Crank by Ellen Hopkins

From Goodreads,

"The #1 New York Times bestselling tale of addiction—the first in the Crank trilogy—from master poet Ellen Hopkins.

Life was good 
before I 
met 
the monster.


After, 
life 
was great, 
At 
least 

for a little while. 

Kristina Snow is the perfect daughter: gifted high school junior, quiet, never any trouble. 

Then, Kristina meets the monster: crank. And what begins as a wild, ecstatic ride turns into a struggle through hell for her mind, her soul—her life."

Goodreads - Crank

Awards and Nominations:

• Missouri Gateway Readers Award (2007)
• Soaring Eagle Book Award (2008)
• Green Mountain Book Award (2009)
• Lincoln Award (2009)
• Jugendliteraturpreis Nominee for Jugendbuch (2011)
• Goldener Lufti (2012)

I remember being in junior high when this book really took off.  I recall everyone trying to get their hands on this book to read it.  I went once or twice to try to get it, but it was always checked out.  It seemed like such a big thing for our small town because meth or crank was so prominent in the community.  Even now years later it is still there and more prominent than ever.

This book is written in prose and is told by Kristina.  She goes to visit her dad in New Mexico and in turn gets hooked on crank otherwise known as meth.  This book chronicles her tries to stop using, but wanting to constantly reach that high.  The book spirals to a climactic end which leaves the reader wanting more.

This book is a very complex book.  This book is a work of fiction, but Hopkins states that it is based on true experiences and events that happened with her daughter.  I feel like this book really characterizes what it is like to be addicted.  I love that Hopkins took her personal story to build and create this book.  This book did not sugar coat things like some drug themed books.  I have read a couple of the anonymous books and I feel like they over dramatized things.  However, this book was just perfect.  It was raw, but it also had the highs that made drugs seem so fantastic.  I think that Hopkins did an excellent job tackling such a sensitive topic that is a real problem in America.

One thing I found difficult was the varying ways this book was written.  This book is written in entirely prose and poetry format.  However the structure changed constantly throughout the book.  There were multiple "poems" that were staggered so that it was really two poems in one.  When the staggered poem was all read at once it had one meaning, but when you read just the staggered words it was a different message altogether.  There were hidden messages in a lot of the poems, but you had to realize what was happening to catch them.  I didn't like the inconsistency in the book, but it really helped the reader get into the mind of Kristina and her drug addiction.

Overall I can absolutely see why this book won the awards it did.  It was a very interesting book that really told a story about drugs and what it does.  The structure was irritating, but manageable.  I would definitely like to read the other books that follow Crank.  I give this 3.5 stars out of 5.  I think this is a good read for older students and adults.  

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman

From Goodreads,

"A shout comes echoing up the stairway. "Fetch the whipping boy!"

A young orphan named Jemmy rouses from his sleep. "Ain't I already been whipped twice today? Gaw! What's the prince done now?" It was forbidden to spank, thrash, or whack the heir to the throne. Jemmy had been plucked from the streets to serve as whipping boy to the arrogant and spiteful Prince Brat.

Dreaming of running away, Jemmy finds himself trapped in Prince Brat's own dream at once brash and perilous.

In this briskly told tale of high adventure, taut with suspense and rich with colorful characters, the whipping boy and Prince Brat must at last confront each other.

Award-winning author Sid Fleischman again blends the broadly comic with the deeply compassionate in this memorable novel."

Goodreads - The Whipping Boy

Awards and Nominations:

• Newbery Medal (1987)
• Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (1988)
• Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (1989)
• Nene Award (1992)

I've had this book in my classroom library and the title has always steered me clear of this book.  I've never had an interest in reading a book called The Whipping Boy.  I just figured it would be about a person getting whipped, but I was very wrong.

In The Whipping Boy, no one is allowed to whip the prince, but they are free to whip his royal whipping boy.  The prince is constantly causing trouble, but he never pays the price for it.  One night the prince decides he is running away and taking his whipping boy with him.  They set off on an adventure together to see what trouble lies ahead.

This book was very short and very to the point.  While the title seems the book is about the whipping boy, it is really about the friendship that develops between the prince and Jemmy, his whipping boy.  I absolutely love that the prince learned acceptance and that he isn't so high and mighty.  It is great for young kids to learn that we are no greater than anyone else and that we should accept people for who they are.  This book really focused on both Jemmy and the prince learning acceptance. 

I also love that there's an author's note at the very end of the book that explains the book is fiction, but that princes used to have royal whipping boys.  As a teacher I think it would be great to use this book as the springboard to start a project based learning about the time period in which this book takes place.  I would have students research and learn about what life was like then as a whipping boy or as a prince.  This would be a great book to utilize in any classroom.

I really wish that this book had been longer and had more adventure and detail.  I feel like it would have had an even better story if there had been more that had gone awry when they ran away.  However, I understand that it was written for kids and it needed to get to the point.  I would love to read a second book that takes place years later when the prince is a king.  It would be wonderful to discover how the friendship continued between Jemmy and the prince.

This book was very good and I think most kids would enjoy it.  I would definitely use it as the start of a project based learning project.  I give this 4 stars and recommend it to teachers and to students in third through fifth grade.  

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures

From Goodreads,

"It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You!, is the just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry—and that Flora will be changed too, as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart. 

From #1 New York Times best-selling author Kate DiCamillo comes a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format—a novel interspersed with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations, all rendered in black-and-white by up-and-coming artist K. G. Campbell."

Goodreads - Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures

Awards and Nominations:

• National Book Award Nominee for Young People's Literature (2013)
• Newbery Medal (2014)
• Alabama Library Association Children's Book of the Year Nominee for 4-5 (2014)
• Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (2015)
• Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award Nominee for Grades 3-6 (2015)

There are some books on the Newbery Award winning list that I've struggled to find.  I try to find the books used to save some money.  While I was searching the shelves at Saver's I was able to snatch up this wonderful book.  I was so excited because I had yet to find it used.  

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures tells the story of a young girl named Flora who wants to spend her summer reading comic books, despite her mother's protests.  But one day chaos happens outside when a squirrel gets sucked up into a vacuum.  Flora helps the dear little squirrel, but soon realizes he isn't just a regular squirrel anymore.  The squirrel she names Ulysses, has amazing strength and the ability to understand Flora along with other shocking skills. Flora and her superhero squirrel become an unlikely duo with a challenge to conquer the arch nemesis.  

There are some books on the Newbery winners list that I wonder how they received the award because I didn't feel it was notable or worthy of holding such a high honor.  There are other books that I absolutely agree with the decision for it to be a winner.  This book is one of them.  It absolutely deserved to be the 2014 Newbery Award winning book.  One of the things that I absolutely adored was that we saw the story unfold through both Flora and Ulysses.  It gave the book another dimension and truly allowed the reader to see and understand what Ulysses the squirrel was thinking and feeling.  It really showed how much Flora loved Ulysses, and how much Ulysses loved Flora.

This book has a wonderful message about learning how to love and accept people for who they are.  Two of the biggest transformations were Flora and her mother.  Her mother really struggled with flora being "normal", but by the end of the book she was accepting Flora for who she really was.  Flora claimed she was a cynic and that she didn't believe in the romance novels her mother wrote.  But the more time she spent with Ulysses the more she loved him.  Flora learned to accept that it is okay to love and to hope.  I think that it is important for kids to learn that they should accept people for who they are and to love them.  And honestly, many adults would benefit from reading this book about acceptance.

I've read a couple of books by Kate DiCamillo and this one did not disappoint.  This book was absolutely wonderful with an excellent balance of traditional book with comic book style graphics mixed in.  I think that this would be a wonderful read aloud for my students.  I think they would honestly love this book and the idea of a superhero squirrel.  I give this 5 stars and recommend it to teachers and third through fifth grade aged students.  

The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan

From Goodreads,

"Two young boys must escape a life of slavery in modern-day Ivory Coast

Fifteen-year-old Amadou counts the things that matter. For two years what has mattered are the number of cacao pods he and his younger brother, Seydou, can chop down in a day. This number is very important. The higher the number the safer they are because the bosses won’t beat them. The higher the number the closer they are to paying off their debt and returning home to Baba and Auntie. Maybe. The problem is Amadou doesn’t know how much he and Seydou owe, and the bosses won’t tell him. The boys only wanted to make some money during the dry season to help their impoverished family. Instead they were tricked into forced labor on a plantation in the Ivory Coast; they spend day after day living on little food and harvesting beans in the hot sun—dangerous, backbreaking work. With no hope of escape, all they can do is try their best to stay alive—until Khadija comes into their lives. 

She’s the first girl who’s ever come to camp, and she’s a wild thing. She fights bravely every day, attempting escape again and again, reminding Amadou what it means to be free. But finally, the bosses break her, and what happens next to the brother he has always tried to protect almost breaks Amadou. The old impulse to run is suddenly awakened. The three band together as family and try just once more to escape."

Goodreads - The Bitter Side of Sweet

Awards and Nominations:

• Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (2018)
• Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award Nominee (2018)

As a teacher I dread November 1st because kids try to bring candy for snack and sneak it in to snack on in class.  This book shows the hard work that is put in to get the cacao we need for chocolate.  I know it is two days after Halloween, but I am so glad this review is posting so close to this candy filled holiday.  

Amadou and Seydou went to work at a cacao farm to earn money for their family.  They struggle to chop enough cacao pods, but for two years they have made it.  But one day a rebellious girl named Khadija shows up.  She fights against the bosses and continuously tries to run away.  Her brave spirit causes trouble for Amadou and his brother Seydou.  But one day, Amadou and Khadija decide they have had enough and they decide to work together to get Seydou to safety in hopes he will survive after a tragic accident.  

I loved this book in the same way that I love chocolate.  I never stop to think about how the chocolate we consume came to be.  This book really forced me to think about how the cacao pods were picked and how it was processed to become chocolate and other things such as coffee or cocoa.  Seydou and Amadou work on a cacao bean plantation and they are forced to cut the pods for no money.  Putting it in simple terms, they are slaves at the plantation.  This book really made me more aware of child slavery in the world.  There are undoubtedly children working to make our clothes or help make or process things that we consume.  It is so unsettling that children are working to make items and food products.  I think that as consumers we need to be more mindful about what we are buying and where it is from.  This book definitely left me wanting to contact my favorite chocolate companies to find out where they get their cacao from and if it is free of child slavery.  This really brought awareness to me and I think others would feel the same if they read this book.

There was a lot I loved about this book and one of them was the character transformations that happened with each of the main characters.  Seydou had to learn how to overcome and persevere in learning how to do things all over again after an accident at the plantation.  As the book progressed Seydou also went from being the helpless younger brother to the independent young boy.  He started to work to cut enough pods for himself to avoid a beating.  Khadija arrived at the plantation with fire in her belly and determination in her soul.  She was dead set on escaping the plantation no matter what happened to her along the way.  She really had to learn to control her desire to escape, and learn that if she would just roll with the flow and do as she was told she would find the perfect opening.  This was hard for her, but it ultimately helped everyone escape.  Amadou was the slowest transformation in my opinion.  He had to learn how to trust other people besides Seydou.  He also had to learn how to be brave.  He had tried to escape before, but had been caught.  As a result he was hesitant to try escaping again.  His braveness, thanks partly to Khadija pushing him, helped him escape along with Seydou and Khadija.  I think it is good for people to read books where the characters change and transform.  It is good to know that absolutely anyone can change who they are with a little hardwork and determination.

There was one particular part in the book that was brought up a couple different times after it happened, and it left me a little unsettled.  After Khadija arrives she gets in trouble and is put in the shed with Amadou.  The bosses at the plantation later open the shed door and Amadou watches while they do something to Khadija.  It is never said what exactly happened, but one can put the pieces together and assume that she was raped.  I understand that Sullivan included this to show the callousness of the bosses, but I felt like it was a bit much.

This book was an eye opener and a book full of transformations.  I highly suggest everyone read it to become more aware of the child slavery that is happening and how it impacts us.  I give this 5 stars.  If you like anything that has cacao in it, then you absolutely need to read this book.  

Mac Undercover by Mac Barnett

From Goodreads,

"Before Mac Barnett was an author, he was a kid.
And while he was a kid, he was a spy.
Not just any spy.
But a spy...for the Queen of England.

James Bond meets Diary of a Wimpy Kid with this groundbreaking fully-illustrated chapter book series Mac B., Kid Spy. The precious Crown Jewels have been stolen, and there's only one person who can help the Queen of England: her newest secret agent, Mac B. Mac travels around the globe in search of the stolen treasure...but will he find it in time? 

From secret identities to Karate hijinks, this fast-paced, witty and historically inspired chapter book will keep readers guessing until the very last page. With full-color illustrations and fascinating historical facts masterfully sprinkled throughout, this series offers adventure, intrigue, absurdity, history and humor. Discover this totally smart and side-splittingly funny new series, and experience what it's really like to be a kid spy."

Goodreads - The Mac Undercover

At the beginning of this school year I applied to be a part of the Scholastic Insider program.  The program sends teachers a book each month for them to review and share with their students.  Surprisingly I was able to get accepted into the program and I received my first book yesterday.  I was absolutely excited and sat down to read my first book, Mac Undercover. 

This book is about a young boy named Mac who gets a phone call from the Queen of England about her missing spoon.  He flies to England and decides to become a spy to help the Queen find her spoon.  As the story unfolds we find that Mac tries to steal the Mona Lisa, but fails when someone else steals it from him.  The book comes to a hilarious end that left me begging for a second book. 

I absolutely loved that this book was packed with historical references and locations.  For example one of the references was the Louvre.  Mac talks about some of the things housed there and informs us of which of them have good names.  I think that this book is packed with so many references that it could be used as a springboard for a research project to study famous buildings and pieces of art.  Students could research the details of the topic and really connect it back to the book.  I think that many of my students will have their interest piqued by something in this book and they will have a strong desire to research and investigate. 

This book was packed with illustrations that went along with the story.  I had mixed feelings with the fact that only a few colors were selected and used to color the pictures, but I eventually got over it.  The illustrations really gave the story a different dimension and they were kind of funny.  It made the book seem more interesting because it has the comical pictures to go along and help the story. 

I am so excited about sharing this book with my students.  I think that many of my boys are going to absolutely love this book, and honestly some of my girls may love it too.  I give this 5 stars. 

A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck

From Goodreads,

"Join Joey and his sister Mary Alice as they spend nine unforgettable summers with the worst influence imaginable--their grandmother!"

Goodreads - A Long Way From Chicago

Awards and Nominations:

• National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature (1998)
• Newbery Medal Nominee (1999)
• Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (2000)

I remember checking this book out when I was in school.  I tried to read it, but found it boring.  So naturally I hadn't planned on reading this book.  But I had planned on reading A Year Down Yonder because it is the 2001 Newbery Medal Winner and I'm reading through the list.  But once I realized that A Year Down Yonder is the second book of this trilogy, I knew I had to read the first book.  

This book is narrated by Joey as he tells of the summers he spends with his sister Mary Alice and his grandmother, Mrs. Dowdel.  They first visit in 1929 and end up visiting every summer.  Each chapter is the story and adventures of what happened that summer. 

I read through this book in a few hours.  It was so good.  This book is set up in a unique format because each chapter is a different year and snapshot of the summer that Joey and Mary Alice spent with their grandma.  At first I thought that I was really going to dislike the format and lack of a storyline, but it really grew on me.  The grandmother is very quirky and interesting.  I think that the book being in short story format really allowed the grandmother to be interesting, but also give her some mystery because the kids never knew what she was going to do next. 

This book also had some strong messages that I really loved.  One of my favorites was the strength of women and their independence.  Mrs. Dowdel is very independent in this book and she is strong for being a woman in the 30s.  She does what she wants, when she wants.  The expectations of women during this time were for them to be a housewife and mother.  They were expected to be prim and proper, but Mrs. Dowdel broke all the rules.  She stood up for what was right.  In today's world we see women being overly sexualized and they are seen as objects.  I think that young girls need good role models in literature, and Mrs. Dowdel is an excellent role model for being strong and independent.  

This book is so unique and interesting.  I am so glad that I read it and I'm extremely excited to read A Year Down Yonder.  I think that many kids would enjoy this book as a read aloud.  I am definitely considering reading this to my class.  I give this book 5 stars.  

Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech

From Goodreads,

"Perfect for fans of Charlotte’s Web and The One and Only Ivan, Saving Winslow is an uplifting modern classic in the making about a young boy who befriends an ailing newborn donkey and nurses him back to health, from New York Times bestseller and Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech.

Louie doesn't have the best luck when it comes to nurturing small creatures. So when his father brings home a sickly newborn mini donkey, he's determined to save him. He names him Winslow. Taking care of him helps Louie feel closer to his brother, Gus, who is far, far away in the army.

Everyone worries that Winslow won't survive, especially Louie’s quirky new friend, Nora, who has experienced loss of her own. But as Louie's bond with Winslow grows, surprising and life-altering events prove that this fragile donkey is stronger than anyone could have imagined.

Written in the spirit of Creech favorites Moo and Love That Dog, this standout tale about love and friendship and letting go will tug at the heartstrings."

Goodreads - Saving Winslow

I ordered this book through Scholastic.  Upon receiving my box I realized that this book was missing.  They sent me an e-mail and said that the book was on back order and that they would send it as soon as they had more in stock.  After school started I received the book in the mail.  I had some spare time while my kids ate snack and decided to start reading it.  As I read, my students would sit staring at me, mesmerized as I read to them.  It was the most amazing spectacle to see a group of kids so focused and interested in a book.

Saving Winslow is about a baby donkey that is quite sickly after it is born on Uncle Pete's farm.  Uncle Pete takes the baby donkey to his nephew Louie who decides he is going to save the poor donkey.  Louie names the baby donkey Winslow and vows to make sure he survives.  While he is trying to keep the baby donkey alive he continues to miss his brother Gus who is in the Army.  As time progresses Louie continues to miss his brother, but he also gets to experience Winslow growing up and going through firsts.  The book comes to an exciting climax as neighbors start complaining about Winslow being in the neighborhood.

Not only is this book adorable, it has a wonderful message about hard work, determination, and perseverance.  Everyone told Louie that the baby donkey was going to die, but Louie was determined to make it live.  He wanted to make sure that the donkey thrived the same way that he had as a baby.  Everyone around him continued to tell him how hard it was going to be to raise a baby donkey, but Louie still persevered and put in the hard work.  I think this is a wonderful message for kids.  They need to learn that if they want something bad enough they just have to be determined, put in the hard work, and persevere when it gets hard.

One thing that I didn't like about this book is the mystery of Louie's brother Gus.  We know that he is away in the Army and that Louie misses him.  But we don't know if he is gone to training or if he is gone to war.  There was a lot of mystery surrounding him and I felt like we just lacked information about him.  I think that my students would have enjoyed this book more if Gus had come home at the end of the book instead of Louie just getting a letter saying he was coming home.  My students and I wanted more closure with Gus and Louie and their relationship. 

Overall, this was a wonderful book.  My students really enjoyed it and they were sad when it ended.  I passed it on to another class and hope that they take the time to read it.  I give this 5 stars and recommend this to young students and to teachers.