Wonderstruck

Bibliography:

Selznick, Brian. 2011. Wonderstruck. New York: Scholastic. ISBN: 9780545027892.

Summary:

Two different plots unfold throughout this book and weave together at the end. Ben's story is set in 1977 and is told almost entirely in words. Rose's story occurs in 1927 and is told in pictures. Rose is deaf, and her divorced parents don't understand her. She runs away across the harbor to New York City, where she finds her kind older brother in the American Museum of Natural History, and he takes care of her. Ben, who was born deaf in one ear, loses his hearing in the other ear because of lightning through a telephone wire. His mother had recently been killed in an accident, and Ben takes off alone from Minnesota to New York City, chasing a clue that he hopes will lead him to his long-lost father. He makes a friend and hides out in the American Museum of Natural History. He learns more about his father and the connection that brought his dad to Gun Lake, Minnesota years ago. The stories continue converging until the reader discovers, along with the characters, that Rose is Ben's grandmother.

Analysis:

Selznick is a master at telling stories and showing action through pictures, and the pencil illustrations are wonderfully-drawn and are crucial to the story. Rose's story isn't told at all in words until the end, but the reader understands everything from the pictures. The facial expressions and body language convey so much emotion. The quality of the text is also very good, and readers will sympathize with Ben as he loses his hearing, sets off on a potentially dangerous journey, and tries desperately to find his father. The author creates mini-cliffhangers throughout the book as he alternates between stories, and he matches similarities between Rose's and Ben's adventures (such as showing up at the museum). It’s not difficult to alternate between the stories, and the only danger is going through the pictures too fast and not noticing the marvelous and intricate details.

In an extensive note in the back of the book, Selznick describes the research he did (including interviews) in his attempt to accurately portray Deaf culture. He includes little details like Rose's horrified reaction to the end of silent movies in 1927. Before "talkies," deaf and hearing people could watch movies in much the same way. He also shows the tendency in the 1920s to teach deaf people to speak and lip-read while forbidding sign language. Rose does eventually learn sign language, though, and Ben’s friend Jamie teaches him to sign the alphabet. Although I personally can't know for sure, I think Deaf readers would be proud to find their culture portrayed in this book.

Through the text and illustrations, but especially the illustrations, the author also conveys the culture of New York City: the subway with its graffiti, apartment buildings, the rush of crowds, theaters, homeless people, Times Square, the Panorama, and of course, lots of details about the American Museum of Natural History.

Reviews/Awards:

“A thing of wonder to behold…an emotional experience that neither the words nor the illustrations could achieve on their own.” School Library Journal starred review

“Brian Selznick proves to be that rare creator capable of following one masterpiece — The Invention of Hugo Cabret, — with another even more brilliantly executed.” Washington Post

Connections:
*Scholastic has a great companion website for the book, filled with fun information for children. Explore it! http://www.wonderstruckthebook.com/

Does My Head Look Big In This?

Bibliography:

Abdel-Fattah, Randa. 2008. Does My Head Look Big In This? New York: Scholastic. ISBN: 978-0439922333.

Summary:

In many ways, Amal is a typical 16-year-old girl. She likes shopping and watching Friends. She fights with her parents sometimes. She has a crush on Adam, a popular boy at school. But Amal Mohamed Nasrullah Abdel-Hakin is also Muslim and believes strongly in her faith. Over winter break she decides to begin wearing the hijab (a head covering worn when in the presence of men outside one's family) full-time. She agonizes over this decision because she knows the other students at her elite private school in Australia will not understand. Her Muslim friends Leila and Yasmeen are both "full-timers" already, but they attend different schools.

Her first day back at school, the principal is upset that she violated the dress code and all her classmates stare and whisper. After her parents talk to the principal, Amal is allowed to wear the hijab. Her friends Simone and Eileen support her, and eventually most of her classmates accept it. As the book progresses, Adam tries to kiss Amal, but she tells him her religion prohibits it. Simone starts dating a boy and smokes to lose weight. Leila gets in trouble with her parents and runs away from home temporarily. Amal encounters many challenges in the several-month span of the story, and she realizes that "Putting on the hijab isn't the end of the journey. It's just the beginning of it."

Analysis:

This book takes a humorous and mostly light-hearted approach to the topic of religious discrimination against Muslim women. Amal doesn't face violent or overly-cruel discrimination, but she does have to deal with the stares and occasional taunts of her classmates. Amal makes it clear that it's not the questions she dreads, it's the silent stares. Once her classmates finally begin to ask her about her faith and motivations, she is relieved. This will hopefully encourage readers that it's okay (even good) to ask someone honest questions about what makes him or her different.

The author is an Australian Muslim, just like her main character/narrator, which gives the novel authenticity. Australian words and slang phrases appear throughout the book. The hijab is the primary Muslim cultural marker in the book, but the story also talks extensively about prayer practices and other religious observances. Amal mentions some of the things the Qur'an says to do or not do.

The author attempts to authentically create the voice of a teenage girl, but goes perhaps a little too far. In trying to convey the emotions and angst of a teenager facing a difficult situation, the writing becomes repetitive and even the smallest of details is drawn out for pages. While some might feel this is authentic for a drama-queen teen, others will be dissuaded by the book's length and by its focus on trivial plot details.

Amal's friends show the reader some other challenges that Muslim women face. Laila, for example, is intelligent and independent, but her parents see only marriage and not college in her future. The book deals with discrimination, body image, smoking, crushes, relationships, parental expectations, and much more.

Reviews/Awards:

Winner of the Australian Book Industry Awards 2006 - Australian Book of the Year for Older Children

"While the novel deals with a number of serious issues, it is extremely funny and entertaining, and never preachy or forced. The details of Amal's family and social life are spot-on, and the book is wonderful at showing the diversity within Muslim communities and in explaining why so many women choose to wear the hijab." School Library Journal

"Like the author of this breakthrough debut novel, Amal is an Australian-born, Muslim Palestinian "whacked with some seriously confusing identity hyphens." At 16, she loves shopping, watches Sex and the City, and IMs her friends about her crush on a classmate. She also wants to wear the hijab, to be strong enough to show a badge of her deeply held faith, even if she confronts insults from some at her snotty prep school, and she is refused a part-time job in the food court (she is "not hygienic"). Her open-minded observant physician parents support her and so do her friends, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, secular." Booklist, starred review

Connections:
*Read other books from the perspective of a Muslim girl, such as Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye.

In Our Mothers' House

Bibliography:

Polacco, Patricia. 2009. In Our Mothers’ House. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN: 9780399250767.

Summary:

The story is narrated by an African-American girl as she looks back and describes the childhood she, her Asian brother, and her red-haired Caucasian sister had in their house in Berkeley. With two mothers, their family was different, but the kids didn’t mind and neither did anyone else except the mean neighbor down the street. The narrator describes laughing in the kitchen, dancing through the house, listening to stories by the fireplace, and building a treehouse in the backyard. Marmee and Meema organize a block party for the entire neighborhood and dress up for a mother-daughter tea. Holidays are spent cooking in the kitchen with extended family and having loud conversations around the table. The three kids grow up, get married in the backyard of their home, and return with grandkids throughout the rest of their mothers’ lives.

Analysis:

This book deals with a controversial subject: same-sex relationships and, specifically, adoption and parenting by two mothers. Most of the characters in this diverse book accept this family, but Mrs. Lockner says, “I don’t appreciate what you two are,” and she won’t let her children play with Marmee and Meema’s kids. Meema says, “She’s afraid of what she cannot understand.” The children grow up and marry heterosexual spouses, and they return often to the family home and remember the loving, happy childhood they spent there.

The book teems with multiculturalism. The three children are all of different races, and they have an Italian grandfather who teaches them to cook gnocchi. During the block party, everyone on the street makes a different type of food that celebrates their culture: the Mardicians bring lamb, the Polos bring spanakopita, the Abdullas bring hummus, the Yamagakis bring sushi, and the Barbers bring fried clams.

The rough pencil and marker illustrations exude warmth, love, and happiness. On nearly every page, the characters have joyful expressions on their faces (perhaps even a little over-the-top joy). The book makes sure to emphasize that Marmee and Meema are intelligent professionals, that they love one another, and that they will do anything for their children. They raise their kids to be kind and respectful. Though idealized, this book is a great picture of how being different is not wrong and how a family and community can love and support one another.

Reviews/Awards:

"The energetic illustrations in pencil and marker, though perhaps not as well-rendered as in some previous works, teem with family activities and neighborhood festivity. Quieter moments radiate the love the mothers feel for their children and for each other." Booklist

"Is this an idealized vision of a how a gay couple can be accepted by their family and community? Absolutely. But the story serves as a model of inclusiveness for children who have same-sex parents, as well as for children who may have questions about a "different" family in their neighborhood. A lovely book that can help youngsters better understand their world." School Library Journal

Connections:
*Consider the list of Stonewall award winners for other books about this subject.