This Side of Wild - Gary Paulsen
I've
taught middle school for a long time, and often used Gary Paulsen's introductions
to his books as mentor texts. Just find "The Winter Room" and its
introduction ("Tuning") so beautifully sharing that books cannot have
smells, or sound, or light, since these must be supplied by the reader in
response to the author's words. They are wonderful examples of drawing the
reader in immediately; with passion for whatever the topic is he's going to
tell us about. This book, the intro and the final words, is no different. I
always feel as if I'm sitting down with Paulsen, having an intimate conversation,
him telling stories, me adding my own thoughts. Where else could one hear about
a dog named Gretchen with whom he had many conversations, who guided him into
wonders of the world he would never have seen? It is an easy book to read, and
one that might make you wonder a little more about that squirrel that keeps
looking in your window. It might make a good read aloud for a class who'd made
observing the outdoors an important part of their days.
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and The Churchill Gang -
Phillip M. Hoose
More
and more I am enjoying these non-fiction books that have shared so much
detailed history that I didn’t hear in my own education, and this is one that
is inspirational and alarming. Because I taught middle-school-aged students,
just the age of these boys when Denmark surrendered without a fight to Germany,
I read it from the viewpoint of our own lives, wondering how our children at age
thirteen and up would react in such a situation? These boys, Knud Pedersen, his
brother Jans, and other friends were enraged when their country allowed the
Germans to take over without a fight. The king of Denmark and the government
thought it would save lives if they simply surrendered, unlike the neighboring
country of Norway who fought on despite the casualties. Sadly they lost more than lives: their
freedom and the right to speak their ideas. When the enemy takes over the
streets, the shopping, the transportation and restricts movement, etc., lives
change. This time, some Danes collaborated and were happy to have the increased
business from the Nazis. Others did not, but suffered shortages and strict
rules when they didn’t cooperate. The boys, getting together at the Pedersen’s
home, secretly, formed the club and began doing what they could without being
able to drive, with only bicycles for transportation. And they began, in broad
daylight, on their bicycles (Who is alarmed about young boys on bicycles?).
There is much to tell of this long journey, and you’ll need to read the book to
enjoy it all. Luckily, Hoose was able to take advantage of a failed attempt to
tell the story earlier, and found Knud Pedersen still ready to be interviewed,
with amazing primary sources ready too.
I liked every bit of the war events, but also loved hearing what
happened later in life to all these courageous boys.
The Nest - Kenneth Oppel and Jon Klassen
This might be one of the most alarming fables I’ve read that is meant
for the middle grades. Oppel takes a lot of pages, scary pages, to show that
being perfect is not a life’s goal, although many strive toward it for
themselves and their children. There are a few different parts that keeps one
guessing who to fear. Is it the strange ‘wasp/fairy’ or the man who drives the
streets as a knife sharpener? Steve, the
oldest child, tells this story of his family in crisis because their new baby
is not thriving, and doctors don’t know why. Taking on the worries, but not
telling he is, Steve begins the dreams, which at first aren’t bad, but
soothing. Oppel’s way of writing kept me interested early because I imagined
that the boy’s dreams that included talking to a wasp, and the consequent turn
of who the wasp was indicated the boy needed help. Scenes of a little sister
who receives real phone calls on her toy phone, and the parents becoming
increasingly worried about the baby, leaving Steve to solve his own problems
added tension to this already tense story. When the story emerged as more and
more realistic, I wondered about the long ago fables when fairies stole babies,
sometimes for fun, but often to teach a lesson. I know this doesn’t appear
realistic, but the theme of a dark message in literature to be careful what one wishes for is
clearly shown by Oppel. For a mature reader, billed for middle grades, and
enhanced by Jon Klassen’s eerie illustrations.
