A Step from Heaven by An Na (Genre: Realistic Fiction)

BIBLIOGRAPHY
An Na. 2002. A STEP FROM HEAVEN. Penguin. ISBN 0142500275.

SUMMARY
Step From Heaven is a story of a little girl Young Ju who immigrates with her family from Korea to “Mi Gook”, America. She moved to America with a belief that she was going to heaven. She was disappointed to learn that America is not heaven. Life in America was not easy for the family. Soon the family had a new member and Young Ju became a big sister. She started felling that she was ignored and her father gave her little brother more attention because he was his boy. Her parents had to work multiple jobs to support the family and Young Ju was adjusting to the new school, a baby brother, a new place and the accent of the people.
Young Ju’s mother, who she also addressed as Uhmma, was a hard working and caring woman. On the other hand, she father was an alcoholic who abused his wife and children when he was frustrated. As Young Ju was growing up, she started doing very well in school and desired to become more like her American friends whose parents spoke fluent English and were not poor like her. Her life was not perfect because of the abusive father and his lifestyle.
The abuse continued until one day Young Ju decided to call the police to save her mother’s life. Her father was arrested and after being released, returned to Korea leaving the family behind. Young Ju grows up into a mature and confident young woman and prepares to leave for college while her mother and brother move into their own small house.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The author tells a story of a young Korean immigrant who moved to America at the age of 4 and passes through different stages in her life finally maturing as a confident young woman. A lot of Korean terms are woven into the story to give it a realistic touch. This story will be enjoyed by readers 12 and above who will easy connect with Young Ju, the main character of the story.
The novel deals with issues like poverty, male dominance, alcoholism and abuse. It realistically reveals the problems faced by immigrants and the changes in life that they witness. The author describes in details the problems faced by new immigrants.
Young Ju, is described as a very intelligent and confident character. She was the witness to the unfair treatment by her father who only valued his son. On being frustrated, he consumed alcohol and abused the entire family. She saw this unfair treatment of her mother and felt the emotional pain that he was causing everyone. Her final decision changes the life of her family and gives everyone the freedom to live their lives respectably.
The author has written this novel with simple language that the readers would easily be able to connect to. The entire story depicts poverty, helplessness and abuse but the story ends in a very positive note. This is a richly described encouraging story that the readers will enjoy.

AWARDS/ REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults
ALA Notable Children’s Books
Michael L. Printz Award
Starred review in Booklist: “As in the best writing, the particulars make the story universal.”
Starred review in Publishers Weekly: “Equally bright are the prospects of this author; readers will eagerly await her next step.”
Starred review in School Library Journal: “A beautifully written, affecting work.”
Review in Horn Book: “Each of these vignettes displays an astonishing and memorable force.”
Review in VOYA: “This beautifully written book, a tale of both tragedy and eventual triumph, is likely to bring tears to the eyes of any reader.”

CONNECTIONS
• A discussion could be started with young adults regarding immigration and the problems immigrants face.
• Young adults could discuss about different cultures and words that people use.
• Related books
-Lee, Marie G. FINDING MY VOICE. ISBN 9780395621349
-Sheth, Kashmira. 2004. BLUE JASMINE. Hyperion. ISBN 0786818557.
-Alvarez, Julia. 2010. RETURN TO SENDER. Yearling. ISBN 0375851232.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman Audio Book Review (Genre: Fantasy)

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gaiman, Neil. 2008. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. Read by the author. New York: Harper Collins Audio. Audiobook (Unabridged), 7 compact discs; 7.5 hours. ISBN 0061551895.


SUMMARY
The Graveyard Book written by Neil Gaiman is a tale of Nobody Owens who is a human child adopted by a pair of husband and wife ghosts, Mr. and Mrs. Owens. He was the sole survivor after the murder of his family by a man named Jack. Bod was raised and sheltered by the inhabitants of the graveyard and also taught him the talents of haunting and fading so that he could live in the graveyard without the fear of being found by Jack. Silas was the only human at the graveyard. He offered his services as a guardian to Bod who would go out of the graveyard to gathered food for his survival.
While growing from being a toddler to a young adult, Bod learnt a lot of skills that ordinary humans do not possess. At 5 he even made friends with a human girl named Scarlet who soon moved to Scotland. Even though he had been kept protected in the graveyard, he still longed for the company of living beings. He wanted to attend school like every out child so Silas enrolls him in a nearby school. Soon he found that he did not fit into the place and was drawing too much attention, so he came back to the graveyard.
When Bod turned 15, Jack reappeared but Bod smartly uses all that he had learnt and picked up to defeat Jack. He now felt that the world was a safe place for him again. Silas gave him some money to start a new life outside the graveyard. Bod starts losing his ghostly abilities after he starts living his new life as a normal human being.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Gaiman has read this book on his own and has given a different and appropriate voice and emotions to the characters of the story. He had given a lot of attention to the characters while giving them a voice. The details of his work could be noticed well throughout the story. One of the very interesting details that he took care was Scarlet’s accent after she comes back from Scotland 10 years later.
In the beginning, it appeared that the graveyard would be a scary place. Listeners would be worried about the fate of Nobody Owens. But as the story progressed, the graveyard appeared more like a fun place where exciting things were happening.
The readers/listeners will love the character of an innocent boy Bod and children will easily relate to him. The author tells an emotional story of a toddler who was orphaned at a young age and lived in a graveyard with dead companions. As he grew up, he longed for human friends and a life like every normal human lives.
This is a touching story which has been told in a way that it becomes exciting and keeps the listeners engaged till the end. Readers/ listeners aged 10 and above will enjoy reading or listening to the story.

AWARDS/ REVIEW EXCERPTS

Audiobook:

Audiobook of the Year, Audie Award (2009)
Audiofile Magazine: “Gaiman gives each specter a different—and wholly appropriate—voice, but he doesn't stop there. He even goes so far as to change a character's accent ever so slightly after she comes back from years and years abroad. Best of all, Gaiman performs a shift of character voice that is an absolute showstopper when he reveals the villain.”
Books for Ears (Audio Book Reviews): “Neil Gaiman reads his Newbery Medal winning book beautifully. His nod to Kipling’s The Jungle Book is just scary enough, intriguing, inventive, well-written, enchanting . . . it’s downright wonderful.”

Novel:

Locus Award, Best YA Novel (2008)
Hugo Award (2009)
Newbery Award (2009)
Novel winner of the 2010 Carnegie Medal
The New York Times: “The Graveyard Book, by turns exciting and witty, sinister and tender, shows Gaiman at the top of his form…The story's language and humor are sophisticated, but Gaiman respects his readers and trusts them to understand…In this novel of wonder, Neil Gaiman follows in the footsteps of long-ago storytellers, weaving a tale of unforgettable enchantment.”
The Washington Post: “The book's power lies in Gaiman's ability to bring to quirky life (pun intended) the graveyard's many denizens, including a protective vampire and a feisty medieval witch. Like a bite of dark Halloween chocolate, this novel proves rich, bittersweet and very satisfying.”
Publishers Weekly: “The author riffs on the Jungle Book, folklore, nursery rhymes and history; he tosses in werewolves and hints at vampires-and he makes these figures seem like metaphors for transitions in childhood and youth.”
Booklist: “This is an utterly captivating tale that is cleverly told through an entertaining cast of ghostly characters. There is plenty of darkness, but the novel’s ultimate message is strong and life affirming….this is a rich story with broad appeal. ”
Kirkus Reviews: “Childhood fears take solid shape in the nursery-rhyme-inspired villains, while heroism is its own, often bitter, reward.”
New York Times Book Review: “THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, by turns exciting and witty, sinister and tender, shows Gaiman at the top of his form. In this novel of wonder, Neil Gaiman follows in the footsteps of long-ago storytellers, weaving a tale of unforgettable enchantment.”

CONNECTIONS
*Before reading the story, encourage a discussion about graveyard and how students would feel living in a graveyard.
*For art, students could paint a picture of any character or part of the story that they liked.
*Related books:
Gaiman, Neil. 2008. CORALINE. Harper Festival. ISBN 0061649691.
Hahn, Mary Downing. 2007. THE DOLL IN THE GARDEN: A GHOST STORY. Clarion Books. ISBN 9780618873159.
Dahl, Roald.1984.ROALD DAHL’S BOOK OF GHOST STORIES. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 9780374518684.

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson (Genre: Historical Fiction)

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Larson, Kirby. 2006. Hattie Big Sky. New York, NY: Delacorte Press. ISBN 9780385733137

PLOT SUMMARY
Hattie Inez Brooks was a sixteen year orphan who did not have a permanent home. She lost her parents at the age of five and there after lived with one or the other distant relatives. One day unexpectedly, she inherits a homestead in Montana from an uncle she had never known. She finds this an opportunity to find herself a home which she would call her own. Soon she finds that to prove her claim she would need to put a fence down, plant and harvest flax and wheat and survive the harsh winter. Hattie was a young woman with strong determination.
She made friends with her neighbors, The Muellers who later became her very close to her.They helped her settle in her new house and take care of the horses and the cows.
In1917, anti German sentiments grew strong in Montana. Her neighbor, Karl Mueller who was German born was attacked. Hattie stood by them and also supported them during this tough time. It is an enjoyable story full of adventure, heartbreak and joy.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The author creates a very believable plot of Hattie’s life and World War I through this remarkable story. The story portrays the challenges faced by a young orphan girl through which she learns the values of life, friendship, hardships and joy of being self sufficient. The story is written in a narrative way which helps the readers connected to the story.

The story is inspired by the author’s great-grandmother who lived in a homestead all by herself in eastern Montana. The story portrays with detail, the life of a young girl on a homestead during WWI and also the anti German sentiments that every one had during the war against the Germans.
This book will be enjoyed by the teenagers who will see the young girl struggling to survive and helping her friends. There are some interesting recipes at the end of the book that the readers may like trying.

AWARDS/ REVIEW EXCERPTS
ALA Notable Children's Books - Older Readers Category: 2007
Booklist Editors' Choice - Books for Youth - Older Readers Category: 2006
Montana Book Award
School Library Journal Best Books: 2006
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults: 2007

School Library Journal: “Larson creates a masterful picture of the homesteading experience and the people who persevered.”

Booklist: “Writing in figurative language that draws on nature and domestic detail to infuse her story with the sounds, smells, and sights of the prairie, she creates a richly textured novel full of memorable characters.

Horn Book : “Set in Montana during World War I, Larson's novel tells a gripping story of frontier life through the eyes of an unlikely homesteader--a sixteen-year-old orphan girl. Pressures to be a "loyal" American complicate her situation after she befriends a German couple. Evocative yet straightforward language ably depicts Hattie's joys and struggles.”

CONNECTIONS
-Open a discussion with students asking them how they handle hardships.
-Discuss the character of Hattie with students.
-Related books
Giff, Patricia Reilly. 1999. LILY'S CROSSING. Bantam Doubleday Dell. ISBN 9780440414537.
Holm, Jennifer L. 2007. PENNY FROM HEAVEN. Yearling. ISBN 0375836896.