Module 1: Miss Malarkey Leaves No Reader Behind

Summary:  At Miss Malarkey’s school, the students are participating in a reading program for the year.  The goal is for the school to have read 1,000 books, Miss Malarkey’s class room is responsible for reading 300 books.  The main character is a young boy who does not like to read and would rather play video games.  As the year goes on, more and more of his classmates find books they like to read and the young boy finds himself isolated in a world of passionate readers.  Miss Malarkey makes it a point for all her students to find at least one book by the end of the school year that they liked.   After several failed attempts to find the right book for this young boy, Miss Malarkey finds the perfect book for the young boy.   At the end of the school year the students achieved their goal by reading over 1,000 books.

Citation: Finchler, J., & O'Malley, K. (2006). Miss Malarkey leaves no reader behind. New York: Walker & Co.

Impression:  I enjoyed the vibrant illustrations accompanied with accurate facial expressions from the characters.  The illustrations added drama to the story and the reader was able to grasp the anxiety, frustration, and exhilaration of the students and Miss Malarkey as they found books they liked to read.  

Review:

Deana Groves (Library Media Connection)
It is the beginning of the school year and Principal Wiggins has agreed to spend the night on the roof of the school if the students read 1,000 books during the year. This incentive is not enough to convince a group of young boys more interested in video games, math, sports, and drawing that they too can find pleasure in reading a book. Miss Malarkey takes on the challenge of matching boy with book; one-by-one she works to identify a good book suitable to each boy's interests and by the end of the school year the principal is sleeping on the roof. This familiar story of reluctant readers is told through the voice of the last hold-out in this group of friends. O'Malley's quirky illustrations burst from the confines of each page; this visual technique of bleeding off the page encourages readers to turn the page to see what happens next. The colorful illustrations, humor, and the overall lighthearted feel of this book will appeal to reluctant readers. This book could also serve as a step-by-step guide for teachers and librarians to use to encourage the love of reading. 
Groves, D. (2006, November/December). [Review of the book Miss Malarkey leaves no reader behind, by J. Finchler & K. O'Malley]. Library Media Connection. Retrieved from http://www.librarymediaconnection.com/lmc/

Uses:  This book could be used for ESL courses held by libraries, community centers, and at schools.  The book gives great examples of the different kind of genres in literature and hopefully inspire readers to select one of those genres.  

Module 2: The Hundred Dresses

Summary:  A poor girl with a different kind of last name than all the other students in her class repeatedly gets picked on for saying that she has a hundred dresses in her closest.  Two girls in particular find this incredible and tease her everyday about this statement.  The girl with a hundred dresses stops showing up to school and the students start to wonder where she could be.  The two girls become deeply guilty for what they did and try to track down the girl with a hundred dresses to say they were sorry and they indeed liked her. 

Citation: Estes, E., & Slobodkin, L. (1944). The hundred dresses. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co.  

Impression:  Although an older book, it has proven to be a timeless treasure for girls in transition into teenage hood.  I loved this book and I wish I had read it 20 years earlier when I was going through troubled times as a youth.  Social acceptance and criticism is a common theme amongst adolescent girls and this could be helpful to anyone in need of remembering that we are all human and have feelings.  

Review:
Linda Silver (Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter)
This new edition of a classic story of prejudice begins with a Foreword by the author’s daughter, describing how it came to be written. Originally published in 1944, The Hundred Dresseswas one of the first children’s books to deal with ethnic intolerance. None of the characters are Jewish, however. Charmingly illustrated and written with a childlike perspective that does not diminish its theme, it is still an important story for children not yet ready for books about the Holocaust to read and discuss. 
Silver, L. (2005, February/March) [Review of the book The hundred dresses by E. Estes]. Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter, 24(3). 

Uses:  The library could team up with Big Brothers and Big Sisters and promote this book among the youth that visit the library or at the school library.  This book could be given to adolescent girls who are struggling with social acceptance or those who may be teasing or bullying others for their differences and are not aware of  how their actions affect others.  

Module 3: The Glorious Flight

Summary: The historical recount of Louis Bleriot's aeronautical achievements. The story follows Louis Bleriot's several attempts with different experimental aircraft and ends with the first successful flight over the English Channel.

Citation: Provensen, A., Provensen, M., & Viking Press. (1983). The glorious flight: Across the Channel with Louis Blériot, July 25, 1909. New York: Viking Press.

Impression: I love learning about other nations that experimented with flight. Often times we learn about the infamous Wright Brothers but we don't hear about the other aeronauts from around the world. This is a wonderful book for children who want to learn about the origins of flight as well as historical biographies.

Review:

Alice and Martin Provensen (The Horn Book Magazine)
The Provensens' sublime picture book (winner of the 1984 Caldecott Medal) about French aviation pioneer Bleriot, the first man to fly across the English Channel, is once again available in hardcover. With breathtaking perspectives, gorgeous colors, engaging characters, and a tres droll text, the book not only transports readers to turn-of-the-twentieth-century France but also conveys the experience of flight with immediacy.
Provensen, A. & Provensen, M. (2010, November/December) [Review of the book The glorious flight by A. & M. Provensen] The Horn Book Magazine, 86.6, 126.

Uses:  This book could be used at an elementary school to inspire students about experimentation and creativity. It could be read before a science fair or used to teach about aviation history.

Module 3: The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

Summary:  In 1974, Philippe Petit tightroped between the World Trade Center, the twin towers.  A Caldecott medal book, tells the story how Petit accomplished this daring feat.  

Citation: Gerstein, M., Tuosto, F., & Roaring Brook Press. (2003).The man who walked between the towers. Brookfield, Conn: Roaring Brook Press.


Impression:  This is a unique approach to looking at the World Trade Center post 9/11.  The story gives a new light to how the towers were once viewed and the many stories that go with them. Through the vivid images of Tuosto's illustrations, the World Trade Center becomes something more than our memory of 9/11.   

Reviews: 
Hazel Rochman (Booklist)
Here's a joyful true story of the World Trade Center from a time of innocence before 9/11. In 1974 French trapeze artist Philippe Petit walked a tightrope suspended between the towers before they were completed. Gerstein's simple words and dramatic ink-and-oil paintings capture the exhilarating feats, the mischief, and the daring of the astonishing young acrobat. He knew his plan was illegal, so he dressed as a construction worker, and, with the help of friends, lugged a reel of cable up the steps during the night and linked the buildings in the sky. As dawn broke, he stepped out on the wire and performed tricks above the city. Gerstein uses varied perspectives to tell the story--from the close-up jacket picture of one foot on the rope to the fold-out of Petit high above the traffic, swaying in the wind. Then there's a quiet view of the city skyline now, empty of the towers, and an astonishing image of the tiny figure high on the wire between the ghostly buildings we remember. 

Rochman, H. (2003, November 1). [Review of the book The man who walked between the towers, by M. Gerstein & F. Tuosto]. Booklist, 100(5).

Stacey King (Children's Literature)
This eloquently written and craftily illustrated book details for children the true story of famed French aerialist Philippe Petit's 1974 tightrope walk between the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. In the bulk of the book, Gerstein captures the awe-striking beauty of the event with lyrical words and simple but dramatic oil-and-pen illustrations. The somewhat awkward mention in the last two pages of the events of September 11, 2001, though, may be a bit abrupt and may confuse children about the relationship between it and the tightrope feat. In those pages, however, Gerstein manages to both address the issue that could not very well be left out of a story about the twin towers and give children a glimpse of the shock and dismay that the world felt at their fall. 

King, S. [Review of the book The man who walked between the towers, by 

M. Gerstein & F. Tuosto]. Children's Literature. Retrieved from http://www.childrenslit.com.

Uses:   Gerstein's book can be used as a read and discussion piece for children around the 9/11 memorial each year.  As this book talks about the World Trade Center before 9/11 the librarian can facilitate a discussion about what the World Trade Center towers were about and maybe add some other unique stories about the buildings.  

Module 4: The Tale of Despereaux

Summary: An outcast mouse seeks friendship with a young princess, who's mother died the year before from eating soup! All throughout the kingdom soup is forbidden. Although the story takes place in a castle with a princess the tale unravels with a different twist than your traditional folklore tales. Despereaux combats evil and hopefully regains respect from his mouse peers. 

Citation: DiCamillo, K., & Ering, T. B. (2003). The tale of Despereaux: Being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread. Cambridge, Mass: Candlewick Press.

Impression: This was one of my favorite books I read all semester. At first I though I was in for a traditional folktale but the unique writing style and creativity of character building made the book special and one to remember. The good and evil that DiCamillo portraits is very vivid and real but the main characters are talking mice and rats. The illustrations bring on greater understanding of the characters with their exaggerated facial expressions. This is a wonderful book for all readers, young and old.

Review:
Tree (BookHive)

Poor Despereaux. He is too small, his ears are too big, and he just doesn’t seem to be able to get the hang of being a mouse. Drawn upstairs by the sound of music, Despereaux sees and is seen by the Princess Pea and immediately falls in love with her. However, his life is not a fairy tale and Despereaux will face many struggles before he finds his “happily ever after”. Banished to the dungeon for having been seen by the Princess, his quest begins. It is up to Despereaux to come to terms with his love of music, his love of the Princess, and his desire to be her knight in shining armor. An amazing tale that leads us through the darkness to the light of understanding as we are able to see how our lives affect the lives of those around us. An amazing novel worthy of the 2004 Newbery Medal. 

T. [Review of the book The tale of despereaux by K. DiCamillo]. BookHive. Retrieved from http://bookhive.org

Ilene Cooper (Booklist)
Forgiveness, light, love, and soup. These essential ingredients combine into a tale that is as soul stirring as it is delicious. Despereaux, a tiny mouse with huge ears, is the bane of his family's existence. He has fallen in love with the young princess who lives in the castle where he resides and, having read of knights and their ladies, vows to "honor her." But his unmouselike behavior gets him banished to the dungeon, where a swarm of rats kill whoever falls into their clutches. Another story strand revolves around Miggery, traded into service by her father, who got a tablecloth in return. Mig's desire to be a princess, a rat's yen for soup (a food banished from the kingdom after a rat fell in a bowl and killed the queen), and Despereaux's quest to save his princess after she is kidnapped climax in a classic fairy tale, rich and satisfying. Part of the charm comes from DiCamillo's deceptively simple style and short chapters in which the author addresses the reader: "Do you think rats do not have hearts? Wrong. All living things have a heart." And as with the best stories, there are important messages tucked in here and there, so subtly that children who are carried away by the words won't realize they have been uplifted until much later. Ering's soft pencil illustrations reflect the story's charm. 

Cooper, I. (2003, July 1). [Review of the book The tale of despereaux by K. DiCamillo]. Booklist, 99(21).

Susie Wilde (Children's Literature)
In 2000 Kate DiCamillo got the Newbery Honor award for Because of Winn-Dixie (Candlewick, $5.99, ages 9-12), the story of a lonely young girl who finds sense of community because of a dog who discovers her. This year DiCamillo captured the Newbery itself with the help of an extraordinary character, Despereaux, the winning hero of The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread. He's a tiny mouse with a huge heart who loves a princess and would do anything for her. But he's not the only unique character, the book is divided between other remarkable personalities and their engaging stories. There's Roscuro, a dungeon-born rat who seeks light, Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who only wants to be listened to, and the Princess herself, who still grieves for her mother. Each character's desires, hopes and fears combine in this marvelous questing fantasy. This is a tale made for reading aloud and family enjoyment. If reading aloud is not your forte, there's a wonderful recording by Graeme Malcolm.

Wilde, S. [Review of the book The tale of despereaux by K. DiCamillo]. Children's Literature. Retrieved from http://www.childrenslit.com/

Uses: This book could accompany a book display celebrating folklore because it has traditional folklore features with a modern storytelling twist. The book display could contain the traditional folklore like Robin Hood, Rapunzel, and King Arthur and the Round Table while including some modern folklore like the Tale of Despereaux, Rapunzel's Revenge, and the True Story of the Three Little Pigs. In a book display it is fun to be creative so that the display attracts other readers who may be turned off by the traditional folklore but may really enjoy the modern folklore.

Module 4: A Wrinkle in Time

Summary:  Three witches visit earth to find three children in their quest to fight off evil in other galaxies.  The main character, Meg, tries to find her father who has been missing for a few years and she thinks that the three witches knows where he is.  

Citation: L'Engle, M. (1962). A wrinkle in time. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Impression:  This was a fast read for me because the characters and storyline were well written.  I can see why this is a popular book for young adolescents because of the mixture between science fiction and fantasy genres.  

Review:
Tammy (BookHive)
Meg worries about school and fitting in. She also worries about her father, who has been gone for almost a year. One stormy night, the strangely dressed Mrs. Whatsit blows into the Murry family's kitchen. During her visit she informs them that "..there is such a thing as a tesseract". Meg and Charles learn that Mr. Murry was working on tesseracts when he disappeared. After meeting Mrs. Whatsit's friends, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which, Meg and Charles join the trio of strange ladies and a boy named Calvin on a quest to find Meg's missing father. Read and learn about tesseracts, the "Black Thing", "IT", and other out-of-this- world phenomenon in this exciting, adventure story.
T. [Review of the book A wrinkle in time by M. L'Engle]. BookHive. Retrieved from http://www.bookhive.org

Barbara L. Talcroft (Children's Literature)
Winner of the Newbery Medal in 1963, L’Engle’s work of fantasy and science fiction combined with some Christian theology has now been read by several generations of young enthusiasts. The author went on to write three others, forming a quartet based on the Murry family, and including themes like the power of love and the need to make responsible moral choices. In this story, Meg Murry, her extraordinary little brother Charles Wallace, and schoolmate Calvin O’Keefe make the acquaintance of eccentric Mrs. Whatsit and friends (who turn out to be extraterrestrial beings). Together they journey through a wrinkle in time, a tesseract, to rescue the Murrys’ missing father from an evil presence (likened by some interpreters to a black hole), and a sinister brain called IT. Although this is fantasy, the characters are portrayed realistically and sympathetically; it is Meg’s ability to love that enables them to return safely to Earth and make secure the right to individuality. L’Engle herself claims that she does not know how she came to write the story; “I had no choice,” she says, “It was only after it was written that I realized what some of it meant.” A plus with this new edition is an essay by Lisa Sonne that explores scientific concepts related to the story--multiple dimensions, dark energy, and string theory. Each of these concepts were conceived since the book’s 1962 publication but are amazingly applicable to A Wrinkle in Time, and help to ensure that this imaginative book will be read for a long time into the future.
Talcroft, R.L. [Review of the book A wrinkle in time by M. L'Engle]. Children's Literature. Retrieved from http://www.childrenslit.com

Uses:  This book could appeal both male and female readers because it infuses both science fiction and fantasy into the story.  The book could be a great introduction to chapter books for young adolescents because the chapters are short and it is a quick read.  

Module 5: Jazz

Summary: Myers, both father and son, take us on a journey through the beginnings of Jazz music in America. The book is written in poetry form that gives the story a more melodic feel and accompanies the vibrant illustrations beautifully.

Citation: Myers, W. D., & Myers, C. (2006). Jazz. New York: Holiday House. 

Impression: I loved this book and I even learned quite a bit about the history of jazz. The book is not completely for children because the poem is a well written poem that would appeal to adults as well.

Review:
Elizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books)

The father/son team follows Blues Journey (BCCB 6/03) with a jazz encore, a splashier, if somewhat more uneven, effort. Fifteen poems spotlight a variety of jazz forms, from New Orleans funerals to be-bop, from stride piano to blues. W. D. Myers goes far to corral the various styles and translate them to the printed page in boldly counterpointed alternating lines (the left hand of the stride piano), script-font asides that weave through the bluesy “Oh, Miss Kitty,” and musical direction that changes the pace halfway through the “Good-Bye to Old Bob Johnson.” At their best, poems startle with flashes of playful imagery: “Heard a sad song/ Swung it into joy/ Heard a bad tune/ Spanked it like a naughty boy.” Others, though, are more predictable: “Sweet and gentle, so surprising/ Music fills us, hear it rising/ Like a charming angel choir/ Reaching, preaching souls on fire.” C. Myers creates a gallery of instrumentalists and divas whose slightly elongated, sinuous forms are sometimes contemplative, sometimes snaking in fluid motion, often ignited in primary colors, occasionally flanked by deep, moody shadows. Although only black performers are visually represented here, Myers’ introduction does address the fusion (collision?) of influences from African and European traditions that gave birth to this American musical idiom. Additionally, the appended glossary of jazz terms is likely to contribute to fuller enjoyment of the poems, and a timeline of jazz greats (which does not explicitly coordinate with subjects of the poems) provides additional information. 

Bush, E. (2007, February). [Review of the book Jazz by W.D. Myers & C. Myers]. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 60(6).

Uses: This would be a great book to display at the library during Black History Month since it provides information about the founders of jazz and blues. Also, this book is a great introduction about Jazz to children, it could be a required reading for a music class. The book is written in poetic form and provides wonderful examples of onomatopoeias in music that could be helpful to English teachers when teaching both topics.

Module 5: Ninth Ward

Summary: Twelve year old Lanesha who lives with her foster grandmother, lives in the ninth ward of New Orleans and is somewhat of an outcast. Lanesha and her grandmother can see and talk to the dead and grandmother can sense that something bad is about to happen in New Orleans. This is a story about Lanesha's survival during Hurricane Katrina.

Citation: Rhodes, J. P. (2010). Ninth ward. New York: Little, Brown and Co.

Impression: This was a unique and impressionable recount of the events leading up to and during Hurricane Katrina told by a child, Lanesha. The majority of my knowledge about the events of Hurricane Katrina was formed by news reports during the hurricane and after it all unfolded into the devastating natural disaster. The Ninth Ward sheds light on how the poorer communities endured the storm told through the innocent eyes of Lanesha. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to read more about Hurricane Katrina and historical fiction.

Review:
Kyle Greenwood (Kutztown University Book Review)
This genre is my favorite. The fact that this story focuses on a contemporary piece of American History is even more appealing to read for those history buffs. In August of 2005, the colorful city of New Orleans was darkened by the devastation and destruction of Hurricane Katrina. Floods and winds destroyed many sections of the city, the worst located in the impoverishedNinth Ward section. The character of Lanesha, represents the spirit of New Orleans. She is born to a family who abandons her from birth after her mother dies from the procedure. A local caretaker, Mama Ya-Ya intervenes and raises her in the Ninth Ward while her family refuses to speak with her, while living in the upscale area of New Orleans. The old-school inhabitants of The Big Easy are believers in spirits and voodoo. The spirits of the dead are thought to be part of the living world through communication. Mama Ya-Ya is no exception to this persona. Lanesha and Mama Ya-Ya are very close. However, she is goofed on by her classmates because they are threatened by Mama Ya-Ya's fortune telling, voodoo ways. That doesn't bother Lanesha because she has aspirations to be an engineer. With the plot swept up by a looming natural disaster, Jewel Parker Rhodes, known for her adult literature, delivers a jewel of a heartwarming story of love, devotion and survival for the younger audience. Adults will not be able to put it down either. 

Greenwood, K. (2011, Spring). [Review of the book Ninth ward by J.P. Rhodes]. Kutztown University Book Review. Retrieved from http://kutztown.edu/acad/coe/ls/

Beth Green (Library Media Connection)
Released in time for the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Ninth Ward is the story of a young girl, Lanesha, who lives in the Ninth Ward neighborhood of New Orleans. Ninth Ward is set over nine days (chapter headings are days of the week). Lanesha decides to ride out the storm as many of the residents of New Orleans did. Lanesha prepares food, making sure to board up the windows and get bottled water and other provisions, since folks in New Orleans are sure that this storm will "be like all the others." The spirit of Lanesha's dead mother comes to her assistance when Lanesha is forced to leave her home once the floodwaters have overtaken it. Rhodes has done a wonderful job of giving young readers a personal look into what happened in New Orleans during August 2005. This would be an excellent resource to use when students are researching different types of weather, especially since the main character is younger, and her point of view is one that many children can identify with.
Green, B. (2010, October). [Review of the book Ninth ward by J.P. Rhodes]. Library Media Connection. Retrieved from http://www.librarymediaconnection.com/

Anchorage School Review (Worldcat)
A story about how Lanesha and her grandmother deal with hurricane Katrina. This is an excellent story for young readers about how Lanesha and her grandmother deal with Hurricane Katrina. Lanesha learns a lot about herself and that she is capable of dealing with the challenges that come her way when Katrina hits New Orleans. She learns to be happy with herself and that she can have friends. She realizes that her mother loves her especially when she keeps her from drowning. Young readers will find this book hard to put down.
 [Review of the book Ninth ward by J.P. Rhodes]. Anchorage School Review. Retrieved from http://www.worldcat.org/profiles/AnchorageSchools/reviews/1307293

Uses: This would be a great novel for a book club sponsored by the library for young adolescent girls. There are several intellectually stimulating conversations that could stem from this book that would normally not be approached by other books. Some topics could be socio-economic desperately amongst Americans, also the controversies surrounding Hurricane Katrina, feeling like an outcast and the need for friendship and acceptance.

Module 6: Smoky Night

Summary: The Los Angeles Riots of 1992 are described through the innocent eyes of a young boy.

Citation: Bunting, E., Diaz, D., Wallerstein, W., MacElwee, K., Diaz, D., D'moch, L., Central Graphics., ... Tien Wah Press Sdn. Bhd. (1994). Smoky night. San Diego: Harcourt Brace.

Impression: The collage and abstract paintings describe a vivid picture of the chaos and destruction during the Los Angles riots. The illustrations demonstrate the commotion of the characters in the scenes. Also, Eve Bunting provides excellent written word to explain the paintings and gives a deeper understanding to the story. This is a wonderful book that describes social differences and how communities and people can come together in a world of violence. This is a well composed childrens' book that enables parents, teachers, community leaders, therapists, and librarians to open up a difficult but important topic in our society.

Review:
Kirkus Review
A noted author (Fly Away Home, 1991) brings all her empathy and creative skill to another timely topic: an inner-city riot. Standing well back from their window, Daniel and his mama watch looters steal TVs and break into Kim's market. When it quiets down the two fall asleep, only to be roused: their building is burning, so they escape, through ravaged streets, to a shelter. Though Bunting offers no reasons for the violence, she succinctly describes the mob's psychology. Mama explains, "...people get angry. They want to smash and destroy. They don't care anymore what's right...After a while it's like a game," while Daniel observes, "They look angry. But they look happy, too." The story is rounded out with a touch of reconciliation: Mama has't patronized Kim's market ("...it's better if we buy from our own people") but, after Daniel's cat and Mrs. Kims' make friends at the shelter, the people realize that they, too, could be friendly. Diaz's art -- rough-edged acrylic paintings mounted on collages of paper, burnt matches, and materials that might be found blowing on a California street -- is extraordinarily powerful. Defined in heavy black, the expressionistically rendered faces are intense with smoky shades and dark, neon-lit color. An outstandingly handsome book that represents its subject realistically while underplaying the worst of its horrors; an excellent vehicle for discussion.
(1994). [Review of the book Smoky night, by E. Bunting]. Kirkus Reviews, VNU eMedia. Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com/

Betsy Hearne (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books)
Eve Bunting has a good track record for vitalizing what would be docudrama in the hands of a lesser storyteller. Here the scenario is an inner-city riot that young Daniel and his mother and his yellow cat Jasmine watch from their apartment window. "It can happen when people get angry," explains Mama. "They want to smash and destroy. They don't care anymore what's right and what's wrong." Among the stores looted is Mrs. Kim's market, and when Daniel's building catches fire in the middle of the night, both he and Mrs. Kim end up in the local church shelter, worrying about whether their cats-archenemies in the past-have escaped the blaze. It's the authentic child's perspective that makes the tale so touching. What impresses Daniel in the midst of an adult-size crisis are the kind of details that adults wouldn't notice ("I've never seen a bigger jar of mayo," he observes in the shelter) or wouldn't be honest about ("Mrs. Kim takes her big, fat, mean old orange cat and holds him close"). It's these very observations that lead Daniel to a truth about what caused the riot to begin with. Diaz has not been afraid to take risks in illustrating the story with thickly textured paintings against a background of torn-paper and found-object collage; the heavy outlines are a bit reminiscent of John Steptoe's early work. Without becoming cluttered or gimmicky, these pictures manage to capture a calamitous atmosphere that finally calms. His choice of a stylized medium to express a frighteningly realistic situation will allow young listeners to get the emotional impact without becoming overpowered by it-just as the first-person narrative succeeds in doing a lot by not trying to do too much. In fact, both author and artist have managed to portray a politically charged event without pretension or preaching. R*--Highly recommended as a book of special distinction.
Hearne, B. (1994, March). [Review of the book Smoky night, by E. Bunting]. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 47(7).

Uses: This book could be in a book displayed with similar books that speak about community outreach programs after a disaster has happened to a community. The books could accompany information that the community government has developed in order to deal with cultural differences and emergency preparedness plans. Also, parents can read this to children to help explain difficult social injustices and outrages like riots or protests.

Module 7: Does My Head Look Big In This?

Summary: Amal, who lives in Melbourne, Australia, decides one day that she will wear her hijab, the Muslim head-scarf for women, full time. Her parents even question her decision since they have never put pressure on her to wear the hijab full time. The story is about her journey throughout the school year with her new identity. She deals with ostracizing and strange looks but also develops a sense of self, friendship, and courage.

Citation: Abdel-Fattah, R. (2007). Does my head look big in this?. New York: Orchard Books.

Impression: Overall, this book was okay. At times I felt that the modern references about Amal's life were too cliche and attempted to overly state that Amal is both hip and traditional. These attempts to juxtapose the modern young adult female with the Muslim traditions appeared unnatural. The topic was very intriguing but could have been approached differently to make it more realistic.

Review:
Hazel Rochman (Booklist)
Like the author of this breakthrough debut novel, Amal is an Australian-born, Muslim Palestinian “whacked with some seriously confusing identity hyphens.” At 16, she loves shopping, watches Sex and the City, and IMs her friends about her crush on a classmate. She also wants to wear the hijab, to be strong enough to show a badge of her deeply held faith, even if she confronts insults from some at her snotty prep school, and she is refused a part-time job in the food court (she is “not hygienic”). Her open-minded observant physician parents support her and so do her friends, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, secular. Her favorite teacher finds her a private space to pray. The first-person present-tense narrative is hilarious about the diversity, and sometimes heartbreaking. For her uncle who wants to assimilate, “foreign” is the f-word, and his overdone Aussie slang and flag-waving is a total embarrassment. On the other hand, her friend Leila nearly breaks down when her ignorant Turkish mom wants only to marry her daughter off (“Why study?”) and does not know that it is Leila’s Islamic duty “to seek knowledge, to gain an education.” Without heavy preaching, the issues of faith and culture are part of the story, from fasting at Ramadan to refusing sex before marriage. More than the usual story of the immigrant teen’s conflict with her traditional parents, the funny, touching contemporary narrative will grab teens everywhere. 

Rochman, H. (2007, July 1). [Review of the book Does my head look big in this? by R. Abdel-Fattah]. Booklist, 103(21).

Claire Rosser (KLIATT Review)
We have been waiting for just such a book as this in YA literature! Abdel-Fattah is a Muslim, an Egyptian-Palestinian-Australian who lives in Sydney. Her narrator is Amal, a smart junior inprep school, whose parents are professionals and who is heading in that direction herself, especially after a highly successful debating contest. Amal was a student at a Catholic school as a child, then at an Islamic school for several years, and now she is at a prep school where being Muslim is a distinct oddity. As the story begins, she is deciding that she wants to begin wearing a headscarf as a sign of her faith--hence the title. Even her parents are somewhat hesitant about this, since it will set Amal so thoroughly apart from the other students. Now, Amal is not someone who is especially pious--she loves junk TV, going out with friends to shop and gossip, and is generally a person any YA can like and relate to as they read about her--this is familiar chick lit with a new twist. What’s so good about the story is just how easy it is for non-Muslim readers to relate to Amal; and I’m sure Muslim readers will snap this one up since they rarely see themselves portrayed in YA literature. A subplot concerns a friend of Amal’s from the Islamic school: Leila is just as smart as Amal and yearns to continue her education and become a professional; however, her parents do not encourage her as Amal’s parents encourage her. Instead, Leila’s mother is trying to arrange her marriage and believes marriage and motherhood is all any good Muslim girl should want. Leila runs away to a women’s shelter, and finally returns home with her mother’s promise to let her continue her education. Here’s a great line as Amal reports how things are going: “Leila brought home the BBC production of Pride and Prejudice for an English assignment and her mother watched it with her. Apparently she was very impressed with Mrs. Bennet’s matchmaking skills.” Fun and just what we need in the way of diversity. 

Rosser, C. (2007, May). [Review of the book Does my head look big in this? by R. Abdel-Fattah]. KLIATT Review, 41(3).

Uses: This would be a great book for a book club with a secondary-school female teen group. This could teach cultural respect and understanding while also demonstrate the ability for teenage girls to become themselves rather than what society deems acceptable or popular.

Module 8: Life As We Knew It

Summary: A post apocalyptical story about Miranda and her family struggling to stay alive after a meteor hits the moon and changes earth's daily cyclical pattern. The novel is told in the first person by Miranda, a teenager, who is dealing with her own teenage issues while trying to keep her family together and alive.

Citation: Pfeffer, S. B. (2006). Life as we knew it. Orlando: Harcourt.

Impression: This gripping novel makes any reader unable to put the book down. Even though the book is told through a teenage girl's perspective, any reader could empathize with her. The book also makes the reader reflect on his/her own life and how they would react in a similar kind of situation. After reading it I made a preparedness plan for my home in case I was out of electricity or gas for a while due to an emergency.

Review:
Allison Rheinhardt (Kutztown University Book Review)
After the moon is knocked off it’s axis when a meteor hits, the world is not the same for anybody. The fear is seen through the eyes of Miranda, a 16-year-old girl who lives in Northeast Pennsylvania. The news begins reporting devastating events all over the world, like tsunamis that have wiped out Alaska, Hawaii, and New York City. The electric begins to go off and on sporadically, there is a riot like atmosphere in the grocery stores. Summer passes with sweltering heat, no sun, no crops, and an overpopulation of mosquitoes. The worst is yet to come when winter hits. Miranda’s family struggles to stay warm, battle hunger pangs, and fight a virus that becomes an epidemic in the neighborhood. Miranda is wondering when the world will turn around, and become what she remembers as life as we knew it. This book is eerie and a bit horrifying in that it could actually happen. As scary as it was, it was also a really good read, reminding the readers that Mother Nature is unpredictable. This book is easily my new favorite book.

Rheinhardt, A. (2007, Spring). [Review of the book Life as we knew it by S.B. Pfeffer]. Kutztown University Book Review.  Retrieved from http://kutztown.edu/acad/coe/ls/

April Spisak (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books)
Miranda’s ordinary life is disrupted, along with the lives of literally everyone else in the world, when an unexpectedly dense meteor hits the moon. Immediately, entire countries are lost to tsunamis, quickly followed by volcanic eruptions, rampant disease, and starvation that cause the deaths of millions more. On a much smaller scale, Miranda, her two brothers, and mother are just trying to survive the winter in their own small home. The slow unfolding of events, told in diary entries that vary in length and intensity, creates a riveting and deeply frightening account of the individual experience of a worldwide catastrophe. Although Miranda writes at length about new horrors and unexpected consequences of the meteor, she is also remarkably realistic as she also journals her avoidance of homework and her meditations on kissing boys. The story is effectively constructed: the personal connection with Miranda and her conscious acceptance of the fact that few humans can mourn for tragedy every second keeps the unceasing tribulations of the larger world from becoming overwhelming to the reader. It is certainly to the author’s credit that this post-convenience, dangerous world actually sounds inviting on occasion and often raises intriguing questions: readers will inevitably imagine their own responses to such a global event and may even envy Miranda’s uncomplicated appreciation of her simpler but more joyful life.

Spisak, A. (2006, December). [Review of the book Life as we knew it by S.B. Pfeffer]. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 60(4).

Michele Winship (VOYA)
Mirroring recent history, this novel reminds readers of the wild power of nature that far outstrips human ability to either predict or control it. Pfeffer's science fiction holocaust story is not the predictable aftermath of a nuclear disaster across the globe, but the intimate portrayal of a slowly disintegrating family struggling to believe in a future following an asteroid's collision with the moon and the devastating after-effects on earth. With just enough science to frame the fiction, the plot is plausible and appealing to readers who may not usually explore the genre, especially middle grade females. The narrator is sixteen-year-old Miranda, who documents her life for readers through journal entries, an effective way for the author to address external as well as internal conflict. In a voice reminiscent of Anne Frank's, Miranda represents every teenage girl who will relate to her struggling to make sense of early romance, transforming friendships, and the family unrest characteristic of coming-of-age. Pfeffer's strength lies in portraying the complex relationships in a blended and extended family focused on survival, and the challenges that both draw them together and tear them apart. She also creates unlikely heroes in her secondary characters, who teach Miranda that if she reaches down deep enough, she is stronger than she ever thought she could be. 

Winship, M. (2006, October).  [Review of the book Life as we knew it by S.B. Pfeffer]. VOYA, 29(4)

Uses: This book was made into an audiobook and the library could accompany both the book and audiobook in a book display along with other similar young adult books with audiobooks. This would help promote the audio collection of the library as well as inspire young adults to look into alternative forms of reading. A link to the digital collection with additional access information could be displayed, to promote the newer technologies that the library has to offer. Since this book deals with post-apocalyptic issues this could stimulate intriguing discussions that could be on the library's blog, Tweet, or Facebook sites. This book would be a great way to start a virtual book discussion with the younger patrons of the library.

Module 8: The Golden Compass

Summary:  An orphan girl, Lyra, lives in a magical world where people have demons, that is an animal that represents the person's true character.  An evil source is trying to rid children of their demons and prevent people from discovering dust, which allows you to go to other worlds other than theirs.  


Citation: Pullman, P. (1996). The golden compass. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.


Impression:  The Golden Compass is an amazing fantasy book that makes the reader want to have his/her own little demon.  Pullman's cleaver and creative writing keeps the reader wanting more of his fantasy world.


Review:
Jennifer Fakolt (VOYA)
In The Golden Compass, Pullman gave us a breathtakingly rich vision of a world shades removed from and more mystical than ours, infused with magic and informed by reason, where everyone has a personal daemon in animal form that is the perfect complement of their personality, and to which they are bound with their whole soul. We met Lyra, the impudent, shrewd daughter of the powerful scholar, Lord Asriel. Left to her own wild devices under the benevolent care of elderly professors, she finds her joy running wild with the Oxford street children. When Lyra foils an attempt to assassinate her dangerous father, events are set in motion that destroy her innocent childhood. A photograph of an alternate world, rumors of mysterious Dust, and the increasing disappearances of children all serve to move Lyra down the path of a terrible destiny. With Lord Asriel imprisoned, the glamorous Mrs. Coulter and her menacing daemon come to take Lyra from her home. Lyra receives a curious instrument--an alethiometer--which always tells the truth, if one is able to discern the layered meanings of its pictograms. Frightened when she discovers Mrs. Coulter is not only her mother, but also the leader of the Oblation board--those behind the abductions, performing unspeakable experiments, severing children from their daemons--Lyra escapes, determined to rescue her father and a missing friend. She begins a journey to the far North, making strange allies along the way, from the King of the Gyptians to Iorek Byrnison, leader of the great white armored bears. The conclusion is aching, haunting, and epically beautiful. In The Subtle Knife, Pullman continues Lyra's story, as tensions escalate. Will, a boy from a parallel Oxford, is on a quest to find his own father, who had vanished on a Northern expedition. Fleeing after killing one of the mysterious men who question his mother, Will finds a hole from his modern England into the world of Cittigazze, where adults are prey to soul-eating Spectres, and where people's daemons are on the outsides. There, he meets Lyra, out to revenge the death of her friend and find out more about the elusive Dust. The two join forces and form an uneasy, fierce friendship. Victor in a bloody fight, Will learns that he is destined to be the bearer of the subtle knife, a blade able to cut holes into other worlds. As the skies of Cittigazze fill with the massive movements of angels heading to join Lord Asriel in his epic battle against the Authority, and the evil Mrs. Coulter gets nearer and nearer to Lyra, Will and Lyra are pulled into a growing maelstrom of great struggles and betrayals. These first two volumes of His Dark Materials trilogy are, simply, magnificent. Pullman has the power of a master fantasist. He imbues an age-old classical struggle with a new mythic vision, the depth and realization of which are staggering. His style is tight, compelling, and nearly flawless. Characters quickly become friends, so layered and immediate are they, inspiring the reader to tears of loss or wonder. These two titles stand in equal company with the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. 
Fakolt, J. (1998, June). [Review of the book The golden compass by P. Pullman]. VOYA, 21(2). 


Uses:  This book was also made into a major motion picture in 2007.  The library could use this as part of a summer reading program featuring books that were made into movies.  Once a month a movie could be shown at an outdoor movie night for families.  Community movie nights are very popular in the summer and usually occur at an outdoor community center or park.  The movie nights could be sponsored by the library that promote the library's movies and children's reading collections.

Module 9: The Book Thief

Summary:  Death, the narrator, describes the events during World War II through it's own eyes.  Although, Death is repeatedly distracted by a book thief, named Liesel, who lives with her foster family on Himmel Street.  

Citation: Zusak, M. (2006). The book thief. New York: Alfred A. Knopf

Impression:  This was my favorite book that I read all semester.  The book is written for young adults and adults because of the subject material and language used in the book.  I loved the unique writing style of Zusak and the creative incorporation of Death as the narrator of the story.  I have never read a book similar to this one and it is on my gift giving list to people this holiday season.  

Review:

Pat Frade (Children's Book and Play Review)
This WWII story, set in Nazi Germany, centers around a young girl named Liesel. For unknown reasons, Liesel's mother can no longer care for Liesel and her brother. On the train ride to their new foster family, Liesel's brother dies. When Liesel and her mother stop at a cemetery in the next town to bury the young boy, Liesel finds a book (her first) and picks it up as a remembrance of her brother. She then arrives at the home of her new foster family, a middle-age couple named Hans and Rosa. Hans is a kind, gentle man who comforts the young girl and teaches her to read. Liesel collects more stolen books and finds a group of friends: the boy Rudy, the Jewish refugee Max, and the mayor's wife (who has a whole library from which she allows Liesel to steal). Liesel finds pleasure, comfort, and peace in books--even while living in the midst of war, losing her own family, risking her life with her foster family to help a Jew, and surviving air raids. Books become her lifeline! The Book Thief is the winner of the 2007 Printz Honor Award and various other awards for 2006 and 2007. The writing of this book is interesting, narrated by Death. It gives the reader a sense of what a child's life (and the average German's life) was like during the war. The author's message lies not only in the power of words, but also in how a young girl finds a way to rise above her difficult life by reading books. 
Frade, P. (2010, May/June). [Review of the book The book thief by M. Zusak]. Children's Book and Play Review, 30(5). 


CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices)
Both intimate and sweeping, Markus Zusak’s unforgettable novel is set just before and during World War II, among everyday German people living in a Munich suburb. The focal point of his story is Liesel, a young girl being placed in foster care as the story opens. Her mother, unknown to Liesel, faces imprisonment—and probable death—for being a communist. Liesel’s foster mother, Rosa, has a brisk manner and foul mouth but it eventually becomes clear that it’s all just a mask, protection for her soft and tender heart. By contrast, Liesel’s foster father, Hans, has a goodness that is immediate and shining. He patiently teachers Liesel to read, and words—those written, those read, those spoken, and those left unsaid—become one of the defining forces in Liesel’s life. As the war escalates, Liesel becomes a collaborator in a family secret: they are harboring a Jewish man named Max in their basement. Liesel can tell no one about Max, not even her best friend, Rudy, the free-spirited boy next door who dreams of being Jesse Owens and has loved Liesel from the moment they met. But she does tell Max about Rudy and other things happening in her life, brightening his dark basement days and nights with stories; a gift that he ultimately returns. When Liesel starts stealing books from the library of the mayor’s wife, a woman immersed in grief over the loss of her son in the last war, her thievery is a bold, decisive act in a world where much is spinning out of control. Some people in Liesel’s neighborhood are Nazi sympathizers. Others, like Rudy’s parents, follow all the rules in the futile hope they won’t draw attention to themselves or their family. Yet many in their town willingly participate in book burning, and many come out to watch the ruthless forced march of Jewish prisoners on the road to Dachau, all but a handful seemingly unmoved by a scene that is, or should be, unbearable. How can human nature be explained? That question, and humanity itself, haunts the novel’s narrator: Death. His job is to gather the souls of the dead, and while he does not pass judgment he is far from unmoved by all he sees. In Liesel’s story, which embraces so many other lives, he—and we—find everything that human beings are capable of enduring, inflicting, bestowing, and achieving: from sorrow, sadness, and cruelty beyond comprehension to incredible compassion, kindness, and joy. It offers both despair and hope for humanity. A literary masterpiece that will engage older teens and adults, The Book Thief’s exquisite prose reveals extraordinary characters caught up in inexplicable times, and illuminates the worst and best of who we are. 
(2007). [Review of the book The book thief by M. Zusak]. Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices.  Retrieved from http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/


Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews)
When Death tells a story, you pay attention. Liesel MemingerLiesel begins stealing books from Nazi book burnings and the mayor's wife's library. As she becomes a better reader, she becomes a writer, writing a book about her life in such a miserable time. Liesel's experiences move Death to say, "I am haunted by humans." How could the human race be "so ugly and so glorious" at the same time? This big, expansive novel is a leisurely working out of fate, of seemingly chance encounters and events that ultimately touch, like dominoes as they collide. The writing is elegant, philosophical and moving. Even at its length, it's a work to read slowly and savor. Beautiful and important. 
(2006, January 15). [Review of the book The book thief by M. Zusak]. Kirkus Reviews, 74(2). 

Uses: This could be used for a book discussion with the author.  The theme could be about exploring different examples of cultural and ethnic intolerance in the past and how society has overcome those injustices.  

Module 10: Our Only May Amelia

Summary: May Amelia is a tomboy living with her Finnish-American family in Oregon during the early 1900s. This is a story about everyday living during the early 1900s in the eyes of May Amelia. She describes her struggles with her own family and becoming a woman.

Citation: Holm, J. L. (1999). Our only May Amelia. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers.

Impression: Overall, the book lacked a plot and it left the reader wondering the overall point of the book. The book does give great historical descriptions about how life once was along the western coast of Oregon, but other than that May Amelia just seemed like any ordinary girl. Perhaps the author intended the story to be just that but the reader was always waiting for the story to develop into something more.

Review:
Louise Foerster (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews)
May Amelia is a twelve-year-old and considered a Miracle because she is the only girl child born in the community of Nasel in Washington state. Also she is the only girl in the Jackson family with seven brothers. Life is hard for her. Most of the time she is treated like a boy, but then again she must be more lady-like. Her greatest wish is that the baby her mother is carrying be a girl--a little sister. OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA is based on a diary of the Finnish-American grand-aunt of the author and gives an authentic picture of rural life in the Northwest at the turn of the century. It will encourage girls who also feel lonely and isolated. 

Foerster, L. [Review of the book Our only May Amelia by J.L. Holm]. The Lorgnette, 12(3).

Susan Dove Lempke (Booklist)
May Amelia, age 12, lives with her stern Finnish father, pregnant mother, and seven brothers in the state of Washington in the late 1800s. She records the details of her life in a diary using the present tense and a folksy speech pattern: "I go about fixing dinner real quiet-like so they can talk and tell secrets." Aside from quarrels with her adoptive brother Kaarlo, May lives a relatively bucolic life until the arrival of her shrewish grandmother, who finds fault with everything May says and does. The author bases her story on her aunt's real diary, so the everyday details of life among Finnish immigrants add a nice specificity to the background, and May is appealingly vivacious. However, the lack of quotation marks, the overuse of certain expressions (among them, "indeed"), the length, and sometimes slow pacing may make this a secondary purchase. 

Lempke, S.D. (1999, September 1).  [Review of the book Our only May Amelia by J.L. Holm]. Booklist, 96(1).

Uses: This book could be used for a "girls only" summer reading group. The books selected could be geared toward the outdoors and tomboy themes.

Module 11: Bodies from the Ash: Life and Death in Ancient Pompei

Summary:  Deem tells the story of the explosion of Mount Vesuvius and the final days of the people living in Pompeii during the first century A.D.  Deem includes pictures from the exhibits and maps of the recreation of the Pompeii.  

Citation: Deem, J. M. (2005). Bodies from the ash. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.


Impression:  As an archeologist/anthropologist, I thought this book was well written and composed nicely.  Most books of this genre focus on the natural disaster itself but this book explained the discovery of Pompeii and the stages of excavation of the various parts of Pompeii.  This allows the reader to focus on the scientific process of archeological excavation and investigation while recreating what actually happened in the final days of Pompeii.  

Review:

CBC Reviewer (National Science Teachers Association (NSTA))
This attractive NSTA/CBC award-winning volume offers a deeper than usual coverage of the destruction of Pompeii by a volcano in the first century A.D. Recently discovered letters from a Roman historian provide actual accounts of the timeline and the stages of the eruption, making this book appropriate as a supplement to Earth science content related to volcanism. The author was given access to buildings that are normally closed to the public, enabling him to offer rare images to support the text. The book is ideal for the development of interdisciplinary thematic units, blending science, social studies, and geography in middle school---although the reading level of the text will be challenging at that level. A bibliography and index support further research.
Children's Book Council. (2006). [Review of the book Bodies from the ash by J.M. Deem]. National Science Teachers Association.  Retrieved from http://www.nsta.org/publications/ostb/ostb2006.aspx

Uses:  The school library could provide this to students for a science fair project.   Also, the library could have a display showing different kinds of environmental disasters and this book could accompany the display.  

Module 12: Ballet for Martha

Summary: Martha was a different kind of ballerina for her time. Martha introduced the world to improvised modern dance. Many people critiqued her style of dance and felt that it was unrefined and not professional, while others thought it was the missing link to the performing arts. Ballet for Martha is a story of Martha Graham, Aaron Copland, and Isamu Noguchi working together to create the first production of Appalachian Spring.

Citation: Greenberg, J., Jordan, S., & Floca, B. (2010). Ballet for Martha: making Appalachian Spring. New York: RB/Flash Point.

Impression: I love books that focus on the performing arts. Expressing movement, feeling, and music through illustration and words is a hard thing to accomplish. In Ballet for Martha, the emotional struggle of successfully choreographing the ballet was eloquently depicted throughout the book. The book sheds light on all the different roles people play in the performing arts. It is an inspiring book for children to explore the world of modern performing arts as well as explains the history of American modern dance.

Review:
Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices

The collaboration of choreographer Martha Graham, composer Aaron Copland, and artist Isamu Noguchi to create the ballet “Appalachian Spring” melded distinctive individual creativity in a product that pushed the boundaries of the arts. Led by Martha Graham, the trio worked together in bringing to life “a story to be told in movement and music” about “a new home, a new family, a new life. A dance about America.” Never willing to settle for anything less than the perfection she imagined, Martha Graham rearranged Copland’s music to fit the dance, and spurred Noguchi to craft a set “spare and angular, like Martha’s way of dancing.” The story of the evolution of “Appalachian Spring” is followed by a description of the performance itself, as seen by audiences in its 1944 premiere. Clean watercolor illustrations and the judicious use of white space create an uncluttered visual accompaniment to the text, well-matched in style and substance. 

(2011). [Review of the book Ballet for Martha by J. Greenberg, S. Jordan, & B. Floca]. Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices. Retrieved from http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/

Kirkus Reviews
Appalachian Spring, the modern dance that celebrates the wedding of a Pioneer Woman and her Husbandman, is a brillantly conceived and enduring paean to American frontier life. It premiered in 1944 with choreography by the innovative Martha Graham, music by Aaron Copland, a child of Eastern European immigrants, and sets by Isamu Noguchi, the Japanese-American sculptor who voluntarily went into a World War II internment camp. The award-winning Greenberg and Jordan tell the story of this collaboration, which began when Copland composed music he entitled "Ballet for Martha." Through the use of active sentences in the present tense and brief quotes, the authors convey the excitement and drama of the creative process and the triumph of the ballet. Floca, a multiple Sibert Award honoree for his prowess in depicting the technical worlds of spaceships and lightships, here uses watercolor and pen-and-ink in a glorious depiction of modern dance movement, with its quiet hand gestures, dramatic leg kicks and the swirl of dancers "fluttering, skittering, reaching up to the sky." A stunning achievement. Archival photographs embellish the biographical notes at the end--a lovely touch. 

(2010, July 15). [Review of the book Ballet for Martha by J. Greenberg, S. Jordan, & B. Floca]. Kirkus Reviews, 78(14).

Uses: During the summer months, the library could facilitate a children's play or dance. The librarian would read this to the children who are participating in the production prior to starting. This could inspire children to develop creative ideas about the production of the play or dance.