Monday, March 2, 2015

Code Name Verity


Code Name Verity
Wein, E. (2012). Code name verity. New York: Hyperion Books.


Code Name Verity is a historical fiction novel about two young women from opposite worlds whose destiny brings them to a heartfelt and everlasting friendship.  Maddie Brodatt, the Jewish pilot/mechanic finds herself flying planes in World War II and eventually, ferrying spies over enemy territory.  Queenie is the beautiful Scottish aristocrat whose talent at being a spy often puts her in harm’s way.  On one of the missions, Queenie/Verity/Julie Stuart is forced to parachute from the plane being flown by Maddie/Kittyhawk and is captured by the German forces and tortured into giving up their secret codes, all made up, of course.  As a diversion, Queenie, who writes her biography in third person, also includes stories of her friendship with Maddie and other details that serve as clues.  Maddie, in the meantime is taken in by members of the Resistance whose mission is to rescue prisoners, Queenie among them, and destroy the Gestapo’s headquarters.  In twist of plot that literally caused me to gasp, Maddie is forced to make a horrendous choice that changes her forever.  This is an emotional rollercoaster that makes the reader both laugh and cry while also encouraging them to think and make connections.  Because of the emotional content and the sometimes subtle, sometimes startling violence, Code Name Verity would be appropriate for students in grades 9-12 and I believe is a great “strong girl” novel.   

Leviathan


Leviathan
Westerfield, S. (2009). Leviathan. New York: Simon Pulse.


Leviathan, a steampunk novel set during the World War I era, is about a boy named Alek, whose birthright is loosely based on the children of the real-life Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, who were both, in the novel and in reality, assassinated.  When word of their death reaches Alek’s home, he is whisked away to what his caretakers, Klopp and Volger, assume is relative safety but actually turns out to be one perilous encounter after another.  Alongside Alek’s story is Deryn’s. Deryn is a girl who disguises herself as a boy named Dylan in order to serve in the British Air Service and proceeds to encounter danger of her own at every turn.  In a plot that pits Darwinism against the machine, Alek and Deryn befriend one another and meet many fantastic characters, both human and not, including Nora Darwin Barlow.  Because the author includes an interesting “Afterword” that explains some of the thoughts behind the story, Leviathan, can be used at many levels for many purposes.  The reader who indulges in fantasy would certainly be pleased as would those interested in Darwin, war machines, World War I, the Ottoman Empire, and even the artist, as the pencil illustrations are simply amazing.  Advanced readers from upper elementary grades (5-6) on up to high school could easily enjoy the action-packed Leviathan since its emotional involvement is sparse.  The Leviathan series includes Behemoth and Goliath.

Persepolis



Persepolis
Satrapi, M. (2003). Persepolis. New York: Pantheon Books.


Persepolis is an autobiography of a young Iranian girl, Marjane Sartrapi, growing up in Iran during the Islamic revolution.  Set as a graphic novel, this book vividly portrays the daily life of Sartrapi as she grows from a little girl into a young woman in the home of forward thinking parents during a time and in a place where thinking such as this could get you killed.  As the reader discovers over the course of the novel, many of the people Marjane knows and loves are imprisoned and even killed for their opposition to the government suppression of the Iranian people.  As Marjane grows up, she experiences her own personal battle between doing what she knows to be in keeping with her parents’ values and what she as an individual wants.  Eventually, after a close call when a bomb detonates near her home and several other close calls for Marjane herself, her parents decide to send her away to Austria in order to be safe and removed from the strife of her homeland.  Persepolis would be an excellent novel to use to learn about the Iranian culture in a World History class with high school students and could even lend itself to some middle school students because of its graphic format.  Satrapi has written a follow-up novel titled Persepolis 2.  

The Fault In Our Stars


The Fault In Our Stars
Green, J. (2012). The fault in our stars. New York: Dutton Books.

Hazel Lancaster, a 16 year old girl living and dying with cancer, and her eventual boyfriend, Augustus Waters give us an in depth view into the world of teenagers with terminal illnesses, as well as a glimpse into the emotions and actions of the adults around them.  Hazel and Augustus embark on a journey that not only includes their romance but Hazel's desire (and eventual opportunity, thanks to Augustus) to interview the author of her favorite book.  Readers are able to witness Hazel's maturity in dealing with the less than positive aspects of life-- cancer, her parents' coping and grieving process, the book author's detructive attitude, and eventually, Augustus' death.  Because of the depth of emotion and content in the novel, it is necessary that readers be emotionally mature in order to deal with and understand the mental and physical aspects of the novel.  Hazel and Augustus are not only going through terminal illness together, but the need to be independent (not to mention sexually budding) young adults and a reader who has not reached the appropriate maturity level cannot process this information accordingly.  Most high school students will be able to appreciate the emotional aspects of The Fault In Our Stars-  not all of them, but most.  A good book to follow up with is This Star Won't Go Out: The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl, a biography about the actual "Hazel" that Green's novel was based on.
I think in reading this novel, especially if it is followed up with the biography, young adult readers are able to see that life is not always a fairy tale, that it is often cruel and painful, but that we have a choice as to how we respond to the cards that we are dealt and sometimes, if choose to be, we are richer for what we experience.




The Surrender Tree


The Surrender Tree
Engle, M. (2008). The Surrender Tree. New York: Henry Holt and Company.


The Surrender Tree is a heart-wrenching chronology of the struggles of Cuba for independence.  Written in verse, Engle follows several characters throughout their personal struggles and their public involvement in the rebels' quest for freedom from the tyranny of Spain.  In a style that allows the reader to almost physically and emotionally experience what Rosa, Jose, Sylvia, and even their nemesis, Lieutenant Death think and feel, the author details the lives of many non-fictional characters with the exception of two.  Readers can understand Rosa’s (the main character) experiences in life through the vivid descriptions both she and Jose give of their day to day struggles to care for those fighting tyranny. Also included in this creatively educational book are a timeline of Cuba's struggles over the years as well as some historical notes that would provide an excellent springboard for a world history lesson.  As the story concludes, we see Cuba under the control of yet another country’s authority, yet absent the tyranny.  I, like many others who have reviewed the novel, felt a lack of resolution for the characters and very little growth, especially in Lieutenant Death.  I just knew he would see the error of his ways!  Readers at the conventional and post-conventional levels could easily benefit from the novel while both the concrete and abstract thinkers can understand and apply the information discovered in The Surrender Tree.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children



Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Riggs, R. (2013). Miss peregrine's home for peculiar children. New York: Quirk Books.

In this intriguing novel about a group of children and their caretaker, Jacob Portman discovers a family secret that only he and his grandfather, Abe Portman, are privy to.  Jacob and his grandfather share a bond that until his grandfather’s death, Jacob was unaware of and that bond is that they are “peculiar”.  After Jacob finds his grandfather brutally murdered in the forest behind his house, he begins to question everything he’s always known.  When he convinces his father to take him on a trip to Wales as part of his therapy, Jacob finds himself thrown into a world he knows nothing about but that he is an integral part of.  As Jacob is embraced by the peculiars and their headmistress, Miss Peregrine, he is also inundated with knowledge of his grandfather’s abilities as a hollowgast hunter and begins to piece together the connection between Abe and Emma, a peculiar that he increasingly finds himself drawn to.  In addition to the fascinating storyline is an amazing collection and index of antique photographs that were the basis for many of the ideas in the novel .    Miss Peregrine’s is an excellent novel for both middle and high school readers because the depth of emotion and development covers a range of stages that lends itself to a wide audience.  The ability to think in the abstract is essential for the reader must suspend realistic thinking in order to enjoy the book.  A great follow-up is Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children.