Module 10: The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson

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Book Summary: Clover has always been told to never cross the fence into the other side, the “white side,” because it is not safe for her. When she begins to become friends with Annie, the little white girl on the other side of the fence, she struggles with maintaining her friendship when society tells them that they cannot play together. Finding a loophole with the rules to not go to the other side of the fence, Clover and Annie decide to sit on it and enjoy their friendship. They note that one day the fence will finally be knocked down.

APA Reference of Book: Woodson, J., & Lewis, E. B. (2001). The other side. New York, NY: Putnam's.

Impressions: Leave it to two young girls to prove to society that people are taught to be racist. Clover and Annie may notice each other’s skin color, but they don’t care. They just see another girl to play with by the fence. The time period influences about race and skin color don’t affect the girls, and they never quite understand why they are never allowed on the other side of the fence. I love how the fence is both a literal barrier between the white family and the black family as well as a metaphor for the barrier that society has placed between those who are white and black. The fact that the girls say that someday the fence will be knocked down is a reference to the day where kids and adults can co-exist and enjoy each other’s company regardless of their skin color.

Professional Review:  The other side [Review]. (2001). Kirkus Reviews, (1).

Race relations, a complex issue, is addressed in a simple manner through the eyes of two young girls, one black and one white, on either side of a fence that divides their yards and, in fact, the town. Both girls have been instructed not to go on the other side of the fence because it's not safe. Each stares at the other, yearning to know more, but they don't communicate. When Annie, the white girl, climbs on the fence and asks to jump rope, she is told no by the leader of the black group. The narrator, Clover, has mixed feelings and is unsure whether she would have said yes or no. Later, the girls, with their mothers, meet on the sidewalk in town, looking very much the same, except for the color of their skin. When asked why the mothers don't talk, the explanation is, "because that's the way things have always been." During the heavy summer rains, Annie is outside in her raincoat and boots, having fun splashing in puddles--but Clover must stay inside. When the rains stop, Clover is set free, emerging as a brave soul and approaching Annie in the spirit of her freedom. Eventually, the story finds both girls and all of Clover's friends sitting on the fence together, kindred spirits in the end. "Someday somebody's going to come along and knock this old fence down," Annie says. What a great metaphor Woodson has created for knocking down old beliefs and barriers that keep people apart. Children learn that change can happen little by little, one child at a time. Award-winning Lewis's lovely realistic watercolor paintings allow readers to be quiet observers viewing the issue from both sides. (Picture book. 5+)

Library Uses: Librarians can use this book to bring up the ideas of prejudice. Have students discuss what prejudice is and if it is learned or born within a person. Look at symbolism and metaphors. Have the students answer the following question: What does the fence symbolize? Have the students create a fence and research two sides of an issue, placing differing viewpoints on each side of the fence. Discuss findings.

Module 9: Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

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Book Summary: The small town of Cryer’s Cross is terrified when two teenagers suddenly vanish within months of each other. One of them was Kendall’s best friend (and semi-boyfriend), Nico, and she doesn’t know how to move on without him. As she becomes friends with a neighboring brother and sister, she begins to question what happened to Nico. Mysterious messages begin to appear on Nico’s old desk, and only she notices because of her OCD. Kendall crosses a line between ghosts and reality as she is compelled by the mystery of deaths in Cryer’s Cross.

APA Reference of Book: McMann, L. (2011). Cryer's Cross. New York, NY: Simon Pulse.

Impressions: It is refreshing to read books that use the present tense since I feel that it is so rarely used as a story-telling device. This narration style really leads to readers feeling what Kendall is feeling at every moment. I was with her during her doubts and fears, and I was rooting for her to overcome them and finally discover the mystery behind Nico and Tiffany’s deaths. While everyone else wanted her to move on, I think that it was important for Kendall to almost be drawn into death’s grip. She had to face the danger and find the truth about her friend’s death before she could move on with her life. I really like how it is Kendall’s “disability” of OCD that actually ends up saving her from being driven to suicide by the ghost boys. The supernatural element was a great touch, although I feel like it all was wrapped up a little too quickly in the ending. Have the ghosts been put at rest? I don’t think so. It definitely leaves a bit to the imagination.

Professional Review: Yusko, S. (2011). Cryer's cross. The Booklist, 107(12), 70. 

Grades 8-12. Kendall is a senior in a one-room high school where last spring Tiffany, a freshman, disappeared. Now it is the start of a new year, and Kendall’s boyfriend, Nico—the only one who truly understood Kendall’s OCD— has gone missing, too. While compelled to straighten the desks before class one morning, Kendall discovers that Nico’s desk was also Tiffany’s desk. This seems like more than a coincidence, but Kendall is afraid that people will think she is crazy. The town’s dark past is a well-kept secret, and though she doesn’t want to admit it, Kendall will need the help of brooding newcomer Jacian if she is going to find Nico. Kendall is a unique character, and the details of her OCD compulsions are well drawn. Haunting passages from another world, which provide just enough detail to intrigue and disturb readers, are intertwined with Kendall’s story. Part mystery, part ghost story, and part romance, this book has enough to satisfy a variety of readers and will find popularity with McMann’s established fan base and new readers alike.

Library Uses: This novel would be a fun addition to a reading unit right before Halloween. Murder mysteries are always a great way to practice making predictions and noticing foreshadowing clues. During a read aloud, stop and have students discuss their thoughts and make predictions as you read. At any point, if students notice something is being hinted at or foreshadowed, they should share it and make more predictions for what will happen next. Provide a scavenger hunt throughout the library using QR codes as clues for students to solve a mystery and analyze plot structure.

Module 8: Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

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Book Summary: After Kira loses her mother to an illness, she must face the fact that her simple village does not want a girl with a twisted leg anymore. Much to her surprise, not only does the council of the village defend her against angry accusers, but they give her an important job: to be the new weaver of the Singer’s robe, to design the future. However, this new cozy life isn’t what it seems to be. People who question the way things are end up taken to the field to die. A little girl is locked up in a room, and Kira wonders if she and the carver of the future, Thomas, are actually being shackled for their artistic gifts as well. It takes a feisty boy named Matty to bring Kira the one color denied to her in weaving, blue, and with it, a person lost to her before her birth. Kira knows that the fate of the future is in her hands, and she will not let anyone tell her how to shape it.

APA Reference of Book: Lowry, L. (2000). Gathering blue. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

Impressions: Just like The Giver, this novel creates suspense through young characters questioning the world and becoming determined to change it for the better. Kira is such a strong protagonist, especially since she has a physical disability. She is strong because she does not let her leg defeat her in the obstacles of life, and she does not allow others to control her mind and creativity by the end of the story. I am honestly left with so many questions. Does Kira change the robe to the future that she wants? Does she weave in blue threads, and how do the council members react? Does she eventually go to live with her father? Darn Lowry and her cliffhangers! I guess I will just have to read the next book and hope that I find out somehow.

Professional Review: Gathering blue [Review]. (2000). Kirkus Reviews, (12).

Lowry returns to the metaphorical future world of her Newbery-winning The Giver (1993) to explore the notion of foul reality disguised as fair. Born with a twisted leg, Kira faces a bleak future after her mother dies suddenly, leaving her without protection. Despite her gift for weaving and embroidery, the village women, led by cruel, scarred Vandara, will certainly drive the lame child into the forest, where the “beasts” killed her father, or so she’s been told. Instead, the Council of Guardians intervenes. In Kira’s village, the ambient sounds of voices raised in anger and children being slapped away as nuisances quiets once a year when the Singer, with his intricately carved staff and elaborately embroidered robe, recites the tale of humanity’s multiple rises and falls. The Guardians ask Kira to repair worn historical scenes on the Singer’s robe and promise her the panels that have been left undecorated. Comfortably housed with two other young orphans—Thomas, a brilliant wood-carver working on the Singer’s staff, and tiny Jo, who sings with an angel’s voice—Kira gradually realizes that their apparent freedom is illusory, that their creative gifts are being harnessed to the Guardians’ agenda. And she begins to wonder about the deaths of her parents and those of her companions—especially after the seemingly hale old woman who is teaching her to dye expires the day after telling her there really are no beasts in the woods. The true nature of her society becomes horribly clear when the Singer appears for his annual performance with chained, bloody ankles, followed by Kira’s long-lost father, who, it turns out, was blinded and left for dead by a Guardian. Next to the vividly rendered supporting cast, the gentle, kindhearted Kira seems rather colorless, though by electing at the end to pit her artistic gift against the status quo instead of fleeing, she does display some inner stuff. Readers will find plenty of material for thought and discussion here, plus a touch of magic and a tantalizing hint (stay sharp, or you’ll miss it) about the previous book’s famously ambiguous ending. A top writer, in top form. (author’s note) (Fiction. 11-13)

Library Uses: Have students choose an artistic talent and showcase it to explain the school’s history. Have some students decide what is to be done, said, and created, and then discuss the effects these restrictions have on creativity. See what the results will be when artists have free reign to show their imagination and also when they have no choices in what they do.

Module 7: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

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Book Summary: Melinda is starting high school with no friends, no purpose, and no words. Everyone hates her for calling the police during a party over the summer, and she isn’t able to confess the truth. Throughout the school year, she clams up more and more after dealing with fake friends, hateful people, and inconsiderate teachers. It takes a kind art teacher who pushes her to delve into her emotions for her to look at life through open eyes. She admits that she was raped, and she finally has the words to stand up to her rapist, to stand up for herself.

APA Reference of Book: Anderson, L. H. (1999). Speak. New York, NY: Farrar Straus Giroux.

Impressions: This is a powerful book that I wish I had read when I was a teenager. It is told simply, but Melinda’s thoughts and emotions are raw and relatable. Almost every teen has had a period in their life where they felt like they didn’t belong. The inability to speak about their problems and to instead suffer through life is a real obstacle for many young adults. This book should encourage any person who has ever lost control to find a positive outlet and speak up for themselves when they are ready to. I can also connect to this book deeply because of the underlying issue of rape. I, too, have gone through a similar experience at a very young age and felt like I couldn’t tell anyone and that it was my fault for letting it happen. While reading this novel, I began crying because I have more reassurance that it is okay, that I am okay. Just like Melinda discovered, we can all be reborn as seeds after something kills us inside. The important thing thereafter is for us to decide to grow into an even stronger tree, flexible to the wind that tries to knock us down.

Professional Review: Carton, D. (1999). Speak. The Booklist, 96(2), 247.

Gr. 8-12. Having broken up an end-ofsummer party by calling the police, highschool freshman Melinda Sordino begins the school year as a social outcast. She's the only person who knows the real reason behind her call she was raped at the party by Andy Evans, a popular senior at her school. Slowly, with the help of an eccentric and understanding art teacher. She begins to recover from the trauma, only to find Andy threatening her again. Melinda's voice is distinct unusual, and very real as she recounts her past and present experiences in bitterly ironic, occasionally even amusing vignettes. In her YA fiction debut, Anderson perfectly captures the harsh conformity of high-school cliques and one teen's struggle to find acceptance from her peers. Melinda's sarcastic wit, honesty, and courage make her a memorable character whose ultimate triumph will inspire and empower readers.

Library Uses: Explore theme. Review with the students what theme is. What are some possible themes for this novel? Have an open and respectful discussion and/or journal writing for this novel because of its controversy and sensitive topics.

Module 6: Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco

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Book Summary: Trisha grew up in a home that promoted reading, so she loved books. When it came time for her to read, however, she struggled for years. She became more interested in drawing because of her lack of success in reading, but she was teased and bullied for years for her inability to read. It wasn’t until Mr. Falker became her new teacher that change began to take place for Trisha. Not only did he praise her intelligence and artwork, but he reprimanded her bullies. He soon discovered that Trisha did not see letters and words the way other students did, so he began to teach her how to read in a different way. Full of empowerment at learning how to read, the author admits that she was actually Trisha, and that Mr. Falker is her hero.

APA Reference of Book: Polacco, P. (1998). Thank you, Mr. Falker. New York, NY: Philomel Books.

Impressions: It is incredible how the reader can go through the entire book thinking that it is fictional but then find out on the last page that the story is actually a memoir of Patricia Polacco’s struggle to read. As an English and reading teacher, this book is very powerful to me. So many people associate reading with intelligence, but some students may have disabilities that prevent them from reading or learning in the same way as all the other students. Mr. Falker was a special teacher who understood this fact and was able to not only determine that Polacco had dyslexia, but he was able to work with her and another reading teacher closely to help her learn how to read. I was trained in teaching reading to dyslexic students, and as I worked with them, they began to read better every day! Their fluency and comprehension increased a vast amount by the end of the year, and I was so proud. This is a great book for teaching students that they are not dumb just because they have a learning disability and for teaching educators to always look for any method possible to reach every individual student.

Professional Review: Rochman, H. (1998). Thank you, mr. Falker. The Booklist, 94(17), 1522.

Ages 5-9. Like many of Polacco's picture-book stories, this one is autobiographical. Who would believe that this gifted storyteller had started off with a serious learning disability? From kindergarten on, Trisha gets attention because she can draw; but she hides the fact that she can't read--all she sees on the page are "wiggling shapes" --until her fifth-grade teacher discovers Trisha's problem, gets her special help, and sets her free. "That little girl was me," Polacco says in a final note. As always she tells the story with intense emotion: no understatement here; reading is "torture." The big line-and-watercolor illustrations are bright with color and theatrical gesture, expressing the child's happiness with her grandparents in a family of readers, her fear and loneliness in the classroom ("she hated hated hated school"), her anguish when the kids jeer at her in the schoolyard, and her joy when finally she reads the words on the page ("she was happy, so very happy"). Trisha isn't idealized: we see her messy and desperate, poring over her books. This will encourage the child who feels like a failure and the teacher who cares.

Library Uses: This is a great book to teach students about diverse learners. Present a book talk and discussion about the ways that each students learn. Students will determine their own learning styles and methods and connect how they learn to what Trisha goes through in the story.