back and forth between two different families, one (assumed) white and one Chinese. The Travis family seems to be middle class, while the Chinese family are poor immigrants. Therefore, they live in different parts of town and lead different lives. However, natural disasters are great equalizers.

 

One theme of the book is ‘heroes.’ At first, Chin and Henry share a common interest in the heroes of the old West, like Wyatt Earp. Yep makes a point to highlight the heroics of everyday people on both sides of the story.  Although he doesn’t spend much time on characterization of any kind, instead he focuses on the hour-by-hour actions in the plot.  

His organization is also unique. The story is written in very short chapters, going back and forth between the two families.  Yep interjects chapters about the geological happenings also. He characterizes the earthquake and the fires, by personifying them as deliberate destroyers. 

In Yep’s “Afterword” he gives even more historical information and credits the historian, Gladys Hensen as the source for most of his historical accuracy in the book.  

4. AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Kirkus Reviews (March 2006)  “It is notable especially for the attention paid to the experience of San Francisco's Chinese immigrants, and a good choice for reluctant readers.”

School Library Journal (May 2006) “Its "natural disaster" subject is both timely and topical, and Yep weaves snippets of information on plate tectonics and more very neatly around his prose. A solid supplemental choice.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*This book would be a great story to use for compare and contrast with other stories centered around the Earthquake of 1906, like Lily and the great quake: a San Francisco earthquake survival story by Veeda Bybee, in the Girls Survive series. It would be easy to teach about perspective or point of view in these works. There are several others, like Escape from the great earthquake by Kate Messner, in the Ranger in Time series, or A City Tossed and Broken: the diary of Minnie Bonner by Judy Blundell, in the Dear America series, or Into the Firestorm: a novel of San Francisco, 1906, by Deborah Hopkinson.

The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani

 

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hiranandani, Veera. 2018. THE NIGHT DIARY. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780735228511. 

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Nisha receives a diary for her 12th birthday. She uses this precious gift to write entries to her deceased mother almost every night.  She chronicles the day’s happenings, and her evolving thoughts and feelings.  The entries quickly center around the tumultuous current events of her homeland, which has been India up until now. The Night Diary is set in the summer of 1947, when Great Britain grants India her Independence. But instead of celebrating, the people of India violently divide between Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh.  Because of their religion, Nisha and her family are forced to leave their home and flee South. Nisha and her family experience hardship and change, but they also discover what really matters. 

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Night Diary is an endearing tale. Hiranandani uses the structure of diary entries to maximize the first person narrative voice of Nisha. Nisha has a limited understanding of the historical politics that affect her life. The adults in the novel give the reader a very limited and basic explanation of the conflicts, introducing the major players, Jinnah, Nehru, and Gandhi. The history within the book is more about the experience of the religious refugee.

There are really two stories within the book- one of a respected family that becomes endangered because of the instability of decolonization, and another of a young girl who goes through a season of self-discovery, while she continues to process the loss of her mother. Nisha can’t reconcile these divisive issues of the world around her with the familiar relationships she has with all kinds of people in her life. 

There seems to be an undercurrent of social commentary about the effect of violence on children. After describing a particularly violent scene, Nisha writes, “I am broken on top of broken.” The simplicity of the syntax is very powerful. 

4. AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
ALA Notable Children's Books, 2019

Kirkus Reviews starred, (January 2018) “Nisha’s voice is the right mix of innocence and strength, and her transformation is both believable and heartbreaking.”

Newbery Honor, 2019

School Library Journal starred, (January 2018) “This rich, compelling story, which speaks to the turbulence surrounding India's independence and to the plight of refugees, should be in all libraries serving middle grade readers.”

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA), (February 2018)

5. CONNECTIONS
*This book could be a part of a Refugee collection, including Without Refuge by Jane Mitchell, Zenobia by Morten Durr, The day of the Pelican by Katherine Paterson, Everything sad is untrue: a true story by Daniel Nayeri, and there are many more! 

*It could also be used as a great complement to a study of the partition of India, along with primary sources and non-fiction books such as The partition of India (Redrawing the Map) by Kate Shoup, or The partition of British India by Jeff Hay. 

Universal Design for Learning- Making learning accessible for ALL!

This week is LSSL 5391, we are learning about Universal Design for Learning, or UDL. This is a set of principles or framework for maximizing learning. It started as an architectural concept that found that designing and planning for maximum access for people with disabilities or limited mobility actually is the most beneficial design for all people. As educators struggle to serve a widening variety of learners and abilities, UDL addresses the three facets of learning- knowledge, skills, and motivation. 

Which of these guidelines am I already using?
Of the three brain networks, I am most comfortable with the Recognition network, or Representation. I regularly use different modalities for presentation- books, slideshow presentations, videos, verbal explanations and stories, etc. Using different ways to present information ensures that an wide array of learners can comprehend and relate to the material.

Which of these could I add right now to my teaching practice?
It will take a significant shift in the structure of my library lessons, but I am capable of incorporating the Strategic Network, or Action & Expression. Currently, I have the students respond to my presentations through verbal question and answer.  The only assessments I do are informal assessments, in the form of class discussions. I can start incorporating different ways for the students to show their knowledge, through written exit tickets, online submissions in our Schoology group, or even digital presentations. This would allow for various expressions of knowledge.

Which of these looks great, but I might need some help to implement?
I definitely will need more time and research to understand the Affective network or Engagement. I don't fully understand how educators can fully affect the functions of the Affective network.  It seems to deal with intrinsic motivation.  I know that we can affect motivation through relationship, but there seems to be more psychology behind the this part of the UDL. 

I found a great article connected to the ALA website about Universal Design, "Keeping up with...Universal Design for Learning" by Brown, Welhouse and Wolfe. They literally pose the question, “What Can Librarians Do to Incorporate UDL into Their Library Instruction?” Through the article, the authors help answer that question with some very practical and easily applicable advice.  They suggest beginning by identifying barriers that may be preventing some of my students from reaching their learning potential. One of the most simple changes that would be beneficial to students is adding closed captioning to any videos presented. The assistive technology that the article mentions is something I am going to start researching.

CAST, which started as an acronym for Center for Applied Special Technology, is an exceptional organization whose mission is to "transform education design and practice until learning has no limits." What a beautiful goal! There is a plethora of information on their website,- along with meaningful resources. I also found a great bank of videos on the Cast YouTube channel. The hosts describe the channel as a place that, "introduces research, tools, ideas, policies and practices for education with an emphasis on Universal Design." It currently has 378 videos related to learning and Universal Design. I previewed several, but honed in on one specific issue I wanted to learn more about.

I decided I wanted to learn more about how to make reading more accessible to all learners and increase functional literacy.  I watched and learned from the video, "Clusive & Bookshare: A Powerful Partnership for Inclusive Literacy." The panelists for this webinar were Lynn McCormack and Kristin Robinson, from CAST, Lara Rondberg from Benetech and Julie Johnson, an Assistive Technology Specialist. They spoke specifically about two great online resources, Clusive and Bookshare.

The online tool, Clusive, is absolutely awesome!  I can’t wait to share it with the teachers at my school.  It is an adaptive, customizable learning environment that assists with reading. It has a limited database of about 300 items, but you can upload any Word doc file, and be able to use all of the tools on Clusive. I tried doing this, by uploading a personal document, and it totally worked!  It helped me understand my own document.  I was able to use the dictionary tools, the formatting tools, the read aloud and translation tools. They also talked about the affective appraisal feature they have on the articles. They explained how important this self-assessment is for learning readiness. 

The webinar also included another tool called Bookshare. This is another great support for students who specifically have visual or reading impairments.  It is an online reading database with over a million titles, including everything from textbooks to bestsellers.  You can download books from Bookshare into Clusive in order maximize a reader's ability to comprehend and understand the material. 

I feel like I've only discovered the tip of the iceberg!  There is so much information about UDL. I look forward to learning even more and find ways to apply it to my teaching in the library! 

Brown, R., Welhouse, Z., & Wolfe, A. (2020, April 14). Keeping Up With... Universal Design for Learning. American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/keeping_up_with/udl (Accessed April 11, 2023)

CAST. (2022, March 4). Clusive & Bookshare: A Powerful Partnership for Inclusive Literacy [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/_sEBH5XYv8c.

CAST. (2023). https://www.cast.org/

Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk

 

-Amazon

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Wolk, Lauren. 2017. BEYOND THE BRIGHT SEA. New York: Dutton Children’s Books. ISBN 9781101994856. 

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In a worn out skiff boat, Crow washed up on the shore of one of the Elizabeth Islands around 1913. She was rescued by a man she later named Osh. Osh and Crow became an unlikely family, with the necessary addition of Miss Maggie. The three lived out their simple and meager lives with contentment on Cuttyhunk island, until the day Crow started to question who she was and where she came from. This sweet story intertwines with the true history of another nearby island, Penikese, where a leper colony once lived.  With the loyal support of Osh and Miss Maggie, Crow goes on a self-discovery journey, filled with mystery and even treasure.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
I really like this book! The innocence of Crow’s character is truly endearing, and along with the mysteriousness of Osh’s character, it is easy to get drawn into their story.  Wolk does a skillful job of building their characters at an intriguing pace; she gives enough detail to interest you, while maintaining some secrecy until the very end. The author also does a great job with the setting of the book. Her simple descriptions of the provincial islands, eventually contrasted with the bustling city, complement the storyline, without distracting from it. Wolk spends more attention on the descriptions of her precious characters, whose facial expressions, physical attributes and behaviors tell as much of the story as their dialogue. The history of the Massachusetts islands is alluring also, specifically the island that was occupied by ostracized lepers for almost two decades. This historical fiction book does exactly what it should- it entertains, and then prompts the reader to want to know more of the history behind it. 

4. AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
ALA Notable Children's Books, 2018

Booklist starred, (May 15, 2017)

Horn Book Magazine starred, (July 2017)

Kirkus Reviews starred, (April 2017) “...But the mysteries—and the words that describe them—are compelling enough to send readers to the islands for years to come. A beautiful, evocative sophomore effort from Newbery honoree Wolk (Wolf Hollow, 2016).”

Scott O’Dell Award, 2018

School Library Journal starred, (May 2017) “This is a tear-jerking yet ultimately uplifting tale of establishing one's place in the world and realizing that sometimes your family is the one you make, not the one you are born into.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*This book could pair nicely with North Wind by Gary Paulsen. As another example of “orphan fiction,” there are plenty of similarities and differences to make for a nice compare/contrast coupling.

*Also, more research can be done about the leper colony on Penikese Island at penikese.org/about and at the New Bedford Guide.

Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin

 

-from Goodreads

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Yelchin, Eugene. 2011. BREAKING STALIN’S NOSE. New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 978-0-8050-9216-5. 

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Sasha Zaichik wants nothing more than to become a Young Soviet Pioneer. He idolizes his father, who is a security agent for the Communist party, but he idolizes their fearless leader even more, Stalin himself.  Sasha tries not to question or doubt the ideals he’s been taught. Although, every now and then, his conscience gets in the way.  Then one day, the unexpected happens, and his dad, the most loyal Communist he knows, is arrested as an enemy of the state.  In a heart wrenching sequence of events, Sasha’s whole world gets turned upside down. Through a sad chain reaction of events, which includes the loss of a sacred nose, Stalin’s world of suspicion and oppression affects even the most loyal of comrades.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Yelchin’s author note reveals how personal this story is for him.  The book is dedicated to his father, “who survived the Great Terror.” I can only imagine what it was like for him to create a character who idolized the infamous Stalin. The reader more easily has compassion for the young Communist narrator, whose naivete is understandable given his age.  However, Yelchin displays the almost unbelievable influence Stalin had on the Russian people through the adult characters and their behavior.  The tone of the story is satirical, as Yelchin intentionally points to the ironies and paradoxes of the Communist regime of that time.  He characterizes the teacher, as well as the principal and other security agents, as indoctrinated buffoons, whose logic and loyalties are easily swayed. Fear and want are unspoken characters in the story.  

4. AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Newbery Honor Book, 2012

Horn Book Magazine Starred (Sept. 2011): “Appropriately menacing illustrations by first-time novelist Yelchin add a sinister tone. Although the story takes place over just two days, it is well paced, peeling off the layers of Sasha's naiveté to show him -- and young readers -- the cynicism of the system he trusted.”

School Library Journal (Aug. 2011): “This is an absorbing, quick, multilayered read in which predictable and surprising events intertwine. Velchin clearly dramatizes the dangers of blindly believing in anything.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*This book could pair with Catch you Later, Traitor by Avi for a great compare and contrast study.  One focuses on the suspicions and paranoia within the Communists of Russia, and the other is about the suspicions and paranoia about Communists in the US. Same kind of fear, but in opposite scenarios!
*Which Way is Home, by Maria Kiely- about a Czech family, whose dad disappears, love than fear of Russian Communism, or Paper Cowboy by Kristin Levine, another American contrast story, with themes of bullying and paranoia.