Book Review: Vanishing Point (Tune Book #1) by Derek Kirk Kim

Book: Tune Book 1: Vanishing Point

Author and Illustrator: Derek Kirk Kim

Publisher: FirstSecond

Publication date: 2012

Categories: 

Supports Diverse Protagonist

Graphic Novel

Engage middle school readers

Lexile Score: Not Available

Target Audience: ages 13 & up

Brief Summary

This is the story of Andy who left art school because he thought he had his whole life planned out already. When things don't work out the way he had planned, he ends up back at home living with his parents and without a job. He tries to remember what he was chasing after in the first place when he gets distracted by Yumi, a girl he liked back at school. The story proceeds and Andy reconnects with Yumi. He sees his life getting better because now he is close with Yumi and he has gotten a job offer to work at a zoo. But what he didn't know is that this zoo is not in his universe - it is in an alternate dimension and he is working for aliens. He becomes the main exhibit at the zoo and he has to try to find his way out. He cooperates with the aliens and they show him that he might have a way out. He goes with the aliens to leave and soon his is strapped into his seat ready to leave when all of a sudden he blacks out. TO BE CONTINUED.

Evaluation: 25/32

Illustration - 4

Storyline - 4

Appropriateness 2

Problems/Resolutions - 4

Stereotyping - 3

Relatability - 2 

Readability/Cohesiveness - 3

Critical Thinking - 3

This is a very interesting book that I'm not sure I would suggest to a group of middle schoolers although it is aimed at about 8th graders and up. It has a lot of content in it that middle schoolers could handle but it might not be a school appropriate conversation to have with students. It is also not a book that many students can relate to because it is talking about a college student who doesn't have a job and most students who would read this book can't get a job anyway. It is a good book but I'm not sure it would be something to use in the classroom.

Literary Elements

1.Cliffhanger - The end of this book leaves the reader with a cliffhanger. You think the character is about to leave this alternate dimension when he just blacks out and that is it. The reader would have to wait for the next book in the series to find out what happens to the character. If I were to teach a lesson on cliffhangers, I could use this book and others to show how some writers use cliffhangers to create suspense. Cliffhangers can be at the end of a book or even in the middle but this book shows a great way of drawing the reader in to the next book as well. Students could write their own stories with a cliffhanger that allows the reader to just to predict what might happen after they read the cliffhanger.

2. Onomatopoeia - An example of an onomatopoeia from this book is "BKOOM" which represents a volcano-like eruption from the character head when he finally figures something out.

3. Exaggeration - There is a part of the story where the character yells "SHE LOVES ME!" and you can see that he is sweating and crumbling the paper in his hand. It shows the amount of energy the character is putting into his feelings and it is almost too much.

Book Review: Hanukkah in Alaska by Barbara Brown

 

 

Book: Hanukkah in Alaska

Author: Barbara Brown

Illustrator: Stacey Schuett

Publisher: Henry Holt & Company

Publication date: 2013

Categories: 

Supports Diverse Protagonist

Picture Book 

Online Material

Lexile Score: Not Available

Target Audience: ages 4-8

Brief Summary

This is the story of a young girl who lives in Alaska. She begins the story by talking about all the moose that are there and how you have to be very careful around them because they are powerful. She says that they wander around town mostly on paths that are already made like the sideways and driveways. The little girl finds a moose in her backyard that just keeps eating parts of the tree that her swing is attached to. She loves her swing so much and she doesn't want to the moose to wreck it. She tries to get the moose to go away by feeding it apples but it just won't leave. One night, the girl and her dad go outside to see the Northern Lights. She is so distracted by the beauty of the sky that she doesn't notice the moose tangled in her swing. She gets and idea and runs inside. She comes back out with a latkes, a potato pancake, and lines them up down her driveway. The moose smells them and immediately leaves the swing to follow the delicious smell. The moose leaves and the girl can continue looking at the sky without having to worry about her swing.

Evaluation: 31/32

Illustration - 4

Storyline - 4

Appropriateness - 4

Problems/Resolutions - 4

Stereotyping - 4

Relatability -3

Readability/Cohesiveness -4

Critical Thinking - 4

I thought this was a wonderful book. The illustrations are beautiful and the author does a great job of describing what it is like in Alaska. Not many people get to experience what Alaska is like and this book does a wonderful job of explaining it to the reader. I would definitely use this book in a classroom around the time of the holidays to show different cultures along with using it to explain problem solving. The girl had a problem and she used her brain and resources to solve it. I really enjoyed this book.

Literary Elements

1.Repetition - The little keeps asking the dad when they are going to go outside and why she has to be so close to the moose. With every answer, the dad answers "Just wait. You'll see."

2. Comparison - The girl in the story compares herself and her friends playing in the snow to dreidals spinning like crazy.

3. Imagery - This book does a wonderful job of describing what the Northern Lights look like. So many different adjectives were used to express how beautiful the sky is when you can see the Northern Lights and these words allow the reader to really picture what it would look like. If I were to do a lesson on imagery, I would use this book and others to show students how writers use a lot of different adjectives to describe something and how those descriptions allow the readers to really see those images in their heads. The students could create a grand description of something and the other students in the class would have to try to guess what the place or object is. 

Book Review: Yely's Holiday Traditions / Las Tradiciones Navideñas de Yely by the Read Conmigo Team

 

Book: Yely's Holiday Traditions / Las Tradiciones Navideñas de Yely

Authors: Read Conmigo Team

Illustrator: Justin Dial

Publisher: Infinity Insurance

Publication date: 2015

Categories: 

Supports Diverse Protagonist

Picture Book 

Bilingual

Online Material

Lexile Score: Not Available

Target Audience: ages 5 & up

Brief Summary

Yely has just recently moved to the United States and now her class is doing presentations on holiday traditions. She doesn't know what she can bring and she doesn't speak English that well. On her way home from school she comes across her friends (which are all zoo animals) at the park. She asks them to help her and they all tell her the traditions they have. She combine all of those traditions and with the help of her friends, she has a perfect presentation.

Evaluation: 30/32

Illustration - 4

Storyline - 4

Appropriateness - 4

Problems/Resolutions - 4

Stereotyping - 4

Relatability - 3

Readability/Cohesiveness - 3

Critical Thinking -4

This is a book that all students could read to learn a little bit of Spanish while thinking about the different holiday traditions they celebrate. This book could be used around the holiday season when students are learning about how all different cultures celebrate the holidays. I would use this book in my classroom.

Literary Elements

1. Dialogue -The dialogue in this book is very smooth and allows the reader to follow along and know exactly who is talking.

2. Flashback - The author creates flashbacks of all of Yely's friends when they think back to the times they have celebrated a holiday at home. The flashback provides good information and each illustration depicts the flashback so readers can see exactly what the character is talking about.

3. Personification - At the beginning of this book, you wouldn't expect there to be any personification until you get to the park and all of Yely's friends are animals such as a giraffe, a lion, a llama, a chicken and a few more. Each animal tells their holiday tradition and this shows perfect examples of personification. Giving something human qualities provides a bit of humor and excitement to the story. If I were to teach a lesson on personification, I would use this book and others to show a writer can use this technique to change up the story a bit. The students could write a story similar to Yely's and use animals to tell a story.