Citation:
Martinez, Victor. Parrot in the Oven: MiVida. HarperCollins: New York. 1996. Print
Annotation:
Manny, a 14-year old Mexican-American, struggles to find his own way in his world of poverty and the enticing life of crime.
Justification for Nomination:
This novel portrays Manny in his qwest to find his identity. Martinez uses beautiful and clear language to convey the story of the young protaganist encountering very adult issues and events as he attempts to become a respectible man. Manny has to be the adult to his drunk father who would rather spend his money and time at the bar down the street than with his family. He watches in horror as his father chases his mother around with a rifle and then witnesses his older sister having a miscarriage.
Throughout it all, Manny doesn't identify himself as being a Mexican as much as being poor. His race is not focused on as he tries to avoid a life in a gang and save his family.
The first-person perspective works wonderfully in this novel because it gives the author a chance to show how thoughtful and kind Manny really is. Manny discloses his true thoughts about his family and friends and how much he truly loves them. With this narration, the plot moves quickly and easily through events in Manny's young life. The timeline is unclear, but it doesn't make any difference to the story. The pacing is choppy in parts, but the shocking events and realizations by Manny overshadow any indication of a out of place pace.
This book lets the reader experience Manny's discovery of a moral compass all on his own. He doesn't have role models so when he realizes that stealing someone's purse or beating someone up and living his life running from the police isn't what he wants, the reader realizes it with him. This portrayl of independence and loss of innocence is what makes this novel so wonderful for teen readers. Manny rises on his own and sees the right way despite every attempt by his peers to bring him down.
Parrot in the Oven is the type of novel that teaches teens that the right path isn't always the easiest, but when you reach the fork in the road, the right path is always the one to make you sigh in relief. It is the path to make you proud of being you.
Genre:
Multicultural/Coming of Age
6/27/11
6/21/11
Review Four: General Nonfiction
Citation:
Colman, Penny. Corpses, Coffins, and Crypts: A History of Burial. New York: Henry Holt and Company, Inc., 1997. Print.
Annotation:
Using personal examples, photographs, and extensive research, the author outlines the historical and current rituals of many cultures and how each deals with death.
Justification for Nomination:
Penny Colman uses her pages and pages of sources to convey to the younger population how to understand death and dying. She skillfully uses her clear writing and descriptive pictures to educate children on the rituals of burial from other cultures and also from this country throughout history.
The book is divided into various chapters that all have something to do with burials and death. She includes personal anecdotes about her feelings when her father and brother passed away to allow the reader to understand and identify with her. She also includes pictures of their death certificates and cremation certificates to illustrate what happens after death. One chapter is entirely about what happens to the body after death and details some practices that are common such as autopsies and embalming.
Colman stimulates thoughts with her unusual facts from history such as wakes being first introduced for the purpose of making sure someone was really dead before they were buried. While this subject may seem odd for this age-group, the factual and poignant way that Colman writes creates a reading evironment in which the teen can absorb the information without feeling like they were creeped out or scared.
The entire book is bias-free with Colman focusing on many cultures throughout history and the world. She mentions Christians, Hindis, Jews, Eastern Europeans, Austrailians, Native Americans, and many others. Any reader will learn more than they ever wanted to know about death is this short book that with its large print and multitudes of pictures is clearly made for children and teens. There is even a list of famous graves that she includes in the back if the reader feels so inclined as to visit them.
This book will help anyone who has ever had anyone die close to them understand the history of death and show how crazy some people are when it comes to death.
Genre:
Nonfiction/History/Fascinating Facts
Colman, Penny. Corpses, Coffins, and Crypts: A History of Burial. New York: Henry Holt and Company, Inc., 1997. Print.
Annotation:
Using personal examples, photographs, and extensive research, the author outlines the historical and current rituals of many cultures and how each deals with death.
Justification for Nomination:
Penny Colman uses her pages and pages of sources to convey to the younger population how to understand death and dying. She skillfully uses her clear writing and descriptive pictures to educate children on the rituals of burial from other cultures and also from this country throughout history.
The book is divided into various chapters that all have something to do with burials and death. She includes personal anecdotes about her feelings when her father and brother passed away to allow the reader to understand and identify with her. She also includes pictures of their death certificates and cremation certificates to illustrate what happens after death. One chapter is entirely about what happens to the body after death and details some practices that are common such as autopsies and embalming.
Colman stimulates thoughts with her unusual facts from history such as wakes being first introduced for the purpose of making sure someone was really dead before they were buried. While this subject may seem odd for this age-group, the factual and poignant way that Colman writes creates a reading evironment in which the teen can absorb the information without feeling like they were creeped out or scared.
The entire book is bias-free with Colman focusing on many cultures throughout history and the world. She mentions Christians, Hindis, Jews, Eastern Europeans, Austrailians, Native Americans, and many others. Any reader will learn more than they ever wanted to know about death is this short book that with its large print and multitudes of pictures is clearly made for children and teens. There is even a list of famous graves that she includes in the back if the reader feels so inclined as to visit them.
This book will help anyone who has ever had anyone die close to them understand the history of death and show how crazy some people are when it comes to death.
Genre:
Nonfiction/History/Fascinating Facts
6/14/11
Review Three: Coming of Age
Citation:
Peters, Julie Anne. Define "Normal". New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2000. Print.
Annotation:
Antonia is the kind of girl who fades into the shadows as she does everything that she's told, but then her world is thrown off course by Jazz, a rebellious "punk", who Antonia is assigned to peer counsel for school. Their differences collide, but only briefly until they both realize that no one is "normal".
Justification for Nomination:
While the story of a good girl meets bad girl and they overcome their differences has been done many times in movies and other novels, this one has a little something unusual. Jazz is caked in black makeup and purple hair, and yet, her family is wealthy and caring. Antonia is a straight-A student with a perfect attendance record who runs her household alone while her mother copes with mental illness. She takes care of her younger brothers and makes sure that her mother eats. The plot was paced perfectly to make the events seem real to the reader. Jazz and Antonia don't trust each other too quickly. Antonia doesn't keep her family together like she thinks she can. The progressive action works also for the novel. Everything flows together smoothly. The surprises aren't jostling or ridiculous. The ending was statisfying and even may have come too quickly.
Peters creates two main characters with flawed and loveable personalities. Jazz is sassy and funny,but also cares deeply for her parents, though she will never show it, and for Antonia. And Antonia tries to seem so perfect to outsiders, but in reality she's just as insecure and hopeful as any of us. Teen girls will really identify with these two characters.
The style of the writing and the typeface make this novel a very quick read. Peters uses some elegant language, but most of it is quickly absorbed and not mulled over. The type is large and each page is undaunting for even the most distracted teen. The dialogue was forced and unnatural in some places which is a slight bruise on the pure flesh of this novel. Peters stays away from any kind of imagery or figurative language which makes the novel geared more toward the younger teens of middle school or early high school. The tone is never condescending or hard to decipher.
This novel is wonderful in every sense of the word. It has everything that a YA novel should to appeal to its audience: loss of innocence, "a moral compass", independence, friendship, and memorable characters. Any age would be happy to devour this novel.
Genre:
Coming of Age Novel / Search for Identity
Peters, Julie Anne. Define "Normal". New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2000. Print.
Annotation:
Antonia is the kind of girl who fades into the shadows as she does everything that she's told, but then her world is thrown off course by Jazz, a rebellious "punk", who Antonia is assigned to peer counsel for school. Their differences collide, but only briefly until they both realize that no one is "normal".
Justification for Nomination:
While the story of a good girl meets bad girl and they overcome their differences has been done many times in movies and other novels, this one has a little something unusual. Jazz is caked in black makeup and purple hair, and yet, her family is wealthy and caring. Antonia is a straight-A student with a perfect attendance record who runs her household alone while her mother copes with mental illness. She takes care of her younger brothers and makes sure that her mother eats. The plot was paced perfectly to make the events seem real to the reader. Jazz and Antonia don't trust each other too quickly. Antonia doesn't keep her family together like she thinks she can. The progressive action works also for the novel. Everything flows together smoothly. The surprises aren't jostling or ridiculous. The ending was statisfying and even may have come too quickly.
Peters creates two main characters with flawed and loveable personalities. Jazz is sassy and funny,but also cares deeply for her parents, though she will never show it, and for Antonia. And Antonia tries to seem so perfect to outsiders, but in reality she's just as insecure and hopeful as any of us. Teen girls will really identify with these two characters.
The style of the writing and the typeface make this novel a very quick read. Peters uses some elegant language, but most of it is quickly absorbed and not mulled over. The type is large and each page is undaunting for even the most distracted teen. The dialogue was forced and unnatural in some places which is a slight bruise on the pure flesh of this novel. Peters stays away from any kind of imagery or figurative language which makes the novel geared more toward the younger teens of middle school or early high school. The tone is never condescending or hard to decipher.
This novel is wonderful in every sense of the word. It has everything that a YA novel should to appeal to its audience: loss of innocence, "a moral compass", independence, friendship, and memorable characters. Any age would be happy to devour this novel.
Genre:
Coming of Age Novel / Search for Identity
6/6/11
Review Two: Graphic Novel
Citation:
Hale, Dean and Shannon.Calamity Jack. Illus. Nathan Hale. New York: Bloomsbury, 2010. Print.
Annotation:
This graphic novel is a version of Jack and The Beanstalk in which Jack, a former petty thief, tries to rescue his widowed mother from the hands of a giant, impress Rupunzel, and find his own way to the right path of life.
Justification for Nomination:
This visually stimulating and heart-warming story will keep the attention of even the smallest attention span of a teen. Jack is a likeable and heroic character who conveys his thoughts in sarcastic side comments throughout the story. While the story is a familiar one, the new additions such as the ant people who have taken over the city and Jack's fairy-friend Pru take the fairy tale to a new level that has never been attempted. The story is fast-moving and the text is easily understood. Some of the name-calling may cause some eye-rolling with their corniness, but they may also illict a chuckle or smirk. The reader does not have to have any prior knowledge to Jack and the Beanstalk to follow the story though it does make it more interesting to compare the original with the Hales' interpretation.
The illustrations in this novel were the best part by far. They were vivid with color and action that moved the story along even if there weren't any text at all. The characters were constistant and engaging. It is evident that each panel was carefully constructed and drawn to aid the story in its overall message. The brightness of the colors and the unusual look of the giant and Rupunzel gave this novel the push it needed to overcome the slight weakness in the text.
The storyline was very "teen-friendly" with its concepts of love and growing up. Also, the idea of rescuing Jack's mother and changing his thieving ways for Rupunzel's love speak to the teen crowd. Jack has to come to terms with the knowledge that his girl may not like the real person he is and he has to decide if it would be better if she knew the truth or not. Teens will enjoy the thought of Jack having to save the one adult in charge of him from a giant.
This graphic novel is easy to read and understand without much thought. It would be the perfect book for someone who doesn't normally read a lot of graphic novels. The thoughtful images and compelling story make this sweet tale a must-read for any teen looking for a light read.
Genre:
Graphic Novel/Romance/Coming-of-Age
Hale, Dean and Shannon.Calamity Jack. Illus. Nathan Hale. New York: Bloomsbury, 2010. Print.
Annotation:
This graphic novel is a version of Jack and The Beanstalk in which Jack, a former petty thief, tries to rescue his widowed mother from the hands of a giant, impress Rupunzel, and find his own way to the right path of life.
Justification for Nomination:
This visually stimulating and heart-warming story will keep the attention of even the smallest attention span of a teen. Jack is a likeable and heroic character who conveys his thoughts in sarcastic side comments throughout the story. While the story is a familiar one, the new additions such as the ant people who have taken over the city and Jack's fairy-friend Pru take the fairy tale to a new level that has never been attempted. The story is fast-moving and the text is easily understood. Some of the name-calling may cause some eye-rolling with their corniness, but they may also illict a chuckle or smirk. The reader does not have to have any prior knowledge to Jack and the Beanstalk to follow the story though it does make it more interesting to compare the original with the Hales' interpretation.
The illustrations in this novel were the best part by far. They were vivid with color and action that moved the story along even if there weren't any text at all. The characters were constistant and engaging. It is evident that each panel was carefully constructed and drawn to aid the story in its overall message. The brightness of the colors and the unusual look of the giant and Rupunzel gave this novel the push it needed to overcome the slight weakness in the text.
The storyline was very "teen-friendly" with its concepts of love and growing up. Also, the idea of rescuing Jack's mother and changing his thieving ways for Rupunzel's love speak to the teen crowd. Jack has to come to terms with the knowledge that his girl may not like the real person he is and he has to decide if it would be better if she knew the truth or not. Teens will enjoy the thought of Jack having to save the one adult in charge of him from a giant.
This graphic novel is easy to read and understand without much thought. It would be the perfect book for someone who doesn't normally read a lot of graphic novels. The thoughtful images and compelling story make this sweet tale a must-read for any teen looking for a light read.
Genre:
Graphic Novel/Romance/Coming-of-Age
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