Week Fifteen: Censorship Issues

And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, illustrated by Henry Cole. (Cover image from here.)

Since its publication in 2005, And Tango Makes Three has seen its share of both praise and scorn. According to the American Library Association, And Tango Makes Three has been the most challenged book of 2006, 2007, 2008 and the most banned book of 2009. It chronicles the true story of Roy and Silo, two male chinstrap penquins that live in the Central Park Zoo in NYC, that became a couple and raised an egg from another male-female penquin partnership.

The controversy stems from two male penquins forming a family and raising a child. Numerous religious and political groups have used the book as part of the ongoing cultural battle within the United States regarding homosexuality (in humans and animals), same-sex marriage and adoption. Proponents of the book say that it is a tool to promote the political agenda of homosexuality (and thusly amorality). Defenders of the book say that the story of And Tango Makes Three offers proof that homosexuality is naturally occurring in the animal world, and therefore a natural component of human life as well.

As a librarian, I would site the American Library Association's and my library's philosophy that we are there to provide materials for all patrons, regardless of their race, age or sexual orientation. We also ensure every patron's right to information, even if other patrons don't agree with the content of the materials. And Tango Makes Three is a popular, well respected book that has won numerous awards: ALA Notable Children's Book Nominee, ASPCA Henry Bergh Book Award and Bank Street Best Books of the Year. It contains themes--penquins, animals taking care of their young, the zoo--that are interesting to both children and adults. Lastly, I would remind patrons that And Tango Makes Three is based on a true story. Like other birds, male penquins usually help hatch and raise their babies and its not unusual for two males to form a group.

Week Fourteen: Poetry/Short Stories: Make Lemonade

Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff (Cover image from Amazon.com)

Bibliography: Wolff, V.E. (1993). Make lemonade. New York: Henry Hold and Company. ISBN: 978-0805080704

SUMMARY
Fourteen-year-old LaVaughn answers an ad for a babysitter on her school's bulletin board. She is saving up for college (so she can be the first person to go to college in the whole building, if not the neighborhood) and her single working mother can't help her much if she doesn't save money or get a scholarship. LaVaughn starts working for Jolly, a seventeen-year-old mother of two, Jeremy and Jilly. Jolly's had a tough life--her parents were M.I.A. and she grew up on the streets, she did drugs, dropped out of school, has trouble reading and now, she can't keep her nighttime job at the factory without some help watching her two babies. Jolly gets fired after she rebuffs her boss's sexual advances and harassment. LaVaughn still tries to help Jolly and her kids as best she can, buying Jeremy's shoes, helping Jolly to enroll in a school program for single mothers, babysitting without pay. After Jolly starts passing her classes and improving her life, she saves her choking daughter with the CPR she learned from the Moms Up program. However, Jolly stops talking to LaVaughn and the two go their separate ways at the end of the book. Make Lemonade, told in verse, is a heart-breaking, uplifting, poignant, despairing and amazing testament to family, friendship, hope and education.

MY IMPRESSIONS
Make Lemonade is my single favorite book I've read all semester. This book burrowed under my skin, cracked my chest wide open, grabbed my heart and squeezed. I laughed, I cried, I raged, I judged, I hoped for LaVaughn, for Jolly and for Jolly's kids. Wolff paints believable, REAL characters who struggle every day with the realities of poverty, drugs, graduating from high school, having enough money to buy food and diapers, discrimination and self-esteem. LaVaughn makes an unlikely advocate and teacher to Jolly, and their interactions help shape both girls' current situations and their futures.

The verse works perfectly with the story and serves as a wonderful way to show the teenage characters' personalities, hardships and reactions to a world that is unfair, hard and unresolved.
LaVaughn's innocence and maturity shine through her words, and Jolly is equally complicated as she both craves and admires LaVaughn and resents her, even though her life isn't easy either after her dad was killed in the crossfire of a drive-by. Make Lemonade is a weighty book--it covers a full spectrum of mature topics: sex, sexual harassment, teen pregnancy, drugs, family, poverty and classicism, race and discrimination, public assistance, education and dependency/independence. LaVaughn and Jolly are compelling protagonists and their stories will haunt readers long after the book is over. Thank goodness there are two more books in the series!

ACTIVITIES
This book would be appropriate for a discussion with grades 8 to 12, especially due to the adult themes.
1. Why is it so important to LaVaughn's mom that she go to college?
2. Why do you think that LaVaughn kept babysitting Jeremy and Jilly even when Jolly couldn't pay her?
3. Were you surprised by the billionaire's letter at the end of the book? Do you think that he'll send Jolly another check?
4. Why do you think that LaVaughn's mom had such a hard time believing that Jolly would actually improve her life? Do you think she changed her mind by the end of the book? Why or why not?
5. What is the significance of the lemon tree that LaVaughn planted? Do you think it meant something that the tree only started to grow at the end of the book?
6. What about Jolly's story about the blind woman and her orange? Why did the story have such significance for Jolly and LaVaughn?
7. Do you think that LaVaughn will go to college? Why or why not? What about Jolly? Do you think she'll get her G.E.D.?
8. What important lessons did LaVaughn learn from her Steam Class?
9. Many times in the book, LaVaughn became the teacher of not only Jeremy and Jilly but of Jolly. Name several things that Jolly taught LaVaughn.

Write a free verse poem about either Jolly or LaVaughn, ten years after the end of Make Lemonade. How has life changed?

Golden Kite Award for Fiction
Winner of Child Study Center Children's Book Committee Award
ALA Best Book for Young Adults
ALA Notable Book for Children
ALA Quick Picks for Young Adults
ALA Recommended Book for Reluctant Readers
Booklist Top of the List
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon winner
Hungry Mind Review Children's Book of Distinction
IRA Teachers' Choice
Parents' Choice Award Winner
A Parents Magazine Best Kids' Book
Parenting Magazine Reading Magic Award
NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts
Books for the Teen Age, New York Public Library
Horn Book Magazine Fanfare List
A School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
Michigan Best Book for Young Adults
Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award

REVIEWS
"Jolly is the 17-year-old mother of Jeremy and Jilly. She needs a babysitter. Enter 14-year-old LaVaughn, as street naive as she is book smart. Together the two girls exist as a sort of family until the differences between them lead them on separate paths, each one making lemonade from the lemons in her life. Wolff's free-verse style depicts the harsh realities of parenting in urban poverty with equal parts grit and grace. The reader roots for both girls and for a more hopeful future. Luckily, the book is the first in a trilogy."
Library Journal, 1993

"'This word COLLEGE is in my house,/ and you have to walk around it in the rooms/ like furniture.' So LaVaughn, an urban 14-year-old, tries to earn the money she needs to make college a reality. She and her mother are a solid two-person family. When LaVaughn takes a baby sitting job for Jolly, an abused, 17-year-old single parent who lives with her two children in squalor, her mother is not sure it's a good idea. The themes of parental love, sexual harassment, abuse, independence, and the value of education are its underpinnings. The dynamics between the two young women are multidimensional and elastic--absolutely credible. The poetic form emphasizes the flow of the teenager's language and thought. Make Lemonade is a triumphant,
outstanding story."
School Library Journal, July 1, 1993

Week Thirteen: Graphic Novels/Series Books: The Amulet

The Amulet, Part One: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi.

Bibliography: Kibuishi, K. (2008). The amulet: Book one, the stonekeeper. New York: Graphix. ISBN: 978-0439846813

SUMMARY
Two years after Emily's father dies in a tragic car accident, she, her mother and brother, Navin, move to the creepy, former home of her mysterious Great Grandfather Silas Charnon, who disappeared years earlier and left the house to her family. Once there, Emily and Navin quickly discover not only the robots and toys that Silas built, but also monsters and gremlins lurking inside. While in the library, Emily accidentally activates a secret mechanism that reveals a stone pendant that communicates messages and warnings of danger to Emily. A tentacled monster eats (but doesn't kill) their mother and Emily and Navin chase after it to save her. With the help of the magic stone pendant, they reach Charnon House, a place where Silas has been hiding and building creatures to keep him company. Silas informs Emily that the pendant grants the wearer the power to rule the land of Alledia, the alternate version of Earth. He urges Emily to master the stone's abilities, and then he dies, leaving Emily and Navin in the hands of a motley band of characters: Miskit the rabbit, Cogsley, Theodore and Ruby, the robots. Together they battle terrifying monsters, survive epic adventures and face off with an evil elf, who wants Emily to kill his father, the Elf King. Emily and posse rescue her mother, but she is in a poison-induced coma. The series continues with them trying to heal her mother (and getting into more adventures.)

MY IMPRESSIONS
The Amulet was a highly entertaining book. The opening section was especially effective in capturing my attention and creating a very dramatic start to the story. During the accident, the panels were irregularly shaped, with sharp edges and larger font, and the characters had expressive faces as the action took place. Important or tense scenes used large (sometimes full page) panels and the muted color palette helped to ramp up the dreamy, otherworldly quality to the book. (It also made the pink of Miskit and the amulet that much more striking.) Gutters were usually consistent and the panels easily flowed from one to the next, making it a fast and addictive read. The monsters and strange creatures were the best part of this graphic novel. The Rakers, tentacled, sharped tooth squid-like beasts, were terrifying! But because of the magical, cartoony quality to the human characters, it would be easier for younger readers to recognize that this book was a fantasy story and not based in real life. However, the 2-D or elongated style of drawing the human characters does not diminish the emotional impact of the dialogue or plot line at all. Emily, Navin and their mother convey such strong, evocative feelings and this helps to develop them as characters and draw readers into the story.

Overall, the text and illustrations worked well together and match in terms of tone, style and age appropriateness. Emily, her family and Silas's creations were all compelling characters. It was impossible not to feel emotionally involved in their lives after Emily's father and Silas died, and I found myself rooting for them over and over again as they battled in this strange world of Alledia. Readers will be chomping at the bit to read part two, especially with the ending of book (when Silas's house sprouts legs and walks away, with everyone inside, to search for a cure for Emily's mother.) Plus, they'll be thrilled to know that Will Smith and Akiva Goldman have optioned The Amulet, combining the first two books into a movie. Screenwriters have been hired but it has not been greenlit yet.

ACTIVITIES
This book would be appropriate for a discussion with grades four and up.

Pretend you are Silas Charnon. Draw a creature you would like to create. What abilities does he/she have? Describe the creature's personality, characteristics and limitations. Next, draw a monster that could exist in Alledia. What does it look like? How does it act?

What would you do if you found a magic amulet? Write a short story with yourself as the hero. Explain the powers included with the amulet, the conflict you faced and the outcome.

Compare and contrast the magical abilities and alternate worlds of The Amulet and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. How are Emily and Harry alike? How do they differ? Which world would you rather inhabit?

2010 Rhode Island Children's Book Award
Eisner Award nominee
Children's Choice Book Award
2009 Best Books for Young Adults nominee
REVIEWS
"Gorgeous illustrations with great color bring light to this gloomy tale. Filled with excitement, monsters, robots, and mysteries, this fantasy adventure will appeal to many readers, but it does have some truly nightmarish elements."
School Library Journal

"Almost too clever and poignant, Amulet is, on the surface, about navigating the murky waters of adolescence and beneath that, an exploration of abandonment and survival. Emily and Navin are lost children, literally lost in a dark, new world and struggling to save their mother, who has been kidnapped by a drooling, tentacled beast. With stellar artwork, imaginative character design, moody color and consistent pacing, this first volume's weakness lies in its largely disjointed storytelling. The most frightening element of Amulet is the sense of insecurity we feel for Emily, fighting her way through uncharted terrain with no guide and no support system."
Publishers Weekly, January 28, 2008

"Tragedy leads to high adventure in Kibuishi's latest creation, which is guaranteed to follow in the footsteps of his previous award-winning title, Daisy Kutter (Viper, 2005). The artist's use of color, moving from the poignant warm blues and whites of comfort and family to the smoky browns and blacks of tragedy and mystery, is subtle but highly effective. This artwork, coupled with Kibuishi's distinctive onomatopoeia and tight frames, help to lock the reader into the action and keep pages rapidly turning toward protagonist Emily's fate.
Voice of Youth Advocates, December 1, 2007

Journal topic 12: Biography of popular celebrity

Adams, I. (2008). Robert Pattinson: Eternally yours, an unauthorized biography. New York: HarperEntertainment.

This is a biography of Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen in the movie version of the worldwide phenomenon that is Twilight (the book series written by Stephenie Meyer). With chapter titles like “Be Still Our Hearts!”, “Rob’s Dazzling Roots” and “Rob the Heartthrob!” (the exclamation points exist in the original), this is not a book that focuses on scholarly character analysis or in-depth historical fact. Adams writes for the teenage general public and for diehard fans. The point is not to turn a critical eye toward the actor and his career, but rather to fuel his popularity and provide trivia fodder about Pattinson. Eternally Yours shares the same flavor as sensationalized tabloids or teen fan magazines. Sample sentences include “But this gifted (and stunningly attractive) young actor better get used to the attention because his starring role as the world’s hottest vampire has secured his spot in our hearts” and “So it looks like fans can add ‘humble’ to the long list of admirable traits that make him dream!” It is truthful in that it does contain facts and career details of his childhood in London, his personal attributes, his acting roles through 2008 and his musical interests (and OME* his shoe size is a 10!) Plus, it’s difficult to write a richly textured biography when the subject is 23 years old and has only been in the spotlight for the last three years. Much of the content is focused on Twilight and Harry Potter, including quotes about Rob from the director and his co-stars, behind the scenes details on filming and the same sorts of questions/answers aimed at Pattinson during the promotional tour of the movies. It is entirely age appropriate for teens and it does not delve more than a surface level of the celebrity persona because this age doesn’t want anymore than that. His non-blockbuster movies are only mentioned in passing. If anything, it helps blur the line between Robert Pattinson and Edward Cullen as if they were inseparable parts of the same whole.

While this isn’t an epic piece of literature by any means, it is very popular for this age group. My public library owns multiple copies of this book with short waiting lists for each copy. (More evidence of demand from the fandom: all of the color photos in the middle of the book were ripped out in my copy.) If I were in charge of collection development, I would also purchase this book for our library. It would circulate well, especially with all of the hype on New Moon. It would be easy to amp up the Edward vs. Jacob storyline by setting up a display with the Twilight series and any biographies on Kristen Stewart, Taylor Launtner or other actors in the movies. It would also have cross appeal with the Vampire Diaries series, a popular new paranormal television show based on the books. Since the Twilight movies will extend through at least the next two years, this is a book that would continue to circulate (until the paperback copy was completely destroyed.)

*OME stands for “Oh my Edward!”, an expression coined by fans of Twilight.

Week Twelve: Biography: Phineas Gage

Phineas Gage: A Gruesome But True Story About Brain Science by John Fleischman

Bibliography: Fleischman, J. (2002). Phineas Gage: A gruesome but true story about brain science. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN: 978-0618494781

SUMMARY
Phineas Gage was the foreman of a track laying company that was hired to blast through the granite bedrock outside of Vermont to allow the railroads to pass through it. On September 13, 1848, something went wrong with Gage's explosives. His tamping iron shot through this cheek and out the top of his head. Not only did he survive the accident, but he continued to talk, walk and stay coherent for hours until the doctors finally showed up. After the accident, Gage's personality changed and he became very aggressive and unpredictable. During the 11 1/2 years that he lived after the explosion, his behavior, medical information and eventually his brain played a huge role in helping doctors understand how the brain functioned, which parts corresponded to which behaviors/activities and how the wider body systems worked.

MY IMPRESSIONS
Much like An American Plague, I highly enjoyed this book. Fleischman combined not only the in-depth information about Phineas Gage and his accident, but the medical beliefs of the time regarding brain function, common medical treatments and theories of science, and transportation. It was especially fascinating that Phineas Gage's life and amazing accident played such a huge role in brain science, even 150 years later! This was an exciting time during science, when the medical field was still figuring out such things as microscopes, cells and bacteria (and that humors and phrenology were not accurate concepts in medicine.) The many photographs and illustrations in the book helped explain Gage's situation and helped the reader better understand the world in 1848. While some of the images may be too gruesome for younger readers (despite the warning title), it was an informative, exciting and important book. The writing was clear and engaging, the content was shocking yet still scholarly, and it combined science with real life (which should appeal to both children and parents/teachers.)

Gage's story really captures the imagination of people. An internet search brought up all sorts of homemade videos, drawings and reports on Gage and his contributions toward science. This was my favorite, made for a children's neuroscience fair at Connecticut College by Jessica Freeland and Karl Langberg:

Phineas even has his own YouTube music video! Since so much of the brain is still a mystery to us, I think people can really appreciate the significance of what was learned because of Gage.

ACTIVITIES
This book would be appropriate for a discussion with grades 5 to 12.

After his accident, Phineas Gage took part in the carnival circuit. Research the history of these travelling circuses and the well-known acts at the time. Compare these early carnivals to modern circuses like Barnum & Baileys or Ringling Brothers. How have they changed over time? What does that shift in aesthetics say about our culture?

Let's explore the brain and its functions. Draw a diagram of the brain. Compare and contrast this map of the brain to the Phrenological Head on page 36. Were the phrenologists correct about any parts of their beliefs about how the brain worked? How did Phineas Gage help change the way doctors viewed the brain?

Write a short poem or song about the life of Phineas Gage.

REVIEWS
"Science writer John Fleischman uses a clipped, engaging expository style to tell the incredible story of the railroad worker who, in 1848, survived the piercing blast of a 13-pound iron rod as it entered below his cheekbone and exited the front of his skull. Photographs, glossary, a resource listing and index lend this textbook case the same sense of immediacy as do the words."
Publishers Weekly, April 15, 2002

"Carefully separating fact from legend...Fleischman fleshes out the tale with looks at mid-19th century medicine, the history of brain science, and how modern researchers have reconstructed Gage's accident with high-tech tools. He also adds eye-widening photos of Gage's actual skull (now at Harvard), his life mask, and dramatic rod-through-bone computer images that, as the author writes, will make you wince 'whether you're a brain surgeon or a sixth grader.'"
Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2002

"Like Penny Colman's Corpses, Coffins and Crypts (Holt, 1997) and James M. Deem's Bodies from the Bog (Houghton, 1998), Phineas Gage brings a scientific viewpoint to a topic that will be delightfully gruesome to many readers"
School Library Journal, March 1, 2002

Week Eleven: Informational books: An American Plague

An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy (Cover image from Amazon.com)

Bibliography: Murphy, J. (2003). An American plague: The true and terrifying story of the yellow fever epidemic of 1793. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN: 978-0395776087

SUMMARY
In 1793, thousands of people died in Philadelphia from yellow fever. This book gives an in-depth historical account of the events leading up to the outbreak, the medical practices of the time, the government's response to the epidemic and the day-by-day conditions that paralyzed a city, decimated a population and enlightened a generation about the nature of disease, sanitation and human behavior.

MY IMPRESSIONS
I couldn't put this book down. Murphy creates an interesting, detailed and sometimes gruesome account of the yellow fever outbreak from Saturday August 3, 1793 to January 8, 1794, as well as the lasting effects on public policy, medicine, sanitation and race relations that came from this time period. He uses journals, newspapers, artwork and testimonials to interweave the lives of the people in Philadelphia with the effects of the yellow fever outbreak. I had no idea how horrible the conditions were in the city, how disgusting it was to have yellow fever and the dire circumstances that befell the city during the worst parts of the epidemic. (I still can't believe that amidst the death, fear, chaos and disease in 1793, a meteorite hit downtown Philadelphia!!) Murphy's research includes so many topics--the leaders in the city's government and their inability to effectively handle the outbreak after most of the city had fled in a panic, the ignorance of how yellow fever was contracted or cured, the role of the African American population in caring for the ailing citizens and the sheer number of people who died as a result of this disease. At any given point in the story, I felt as if I were walking down the streets of Philadelphia and really experiencing the tragedy as it unfolded. This book truly brings history to life and will capture the attention and imagination of readers.

ACTIVITIES
This book would be appropriate for a discussion with grades 6 to 12 and would pair really well with Fever 1793 or Murphy's other book, The Great Fire.

Choose another epidemic (AIDS, black plague, H1N1, Influenza) and compare it to the yellow fever outbreak in 1793. How did the government or public health organizations respond? How did the understanding of the disease change after the outbreak? How many people were killed or affected by the disease? What are the symptoms, treatments and/or cures for the diseases?

How does yellow fever compare to malaria? Write a report on the differences between the two and how the world is trying to combat the spread of these diseases.

Write a short story using 1793 Philadelphia as the setting. Describe the person's life, characteristics and conflict as they relate to the yellow fever outbreak.

Create a board game using the map of Philadelphia in the front of An American Plague. Use the characters, locations and historical information contained in the book.

2004 Newbery Honor Book
2004 Notable Children's Books
2004 Best Books for Young Adults
2004 Silbert Medal Winner
2003 Top 10 Sci-Tech Books for Youth

REVIEWS
"If surviving the first 20 years of a new nationhood weren't challenge enough, the yellow fever epidemic of 1793, centering in Philadelphia, was a crisis of monumental proportions. Murphy chronicles this frightening time with solid research and a flair for weaving facts into fascinating stories. An afterword explains the yellow fever phenomenon, its causes, and contemporary outbreaks, and source notes are extensive and interesting."
School Library Journal, October 1, 2004

"History, science, politics and public health come together in this dramatic account of the disastrous yellow fever epidemic that hit the nation's capital more than 200 years ago. Drawing on first-hand accounts, medical and non-medical, Murphy recreates the fear and panic in the infected city, the social conditions that caused the disease to spread, and the arguments about causes and cures."
Booklist, June 1, 2003

Week Ten: Historical fiction: The Devil's Arithmetic

The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen (Cover image from Amazon.com)

Bibliography: Yolen, J. (1988). The Devil's arithmetic. New York: Puffin Books. ISBN: 978-0142401095

SUMMARY
Hannah is annoyed and bored with her family's Passover Seders and doesn't understand why her relatives focus so much attention on the Holocaust. During their celebration, Hannah is magically transported back in time to 1940's Poland to experience the concentration camps firsthand. She learns what it took to survive daily life there and how precious both friendship and hope became in such dire circumstances. When she returns to her family's house in her own time, she finally understands the importance of remembering.

MY IMPRESSIONS
The Holocaust is a subject I normally avoid. The staggering number of Jewish (and other) casualties and the extreme cruelty that occurred during the War usually leave me too emotionally devastated and overwhelmed to think. I was more than surprised by the accessibility of The Devil's Arithmetic. It is a riveting novel that captures the reality and bleakness of the concentration camps without paralyzing the reader.

Hannah is a typical teen and serves as a compelling protagonist as she struggles to survive her boredom at her family's Seder and her time at the camp. Because she sees the events unfold through the filter of her modern life, she presents a fresh perspective on such bleak subject matter. Yolen's incredible ability to write such believable characters helps shape the story into more than a moralistic tale. All of them--from Hannah's family to the Jews at the camp--are not perfect. They are flawed and human, adding layers of depth and emotional growth throughout the story. Hannah in particular reaches the end of the book as a new person with an intimate understanding of her relative's experience during the Holocaust and their inner strength to have survived such a grueling time in history.

ACTIVITIES
The Devil's Arithmetic is a good introduction to the Holocaust for late middle schoolers and early high schoolers.

Discuss the major holiday traditions of different religions.

Study how the treatment of the Jews changed during the course of WWII. Write a brief report on the concentration camps and what was done with them after the war ended.

Read a memoir of a concentration camp survivor. How does her/his experience compare to Hannah's? How did their time at the camps shape the rest of their lives? What message do you take from their stories?

Select a personal story from one of the people listed in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Write a fictional story from this person's POV about a scene in his/her life. It does not have to take place at the concentration camps.

National Jewish Book Award
Sydney Taylor Award from the Association of Jewish Libraries
The Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award
Nebula Honor Book
1992 Kentucky Bluegrass Master List book
1991/92 Florida Children's Book Award nominee
1994 Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award Master List Book
2008 Honor Book for the Phoenix Award (Children's Literature Association)

REVIEWS
"Through Hannah, with her memories of the present and the past, Yolen does a fine job of illustrating the importance of remembering. She adds much to children's understanding of the effects of the Holocaust, which will reverberate through history, today and tomorrow."
School Library Journal, November 1, 1988

"During a Passover Seder, 12-year-old Hannah finds herself transported from American in 1988 to Poland in 1942, where she assumes the life of young Chaya. Within days the Nazis take Chaya and her neighbors off to a concentration camp. The book's simplicity is its strength; no comment is needed because the facts speak for themselves. This brave and powerful book has much it can teach a young audience."
Publisher's Weekly, October 14, 1988

Annotated bibliography for historical fiction on the Vietnam War for high school students

I was able to find a number of titles, but many of them are out of print. Frustrating! Most are available used from online vendors and a few are partially available on Google Books. Many other non-fiction stories and biographies exist, but this list is strictly historical fiction (with one graphic novel).

Easton, K. (2001). The life history of a star. New York: McElderry. (208 p.)
A coming of age story about Kristen Folger, a fourteen-year-old who uses her diary to vent about puberty, her parents’ antagonistic relationship and her grief about her brother, David. David, once her hero, came back from Vietnam as a crippled and emotionally destroyed man, and he spends his time locked in the attic like a ghost. Full of family drama, historical details and Vietnam‘s lingering effects on the soldiers who served there.

Emerson, Z. (1991). Welcome to Vietnam. New York: Scholastic, Inc. [Out of print.] (208 p.)
This four part series was written by Ellen White under the pseudonym Zack Emerson. The first book tells the story of Michael, an eighteen-year-old from Colorado, who was drafted into the army and sent to Vietnam. After becoming a member of the Echo Company, he quickly learns that war is uglier, more brutal and more terrifying than he could have ever imagined.

Emerson, Z. (1991). Hill 568. New York: Scholastic, Inc. [Out of print.]
Part two in the Echo Company series. The Echo Company continues to fight in Vietnam as Michael grows more disillusioned with the war and the United States’ role in it. Through gritty and graphic descriptions of the horrors of battle, the Echo Company faces off against Vietnamese soldiers at Hill 568.

Emerson, Z. (1991). ‘Tis the season. New York: Scholastic, Inc. [Out of print.] (254 p.)
Part three in the Echo Company series. Becky Phillips, from White’s The Road Home, is introduced as a happy, caring nurse in Vietnam despite the trauma and danger she and the other soldiers face. On Christmas Eve, her helicopter crashes and Becky watches two of her friends die. Left on her own and lost in the jungle, Becky must fight an enemy soldier to stay alive. Becky also meets Michael and they develop a friendship/romance.

Emerson, Z. (1992). Stand down. New York: Scholastic, Inc. [Out of print.] (323 p.)
In the fourth book of the Echo Company series, Michael is haunted by his feelings for Becky after meeting her in ‘Tis the Season. His squad is on a stand-down on the same base as Becky‘s hospital, and the romance between the two of them continues to grow. Michael helps Becky battle the demons and emotional anguish from the helicopter crash and her harrowing time in the jungle.

Hobbs, V. (2006). Sonny’s war. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. (224 p.)
After her father dies, Corin’s older brother and idol, Sonny, is drafted in the war in Vietnam. She and her mother struggle to keep the family restaurant afloat. Corin falls in love with her new high school history teacher, Lawrence, an anti-war activist. At a peace rally, her feelings for Lawrence change when he sets fire to an Army recruitment center. Sonny returns home from Vietnam a changed and bitter man, and Corin struggles to make sense of the war and this troubling period in history.

Hughes, D. (2008). Search and destroy. New York: Simon Pulse. (224 p.)
Rick quits his job, breaks up with his girlfriend and gradates from high school with no idea of what he’s going to do with his life. He joins the army and prepares to go to Vietnam in the Special Forces. With graphic descriptions of war violence and death, Rick tells the story of his time in Vietnam.

Jones, A. (1993). Long time passing: A novel. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books. [Out of print.] (256 p.)
Jonas Duncan is a seventeen-year old who moves to California to live with his cousin after his father is sent to fight in the Vietnam War and his mother dies. There he meets Auleen, a hippie flower child and peace activist, and falls in love. He follows Auleen and her friends to Berkeley and questions his feelings toward the war. When his father is M.I.A., he joins the Marines.

Lewis, C. (2000). Postcards to Father Abraham. New York: Atheneum. (304 p.)
Sixteen-year-old Meghan has a lot to be angry about. She won a running scholarship to a private school but cancer claimed one of her legs. She was expelled from school. Her mother died at the hands of a drunk driver and her father is emotionally distant. Her brother came home from Vietnam a broken man. As she recuperates in the hospital, Meghan studies her idol, Abraham Lincoln, and she writes him postcards as a way to express her rage and pain.

Mason, B. A. (2005). In country. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. (272 p.)
In 1984, Sam Hughes is a typical teenager who is working at a local restaurant, applying for colleges and dealing with boyfriends and breakups. She lives with her uncle Emmett, a veteran dealing with the aftereffects of Agent Orange from his time in Vietnam. Sam’s father died in Vietnam before her birth, but no one in her family will talk about him or the war. She becomes obsessed with it and finds her father’s diary to help her understand the experience of fighting in Vietnam.

Milner, D. (2009). After River: A novel. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. (352 p.)
Natalie Ward returns to her childhood home to face the death of her mother. The story flashes back to her teenage years on her family’s farm. A Vietnam draft dodger named River Jordan shows up at the house and asks if they will hire him as a farm hand. Though Natalie’s family falls in love with this handsome stranger, their connection to him causes a tragedy that forces Natalie to leave in shame.

Minfong, H. (1997). The clay marble. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. (180 p.)
Twelve-year-old Dara and her family are refugees from Cambodia during the Vietnam War. They travel to Thailand and meet up with another family. During a skirmish between local guerrilla soldiers, Dara and her friend, Jantu, are separated from their families for a while. After they are reunited with their families, Jantu is killed. Dara keeps a clay marble that she believes holds Jantu’s magic and uses it to find courage in her bleak situation. Though technically a book better suited for middle schoolers, some high schoolers may enjoy this book.

Murray, D., Golden, M. & Vansant, W. (2009). The ‘Nam (Vol. 1 TPB). New York: Marvel Comics. (248 p.)
This collection of issues 1-10 of this graphic novel describes the experiences of Private Ed Marks and his squad as they face the horrors and realities of fighting in Vietnam.

Myers, W. D. (2008). Fallen angels. New York: Scholastic Paperbacks. (336 p.)
Richie Perry, a poor African American kid from Harlem, enlists in the army only because he wasn’t accepted into college. He is sent to Vietnam. There he meets PeeWee and several other men, and they become a tight circle of friends. They face racial discrimination from their peers and commanders, violence and the brutality of war. A real, gripping tale of friendship, racism and the struggle to stay alive in the direst conditions.
This book is a great example of historical fiction because it captures not only the detail of the Vietnam war, but the lives of black youth in the United States. It addresses the racial prejudice that was rampant in America and abroad during this time. It also shows a slice of life from Richie’s point of view with accuracy and honesty. Myers brings this historical period to life for young readers and doesn't glorify war or fighting. Instead readers can become personally invested in Perry's story as he tries to stay alive though the compelling, dramatic plot.

O’Brien, T. (1998). The things they carried. New York: Broadway. (272 p.)
A collection of twenty-two short stories about a group of soldiers in the Vietnam War. Each of them carried a personal item with them, and this forms the basis of these stories on memory, truth and fiction.

Qualey, M. (2008). Come in from the cold. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Trade & Reference Publishers. (224 p.)
In 1969, Maud’s sister, Lucy, bombs a physics lab in Minnesota to protest the Vietnam war. In the same week, Jeff’s brother, a Marine, is killed in Vietnam. Jeff organizes an anti-war protest in his town, which raises the ire of his community. Almost a year later, Maud and Jeff meet and instantly feel an attraction. Their relationship develops until the two join a commune at the end of the book (continued by Everybody’s Daughter).

Rostkowski, M. (1989). The best of friends. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. (192 p.)
Three very different friends try to make sense of each other and the tumultuous world around them during the Vietnam War. Sarah is an anti-war activist, while her brother, Dan, and her friend, Will, decide what to do about the draft.

White, E. E. (1995). The road home. New York: Scholastic, Inc. (469 p.)
Becky Phillips is a newly graduated nurse stationed in Vietnam. (This character was introduced in the third and fourth books, Tis the Season and Stand Down, of White’s pseudonymously written series Echo Company.) There she faces nightmarish conditions, soldiers torn apart with horrible injuries, few supplies and the constant threat of death, but she does her best to help the young wounded GIs she treats. Becky develops romantic feelings for Michael, a confident, funny soldier who is helping her cope with the aftermath of a gruesome helicopter crash that killed two of her friends. After an injury, Michael is sent home. The bulk of the book is about Becky returning to the United States to piece together a life after seeing years of trauma, violence and misery in a country that scorns her for serving in Vietnam.