Printz Award Winner--Fantasy

Bacigalupi, Paolo. Ship Breaker. New York, NY: Little Brown and Company, 2010.

ISBN: 9780316056212

Plot Summary:

Nailer, a seventeen year old boy who lives on the Gulf Coast, works on a light crew crawling into small spaces stripping old ships of reusable copper and holding out hope that he will live to see another day. After a level 7 hurricane, Nailer and his friend Pima discover a washed up clipper ship and think they have come across their lucky strike. They soon discover a wealthy girl clinging to life who promises them a better life if they save her. Although it may seem it is a life worth saving, problems soon arise when Nailer’s drug-addicted father and half-men also want to use the girl to get more wealth for themselves.

Critical Analysis:

Bacigalupi creates memorable characters in Ship Breaker. The main character, Nailer, undergoes a credible change early on in the story when he has to save himself while he is trapped in a ship’s holding room of oil because one of his crew members selfishly leaves him to die. This near-death experience and feelings of abandonment are a major force in his decision to help the wealthy girl who is near death in a wrecked ship. Readers have more respect and admiration for Nailer because he doesn’t just help her for a chance of getting rich, he helps her because he knows how it feels to be left to die. Shipwrecked-rich-girl, Nita also grows into a survivor as she must overcome her circumstances. Readers will also build strong connections to Pima, her mother Sadna, and Tool the half-man because these characters show strength and vulnerability as they overcome their tough and difficult life. The concept of the genetically altered half-men will cause readers to want to learn more about this new species (they’re really cool). Bacigalupi also creates a strong villain in Nailer’s father, Richard Lopez. The drug addiction, beatings he gives Nailer, and his brutal actions build real fear within the reader and help the reader to relate to Nailer’s own fears of his father.

The plot is action packed and will easily hold the attention of readers. As Nailer and Tool journey to return Nita back to her father, they face obstacles at almost every turn. Their choices and hardships are consistent with the setting of the story and the circumstances of the characters. Bacigalupi works to develop background for readers on ship breaking and half-men which makes the story easy to follow for readers. The setting also carries added interest for the reader as the time period is futuristic. The story seems to take place after an apocalypse in a time where resources such as oil have run out and must now be scavenged.

Bacigalupi’s style of writing helps to create vivid images and deep understanding for readers. For example, when he says, “Nailer had felt his belly up against his spine enough times,” readers can actually feel what hunger feels like and they will get a better sense of the character’s circumstances. Bacigalupi has a way with words. If ever the action slows down, his words have a way of holding you in the story.

Bacigalupi does a lot to develop different themes in the book. There is opportunity to compare and contrast characters in poverty and characters that have it all. The futuristic theme has lots of possibilities as well. Climate change, natural resources, and genetic mutations are all concepts that can carry lofty discussions. Other interesting themes include loyalty, greed, and trust. It is clear at every point in the story why this book was chosen as a major contributor to young adult literature.

Awards and Reviews:

2011 Printz Award Winner

National Book Award Finalist

“Vivid, brutal, and thematically rich, this captivating title is sure to win teen fans for the award-winning Bacigalupi.”--Booklist

"This thriller will grab and keep readers' attentions as Nailer and Nita 'crew up' in their fight to survive."--The Horn Book

Connections:

*Create a Brown-Bag Book Review. Place items in the bag that reflect major characters and events in the story.

*Compare and contrast the characters Nailer and Nita.

*Create a digital book trailer for the book.

*Do further research on ship breaking.

*Listen to the audio version of the book.

Graphic Novel

Yang, G. L., & Kim, D. K. The eternal smile. New York, NY: First Second, 2009.

ISBN: 9781596431563

Summary:

The Eternal Sunshine contains three imaginative stories. In the first story, Duncan is a knight who is trying to defeat his enemies to achieve all that he ever wanted. His kingdom, however, may not be everything he thinks it is. In the next story, meet a greedy frog who is trying to make a profit from a religion he started. Will he go too far? In the final story, Janet is struggling in her job at a internet management company when she comes across an opportunity to help a Nigerian prince by giving him tons of her money online. When she finally meets the prince, what will she do to him?

Critical Analysis:

The characters in the three short stories are somewhat ordinary and flaccid. Because they’re somewhat understated, as a reader you will find yourself pulling for them and caring about what happens to them. When Janet, the character in the third story, overhears her boss making fun of her for seeking a promotion, readers quickly identify her as the protagonist and desire her to achieve something greater than her current lot. The simple characteristics within the characters are balanced well through the surprising turn of events you see them encounter, such as when you see Duncan go from tender romantic to a knight defeating the Frog King.

The illustrations in each story bring the setting to life. This is especially true in Urgent Request where Janet’s real world is drawn in a dull gray and her fantasy world is drawn in color. The drawings for each story are unique to the story and each take on a distinct style. There are even several illustrated scenes that carry the story only through illustrations and not through words.

Part of what makes The Eternal Smile interesting is how Kim and Yang approach the plot differently in each story. In Duncan’s Kingdom, The king is immediately killed by the Frog King and Duncan quickly begins a journey to avenge his death and win the heart of the princess. The turn of events is surprising and the story breathes fantasy from the very beginning. On the other hand, in Urgent Request, the story begins in a realistic way with a woman working as an internet service tech who can’t catch a break. Later, imaginative aspects come in as Janet journeys through Nigeria with her prince. Although the Kim and Yang come at the plots differently, the stories are similar in that each character can feel whole and complete in their fantasy world.

Awards and Reviews:

Yang has been awarded the Printz  and Eisner Award and is a National Book Award finalist.

“Shattering the borders between our real and fantasy lives, these bold, masterfully crafted fables have real staying power.” --Publishers Weekly

“Artwork in each of the stories is stylistically different and wholly appropriate to the theme of the specific tale. Smart teens will enjoy this thoroughly and will push it into friends, and hopefully even adults, hands for discussions around topics ranging from political insights to how narrative crea;tes personal identity.”-- School Library Journal

Connections:

*Create your own comic strip about an adventure with the main character as yourself.

*Create an additional comic strip to change or add to the ending of one of the stories in the book.

*Compare and contrast the characters in each of the stories.

Newberry Award Winner--Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Woodson, Jacqueline. Feathers. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2007.

ISBN: 9780399239892

Summary of Plot:

Frannie, a sixth-grade girl growing up in the 1970’s, is thinking about the time when she was the newcomer in school when a new white boy begins attending her school. As the only white student in school, he begins to get a lot of attention and earns the name “Jesus Boy” from other students. Frannie is curious why “Jesus Boy” has come to an African American school and how he suddenly knew to communicate to her in sign language. Frannie has an older brother who is deaf and has known sign language all her life. These events and others lead Frannie on a journey of exploration where she will encounter religious perspectives, bullying, friendship, acceptance, and most of all hope…a thing with feathers.

Critical Analysis:

Feathers is organized into four main parts and is a total of twenty-one chapters and 118 pages long. This short novel is written from the perspective of a sixth-grade African American girl. As the young girl narrates this story, there is a large amount of reflection that takes place which is easy to see coming from the female gender. The time period of the 1970’s is the time in which integration became the law. Woodson reflects this period accurately in the way the characters react to the white boy coming to their school and how they talk about the other side of the highway. The time period is also reflected in the voice of the characters as they “jive talk.”

The plot itself does not stand out to the reader as something wonderful to remember, but rather the characters feeling and thoughts give it life. Frannie, the main character, is easy to relate to and the reader journey’s with her towards new understandings especially when it comes to hope. For example, after watching an interaction between Trevor (the school bully) and “Jesus Boy,” Frannie expresses her realization that “the sun stopped to color and warm him like it did everybody else”.

The story’s themes are addressed through the characters and their actions. Woodson uses Frannie’s older brother to deal with the theme of disabilities. The reader learns about how people with disabilities endure ridicule, but also how they are still capable of so much like when Sean, Frannie’s deaf brother, dances because he can feel the rhythm rather than hear it. Woodson also approaches the theme of spirituality by making Frannie’s best friend the daughter of a minister and how her best friend thinks “Jesus Boy” may actually be Jesus. The “Jesus Boy” character allows Woodson to set up situations, which are common to middle school students, where Frannie will need to learn how to accept others and their differences. Frannie learns a lot of important lessons through Jesus Boy, her best friend, and her family.

Awards and Reviews:

Newberry Honor, Caldecott, and Coretta Scott King Award winning author.

“Set in 1971, Woodson's novel skillfully weaves in the music and events surrounding the rising opposition to the Vietnam War, giving this gentle, timeless story depth. She raises important questions about God, racial segregation and issues surrounding the hearing-impaired with a light and thoughtful touch.” --Publishers Weekly

“With her usual talent for creating characters who confront, reflect, and grow into their own persons, Woodson creates in Frannie a strong protagonist who thinks for herself and recognizes the value and meaning of family. The story ends with hope and thoughtfulness while speaking to those adolescents who struggle with race, faith, and prejudice. They will appreciate its wisdom and positive connections.”--School Library Journal

Connections:

* There is a lot of dialogue offered in this book, choose a scene out of the book for a readers theatre performace.

*Write a letter to one of the characters in the story describing how actions or feelings have given you a new understanding towards one of the major themes in the story.

*Research further integration in the 1970’s.