The Popularity Papers

The Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham Chang

The Popularity Papers is an interesting story told from the perspective of two best friends who are just outside the ‘in crowd’ and looking in on the lives of those in the popular group and what makes them so much cooler and better than everyone else. In this journal like story, two fifth grade friends are determined to find out the secrets and the inner workings of what it takes to be popular at their middle school. Through observations, recording and mimicking the attitude and demeanor of the popular girls, Lydia and Julie research every move of the popular girls at school because, ‘when you’re popular, you’re just better.’ Styled with heavy illustrations and in a notebook fashion, learn the inner workings of the in crowd, the importance of the social hierarchy of preteens and follow Lydia and Julie on their quest for popularity and where it leads them.

             In the same fashion as Diary of a Wimpy Kid, this story focuses on the importance of social hierarchy in middle school. I think it’s safe to say that when it comes to writing books (specifically series) for tweens today, authors stick to the same basic themes. Many series that are intended for a tween audience, the story is most likely going to focus on how to navigate middle school and primarily center on the popular crowd and the main character’s relation to those in the popular crowd. While this may be an important part of a twelve old girls life, it’s important to challenge them intellectually. Letting them read story after story that is essentially the same thing, I think it’s important to emphasize a well rounded reading experience. Although, I enjoyed this story more than the others I think it’s time to turn the focus on a different aspect of life in middle school.

Dork Diaries: Tales of a Not So Fabulous Life

Dork Diaries: Tales of a Not So Fabulous Life by Rachel Russell

In what will become an instant middle school classic novel (with sketches throughout the book to get the feel of a real life diary), Dork Diaries is a series that focuses on Nikki Maxwell and her life as her she and her family move to a new school. In the fashion of a diary (which seems to be a very trendy writing style these days for tweens), Nikki spills all, her feelings about moving and having to make new friends and how to handle life as a middle schooler, because it’s just too difficult to be in the eighth grade! She pulls off the whole, ‘no understands me or knows what I’m going through’ very well and dishes about boys, dealing with sister, begging for the latest iPhone and seriously ripping on the mean girl, Mackenzie in her art class. Follow Nikki’s life in the first novel of the hit series, Dork Diaries: Tales of a Not So Fabulous Life.    

      Much the book focuses on the struggle of being popular and the coolest girl in eighth grade. But isn’t that everyone’s problem in middle school? Now more than ever, popularity, being the coolest and prettiest girl in school seems to be the most important part of school. With bullying becomes more severe and much more of a problem, everyone is in a race to be the most popular kid in school and afraid of being left out and becoming invisible. More than ever, there is a heightened sense of pressure to be a part of the in crowd and to be well known amongst your peers. The whole idea of fame and self promotion is seeping into the classrooms of middle schools across the country, even elementary schools. So what’s the deal, why is it so important to be socially accepted as being number one?

Themed Reader’s Advisory Tweens: How Fame became the Norm (The Obsession with Fame in Everyday Life

  Hannah Montana: Keeping Secrets

      Hannah Montana originally aired on the Disney Channel and became an instant favorite among tween aged girls with her hit television show, films, concerts and books. What started out as a show turned into a brand that sold dolls, books, music and much, much more. The show focuses on an average American school girl played by Miley Cyrus who is secretly this mega pop star who trying to deal with real life as Miley Stewart. Once the series turned into a popular book series, girls couldn’t get their hands on the books fast enough. In Hannah Montana: Keeping Secrets, Miley doesn’t know what to do when faced with the dilemma of her best friend Oliver is completely obsessed with Hannah Montana. Miley has to figure out a way to keep her life safe and secret from everyone including her friends.

      Hannah Montana is the perfect example to start with when talking about tween’s and the lives of children and the influence of fame. Growing up watching television shows in the nineties, we knew the distinction between what was real and not. We knew how to separate our lives from what was happening on the television screen. In today’s society, fame and self promotion is very much a part of our world and our day to day lives now with the internet and constant access to information. With more shows focusing on Hollywood Access and fame, I think it’s interesting to examine how fame is very much a part of this younger generation and how they shape their moral identity. Hannah’s influence in her show has undoubtedly played an important part on how young minds view and think of fame in our culture. It’s in our news, in shows and in our books. What message is this sending to our kids today? Is Hannah Montana harmless to our kids?

The Golden Compass

The Golden Compass

Before watching The Golden Compass, I couldn’t help but do a little research on the background of the story.  Based on the British Series, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, The Golden Compass (the North America title) was originally released as Northern Skies in England in 1995. The Golden Compass was the first in the trilogy and was successful enough to be made into a hit movie starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Sam Elliot and Dakota Blue Richards as the young and adventurous Lyra Belacqua. Told as a fantasy novel, the story revolves around the young Lyra Belacqua and the journey she makes through time and space to save the ones she loves. It is beautiful coming of age story as Lyra travels through a series of parallel universes against the backdrop of adventurous and sometimes life threatening events, with friends, enemies and animal spirits.

            Having not read the book and only watching the film, the story was a bit confusing at times. Much of the story revolves around the powerful Magisterium (which is obvious it represents religion-specifically the Catholic Church?!)  The almighty Magisterium is looking to rid all tolerance and free thinking, therefore their mission to destroy all alethiometers, which is also known as a truth teller (what looks to us like a compass). We learn they have succeeded and have obliterated every compass except for one in which only one can read, precious little Lyra. Most of the story follows Lyra on an epic journey to find her friends who have been taken by the Gobblers and to save her Uncle. Throughout the story, we learn that everyone in this alternate world (that looks very similar to earth) has an animal spirit that walks along the side of humans. They are also referred to as daemons. Children’s daemons are able to change shape and form, while at a certain age an adult’s daemon, takes on its permanent form.

            Like any typical tween or young adult novel, it’s a story of a child growing up and finding who they are and what their voice is. In this case, we learn early on that Lyra is an orphan. Not growing up with a parent, Lyra is this young girl who is trying to make sense of the world around her despite her upbringing and little guidance. Most of the story focuses on Lyra being the only person who can read this compass and finding the confidence and pride she needs that she is the one who will save all these worlds from clashing and going to war with one another. This young girl is the protagonist of the story and will rise to become a leader and the voice of all the orphan children she must save in the first novel. I think this story is an excellent source of literature for young children, particularly to ‘tween’ age children, this is the age where children start to make sense of the world and their place in it.   

Harry Potter (Books One Through Three)

Harry Potter (Books One through Three)

            Harry Potter has lived under the stairs for eleven years and before he gets a mysterious letter in the mail via an owl, he’s understood life to be quite miserable since growing up with his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Cousin Dudley outside London. In the first novel of the widely popular Harry Potter series, Harry befriends an ogre-ly giant, stumbles across a three headed dog and becomes the star seeker in a silly game called Quidditch and learns he’s a wizard. In a world where he feels at home, Harry surrounds himself with witches, wizards, goblins and dwarfs in the first of the seven book mega franchise. In the first three stories of the hit series, Harry goes on a quest to find the Sorcerer’s Stone, awaken and kill the beast known as a Basilisk and learn that his godfather also known as the Prisoner of Azkaban are on a journey to defeat and ultimately kill the dark force known as (only say it in a whisper) Voldemort.    

            There’s no questioning that Harry Potter has not only changed the lives of millions of children (starting as young as eight years old) but has changed the world. We muggles, as J.K Rowling so eloquently describes us have literally become obsessed with the world of the Harry Potter characters and their pets, wands and spells (everyone from Harry and his two best friends and the infamous professors like Severus Snape and Hagrid). Don’t tell me you haven’t assigned yourself to one of the four dorms, I took the quiz I belong in Gryffindor.

            One of the major reasons why children fell in love with these novels was the fact they were growing up with characters that were close in age to the reader. Although we understand there are not two worlds (the muggle world and the magic world), I think the relation between the age of the characters and the readers is one of the biggest draws of the series. Knowing a book was to be released each year or two, children couldn’t wait to see and read what had gone on in the life of Harry, Hermione and Ron while the readers themselves were growing up. While most of the stories revolve around a journey or a quest to ultimately meet up with Voldemort, most of the story centers on tween related issues like friendship, bullying, first crushes and learning the importance between being good and evil.

           

(images via pinterest) 

Dying to Meet You

Dying to Meet You

43 Old Cemetery Road

            After reading the first in the series of 43 Old Cemetery Road, I couldn’t help myself but go and find more books in the series. I absolutely fell in love with the characters in the first book, Dying to Meet You written by Kate Klise. The series revolves around an old dilapidated Victorian home that is supposedly haunted by an old ghost. In the first of the series, Mr. Ignatius Grumply needs to find residence for a few months so he can overcome his writers block and write his newest novel which is a part of a series. Not knowing much about the old Spence Mansion in Ghastly, Illinois, Mr. Grumply takes the home and soon realizes funny and peculiar things are going on inside the house. Not willing to listen to the real estate agent, He meets Seymour the child of famous paranormal professors who left their son in the house while they went on tour in Europe. Mr. Grumply finally learns and befriends Seymour and the ghost in residence.

            If there’s one thing I’ve learned in working with children is that they love ghost stories. Dying to Meet You is an excellent graphic novel that combines both graphics and a fun and haunting story. Like previously mentioned graphic novels are a fun way to help children become engaged readers if they don’t necessarily enjoy reading for pleasure. Combine illustrations and a spooky tale, children will immediately be hooked with this series. Although not necessarily from the prospective of Seymour (the young boy who lives in the Spence Mansion with Mr. Grumply), using his character and his best friend who happens to be a cat makes the story more fun and light hearted for children. 

(image via pinterest)

Smile

Smile

            The graphic novel, Smile by Raina Telgemeier is an excellent true story of growing up and going through the changes of life as a young adult. This graphic novel is based on the true events of the author going through her teen years and dealing with the struggles and embarrassment children are faced with orthodontia. It begins after a Girl Scouts Meeting when Raina is chasing her friend and trips and falls knocking her front teeth out, one completely falling out while the other is jammed up into her gum. Embarrassed and humiliated, the story spans four years, the crucial years of middle school and transitioning into high school. If orthodontia wasn’t her biggest problem in this novel, Raina grows up realizing her friends are bullies, facing rejection of boys and the ups and downs and the struggle of becoming a young adult.

            When it comes to reading at a young age, it is very common that children don’t find the pleasure of reading. They are being forced to read in school and at home, this is where I think graphic novels become a good thing. For children who don’t naturally pick up books and read for pleasure, Graphic Novels are a great way to get them to start reading. With illustration and graphics, it may be easier for kids to start taking interest in reading. Helping children find an interest and encouraging them to find graphic novels or comics is an easy way to fix that “I don’t want to read” phase for children and young adults. Finding stories like Smile, that deal with day to day life and struggles of being a young adult is certainly more entertaining to children who can relate to the story.

(images via pinterest)  

The One and Only Ivan

The One and Only Ivan

            One of the greatest works of Children’s Literature, The One and Only Ivan written by Katherine Applegate is one of the greatest stories I have read in a long time. Winner of the Newbery Award last year, The One and Only Ivan focuses on the life of a silverback gorilla named Ivan and his friends that remain caged up in a mall. Ivan grows up and spends most of his life in a small habitat where he can watch television (with a particular liking of old westerns) and drawing for his visitors. Most of his time is spent either in seclusion or talking with his friends who aren’t exactly other gorillas. His friend Bob is a dog and Stella is an elephant. Throughout the story, we learn Stella has passed away due to living her life in small quarters and not living with her family and other elephants in the wild. Before Stella dies, a new younger and spunky elephant named Ruby joins the gang and is relentless when it comes to questions. Before Stella dies, she wishes that Ivan takes care of Ruby and find her a better and more suitable home than being locked up in a mall. Then there’s Julia, a little girl who is the daughter of the Mall’s janitor who often comes and spends time watching and talking with the animals. With Ivan’s promise to help Ruby, Ivan is persistent and finally is able to communicate with Julia that he must free and find Ruby a new home. With Julia’s help, Ivan, Ruby and the other animals at the mall are finally freed and taken to a zoo where they can live a better life.

            After reading and looking over the criteria and terms for the Newbery Medal and thinking about the story of The One and Only Ivan, there’s no question why this novel won the award. The author paints a beautiful and quite clear picture of this gorilla and his life in a very small cage in a mall. The detail and description creates a clear picture in the readers mind of what is going on behind the cage of each animal that is presented in the story. It’s a story that in a simple and fresh tone explains the life of a caged animal and away from their natural habitat. With a complicated concept of understanding the lives and characters of these animals, the author does a wonderful job describing the loneliness and sadness each animal is faced within this story. This particular novel is written at a third grade reading level making easy for young readers to really engage in the story and really learn about each character.

(image via pinterest) 

Bat 6

Bat 6

            The story of Bat 6 written by Virginia Euwer Wolff revolves around a group of very different sixth grade girls who a part of the same softball team circa 1949 in Oregon. The story centers on the girls that make up the Barlow Team, a group of misfits if you will that include one Japanese American girl who comes back after being evicted from her home and sent to live in an internment camp, a girl name Shazam who comes from a broken home and other girls with very different backgrounds. With different narratives, the reader grows to learn each girl, her home life and where she comes from and understanding each other playing the game of softball in 1950 America, where women in sports was still considered a new thing.

            The author does an excellent job at presenting a story of young girls who are trying to make sense of the world post World War II in America. At an age where girls have a hard time understanding themselves as young adults, understanding each other and the world around them isn’t as easy as it seems. With so many voices telling their own story, sharing their background and learning about the players on the team, Bat 6 is a powerful account that helps a group of young adults relate to one another, build friendships and relationships, believe in the power of trust during a time of war and to help each other grow.  

(image via pinterest)

One Crazy Summer

One Crazy Summer

The first in the series of the Gaither Sisters, One Crazy Summer written by Rita Williams Garcia follows the journey of three young sisters as they make their move from Brooklyn to Oakland to spend the summer with their mother. It’s the summer of 1968 and Delphine, Vonetta and Fern leave their father in Brooklyn to try and get to know their mother, a poet and a Black Panther supporter. Dreaming of sunny California and hoping to visit Disneyland, the three sisters are in for a rude awakening when they are forced to live in tight quarters and spend their days in a Black Panther summer camp. Most of the story centers around the uneasy relationship between the girls and their mother (and understanding their place in the midst of the Black Panther Movement) but after getting to know their mother through her poetry (sneakily), the tension begins to fade.

            Although this story revolves around the relationship between the mother and her daughters, it really focuses on the transformation of each character in relation to what is happening in society at the time. It’s 1968 and the Black Panther Movement is strong and powerful, although a scary place for children to grow up and be surrounded by, we really see each character of the sisters throughout the story. Being the oldest, Delphine tries to protect her sisters from the dangerous radical people who become involved in the movement. Watching them grow throughout the story and reading it from the perspective of a child, it’s  chilling but helps young readers gain an appreciation of other cultures and helps them understand who they are in the world, how they relate to one another and understand different cultures and histories.     

(images via pinterest)

Farewell to Manzanar

Farewell to Manzanar

            This haunting memoir Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston (and her husband James Houston) recounts the days following the attack on Pearl Harbor and remains to be one of the most popular works of American History from the perspective of a young Japaense American girl trying to understand her place in the world in the midst of World War II. The story begins the day of the Pearl Harbor bombing, Jeanne is a seven year old Japanese American and doesn’t realize her young life is about to change forever. Not understanding the seriousness of war, Jeanne’s father is taken away from her and her home is being raided, her mother is left crying and soon she will be shipped off to live in an internment camp in Manzanar, near Lone Pine, California. During her time at Manzanar, Jeanne continues to question why, why she and her family must be punished for an act they didn’t commit.

            This book is not only an excellent source to remind us what the American homeland was like during World War II, it’s retold from the eyes from a young girl held in internment camp and growing up behind fences and in close quarters with other Japanese Americans. Stories like these are important for young readers to engage in because for a greater knowledge and appreciation for other cultures and their histories. Obviously having the story told from a young perspective helps grab the attention of our youth and helps them understand the harshness of the world in a child’s mindset. Introducing and encouraging multicultural literature into the reading list of tweens and young adults is important to expand their knowledge, vocabulary and becoming more aware of their place in the world and feeling connected with the world.     

(images via pinterest)

Harriet the Spy

Harriet the Spy

            After reading for a second time, Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh remains not only a timeless piece and fine work of children’s literature, I still consider this novel one of my absolute favorites from my childhood. The story revolves around a precocious sixth grade girl who is on a mission to see everything and meet as many people as she can, so she can scribble away in her infamous composition notebook with the word PRIVATE plastered on the front in all caps. Following in the words of her nanny (Ole Golly) to always speak and write the truth, Harriet’s hurtful words and spy work ends up costing her friendships, several worried parents and a club dedicated to catching spies. After receiving a letter from her beloved old nanny, Harriet turns herself around and become editor of the sixth grade newsletter; speaking the truth in a careful and polite tone and wins back her friends.

            This book was written in the early sixties but continues to be considered a classic for many children in our current younger generations for many reasons. It offers the perspective of a smart and talented young girl who is far from wanting to play dress up with tiaras and tutus. It follows the story of a girl who wants to pursue writing and is curious about the world around her. Sure it leads to Harriet coming across trouble once her notebook is taken from her and briefly losing her friends, but her character is very relatable to the children reading this book and children her age. Intended for a fourth grade reading level, Harriet’s characters is open to the world around her, she teaches young mind to embrace independence and curios

(images via pinterst)

A Wrinkle In Time

A Wrinkle in Time

            A little embarrassed to admit this is actually the first time reading A Wrinkle in Time by acclaimed children’s author Madeline L’Engle. This wonderful sci-fi fantasy is in short a race against time to save the father of his two quite famous children, Meg and her brother Charles Wallace Murray. The story starts with their scientist father already gone missing. With the aid of three not so normal women who are in fact witches, whom the characters grow to love are the beloved Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Which and Mrs. Who. These women guide and teach the three main characters, Meg, Charles and their friend Calvin O’Keefe to travel through space via a tesser or simply a wrinkle to find their father and bring him back to earth. An epic and timeless story, A Wrinkle in Time will forever remain a classic for both children and adults.

            Winning the Newbery Award, Madelin L’Engle wrote A Wrinkle in Time in the late fifties; however this still very popular book remains to be one of the most notable works in children’s literature. A race through time, intergalactic wars and relationships with other species, this theme seems to still be popular for both young mind and adults. However, space travel through the mind and perspective of a child brings a unique story and is still captivating the minds of children today. Although written over fifty years ago, this story and its continuing quest with Meg, Charles and Calvin still remains at the top of reading lists and relevant in children’s literature today.   

(images via pinterest)