Genre 6: Fiction, Fantasy, and YA

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
1. Bibilography
Gaiman, Neil. 2008. The Graveyard Book. Ill. by Dave McKean. New York: HarperCollins.
ISBN: 978-0-06-053093-8
Dewey Classification: Fic
Reading Level: 5.1



2. Summary
Nobody "Bod" Owens is raised in the graveyard after his family is murdered. Bod is given full reign of the graveyard to roam, play and learn but is told he cannot leave the graveyard because he is in danger. Bod grows to the age of 18 and becomes the adventurer he has dreamed of becoming after solving the mystery of who is after him.

3. Critical Analysis
This story begins on such a graphic note, I wondered if I would get through it. This is not the normal type of book that I enjoy reading. As I continued into the story and read how Bod shows up at the graveyard and is adopted, not just by a set of parents, and his guardian, Silas, but by the whole graveyard, I began to get hooked into the mystery of the story. Everyone in the graveyard played a part in raising Bod, showing him how to stay safe from the person that killed his family and was still after him. An adventurer at heart, he thrived on reading and discovering anything he could about the"outside" world of the living. Because of his years of learning how to navigate the graveyard, he was able to protect himself at the age of 18 when the killer returned for him. His explorer spirit finally leads him out of the graveyard and into a different chapter of his life among the living. The theme of good vs. evil prevails in this type macabre tale. Bod is protected by the citizens of the graveyard and is taught to defend himself for when the time comes. The dialogue of the story is easy to follow and pulls you in to the story. The black and white illustrations by Dave McKean add to the storyline by guiding you into the next part of Bod's life through pictures.

4. Reviews
Newbery Medal Winner 2009
Horn Book
After fortuitously escaping the murder of his family, a toddler is taken in by the ghostly denizens of a local graveyard. Growing up in this strange setting entails many adventures, leading to a final showdown with the murderer. Occasional art enhances the otherworldly atmosphere with a flowing line and deep grays and blacks. This ghost-story-cum-coming-of-age novel is both bittersweet and action-filled.
Booklist
Grades 6-10. While a highly motivated killer murders his family, a baby, ignorant of the horrific goings-on but bent on independence, pulls himself out of his crib and toddles out of the house and into the night. This is most unfortunate for the killer, since the baby was his prime target. Finding his way through the barred fence of an ancient graveyard, the baby is discovered by Mr. and Mrs. Owens, a stable and caring couple with no children of their own—and who just happen to be dead. After much debate with the graveyard’s rather opinionated denizens, it is decided that the Owenses will take in the child. Under their care and the sponsorship of the mysterious Silas, the baby is named “Nobody” and raised among the dead to protect him from the killer, who relentlessly pursues him. This is an utterly captivating tale that is cleverly told through an entertaining cast of ghostly characters. There is plenty of darkness, but the novel’s ultimate message is strong and life affirming. Although marketed to the younger YA set, this is a rich story with broad appeal and is highly recommended for teens of all ages.

5. Connections
Ideas: Watch the preview to the book and listen to Neil Gaiman talk about how he came up with the ideas for the book and have students write a scary story.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_UUVwTaemk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9Dz90e883Q&feature=fvw
Books by the same author:
Gaiman, Neil. Coraline. ISBN: 978-0-380-97778-9
Gaiman, Neil. Interworld. ISBN: 978-0-06-123896-3
Gaiman, Neil. M is for Magic. ISBN: 978-0-06-118642-4
Gaiman, Neil. The Wolves in the Walls. ISBN: 978-0-380-97827-4
Gaiman, Neil. The Dangerous Alphabet. ISBN: 978-0-06-078334-1
Gaiman, Neil. Anansi Boys. ISBN: 978-0-06-051519-5


The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
1. Bibliography
Johnson, Angela. 2003. The First Part Last. New York: Simon &Schuster.
ISBN: 978-0-689-84922-0
Dewey Classification: Fic
Reading Level: 4.9


2. Summary
The heart wrenching story shows the new life that Bobby has to live when he becomes a single parent at the age of 16. The story tells of his confusion of learning to be a responsible adult while still yearning for the teenager that is lost.

3. Critical Analysis
This was an excellent book. I completed it in one day because I did not want to put it down. I liked the "Now" and "Then" way the chapters are written. You see what is happening in Bobby's life before he found out he was going to be a father and what it was like after his world completely changes. Your heart goes out to this teenager who was not ready to give up his life of freedom to become a father. You live through his turmoil of sleep deprived school days and the responsibility of being a dad to his daughter, Feather. But somewhere in the middle of all the mistakes made, he learns the beauty of innocence and trust through his baby and begins to see the man inside the kid. The setting plays into the urban scene and artwork done on sides of building, as Bobby plays out his life in a scene painted on a wall. As he becomes a dad, he realizes that moving to a suburban town would be a better place for him to raise his family. Unfortunately, this story is so true to life and so many teenagers are facing parenthood before they are ready. But I like the way the author showed the dad raising the daughter and showing the difficulties of pregnancy when the mom slipped into a coma that she will not ever come out of.
4. Reviews
Coretta Scott King Award
Michael L. Printz Award
Horn Book
Sixteen-year-old Bobby and his girlfriend, Nia, had planned to put their baby, Feather, up for adoption, but Feather becomes impossible to relinquish after, as the reader learns at book's end, pregnancy-related eclampsia leaves Nia in an irreversible coma. What resonate in this prequel to the Coretta Scott King Award-winning Heaven are the sacrifices Bobby makes for Feather's sake.
Booklist
Gr. 6-12. Bobby, the teenage artist and single-parent dad in Johnson's Coretta Scott King Award winner, Heaven (1998), tells his story here. At 16, he's scared to be raising his baby, Feather, but he's totally devoted to caring for her, even as she keeps him up all night, and he knows that his college plans are on hold. In short chapters alternating between "now"and "then,"he talks about the baby that now fills his life, and he remembers the pregnancy of his beloved girlfriend, Nia. Yes, the teens'parents were right. The couple should have used birth control; adoption could have meant freedom. But when Nia suffers irreversible postpartum brain damage, Bobby takes their newborn baby home. There's no romanticizing. The exhaustion is real, and Bobby gets in trouble with the police and nearly messes up everything. But from the first page, readers feel the physical reality of Bobby's new world: what it's like to hold Feather on his stomach, smell her skin, touch her clenched fists, feel her shiver, and kiss the top of her curly head. Johnson makes poetry with the simplest words in short, spare sentences that teens will read again and again. The great cover photo shows the strong African American teen holding his tiny baby in his arms.

5. Connections
Ideas: Have students journal their feelings about growing up and the problems they could face when they get into high school and how they could handle the situation.
http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=118852&title=The_First_Part_Last_Preview
Books by the same author:
Johnson, Angela. Heaven. ISBN: 978-0-689-82229-2
Johnson, Angela. Bird. ISBN: 978-0-8037-2847-9
Johnson, Angela. A Cool Moonlight ISBN: 978-0-14-240284-9
Johnson, Angela. Sweet, Hereafter. ISBN: 978-0-689-87385-0
Johnson, Angela. Looking for Red. ISBN-13: 978-0-689-86388-2

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley's Journal by Jeff Kinney

1. Bibliography
Kinney, Jeff. 2007. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley's Journal. New York: Amulet Books.
ISBN: 978-0-8109-9313-6
Dewey Classification: Fic
Reading Level: 5.0


2. Summary
Greg Heffley is a typical pre-teen boy that wants so much to be noticed, but not noticed. We see his everyday happenings of normality through this cleverly written journal of his 7th grade year of Junior High, living with his bully of an older brother (Roderick), his perfect little brother (Manny) that got everything he wanted, and his best friend Rowley, who begins to get the attention that Greg strives for.
3. Critical Analysis
Jeff Kinney began this series of books, that are now a popular set with many boys and girls, as a journal of thoughts and drawings. He kept this idea, even in the publishing of the book, as a journal seen through the eyes of our main character, Greg. Greg writes about his trials and tribulations of wanting to be popular, noticed in his school , and living through his older brother's tormenting. Greg's best friend, Rowley, starts off being the dork friend that Greg tries to change into a cool person. But once Greg is ratted out by Rowley and the two stop being friends, Rowley becomes the semi-popular person that Greg wanted to become. Greg realizes that Rowley's a great friend because he doesn't try to be anything more than what he is and ends up standing up for him to stop him from being embarrassed. The story revolves around the average student wanting to be more and learning how to become that person. The author depicts this tumultuous time period in a clever way so that any child reading it can relate to what is going on in Greg's life.
4. Reviews
Horn Book
"First of all, let me get something straight: This is a JOURNAL, not a diary." Greg Heffley chronicles a year of middle school through hilarious journal entries and accompanying cartoon sketches. His experiences--having to perform in a school play, dealing with bullies and changing friendships--are made fresh by Greg's over-the-top narration. Kinney's writing and illustrations are filled with laugh-out-loud kid humor.
Booklist
The first year in the middle-school life of Greg Heffley is chronicled in this laugh-out-loud novel that first appeared on the Internet. Greg tells his story in a series of short, episodic chapters. Most revolve around the adolescent male curse: the need to do incredibly dumb things because they seem to be a good idea at the time. Yet, unlike some other books about kids of this age, there's no sense of a slightly condescending adult writer behind the main character. At every moment, Greg seems real, and the engrossed reader will even occasionally see the logic in some of his choices. Greatly adding to the humor are Kinney's cartoons, which appear on every page. The simple line drawings perfectly capture archetypes of growing up, such as a preschool-age little brother, out-of-touch teachers, and an assortment of class nerds. Lots of fun throughout.

5. Connections
Idea: After watching the clips for the books and listening to how the author came up with the idea, have students write and draw in their own journal, writing about everything that happens for one week.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxpdnjsyI4Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWGfLux0E9A&feature=related
Books by the same author:
Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. ISBN: 978-0-8109-9473-7
Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Do-it-Yourself Book. ISBN: 978-0-8109-7977-2
Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw. ISBN: 978-0-8109-7068-7
Kinney, Jeff. Dog Days Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 4. ISBN: 978-0-8109-8391-5