My Annotated Bibliography

Jennifer Sherman

Annotated Bibliography

McCaughrean, Geraldine. (2006). Cyrano. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc. 0152058052.

In this piece of adolescent literature, McCaughrean recreates the renowned play that Edmond Rostand wrote 100 years ago.  The story goes back over 400 years ago in Paris, France. It follows the character of Cyrano de Bergerac, a renowned poet and swordsman who falls in love with a beautiful woman named Roxane. Cyrano longs to be with the aristocratic and eloquent Roxane. However, he feels that he is too ugly to win her love. For despite Cyrano’s magic with words, his astounding wit, and his flawless sword fighting skills, Cyrano is cursed with having an ugly and rather large nose. He is cursed with the belief that he is simply not good enough to be with the woman who deserves and owns his heart. Yet, that does not stop Cyrano from expressing his love and winning Roxane over. It just means that he must do it through different means. When Cyrano learns that Roxane has feelings for the attractive yet dimwitted Christian, he decides to be the voice within Christian’s body.  Cyrano writes his love poetry and letters. He speaks to her with eloquent rhymes and words of adoration. But he does it all behind the mask of Christian’s beauty and name.  Soon Roxane is head over heels for Christian. But is she in love with his face or his mind? Where does Roxane’s heart truly lie and will she find out about Cyrano’s role in her relationship? This book recaptures the lyrical and romantic nature of the time period as it brings its readers to a time when sword fighting and poetry were the ways of the upper class. It recreates the suspense, the beauty, and the drama that were part of the original classic of Cyrano de Bergerac.

Rowling, J K. (1998). Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. New York: Scholastic Press. 0590353403.

Since it was published more than a decade ago, Harry Potter has taken over the book industry by storm. All seven books have been read over and over again by millions. Movies, action figures, and everything in between have been created and adapted based on the beloved character of Harry Potter. This is the book that started it all. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone takes its readers back to the moment when Harry is visited by the giant Hagrid who gives him a letter that takes him away from the lonely world of the Muggles to the adventurous land of wizardry, magic, and mysterious creatures. The book begins Harry’s stay at The Hogwart School of Witchcraft and follows him as he begins to piece together the puzzle about where he came from, who he is, and what it means to be a wizard. Readers will be turning the pages to find out about why Harry has a scar on his forehead, how he ended up in the unmagical world of the Muggles, and if Harry can find a way to protect the powerful Sorcerer’s stone from evil’s hands. Rowling does an excellent job of describing and developing this fantastical world of wizardry and wonder that readers will feel as though they are looking out into their own backyards.

Shusterman, Neal. (2007). Unwind. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young. 1416912045.

This novel takes its readers to the time of the second civil war. This time, instead of a battle over slavery, the citizens are fighting over the legality of abortion. Abortion has been declared illegal, but in order to appease those in opposition, it has become legal for parents to elect to have their children “unwound” at the age of 13. In this process, the children are killed and all of their body parts are harvested, thus continuing their life in someone else. Yet, this compromise does not end the war. Now it is time for the children to fight back. Unwind takes the perspectives of three different teenagers who are on their way to the harvesting camp as they battle to save their lives. This fast-paced and thought-provoking novel forces its readers to question the meaning of life and who has the authority to dictate that meaning. It is a well-written novel that is sure to bring its readers at the edge of their seat, flooded with questions and bursting with a desire to fight back.

Swanson, James. (2009). Chasing Lincoln’s Killer. New York: Scholastic Press.0439903548.

Chasing Lincoln’s Killer is the young adult version of Swanson’s bestselling nonfiction piece Manhunt. Just like its predecessor, it takes its readers through the 12-day search to find President Lincoln’s killer, John Wilkes Booth, after he shot Lincoln at Ford Theater. The book acts as a narrative, as it goes inside the minds and actions of several of the characters, giving the readers an inside look into each moment from  Lincoln’s victory speech to Wilkes’ death.  Readers will become engaged in the climatic buildup and the intricate details of Wilkes’ desire for redemption and his ultimate demise. Complete with actual dialogue and breathtaking photos, the book provides a thorough and accurate account of one of the nation’s most significant moments in history. It is an accessible nonfiction piece that engrosses its readers as it they are reading the story for the very first time.

Book Review for Sleeping Beauty written by Adele Geras and illustrated by Christian Birmingham

Watch my VoiceThread to learn about Geras' enchanted version of this renownned fairy tale!



Geras, Adele. (2003). Sleeping beauty. New York: Scholastic, Inc. 9780439581806.

Response to American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Jennifer Sherman

Graphic Novels

Response to American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

American Born Chinese is an easy read. It is a graphic novel that is set up like a comic book. The pictures are quite simplistic, with very little going on except for the illustrations of the characters and the bubbles that show what they are saying. There is not much to be gained from the pictures in the book. Most of the plot development is done through the characters’ dialogue. A reader can easily ignore the pictures and move through the book very quickly without getting lost or confused about the development of the storyline. The dialogue is also quite simple. The word choice is very basic and the plot is easy to follow. There is nothing about this book that makes it challenging to read or inaccessible. It is a book that is very nonthreatening.

With that being said, I believe that it is the perfect book for readers who are disengaged.  It is easy to follow and comprehend. There are very little words to a page. The plot is interesting and the narrative is very humorous. While some jokes may take a bit more time to understand and may require the readers to pay closer attention to the pictures and their interpretations, once a reader notices these jokes, they become more apt to look closer as they read. I will admit that I was skimming through the book quite quickly until I missed the picture where Chin-Kee was peeing in the coke can. When I realized that I missed this, I forced myself to start over and to begin reading the book again. I had cast the pictures off as superfluous. However, the pictures were often what added to the humorous tone of the piece. While they may not have been needed to understand the plot, they were an important part of the overall experience of the narrative.

However, a book is not great for disengaged readers simply because it is easy and fun to read. What makes this book so great is its ability to be so accessible and still hold literary merit. For while the book is simplistic and not very challenging to read, it introduces themes that are incredibly important and difficult to grapple with. While the book may be easy to page through, its content is not as simplistic. The book brings up ideas and situations that are important and often difficult to address. Yet, by putting these ideas in such a simplistic form, it puts these complicated and often uncomfortable ideas into focus. It makes profound themes and questions more accessible and easy to understand and to actively think about.

The book has a clear theme that is focused on identity. There were several storylines that were at first unconnected; however, all of them dealt with the idea of accepting yourself. The first story of the Monkey King was about the monkey’s inability to accept his monkey form. He became upset when the rest of the Gods mocked him because he was not wearing shoes and he was not as cultivated as the rest of them. This forced him to be ashamed of his own form. He went back to his island and forced all the monkeys to wear shoes. He was no longer the great ruler that his monkey followers had loved and accepted. He dedicated his days to becoming the strongest form possible so that he could overthrow the rest of the Gods.  However, he eventually turned back into his monkey form so that he was small enough to escape a giant boulder that the Creator had buried him under. He learned that there were advantages to his monkey form. He learned who he was and what he was meant to be.

The main story of Jin/Danny was also focused on not accepting your differences and forcing the opinions of others to be infiltrated into your own thoughts and idea of identity.  Jin enters into school as the only Asian student, besides one another girl who is assumed to be his betrothed. He feels isolated from the rest of the students because he is different. When one student tells him to stay away from a girl he has been seeing, he assumes that it is because he is Asian, and he decides to transform himself into a white boy named Danny. He does transform; however his “asianness” still haunts him in the form of Chin-kee, his mysterious estranged cousin.

  I loved the character of Chin-Kee. I think that he was representative of the book as a whole as he was able to encapsulate this idea of taking on a difficult topic though a humorous or accessible venue. Chin-Kee acts as the culmination of Danny’s fears. He is the prototype of all Asian stereotypes. He is an excellent student, he is uncivilized, he sees woman as being property to be married and owned, he eats cats, obeys authority, etc. Chin-Kee is embarrassing. He is everything that Danny is trying to escape. In essence, he is the identity that Danny/Jin is attempting to be leaving behind. For while Chin-Kee is clearly not representative of Asian identity, for Jin, he is the manifestation of everything that he has become to believe is being Asian. Yet, he cannot shake him. He can separate himself from Chin-Kee. Chin-Kee haunts Jin/Danny and makes him think that the other students are not accepting of him. Danny/Jin leaves school because he thinks that people no longer like him because of Chin-Kee.

Chin-Kee is funny. He dances to songs by Ricky Martin and pees in cups. However, he is also a very complicated and thought-provoking character. He brings up questions about stereotypes and how they affect both the people who believe in them and the people they are placed upon. We are able to see how Danny/Jin has started to view being Asian. As Chin-Kee becomes the Asian identity that he is trying to displace, we see how Jin’s idea of what it means to be Asian has been transformed and altered by the views and opinions of others. He has begun to believe in these stereotypes. I loved how the book left it up for interpretation whether or not Danny/Jin’s friends were truly against him because of his differences or if this was just in Danny/Jin’s head. Did his friend not want him to date the girl because he was Asian? Did the people at the schools really not like Danny because of his cousin Chin-Kee? In the end, I do not think it really matters. The point is that the existence of these stereotypes and these surroundings have forced Jin/Danny to view the world this way. They have forced him to not accept himself and to want to adapt to his surroundings.

There were also many subplots within the stories that added to this theme. One of my favorites was the parable that Jin’s mother told him about the boy whose mother moved him around to different places, a marketplace, a cemetery, and a university. At the marketplace and the cemetery, the boy was engaging in fruitless behavior where he was mimicking his surroundings, selling sticks, burning incense, etc. The mother then moved him by a university where he started throwing himself into books. This story introduced the idea of the effect of context and power of one’s environment and surroundings. The son began to learn his way of life through his surroundings. He began to create an identity or a life that was based on the situations that he saw and was exposed to everyday. The mother believed that it was important to go to school and to get an education, so she moved her son near a school so that he would do that. I think that this sets up a question of why immigrants move here and the priorities that Jin’s mother puts on him. If a person is supposed to adapt to their surroundings, is Jin supposed to turn himself into the “whiteness” that he desires?  Does Jin have the power to not conform or is the environment simply too strong to resist? Is it possible to retain one’s authentic identity or are we always transforming ourselves to fit with our surroundings, just like the transformer toys that Jin loves so much?

This story opens up questions about assimilation and conformity. However, it also introduces ideas about societal and familial pressure. I think that it becomes clear that Jin is not the only one that is putting pressure on him to find an identity. His parents clearly have expectations for him.  His environment also has expectations for him as well, as they ask him and the other “different” people to conform. It is no longer acceptable to eat strange, exotic food or to have black hair that does not spike up like a crown. Jin is being affected by his surroundings just as if he was living in a cemetery or a marketplace. It becomes a question of how much of his frustrations with identity are from his own insecurities or from other societal pressures. And is there really a difference? How much of ourselves is innate to us and how much is built through the environment we expose ourselves to?

In conclusion, I loved this book. I thought that was it was fun to read. I laughed aloud on the bus as I turned the pages. But I was also moved by its content. I think that this book can be read in so many different ways. Even now, I have reread it numerous times, and I find something different each time that I read. The book is short and a quick read. However, it is very dense. There is so much that one can grab onto and I think that it is impossible to not be filled with questions and a new look at the world and one’s own identity when reading this book. I was touched as a reader as I read this book on so many different levels and I believe that this is one book that truly does not have a target audience. It is meant for all.

Response to The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Jennifer Sherman
Graphic Novels

Response to The Arrival by Shaun Tan

As graphic novels have grown in popularity in recent years, I have ventured to read a few. While I found them interesting and fun to read, I have never come across one that I felt really bore any literary quality. I have never come across one that I felt was worthy to even be called real literature. Sure, I thought that they were a fun way to get kids to open a book and start the process of reading. I could see how they had the potential to get students exposed to the idea of narrative and how to tell and interpret a story. However, most graphic novels that I read came off as comic strips or funnies from the newspapers to me. That is, until I read The Arrival by Shaun Tan.

The first thing that set The Arrival apart from other graphic novels that I have read was its pictures. Unlike the other books that I read, this one did not have pictures that were cartoons or comic book-like in nature. Instead, this book had pictures that were very life-like. Rather than using the frames of shots or scenes that are drawn in fluorescent colors, this book used charcoal colors, gray, black, and white, to create its images. It made the book almost appear like a documentary. It was like we were following the character’s actions and travels through a series of still frames that were taken on the journey. I got the sense that these people were being followed. They were being documented. It was as if they were part of a history record or that they had to be watched and recorded as they were being accounted for as they entered the new country. I felt like the pictures were keeping a trail on the characters. For me, this made the book seem more authentic. It gave the book a much more serious tone that I felt was carried out throughout the plot development and messages of its content. As the book showed an immigrant entering another country, it took on a more historical content that I think fit well with these types of pictures.

I also thought that the pictures were very beautifully and artfully crafted. I loved their simplicity and their honesty. Everything was very minimalist, with a concentration on the people and their expressions. I thought it was amazing how much could be told just by the facial expressions of the characters. In the beginning, we can see the sadness in the families’ eyes. We begin to know that they are going to be separated before we see the man get on the boat. We can see the anxiety in the immigrants’ faces as they are being inspected. We can see the frustration in the main character’s face when he is trying to communicate with the other people in the town. Without even seeing the other characters or hearing their discussion, we are able to know that his efforts are unsuccessful just by the look on his face. I thought that this was amazing. It brought real meaning to the idea that a picture can hold a thousand words.

Furthermore, I felt that this focus on facial expressions created this instant connection between the characters and the reader. Because we were able to understand the story based on his expressions, we were instantly exposed to the human connection that existed between us. Our languages, backgrounds, religions, and cultures may be different, but our expressions and our feelings are the same. While, as readers, we may have been unaware of what exactly this man’s story was or what was even going on with him at that moment, we were still able to understand his feelings. Because we were able to connect to his sentiments, we were able to know the heart of his story. We were able to know what mattered. I felt that this focus on the human expression highlighted this universal bond that all people share and that many people fail to see when they concentrate on the differences that exist. In the end, it is important to know that while we may seem as though our differences make it impossible to coexist, we are fundamentally the same. We are all human beings. We all smile. We all cry. We all long to be loved and accepted.

I was amazed at how much the pictures were able to tell a story. They were able to capture all of the essential elements of the story, as they built on theme, suspense, plot, and character development. From the very first page I was taken aback when I was looking at the items that the man was packing. I saw the picture of this family, the hat, and the kettle. These things made sense to me. However, when I saw the paper bird, I was confused. I started to wonder if the family was going together or it was the man that was just leaving. As I was focused on this confusion, I forgot about the bird until I saw it come back at the end of the chapter when the father gave it to his daughter. This moment made me stop for a second. I was simply impressed at the author’s ability to use these pictures to create this suspense. The bird acted as an element of foreshadowing. It had the ability to simultaneously peak interest and give clarity to the plot of the story.

As I navigated through the pictures, I had to focus on every last detail, as I had no way of knowing what was important or essential to the plot of story. I had to navigate my way through the pictures and become a very active reader. Unlike in many other books where I feel I can fall back and ride on the coattails of the words to enter the story, this book made we work to read it. I had to analyze and reflect on each picture in order to make meaning. I had to see that set of pictures on the first page, and realize and wonder, why that bird did not fit with the rest. I think that this is simply an amazing way to build the skills that an active reader needs through what seems like a very easy an accessible task. A picture book seems nonthreatening, but in fact, it demands much more from the reader than many other books do.

The pictures did a great job of at showing the confusion of the character as they created this world filled with foreign and unknown objects and animals. As the character did not know what these objects or creatures were, they were depicted in a very odd and unrecognizable shape. What really struck me was the ability for the book to put the reader into the exact same position as the characters. This is where I thought that the picture book form really shined. I do not think that this connection could have been captured in any other form. Because the book required such an active reading, it often left the reader in a state of confusion. We had no background knowledge or guidance as to what was happening. We had no way of knowing what was being said, where we were, or what was going on. I loved that. I loved that we were just thrown into the book, forced to muddle our way through it and to find some sort of meaning.

Just like the character, we could not use words to understand. He could not understand what the other people were saying, and we could not hear the words. We both had to rely on our ability to decode foreign objects in order to create meaning. Once again, the only thing that we could really hold on to for meaning, were the facial expressions of the people. There were very little images in the background that were distinct or common. Even when they were objects that could be recognized like the paper bird, we had to decode these objects and figure out why they were significant. We had to make our own meaning as we struggled to make sense of the world. The ability for this book to create this sense of isolation was breathtakingly effective. I thought that this was the greatest asset of the book. It was what made it stand out as a respected piece of literature. It allowed the reader to have a more authentic experience, as they began to take on the perspective of the immigrant on their arrival to a new and unknown land.

Winter Girls Book Review

Jennifer Sherman
Book Review

Anderson, Laurie Halse. (2009). Wintergirls. New York: Penguin Group Publishing. 9780142415573.

From the very first sentence, we are brought inside Lia’s world. From the very first page we are thrown into Lia’s thoughts. We are manipulated by Lia’s concerns. We are consumed by Lia’s struggles and emotions. The line between where this high school student ends and the reader begins suddenly becomes blurred once the reader opens the door to Wintergirls.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson follows the story of an eighteen year old girl who is struggling with anorexia, cutting, and loss. It is told through the main character, Lia’s perspective as the reader is granted access to the thoughts that even the character herself cannot admit to.

The narration begins the day that Lia finds out that her best friend Cassie has died. We find out that Cassie died alone in a motel room. Was it suicide? Murder? Or something else? The cause of death is not revealed; however, what is revealed is that Cassie had called Lia several times before she died. The two girls had not spoken for months, as Cassie had decided that Lia was not good for her. Cassie did not want Lia’s struggles with anorexia and cutting to affect her life anymore, so she let Lia go. But why was she calling her? What did she want? And how can Lia live with the fact that she did not answer the phone?

Readers are granted an all access pass into every corner of Lia’s mind. We are able to watch as she covers up her weight loss every Tuesday at her stepmother’s weekly weigh-in. We are able to feel how detached she has felt from her mom Dr. Marrigan as she has always felt like just another one of her patients instead of a daughter. We are able to count each calorie, to feel each prick of a knife against her skin, and to fight against each thought or craving for food. As readers, we become more than an outsider looking in, we become the person that is going "to burn away my leg muscles until the sun comes up to exercise moderately for twenty minutes so I‘ll sleep better” (99). We become the person that is so withdrawn from her own life and desires that she has to edit her own thoughts in order to live with herself and continue to push forward in the world that she has created.

The character complexity of this book is amazing. Although the story is written through Lia’s point of view, we are allowed to see the unreliability and the flaws in Lia’s thinking. This is not only done though Lia’s crossing out of her initial reactions, which gives us insight into how her thoughts and actions are not always correlated. It is also done though the scenes with her mother, father, and her stepfamily. We are able to see what Lia cannot allow herself to see: her mother’s attempts at helping her, her father’s love, her stepmother’s feeling of helplessness and her concern for how Lia is affecting her stepsister Emma as well. This book’s ability to construct the readers in a way that makes them identify with Lia’s struggles, to not want to eat that cupcake and to lose that next pound, at the same time that they see the harm and the unhealthiness of these actions is amazing. The book is able to create that tension between desire and restraint, between will and want, between reality and construction. The book is able to position its readers as an outsider and insider simultaneously. Lia becomes more than just a patient or a girl in need. The readers become disoriented as Lia’s world and the real world become intertwined in their juxtaposition.

How will Lia move on? How will she get past the guilt of Cassie’s death? How will she find reality once again? Or will she be trapped forever, lost between life and death, as a winter girl?

“You’re not dead, but you’re not alive, either. You’re a winter girl, Lia-Lia, caught in between the worlds. You’re a ghost with a beating heart” (196).

Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Armstrong

Jennifer Sherman
Literary Nonfiction
Response to Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World
When I opened Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World, I will admit that I was burdened with a bit of hesitation. I have never been excited to read nonfiction. Often times, people have recommended nonfiction books to me that have been glamorized into a narrative form that makes it not only readable but incredibly interesting. However, I still have never really found a nonfiction book that I could not put down. I have never found one that I have connected to. Now I would be lying if I said that I was absolutely enthralled by this book. However, I can honestly admit that I enjoyed it. There were moments when I didn’t want to put the book down. I craved to know what was going to happen next. I wanted to know how the ship was going to fall apart, what was going to happen to the dogs, how they were going to avoid freezing to death, and all the adventures along the way.

I was told from the beginning that all of these men were going to survive. At first I thought that this would detract from the suspense. I think often times nonfiction book lose their appeal because the readers know what is going to happen next. However, I did not find that with this book. If anything, knowing that they were all going to survive, attracted me more. I simply couldn’t believe. As I continued along I found myself doubting the validity of this book as I was astonished that they were going to make it out of this. I needed to read more.

One of the elements of the book that made it interesting for me, was its inside access technique. The author frequently threw in rather and strange and interesting tidbits about the expedition that were humorous and intriguing. Moments such as when Hudson entered the party in a bed sheet with a teapot on his head were little side bar moments that provided a necessary good-hearted distraction from the building of suspense and the daunting historical element of the book.

I entered this book knowing nothing about Antarctic or expeditions in general. Yet, this book attracted me with its historical content. It was written in a way that was fast-moving and interesting. Most importantly, I felt that if framed me as a reader really well. Books like this one that take place in a foreign and unfamiliar setting need to be set up well enough that the readers can picture what is going on. It is very easy for readers to lose interest in a book as they cannot visualize what is going on because the ideas are too foreign. So much of this book was dedicated to the actual maneuvers of the shift and their forms of attack against the cold and brutal conditions. This setting could have been completely alien to me. However, the author provided the right amount of background knowledge to give me enough of a foundation to understand what was happening.

The book started off with the “Just Imagine” statement that instantly brought us to the situation and the setting. It read, “Cold air masses sliding down the sides of the glaciers speed up until they become winds close to 200 miles…It is truly the most hostile environment this side of the moon” (1). These first few pages first put us in the environment. They described the setting and piqued our interests my giving us an idea of the situation. At the same time, these pages also gave us as the readers the background information needed to understand what was going on, why these explores were venturing off, and the risks that were at stake. I felt that the book did a very nice job of giving the readers a mix of setting and situation in order to orient the reader enough to enjoy the narrative without overwhelming them with too much, perhaps, incomprehensible, information.

This use of background information was utilized throughout the work, as the author sprinkled paragraphs of necessary background information that added intrigue to the story. A couple of examples of this were the discussion o of past expeditions and the common rise of mutiny (62-4) and the look at the history of how astronomers and explores have learned to tell an time and direction (72-75). These paragraphs went beyond the specific exploration in order to give some needed context for how these expedition compared to the others. They also added more interest to the book because they set up the idea of how devastating and common mutiny can be or how difficult and vital it is to keep track of time and direction. Both pieces of information added to the suspense of the narrative as a whole at the same time they taught the readers about explorations.

There were also several themes that I felt were well portrayed and thought-provoking in the narrative. I thought that the discussion of survival and its connection with companionship was very well developed. The book often looked at the need to stay together in order to make it. There was no allowance for mutiny or disagreement as they were forced to rely on one another in order to make it to the next day. It was interesting how the need for survival became the number one priority and everything else was of little importance. It was interesting to get that inside look at what it means to be faced with death and how they changes your way of life, your thought processes and your priories. I thought the moment when they were forced to discard all of their personal belongings was touching. It was interesting how Shackleton led the group and developed that camaraderie by being the first one to shed his gold off onto the sea. It was also heart wrenching to read about them throwing away their photographs of their loved ones. Yet, still they attempted to keep as many photographs of the trip as possible. Making history became more important than remembering the past.

Finally, I would like to mention a bit about the ending of the book. The book left the readers with the idea of giving up and moving on. It ends with Shackleton dying and holding on to the one thing that he could not do: the Antarctic. Shackleton never finished his trip. He never reached his goal and it haunted him to his death. This idea was an interesting way to end the book as made me think about the idea of ghosts. For while nobody died on this expedition, I think that many of them were affected in such a way that they were never quite the same. Shackleton was clearly consumed and driven by his desire to conquer the Antarctic. He would, and in a sense did, give up his life for it. Perhaps his priories were changed forever by this expedition. Perhaps, we can never be the same when that elusive dream is left unattained.

Response to Graveyard Book

Jennifer Sherman
Fantasy

Response to The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The only book that I have ever opened and failed to finish was Harry Potter. It was many years ago, before the movies and the immense popularity. Over the years, as I have heard about how amazing these book are, I have often thought that I should return to that book. I have hoped that I have grown as a reader and that I could invest myself into this new creative land and I could connect to the honor and the adventure of Harry Potter. After reading the Graveyard Book, I’m beginning to think that I might just not have it in me.

When I started this book, I was intrigued. I liked the mystery that was set up with the man Jack. I instantly wondered why is he called “the man”? Why is he killing this family? When the boy moved into the graveyard, I suspended my disbelief. I was able to adopt this new world and I was able to visualize this setting. I could see the ghosts deliberating about whether or not to keep the child. I could buy into the fact that the Owens were able to take care of him and give him the Freedom of the Graveyard. I even was intrigued about Silas. I believed that he was able to live with the dead and the alive, and thus he was able to negotiate between the needs of Bod and the needs of the ghosts. I was also intrigued about who he was and what he was. For the first 100 pages, I entered inside this world. However, as soon as I had invested myself into the fantasy, I found myself slipping away.

I simply could not get into this book. I don’t think that it was the fantastical setting, as I was interested in how this world was created. I enjoyed reading about the creation of the setting, how the ghosts functioned and lived, how it differed from the world that I know, and how these people went about their everyday. I loved looking at life through a different lens. I think that creating this fantastical world allowed for a more investment in the book because if forced me as a reader to completely invest myself into the narrative. In order to buy into a fantasy book, you have to let the world consume you. I feel like other books allow for more wiggle room and detachment. I think that I can read a realistic fiction book and I can look for themes and character development. I can analyze the entire book and yet not have fully entered that book. Yet, with a fantasy book, I think that in order to really gain anything from the story, you have to let the world take over your mind and you have to leave the real world in order to enter the new one. You have to experience reading in its most purest and magical form.

With that being said, I suppose I was not fully able to enter. I found myself bored as we followed Bod into his miscellaneous adventures around the graveyard. I could not connect to all of the mini stories that were imbedded in the larger narrative about the ghouls, the witch, or the adventures inside the hill with the Sleer. I knew that Bod was not going to die, as these events were occurring in the middle of the book. Furthermore, I had a difficult time connecting with any of these characters. I kept missing the point of the narrative. With the scenes like the one with Liza the witch, I thought that it was an interesting moralistic tale about not judging a book by its cover or reinforcing stereotypes. However, beyond that I did not know how it added to the plot. It was really the same thing with the ghouls and the hill. While they were reintroduced at the end of the novel when Bod used them to get rid of the Jacks, I did not understand why so much time was dedicated to their discussion. What was the point of the Ivory man? Why could Scarlett see him? I felt like I was missing something as I was reading this and this just left me discontent and uninterested.

Despite my moments of disinterest, I did see ways in which this book utilized the literary techniques of suspense and mystery in order to push the plot forward and to attract the readers. I thought that the book did nicely by immediately engaging the readers. Immediately, we are taken to a scene with the man Jack who is killing these people that we do not know. Shortly thereafter, Bod enters the world of the dead. However, there is not a discussion of these murders until much later in the book. While I found the conclusion rather disappointing and I would have liked to have the mystery of Jack elaborated on throughout the book, I still hung onto each page wanting to know why Jack wanted to murder this family. I wanted to know if Jack was ever going to find Bod and what was going to happen. It was worth turning each page in between because I had that fuel of that mystery pushing me forward.

The ability to build up this suspense was demonstrated magnificently in the chapter entitled, “Every Man Jack.” In that chapter, Scarlett met a mysterious man in the grave who called himself Mr. Frost. Now immediately, as a reader we are to think that this is Jack. The title of the chapter set it up this way, let alone the fact that there is all of a sudden a man who is dusting off grave stones and taking and driving young girls home. However, then as the chapter went on, I began to doubt this assumption. When Scarlett asked him about the murder, I was screaming at the book to have her keep her mouth shut. Yet, then when Mr. Frost began to tell her truthful and detailed information about the murder, I thought that perhaps he was just a historian. Still, when Scarlett brought Bod to the house, I was again screaming at Bod, telling him that the man was going to kill him. However, then once again I saw the man actually taking out the board on the ground and I wondered if maybe he did want to show Bod something. But why did he keep asking if Bod was the baby? I am constantly going back and forth, screaming at the book and then reading forward to see if my screaming was misapplied. The chapter was crafted skillfully in slowly building on the suspense and positioning the reader in a state of disorientation.

Fantasy books are often used as a key outlet for discussing larger social issues. Because they take place in a world that could never actually exist, they become a safe ground for discussions of things that do actually exist that may be controversial if looked at more explicitly. I think that this book did utilize this approach in the sense that it imbedded larger and interesting themes into its development and plotline. It was very interesting to see the juxtaposition of the living and the dead. Throughout the book, they make the comment that the living and the dead are to remain separate. They cannot interact. On the night of the dance when they all came together, they could not even talk about it afterwards. When Bod pesters the ghosts about why they will not admit that they danced with the living the previous night, they say, “Because there are mysteries. Because there are things that people are forbidden to speak about. Because there are things they do not remember” (164).

This separation between the living and the dead brought about interesting ideas about multicultural lines and segregation. The two sets of people are too different to coexist. Yet, still they came together in that one dance and it was magical. Why can’t they coexist? Surely it is possible as Bod is able to interact with them and they are able to dance together on that one night. Is it physically impossible for them to be together or it is a mental distancing? Bod’s ability to live with the ghosts exemplifies an ability to enter into another world and to live with those that are different. Yet, at the end of the novel, even Scarlett proclaims to Bod, “You aren’t a person. People don’t behave like you. You’re as bad as them. You are a monster” (286). Scarlett sees something different in Bod. Yet, as readers we understand that he was protecting himself against the evil. Again, is Bod unhuman? Is he not able to live with both groups at the same time? Did living with the dead change him? Is Bod a monster? Or is Scarlett simply unable to accept the differences and to accept Bod for being who he is? The book raises these interesting questions. While it does not interject firm answers to them, I think that the main point is that it provides a point of access for these questions to be risen. The greatest form of critical thinking lies in the formation of questions.

Reponse to Skellig by David Almond

Jennifer Sherman
Fantasy
Response to Skellig by David Almond
I’m not sure I could describe the events that happened in Skellig. Honestly, it seems like nothing happened at all. A baby is sick and then the baby lives. The brother struggles with the baby’s illness and deals with how it affects his parents and himself. Essentially, that is what happens. And there aren’t even very many climatic moments where the baby’s life is in jeopardy or we question if she will survive or what is wrong with her. The story just simply continues. It is steady and persistent. It is absolutely wonderful.

When I finished this book, it seemed like I had just started it. The hours in between when I opened the first page and when I hesitantly closed the last, are lost to me. The story was so rhythmic. Because the events were so steady and “uneventful” the story just seemed to continue. I felt like the short chapters added to its unity, as they were so small that they were unable to signify any kind of separation. After three or four pages, another chapter would begin, and thus there was never really anywhere to stop. You could always read another chapter or two.

In stories that fail to have that clear rising action and moment of climax, there is usually a great deal of character development. These are the stories that talk about internal struggle or individual development. We seem to become the characters as we enter inside their brains and get to know them on an intensely personal level. However, with the characters in this book that was not the case. We really knew nothing about these characters that made them unique or dynamic. All we knew about the parents is that they were worried about their dying baby and they loved their children. We knew that the dad liked to make jokes and eat Chinese food. There was nothing about him that made him stand out from any other father or character. Even the unknown creature Skellig was not described in any way that made him unique. There was no description that made him easily visible to the reader’s eye. All we knew about him was that he had wings, he was skinny, and he liked to eat insects and Chinese food as well. We were never given a clear description of what he even looked like.

Through a few clues in the book, such as when they ask Michael who the prime minister is or the use of the word “bloody” we are told that it takes place in Britain. However, other than that we are not given a clear description of the setting. The story is even told in the first person and we do not know much about the main character. How old is he? What does he look like? There is nothing in this story that creates a concrete connection with the characters. There is no real character development.

Yet, I felt connected. I loved the description of the family. I loved the inside jokes about the father getting fat or how the parents teased Michael when he wanted to name the baby Persephone or how he presumably memorized the take out menu from the Chinese menu. I could feel the love that this family shared. The fight between the father and son was truly touching. The father screamed at him and told him that he wanted him to just go away. And then he came back and told him that he loved him. The moment was raw. It was special. Even though it seemed a bit normal or classic, it felt right. It felt real.

We may not know much about the characters, but I think that we know their hearts. We know as much as we need to know. Through Michael‘s narration we are given little character nuggets that teach us something about him. His simple descriptions like, “It was strange being at school again. Loads had happened to me, but school just stayed the same” (13) allow us to gauge his age and understand his complexity. Using basic words like “loads” that do not carry much descriptive certainty tells us that he is rather young. We are able to learn about his character though action instead of description. Even the way that the characters speak to him allows us to pinpoint his age. The way that the doctor tells him about how to heal arthritis by “cutting bits out and putting bits in” (67) tells us how others view his mental complexity.

The back of this book says that it is about Michael learning about the healing power of love, and I think that is what I got out of this book as well. When we meet Michael he resents the baby, because he had to move because of her and his parents are consumed by her, leaving him out in the dust. When he asks his mother about shoulder blades her first reaction is to simply walk away because she is concerned about the baby. While she eventually comes back and tells him about the angels and how shoulder blades are thought to be where are wings were, this shows how his relationship with his parents has shifted because of the new member of the family. Yet, through this shift, Michael still loves the baby. He can feel her heart beat in his own. He constantly prays for her and he asks Skellig to pray for her as well. The baby becomes part of him. She lives up to her name and brings joy to the family. At the end of the book when Michaels asks, “Can love help a person get better?” (161) I believe that he is synopsizing what this book is about. He is illustrating how faith and love can change a life.

When Michael met Skellig, he was fragile and weak. However, as he took care of him, Skellig grew strong and powerful. He was able to fly to the sister and perhaps guide her back to life, depending on what you view Skellig to be. No matter, he was able to stand on his own and dance with the children as they grew their own wings. It could be argued that it was the children’s love that gave him this strength. For years he was living with the old man, eating leftover Chinese boxes, barely clinging to life. Love brought him back.

This story does not really give any answers. At the end, we do not know who or what Skellig is. We do not know where he is going. We do not know if the children ever had wings. We do not know much more than we did in the very beginning. Yet, when I left this book, I did not feel like I needed to know anything. I did not feel like anything was left answered. This book instead showed me that I do not need answers. I do not need to know the exact description of Skellig or how old Michael is. I just need to be believe.

I felt like I gained so much from reading this book. In the very beginning of the book, Mina states, “Truth and dreams are always getting muddled” (52). This book exemplifies that quote. The lines between reality and fantasy are unclear. It is never certain if Skellig really exists or if everything is just a dream. Yet, in the end it does not really matter. It does not matter whether or not Michael was ever given wings or whether or not Skellig was an angel that came to help Michael and his sister. At the end of the day, Skellig helped Michael. Skellig taught Michael about love and acceptance. He helped him through this rough time in his life. I don’t care if he was real or not. What matters is the effect that he had. What matters is how he changed a life. What matters is that Michael believed.

Response to Luna by Julie Anne Peters

Jennifer Sherman
Multicultural Literature
Response to Luna by Julie Anne Peters
As I was reading Luna, I found myself looking forward to the scenes that were between Regan and Chris. While I was interested in Regan’s relationship with Liam and Luna and the family dynamics between them all, I have to admit that I kept turning the pages and lowering my eyes further down the pages in order to see when Chris was going to appear. However, as I connected to these sentimental scenes, I could not help but feel as though I shouldn’t. The book had a way of making me feel ashamed for looking forward to these scenes. At the same time that my heart melted when Chris was waiting for Regan at her locker, I also felt ridiculous for conforming to the stereotypical gender constructions that have been placed upon me. I felt like I was being the typical girl, getting excited over a cute teenage romance.

I felt as though I was being reduced to my prescribed femininity. According to societal norms, a girl likes reading about relationships. A girl likes to live in the clouds and dream about her Prince Charming. Of course she doesn’t have the sense to think about social issues and expectations and how she is shaped and formed by the ideals that are placed on her. I felt shallow for not being more interested in the unbearable struggles of Liam. I felt shallow for being more concerned about a high school crush than I was about the fact that my identity and sense of self may not be my own, as they are manipulated by the norms and expectations of society.

I think this reflection clearly shows that the book did open my eyes to my own thinking and ways of processing. It’s discussion of gender roles and how we adapt ourselves to the constructions that are made for us, made me much more aware, or perhaps less aware, of if my actions are independently my own or whether they are in a response to what I have been taught to do. The line between who I am and what I think I should be suddenly became very cloudy. I found myself questioning whether or not the fact that I wanted to find those relationship scenes between Regan and Chris was because that was something that I enjoyed or if it has been so ingrained in me that that is something that I should want to do and thus I think that I should do it. It is frightening to realize that you may not even have the ability to know what thoughts are truly your own and what thoughts have been manipulated and created by outside forces and expectations.

I thought that the book did a great job of outlining gender expectations from all different angles. The most transparent viewpoint was that of Liam and Luna. Here, Luna is trapped in a male body but yet she does not feel as though she should be. She does not want to conform to the gender stereotypes that are set out for being a boy. She wants to do what we have deemed girl activities and thus she must be a girl. What makes this interesting is the fact that Luna has to enter a girl’s body in order to engage in the behavior that she wishes to engage in. It is deemed unacceptable for Liam, a boy, to dance and paint his toenails. His father cannot accept the fact that he does not want to play baseball. The Materas are absolutely appalled that they find him singing and wearing nightgowns. They immediately assume that he must be insane and they ban Regan from babysitting there even though she has been there for years.

This brings into question if boys and girls really do have fundamental differences between them or if many of us are just too afraid or simply unable to fight against the expectations that are placed on us. It is assumed that because Liam is a boy that he should want to do boy things. Anything else is simply insane. Because he is a boy, he must “play to their [society’s] expectations. Dress the part. Act the role” (51). Being a boy is simply a role. Our gender comes with demands and expectations. Maybe I don’t want to paint my toenails or read about romantic scenes. However, society has told me since I was born that that is something that I should do, so maybe that is why I do it. Or then again, perhaps I just happen to enjoy something that is stereotypically female. Maybe there is a reason that most females enjoy doing certain things that is inherently biological. The lines of gender and identity are clearly more blurred than many people realize.

Aside from Liam’s struggles, however, the book also presented many different viewpoints and angles about gender and expectations in a more broader sense. A great example of this was Regan’s mother. For most of their marriage, Regan’s mother was a stay at home mother. Her job was to make bologna rollups. As she said, “I’m always in here at the same time every day making lunches. That’s all I ever do. Cook for you, clean for you, take care of the kids” (135). Eventually, when their father loses his job, she gets a job of her own and she throws herself into her work. Her job becomes her number one priority as she is constantly on the phone at breakfast and she pays little attention to her family anymore. At the end of the book, Regan has to beg her mom to even get off of the phone when Liam turns himself into Luna in front of their father.

This new identity of the mother disturbs the father and the children. Regan wants her mother to make her bologna sandwiches. She longs to have a family like the Materas. She questions her mother’s love for her. The question remains whether or not her mother should want to stay home and be with the kids. She is portrayed as almost being inadequate, as she is taking estrogen and other pills and throwing herself into her work. It is almost as if she is incapable of being a mother, and thus she is incapable of coping as a woman. The expectations put on her have become too much, so she shuns them completely. She is unable to grapple with the fact that she cannot fulfill her gender expectations. In a way, she is struggling though the same problems as her son. However, she is unable to acknowledge them like his is.

The story of Regan is also a very interesting one. I think that it is especially insightful because we are able to hear the narration of the story from her point of view. Rather than hearing it from Luna’s point of view, we are able to see this transformation from an outside perspective. It almost allows the reader to have somebody to relate to. It makes the story more applicable and understandable. In a way, we are almost placed in the same position as Regan. We are an observer.

Regan, however, has more expectations placed on here than we do as readers. First off, she has the responsibility of being the one person her brother can confide in. I found it very interesting that the novel ended by Regan saying, “Hello, Regan.” For the first time, as Luna leaves, Regan is finally able to live her own life. Before that, her entire life was dictated by guilt and responsibility. She felt obligated to be there for her brother and she could not let herself escape it.

Regan also opens the door to acknowledging the gender demands that are placed on us and fighting back. I like the fact that she pronounces that unlike her mother she is failing home economics and she cannot make that pound cake. I like how she and Chris make fun of the roles that they should fulfill. They make fun of their Chemistry teacher who pronounces that the safety goggles must be worn at all times as, “It’s a state law girls. Chemistry is not a beauty contest” (29). At the same time that Regan sees her brother’s transformation, watches her mom struggle to find a balance in her life, and long for a family like the Materas, she seems to be weaving her way through her own life and gender expectations as well.
Regan is a character who understands the demands that are placed on her. She seems to see how the world is manipulated by stereotypes, yet she also seems to struggle to get past them. She wants to play with that Barbie Doll as a little girl and be the mommy just as much as Liam does. She also seems to conform well into the dependent, beings suited by a suitor role with Chris as well. The question is really of awareness and understanding what desires are ours and what we want to be versus what we are expected to be. Luna gives its readers an insight into their own minds and it allows them to open their eyes to the society and environment around them.

Response to The People Could Fly told by Virginia Hamilton

Response to The People Could Fly

Folk tales are interesting because of the history that is connected to them. I enjoy reading them in order to learn about their origins and in order to decipher and decode what meaning and experiences they bring to light. Unlike other pieces of literature, folk tales were created to be spoken. This was made quite evident throughout the tales with the use of the original vernacular of the slaves of the period and also several of the beginning lines of the tales such as, “Let’s tal about one time,” (107) “Heard tell about the Doctor Rabbit and Brother Fox,” (13) and
“Don’t know much about animal tells. Her um but forget um. Do know about Bruh Lizar bested Bruh Rabbit?” (31) These lines exemplify the fact that these tales were created in order to share with each other on a daily basis. They exemplify the raw authenticity and powerfulness of the tales as a whole, as they remind the readers of the naturalness of their expression.

Folk tales were created in order to teach about good moral values to live by or in order to place a memory or a dream into a narrative and give it eternal life. They have adapted over the years to fit the needs and demands of society; however, I believe that by analyzing the adaptations and the root of each folk tale, a magnificent cultural artifact can be created. The People Could Fly is a wonderful example of this phenomenon, because it highlights a significant time in our nation’s history when African Americans were slaves. It uncovers the lives, hopes, and dreams of the slaves and it gives us a look into the true emotional lives of the people in that period in history.

I loved these tales because of their ability to speak. I thought that each tale brought me to that time and uncovered a fact or emotion of African Americas. Unlike a history book, these folk tales were able to capture the pure emotion of these people. They were able to capture the authentic voice of the slaves themselves and thus they were filled with authenticity and sentimentality. It is impossible for me to place myself into the shoes of these slaves. I cannot begin to imagine what that must have felt like. Yet, I believe that these tale afforded me a glimpse into the everyday of this period. They didn’t just teach me about slavery or the road to freedom. They taught me about what was important to the slaves. They taught me about how they got through each and every day. They showed me how they coped through the turmoil. They showed me how they came together and found unity with one another. They showed me how it is possible to survive through such pain.

I think what made the folk tales especially interesting were the pieces of narrative attached to the beginning of the book and at the end of each tale. I found the author’s explanations and interpretations of the tales to be very helpful and enlightening. They gave me a map that helped me guide my way though them as they placed each tale into a context that I could grapple with. I felt that they allowed me to look back into the text and pull out the significant pieces that gave me the most insight into what these tales meant and why they were worth repeating. Without these bits of narratives, I think that I would have lacked the anchor and background knowledge to truly understand the significance of many of the tales.

The narratives were especially helpful with the beginning tales that were about animals. With the help of the author’s intrusion, I was able to pull out elements of the pieces that carried significance. Many of these tales had great metaphors and concepts imbedded within them. For example, in “He Lion, Bruh Bear, and Bruh Rabbit,” we saw the animal’s fear of man. We were able to see how the animals viewed the men from afar as they first saw the boy and then the older man. We were able to see human through the eyes of another and understand the fear that was attached to this viewpoint. I found this shift in perspective to be interesting as I think that it could be interpreted to describe how the slaves felt toward the white man. Being stripped of freedom like that must have felt like being stripped of humanity itself. This story brought to mind the idea of separation. The way that the slaves were treated, like animals, shaped them into being seen as almost less than human or inferior. While I think that these tales showed that the slaves were human and that they did not want to view themselves as anything less, stories like this one also show how difficult this was. The slaves’ connection to the animals could be their own act of separation from the white man. Perhaps it was a separation of choice as they refused to be connected to being human if being human meant was attached to such hatred and cruelty. Almost all of these folk tales involved the help or interaction with the animals and this showed a powerful relationship between the slave and nature and animals.

Many of the folktales in history focus on establishing gender roles. Women are often seen as young girls who are need of being rescued. In addition, men are seen as brutes who need to find a woman in order to settle down and become a prince/man. In these tales, however, the prize was a bit different. Rather than being focused on winning the girl, I felt that the stories with princesses were more concerned with winning out in the end. They were more concerned with finding freedom and money. In “The Beautiful Girl and the Moon Tower” the protagonist Anton ends up killing the princesses’ father, with the help of his animal friends. He then marries the princess and becomes the prince. While this could be seen as him being tamed and complete as he has now found his woman, I think that the larger issue is with destroying that which restrains him, the king/master, and finding his freedom. This same theme was seen throughout the extravagant and fanciful tales as the protagonists all ended up tricking, conniving, or working their way into monetary gains. In “Manuel had a Riddle“, Manuel wins his fortune and shares it with his mother. In “The Two Johns,” the little John wins out in the end after tricking the big John into destroying his own life. All of these tales look to bring down the one in power, which could be connected to bringing down the slave-owner and finding emotional, physical, and spiritual freedom.

The final tales were very specific and historically based. Rather than being about extravagant fairy tales or talking, personified animals, they were about real events of the period where slaves found their freedom or helped other find theirs. I thought that these were the easiest to understand and relate to. The tales of courage, such as “Carry the Running-Aways” where the slave brought all of the others to freedom, were very touching and heart-wrenching. These tales really brought to life the faith and vigor of these people. It exemplified the heroic nature of these people in plain, yet powerful terms. These stories illustrated the ability for folk tales to transcend events into the eternal as they bring life to stories and carry them to generation to generation. They gave different insight into history while still attaching that raw emotion to each narrative as well. I think that these tales were the closest to what we read in history books. Yet, they added a emotional element to them that allowed the reader to truly gain the values, courage, and fears of the slaves who were telling the stories and their family members that passed them down.