Set #5
The Underneath
When a pregnant calico cat is abandoned in the woods, she
meets a chained hound dog who becomes her saving grace. Ranger befriends the
cat and provides her safety in the underneath, the crawl space under the house
of his evil master, Gar-Face. Ranger warns the kittens, Sabine and Puck, to
never leave the underneath, but Puck’s curiosity gets the best of him. Puck’s
curiosity causes trouble for the whole family, but a mysterious creature saves
the day and allows the animals to live together as a family. The author paints
a vivid picture of the underneath and the mystical forest that surrounds the
house. Appelt uses the theme of friendship and family as the animals form an
unlikely bond.
The
Graveyard Book
Gaiman, N. (2008). The
graveyard book. New York, NY: Harper Collins.
After escaping the evil man, Jack, who killed his parents,
Bod Owens is raised in a graveyard by ghosts who swear to keep him safe. As he
grows older, Bod becomes curious about the world outside of the graveyard. This
curiosity leads Bod out of the graveyard and back to the man who wants him
dead. With the help of his graveyard family, Bod captures Jack, and he is safe
to leave the graveyard and lead a normal life as a normal teenager. Gaiman’s
vivid descriptions of the setting make it easy for readers to imagine the
graveyard in which it is possible for Bod to communicate with the dead. Gaiman
puts a spin on the theme of good versus evil as the ghosts are considered to be
heroes while the book’s main villain is a human.
Rapunzel’s Revenge
Hale, S. & D. (2008). Rapunzel’s revenge. New York: Bloomsbury.
Rapunzel discovers that she was kidnapped as a child by her
evil godmother and decides to take matters into her own hands. After escaping
the tower where she has been locked away for four years, Rapunzel sets out on
an adventure to save the world from her wicked stepmother. Rapunzel meets Calamity
Jack and together they fight off evil witches, bandits and beasts with an
unlikely weapon: Rapunzel’s hair. Shannon and Dean Hale put an interesting twist
on this beloved fairytale. The story is written as a graphic novel, and the
illustrations help to enhance the story and make Rapunzel’s adventure come to
life. Rapunzel and Jack’s journey for justice will keep readers engaged from
cover to cover.
Babymouse 
Holm, J & M. (2005). Babymouse:
Queen of the world. New York: Random House.
Babymouse is tired of her normal, everyday routine and
dreams of adventure and excitement. She often daydreams of being a crime-solving
detective or even the queen of the world. When the popular Felicia Furrypaws
passes out invitations to her slumber party, Babymouse becomes determined to
spend the night with the cool kids. Babymouse eventually receives her
invitation, and she cannot wait to share stories and fashion tips with the
other girls. When the girls begin to make mean comments about the unpopular
kids at school, Babymouse realizes that this party is nothing like she had
imagined. She quickly leaves and heads to her best friend Wilson the Weasel’s
house for movie night. Young readers can easily relate to the plot of this
story as Babymouse struggles with her desire to become popular at school. The theme
of friendship is apparent as Babymouse realizes who her true friends are.
Skulduggery
Pleasant
Landry, D. (2007). Skulduggery
Pleasant: Scepter of the ancients. New York: HarperCollins.
Stephanie Edgley is tired of her boring, ordinary life. When
her uncle dies, she meets a peculiar man by the name of, Skulduggery Pleasant,
and her life becomes anything but boring. Skulduggery is actually a skeleton
who introduces Stephanie to a world of mystery and magic. Stephanie discovers that
her uncle was actually murdered by the evil Serpine who is search of a magic scepter.
Stephanie aides Skullduggery in saving his world from Serpine and the Faceless
Ones and discovers she has a little magic inside of herself. Landry’s style of
writing and use of words paint a vivid picture of the magical world of
Skulduggery Pleasant. The suspenseful plot will intrigue readers until the very
last battle between good and evil.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Selznick, B. (2007). The
invention of Hugo Cabret. New York: Scholastic.
Hugo’s father discovers an old, rusted automaton in the
attic of the museum where he works. Hugo is devastated after his father dies in
a fire, but he discovers that the automaton survived when he returned to the
scene of the fire. He clings to the hope that he can one day fix the automaton
to receive a message left by his father. Hugo’s uncle takes him in where he
teaches him how to crank the clocks of the local train station. When his uncle
disappears, Hugo is left to manage the clocks on his own. No one knows of Hugo’s
existence in the train station until he is caught stealing mechanical toys from
the mean, old man in the toy booth. With the help of his new friend Isabelle,
Hugo fixes the automaton and discovers that the mean, old man from the toy
booth is actually Georges Melies, a once famous film maker. Brian Selznick
removes portions of the text and fills the gaps with beautiful, pencil sketched
drawings which demonstrates his creative writing style. The illustrations
enhance the text by making the characters’ emotions come to life.
Lunch Lady and the
Cyborg Substitute
Krosoczka, J. (2009). Lunch
lady and the cyborg substitute. New York: Random House Children’s Books.
Hector, Dee and Terrence have a feeling that their lunch
lady has a very boring life. By following her after school, the three students
discover that the lunch lady is actually a secret agent, and they help her
defeat the evil Mr. Edison who attempts to replace the school’s teachers with
robots. Young readers should be able to identify with the struggles of Hector,
Dee and Terrence such as their bullies and their curiosity about school staff
members outside of school. The exciting plot will keep readers intrigued as
they wait to discover if the normal, old lunch lady is actually a super hero
and if she will be able to defeat her enemies to keep the school safe.
A Big Guy Took My Ball!
Willems, M. (2013). A
big guy took my ball! New York: Hyperion.
Piggie is devastated when a big guy takes her ball. Gerald
is angry that a big guy picks on little Piggie, and wants to get her ball back.
He discovers that the big guy is actually a whale who is much bigger than himself.
Scared, Gerald returns to Piggie empty handed. The whale sadly approaches
Piggie and Gerald with hurt feelings because no one wants to play with him. Piggle
and Gerald learn that appearances are not as they seem, as they make friends
with the big guy and begin a friendly game of ball. Willems uses the theme of
acceptance to teach children not judge a book by its cover. The funny
illustrations help to enhance the text to teach a lesson of friendship.
Chapter 7: Fantasy
Cardell, S. (2008). Children's literature in action: A
librarian's guide. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Chapter 7 provides an overview of the fantasy genre for
children. A fantasy story is defined as a story that is make-believe. The plots
of fantasy novels cannot happen. Fantasy novels often include enchanting tales
of magic, dragons or a handsome prince. Many characters from fantasy novels are
so loved by children that the novels are often translated into feature films. Courage,
intellect, imagination, intuition and risk are important elements that are
often included in fantasy novels. Some of the most popular fantasy novels
include The Wizard of Oz, Charlotte’s Web
and Harry Potter. The types of
fantasy novels are low fantasy, ghost stories, high fantasy, science fiction
and fantasy series. High fantasy stories take place in another world while low
fantasy stories occur within the real world. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is an example of a low fantasy
story. The Chronicles of Narnia is an
example of a high fantasy story. Well known authors if this genre include Roald
Dahl, C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling. Characters, plot, setting, theme and style
are used as evaluation criteria for fantasy novels. Readers should easily
relate to the main characters event though they may be a different species, and
the plot should be consistent throughout the story. Characters often encounter
villains and obstacles within the fantasy world. Authors should paint a
detailed and vivid picture so readers are able to easily visualize the setting.
Recurrent themes in fantasy novels are love and good versus evil. Distinctive
awards within this genre include the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award and the Andre
Norton Award. Chapter 7 also includes a short section on audiobook and how they
can promote literacy by encouraging listening skills, expanding the attention
span of children and introducing the use of technology into reading. This was
my favorite genre out the assigned five genres. The authors’ use of detail and
vivid descriptions made me feel as if I was watching a movie.
