Flamer: "I want this book to be a lifeline."

Flamer, a semi-autobiographical graphic novel by Mike Curato, is an emotional story of Aiden, a Filipino American boy who is spending his last week of summer break at his favorite place, his scout camp.  The year is 1995 so the times reflect an era of homophobia, bullying, and lack of resources that could help a teenager who is questioning his identity. 

 I was surprised to learn that Flamer has been challenged and even banned in school libraries across the country, despite winning a book award.  The audience for the book are young adults who are the same age as the main character.  Readers will be able to empathize with Aiden's apprehension for starting high school, his insecurities about his body image, and his surprising attraction to his friend. Although the book climaxes with a suicide scene, Aiden does not go through with it and it ends on a hopeful note.  The author's note states that these were actual instances that he experienced so I believe it will help others, either as a friend or family member of a person exhibiting Aiden's characteristics or for people thinking similar thoughts as Aiden. 

 

What I liked about this book was the honesty with which Aiden's voice permeates the entire story.  I have yet to read a book that explores a boy's insecurities about his body with as much care as Curato write's Aiden's feelings.  Many readers will be able to relate to Aiden and his reluctance to draw attention to his body as he constantly compares it to others in his camp.  

Another aspect of the book that stood out to me was the setting.  Aiden finds so much peace in being outside in nature that it becomes his happy place. I think that other readers may also find solace in going outdoors when they are feeling stressed or need room to think.  It also may encourage others to seek out ways to spend time outdoors with friends to increase endorphins and relieve them of social anxiety.  The camp also lends itself to a sense of community that readers may look to join in order to feel as a part of a group.

 

As a junior high teacher and librarian, I can attest that the moments of bullying and teasing are 100% authentic.  In Flamer, the reader experiences what Aiden does as he tries to navigate his place in an ever-increasing environment that tells him he needs to be an "alpha-male" while he doesn't have those inclinations. He also has racist remarks thrown at him for being Asian.  At one point, a well-intentioned friend, tries to tell Aiden to draw less attention to himself and Aiden questions how he can do that.  This is a very real dilemma that teens go through and Curato writes this delicate scene with such care, it's incredible. Readers can discuss what their experiences have been with racism towards Asian people and what they can do to stand up against that hate. 

Finally, the part that I really enjoyed was Aiden's relationship with his only friend who allows him to be his true self.  His pen pal, Violet, is a trusted ally whom Aiden confides his thoughts.  This is a beautiful model of how even having one person who is on one's side makes a big difference in a person's life. Allyship is a topic that young people can discuss throughout this story and into their own lives.  Aiden has some people who seem to be on his side but then change their mind once they realize that others call him out about being gay.  

Aiden's coming-of-age realization about his sexuality is something that others may be able to relate.  His religion has taught him that homosexuality was wrong so Aiden denied being gay when his classmates bullied him about it.  Only after his dreams started showing his true feelings was when he started to come around to possibly accepting this aspect about himself.  Some of his trusted scout leaders tried to help him through being himself but they ended up being outed and ultimately fired from the scout camp.  This is another reflection of the times and even some discrimination against the LGBTQ community in today's world.  Readers can discuss the factors that are at play and what they can do when they see this happening in their communities. 

Overall, Flamer is a book that embodies a number of adolescent emotions and should be available to young adult readers who want to read it.  It would also benefit educators, counselors, social workers, families and care givers to read it in order to broaden their understanding of a young person's needs during this critical time of their development.  It may very well save a life. 

Snoozefest: The Surprising Science of Sleep

 

Snoozefest: The Surprising Science of Sleep by Tanya Lloyd Kyi and Valéry Goulet is a nonfiction, middle grade book that explores the topic of sleep through multiple lenses.  Readers will be intrigued by how sleep science has changed over time.  The topics are posed as questions, like, can a human survive on little to no sleep?  

Every chapter's readability is what stands out the most for me.  Getting middle grade readers to read nonfiction can be a struggle, but I don't see that happening with this book. With extra information in the sidebars and beautiful illustrations, this book reads like a dream! Pun intended.

Another part that I think will be of importance to young readers is the section dedicated towards age and sleep.  Teenagers' sleep patterns and needs are different in that stage of their life so the impacts upon having school start times be moved to a later time, for example, are discussed.  The authors also discuss the physiological reasons behind these needs leading to readers better understanding their bodily development. 

Athletes' need for sleep and rest is also addressed.  Many readers may be surprised to learn about the world-famous athletes who dedicate so much of their training towards rest.  Coaches, health teachers and physical education instructors can use this part of the book to supplement their lessons they use with students and athletes.  

Animal lovers will be happy to see their favorite creatures featured.  How do different animals' sleeping habits and needs differ?  What are the reasons behind those differences?  Readers will be able to learn a great deal from the information in these sections. 

I have a lot of students who are interested in the science behind dreams.  This book looks at the origins of dream science and describes it in an understandable way.  What do our dreams mean?

Overall, I would recommend this book to any middle grade reader, teen and adult for that matter.  The topics Snoozefest are well-suited for book clubs, discussions and inquiry projects. Do you have other titles that address the science behind sleep? If so, please share them in the comments and a big thank you to publisher, Kids Can Press, for sharing a copy with my book review group, #BookExcursion.  

The Ogress and the Orphans-trust, power & love

 

The Ogress and the Orphans, a middle grade chapter book by Kelly Barnhill, reads like a fairy tale: a town dominated by an evil, glowing, greedy man, an orphanage full of sweet children who only hope of a better life ahead, and an outsider, the Ogress, who lurks nearby and leaves the community members gifts in order to alleviate their suffering.  It is no surprise that this book was a National Book Award Finalist.

From the first page the reader knows that all of the characters will come to a head at one point and the journey to that climax is well worth the wait.  I loved how skillfully Barnhill describes the relationships of the children towards one another and their caregivers.  The mystery of the community's fire lingers over the whole story as they are told to hate the Ogress by their greedy, orange leader.  The Ogress is my favorite character of the entire story. She has a gentleness that many can envision in a friend and the way she is treated is just heart-breaking. Children who read this will root for her and there will be discussions of the choices the characters make that drive the story forward.  

This book is similar to Barnhill's other fantasy novel, The Girl Who Drank the Moon, a Newbery Medal winner.  They both feature a misunderstood magical creature who is portrayed as the villain by power-hungry forces.  Readers will delight in both of these stories as the action-packed scenes, humor, and heart over-ride any reminder that they are indeed, fantasy stories. Both of these lend themselves well to read-aloud books for teachers, parents, and caregivers. Every reader will want to discuss these rich stories that are sure to be classics. 

Black History Month: celebrating excellence

 Black History should be recognized year round, however, since 1915, what started out as a single week to honor the contributions and trials and tribulations of Black people has turned into a month in February to  do so. There is a yearly theme on which to focus and this year's theme is on "Black Resistance." There are a number of books that feature Black heroes who pushed against society's repression.  We have also have stories of the joy and pride in Black people's lives that should be celebrated and shared with young people.  

I hope that these ideas below spark an idea that works with these stories or the books in your class, home or library collection:

Music: Sing a Song (Lift Every Voice and Sing--the Black National Anthem written in honor of President Lincoln's birthday in 1900)

 The Roots of Rap

 How the Beat was Born

 Harlem's Little Blackbird

Writing: Maya Angelou (Little People, Big World) 

 Change Sings 

 DeShawn Days 

Dance: Firebird 

 Bunheads 

 Josephine

Artists: Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went from the Football Field to the Art Gallery

 Radiant Child

 Ablaze with Color

Scientists: Blast Off into Space Like Mae Jemison

How We Got to the Moon

Little Leaders Bold Women in Black History

Black Joy: I Am Every Good Thing

Princess Hair

Princess Truly 

Hair Love

Crown: Ode to the Fresh Cut

Black Joy: Sulwe

Honeysmoke

Magnificent Homespun Brown

Magic Like That

Parker Looks Up

Black Joy: Not Quite Snow White

Posey Monster Slayer

Dream Big, Little One

New Kid

Twins

Black Joy: SnapDragon

All Because You Matter

Ambitious Girl

Black is a Rainbow Color 

Community: Thank You, Omu

Kamala and Maya's Big Idea

Loretta Little Looks Back

Step Right Up

Child of the Dream

Shaking Things Up

Community: Before She Was Harriet

A Good Kind of Trouble

No Small Potatoes

Genesis Begins Again

From the Desk of Zoe Washington

Community: When Stars are Scattered

Evelyn Del Ray is Moving Away

Nana Akua Goes to School

Emily's Fortune

Enough!

Athletes: Before the Ever After

Becoming Muhammad Ali

Mo'Ne Davis: Remember My Name

Black Heroes of the Wild West

Fearless Mary: Mary Fields, American Stagecoach Driver

Athletes: Let'Er Buck!

The Champ: The Story of Muhammad Ali

A Nation's Hope

Flying High

Game Changers 

Folktales: Tristan Strong series

The Jumbies Trilogy 

The Year I Flew Away

Black Author/Illustrator studies: Jason Reynolds, Derrick C. Barnes, Kwame Alexander, Vashti Harrison, Carole Boston Weatherford

Book Awards: Coretta Scott King Award 

Teaching ideas: Choose a Black person from history, research them to find out how they are a CHANGE maker and design a slide, collage, video, song, acrostic poem or artifact that represents them and their accomplishments.

Pick a Black person from history whom you admire.  What qualities did they have and how did that help them and the world?

For more ideas and resources, I like to use the American Association of School Librarian's Resource Guide to Black History Month.  

What do you like to use to share the importance of Black History Month? Share in the comments!

New Year, New Plans

As the first month of the new year begins, I am reminded of how quickly time passes. Planning ahead is one of my major efforts to better capture special observances and opportunities for community partnerships for the last half of the school year.  Here are the events and dates on my radar as I plan for library units, lessons, speakers, etc.  

What are you looking forward to celebrating and what do you do? Comment below!

January

MLK, Jr. Day - January 16

Lunar New Year - January 22

Crayola Creativity Week - January 23-29

ALA Youth Media Awards - January 30

February

World Read Aloud Day - February 2

Black History Month 

(Coretta Scott King Literature Connections)

Kindness / Friendship Day (Valentine's Day) - February 14

March

March Madness Book Tournament 

Women's History Month

Music in Our Schools Month

April

Poetry Month

Children's Book Day - April 2

School Librarian Day - April 4

Earth Day - April 22

Library Week - April 23-29

State Book Award Voting (varies by state)

May

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

June

Pride Month

Poetry: the art of language

 

April is National Poetry Month, but the art of language is to be celebrated all year long.  When my students first hear that we are going to study poetry, many groan, unsure of what is to follow.  Thankfully, after these engaging and creative ideas, they change their perspective to one that celebrates the various forms and topics that one can express through the art of language.  

Shape or Concrete Poems:  a poem that takes the shape of its subject matter.  Some books that help illustrate this are:

First, we read several concrete poems and students form the definition for a concrete poem.  Then I take them through a group writing experience where we brainstorm a list of items they generate. Then we take one and I loosely sketch an image that is associated with that. Then we come up with descriptive words, feelings, similes, metaphors, and analogies to write our ideas in the borders of the shape.  Students who are able can try this out on their own, or for those who need scaffolds you can provide the outline of various shapes along with vocabulary for students to cut out and glue to form their concrete poem.  

Blackout Poetry:  this is when writing that has already been published is used as inspiration for carving out a poem from those words already printed.  The poet can circle those words they wish to use and black out the rest of the words through patterns, other colors, or by blacking them out.

Rather than use books for this I like to use images from Google to show examples of blackout poetry and ask students to tell me what they notice about the poems.  

Note: I used to use newspapers for this, however, I had to be careful about the subject matter, vocabulary and layout of the articles in comparison to the advertisements, so ever since those experiences I have turned to using pages of discarded or weeded books to give to students for this type of writing.

Homophones, homonyms, idioms, puns:  poetry doesn't have to be lyrical or rhyme. Poetry can be the juxtaposition of words with multiple meanings and clever sayings explained in literal terms.  My students enjoy exploring this aspect of language because it is in small bites rather than long poems to analyze or just rhyming poems meant to  entertain.  Some books that we study during this topic are:

A video that my students like to watch and sing along with is below:

Poetry Slam:  lyrics of songs and poems are meant to be heard aloud, therefore, I invite students to read or recite poetry or songs aloud in front of an audience or if they'd rather, record and edit a video of their poem or song on a video production application, like Apple CLIPS or iMovie.  Students should be given time to find a poem or song with which they connect and choose to share it with others. For the Poetry Slam experience, I hang twinkle lights up, spread out picnic blankets and a variety of flexible seating options around as the lights dim and we can enjoy one another's love of language.  

Book Spine Poetry: this is one of my favorite types of poetry to share with students. First we look at a variety of examples and students form a definition for what is included in a book spine poem.  Then students are sent in partners or small groups to a certain part of the library to create their own book spine poem.  I ask students to take a photo of their poem on their device so that I may project it for the class, but they also like to display their book spine poems for others to read.  The best part of this experience is that students always find books that they want to read that they may have never even chosen if not for this opportunity to look for interesting book titles. 

An extension of this is to add music or other effects to the mood of their poems using a collage of photos or a technology application, like iMovie, FlipGrid, Seesaw, or Apple CLIPS.

Although some librarians hesitate to use book spine poetry with students due to the large amount of shelving that will follow the experience, Mike Rawls, a.k.a. The Book Wrangler, suggests using paper spines with book titles already on them or you can photocopy.  

Novels-in-Verse: a story written in verse is one of my favorite formats to share with students. Much like a chapter book or graphic novel or picture book format, a novel-in-verse is another way that writers tell a story, but in lyrical form.  

Do you have a favorite way to share poetry? Please leave a comment below!