Module 2: Book Access

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sones, Sonja. 2004. ONE OF THOSE HIDEOUS BOOKS WHERE THE MOTHER DIES. Simon&SchusterBooksForYoungReaders. ISBN 0689858205


2. PLOT SUMMARY
    In “One of those hideous books where the mother dies” we learn about Ruby and how she has gone through a huge loss by losing her mother. She then has to go and live with her dad with whom she has not had an actual relationship with.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
    Sones is able to express the grief, self-discovery journey throughout the text while using verse. It was such an easy text to follow because the verses already gave us a snippet of what we would be reading. Sones is able to tell us the story of Ruby and her grief journey or as she says in the beginning she isn’t depressed but as the story continues we can see just how much she reminisces about her mother and how it is impacting her life. Sones is able to take us on this journey of Ruby trying to heal, while reconnecting with her estranged father and also adding that to her self-discovery and healing journey. Sones is able to give us Ruby's intimate feelings over her situations and at times leaving it up to the reader to “connect the dots”, and infer some details in the stories she tells. We get to see her raw emotions and moments that have led her to her relationship with her mother and father and how those have transformed her into the person she is. Other than writing in verse, we can also see Ruby sending letters back and forth throughout the book, we get to see her friendship with Lizabeth, but also letters to her deceased mother. We can see how Whip her father goes from just “Whip” to “my father” in this touching story once she has discovered the truth about Whip. Sones does an amazing job at developing Ruby’s character and Whips, but most importantly their relationship.


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Horn Book Guide (Fall 2004)

After her mother dies, Ruby is forced to move to LA to live with her movie star father, whom she doesn't know and--despite his sincere efforts to win her over--doesn't want to get to know. Sones's window on the celebrity lifestyle offers readers a guilty pleasure, but Ruby's cynical stance grows tiresome in this predictable free verse novel.

Kirkus Reviews (May 1, 2004)

In a story worthy of Hollywood, 15-year-old Ruby moves to LA to join her estranged father, the movie star Whip Logan, when her mother dies. The grieving Ruby, given the fulfillment of many a teen's fantasies, is nothing but sullen at being wrenched away from her Boston home and friends and plunked into the middle of the celebrity district of Beverly Hills with a father she's never known. Short, stream-of-consciousness free-verse poems make up most of the narrative, by turns bathing readers in Ruby's emotions and treating them to very sharp, very funny observations about LA. It's a hugely artificial form, but its free acknowledgment thereof ("my life better not turn out to be like one of those hideous books where the mother dies and so the girl has to go live with her absentee father . . . ") allows the text, and Ruby, to explore the possibilities behind the fantasy. Ruby's eventual adjustment and her rapprochement with her father (cue the violins) will come as no surprise to readers but, hey-this is Hollywood after all, and sometimes a happy ending is exactly what we need. (Fiction. 12+)

School Library Journal (August 1, 2004)

Gr 7-10-In one- to two-page breezy poetic prose-style entries, 15-year-old Ruby Milliken describes her flight from Boston to California and her gradual adjustment to life with her estranged movie-star father following her mother's death. E-mails to her best friend, her boyfriend, and her mother ("in heaven") and outpourings of her innermost thoughts display her overwhelming unhappiness and feelings of isolation, loss, and grief ("-most days,/I wander around Lakewood feeling invisible./Like I'm just a speck of dust/floating in the air/that can only be seen/when a shaft of light hits it"). Ruby's affable personality is evident in her humorous quips and clever wordplays. Her depth of character is revealed through her honest admissions, poignant revelations, and sensitive insights. This is not just another one of those gimmicky novels written in poetry. It's solid and well written, and Sones has a lot to say about the importance of carefully assessing people and situations and about opening the door to one's own happiness. Despite several predictable particulars of plot, Ruby's story is gripping, enjoyable, and memorable.-Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.




5. CONNECTIONS


Loss & Grief that follows: Connecting this book with students and opening up the conversations with real and raw moments where they may be able to connect with the text. Those who haven’t can teach empathy.

Self-Discovery: We learn that Whip had to come to the realization of who he actually was, and we learn that Ruby had to also accept all that came with who he was. How can this book teach us the importance of finding oneself? Are we ever really done with finding ourselves?

 
Friendships / Relationships: We learn just how important friendships were in this story, but how it all came to an end because of a relationship, what can we learn from this? Is there ever a way we can ignore this type of relationship issues? Do we have to go through something like this to learn throughout our journey?

BIBLIOGRAPHY


Hatori, Bisco. 2012.OURAN HIGHSCHOOL HOST CLUB. VizMedia. ISBN 9781421541358


2. PLOT SUMMARY

In ‘Ouran Highschool Host Club’, Haruhi is a poor girl at a rich kid’s school when she breaks something expensive and is forced to repay the $80,000 debt by working in the all-boy club, as a boy herself! As she continues to work there she gets to see the rich boys friendship and just how chaotic their bond can get when there is competition.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
While reading this manga in the beginning I liked that Hatori wrote a little snippet to the reader as to why the characters' outfits were set in a certain wardrobe because of a season, but he still let us know to just keep going and enjoy the book. The author was able to be authentic with the reader, making him feel relatable. When it came to the style of the writing throughout the manga, it was fast paced and entertaining the whole time. The illustrations and writing went hand in hand and were able to keep the story authentic and interesting. It was detailed and gave the story more context as to where everything was taking place. Hatoris character development throughout the book was seen so seamlessly, and gave the story more depth especially within Tamaki becoming a more caring person throughout the book. We can also see how gender roles played a role into this book, and how Haruhis “look” really challenges nonconformity.

Overall this manga really came together within the detailed illustrations and fast paced narratives while still giving us the reader some humor throughout the story, and yet still showing us the struggle of each character.


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

From Follett

Translated from the Japanese.;"First published in Japan in 2011 by Hakusensha, Inc., Tokyo"--Colophon.;"Final volume!"--Cover page 4.;"This book reads from right to left"--Cover page 4. Wanting to ask Haruhi out, Tamaki tries to plan the best first date ever, but even the help of the Host Club members may not be enough to save Tamaki from himself.
From the Publisher

The uproarious comedy about a girl enlisted to work in a lavish host club

Reads R to L (Japanese Style), for audiences rated teen.

In this screwball romantic comedy, Haruhi, a poor girl at a rich kids' school, is forced to repay an $80,000 debt by working for the school's swankiest, all-male club--as a boy There, she discovers just how wealthy the six members are and how different the rich are from everybody else...

Final Volume


The Graphic Library

“This is an over-the-top shōjo comedy full of very attractive male characters of all archetypes to fulfill the daydreams of probably most readers. There's the stoic, smoldering type, the outlandish but excessively handsome, and even an innocent, boyish one. This series seems now like it was ahead of its time as it came out in 2005 and was challenging the gender binary. As this is a hot topic presently, this manga will definitely resonate with readers who are looking for something that challenges societal norms and has a light-hearted storyline to back it up. This requires careful reading, though. Some of the dialog is a little all over the place on the page, and you definitely have to make sure to read the tiny fine print that usually is asides or character thoughts. In this case, the small print furthers some of the conversation or gives context to what's going on in the next panel. Other than the reading difficulty, this was an enjoyable story with a lot of great humor. I might pick it up on ebook so I can zoom in and give my old-lady eyes a break.

VIZ rates this series for teens (13+). There is a lot of flirtatiousness and some innuendo along with it. The main characters are all in high school. This would definitely be fine for high school audiences, and this volume would be ok for middle school, but if the innuendos get any racier, it might elevate it out of that audience.”

Cedar Mill & Bethany Community Libraries

“Ouran Highschool Host Club by Bisco Hatori is one of the best Manga series I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The story itself is unconventional and pulls you in, but the art style and characters are what make you want to stay. Each volume had me cracking up with laughter at the weird and complete ridiculousness of the host club. Almost each time Haruhi comes in, there is a new theme (my personal favorite was the jungle theme) as well as an engaging story plot overarching it all. Even with the extensive cast, the author takes the time to develop each of their stories and make you fall in love with each and every one of them. The art style itself is very detailed but not to the extreme of where it looks like you’re looking at a photograph. It is very pleasing to the eye and adds the semi-romantic feel of the book. And the best part about the Manga is that it even has an Anime series (animation adaptation) of the story that way you can compare and contrast the differences between the manga and the show all while getting to see your favorite scenes in action. To end, there is no reason why you shouldn’t check out this manga right this second. It will be one of the best things you have read! I guarantee it!” -Dayo

5. CONNECTIONS


Romance & Relationships: The characters in this book are exploring possible romances within the group and the characters are going through the journey of discovering oneself and also within one another. This would be a great read for teens who are interested in this journey or who just would love to enjoy a humorous and romance driven book!

Friendship & Loyalty: The host club members are able to build their bonds within one another and see how their friendship grows over time and the loyalty that is building within them.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ren e Ahdieh, Amerie, Soman Chainani, Susan Dennard, Sarah Enni, Marissa Meyer, Cindy Pon, Victoria Schwab, Samantha Shannon, Adam Silvera, Andrew Smith, April Genevieve Tucholke, and Nicola Yoon. 2017.BECAUSE YOU LOVE TO HATE ME: 13 TALES OF VILLAINY. Bloomsbury. ISBN 9781681193649


2. PLOT SUMMARY
    In ‘Because you love to hate me 13 tales of villainy” we get to see the perspective of the villains from the perspectives of BookTubers. They are able to humanize them and get the reader to see the difference between of good and evil.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

    The booktubers who all collaborated in these tales are able to give us an insight into the villains and turn them into “humans” for us to better understand them as the antagonist in their stories. We see the different forms in the writing of each booktuber, such as either in an email/chat version, traditional story writing, question and answer format so the reader can decide for themselves and comment on posts. The writers are able to get the readers to empathize with the characters and see their story come to light.



4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Booklist (June 1, 2017 (Vol. 113, No. 19))

Grades 9-12. It’s true: everyone loves a character who’s a little bit bad. In the case of these 13 tales, that’s often a lot bad: collection editor and contributor Ameriie pairs 13 authors with 13 BookTubers tasked with creating stories that feature infamous villains from literature and fairy tales. The concept here is that the BookTuber provides the prompt, the author writes the story, and then the BookTuber provides commentary. Some prompts are more detailed than others, and inevitably, the best stories are often from the simplest plots: standouts include Susan Dennard’s “Shirley and Jim” (“a young Moriarty”), Cindy Pon’s “Beautiful Venom” (“Medusa. Go!”), Samantha Shannon’s “Marigold” (“Erl Queen retelling in nineteenth-century London”), and Andrew Smith’s “Julian Breaks Every Rule” (“A psychopath in a futuristic setting). A diverse array of high-profile authors are showcased (i.e., Renée Ahdieh, Adam Silvera, Victoria Schwab, Nicola Yoon), and the inclusion of the BookTubers is an interesting idea that allows for a range of perspectives. The concept alone is enough to draw readers, so stock up—it’s never been so fun to be bad.

Kirkus Reviews (May 15, 2017)

Are villains born evil, or do life circumstances force them to choose a dark path?Thirteen book bloggers challenge as many young-adult authors to write stories about the villains we love to hate. There are reimaginings of familiar fairy-tale and mythological villains alongside the nefarious adventures of the newly infamous. Benjamin Alderson’s challenge to Cindy Pon—“Medusa. Go!”—yields the origin story “Beautiful Venom,” which places the Greek myth in an Asian setting (the collection’s only sign of racial diversity). Samantha Shannon’s “Marigold” is an “Erl-Queen Retelling in Nineteenth-Century London” that grants the primary female character agency denied Victorian women in real life. “You, You, It’s All About You,” by Adam Silvera, introduces “A Female Teen Crime Lord Concealed by a Mask.” Slate, that story’s villain-protagonist, deals in mind-altering drugs in order to gain control of her life after an abusive childhood. Nicola Yoon’s chilling “Sera” is a “Gender-Flipped God of War” story about a young woman with terrifying powers who becomes deathly ill when she suppresses her true nature. Each story is followed by commentary from the blogger who set the challenge. Some react with thoughtful critical pieces, while others take a creative, metafictive approach to the fruits of their authors’ labors. Some stories don’t quite meet their challenges, but overall, this anthology is an explosively entertaining joy ride of villainous goodness. (Short stories/fantasy. 13-18)

School Library Journal (July 1, 2017)

Gr 9 Up-This anthology about villains capitalizes on the fascination with the subject but fails to explore the reasoning behind it. The stories in this unwieldy collection, edited by YouTube sensation Ameriie, are inspired by BookTuber-provided prompts. Some prompts are vague, such as "A young Moriarty '' for Susan Dennard's "Shirley and Jim," which presents a modern (and female) Holmes meeting Moriarty for the first time at boarding school. Others are bizarrely specific, such as Renée Ahdieh's sci-fi "The Blood of Imuran," which resulted from the prompt "The grandson of an evil, matriarchal dictator who tried to rule over the universe wants to follow in her footsteps and accidentally loses his temper, killing his sibling in a game of chess." Thus, the entries vary in quality, making this cross-genre volume less than cohesive. BookTuber contributions range from personality quizzes and literary criticism about the tales to personal essays related to the prompts. Standouts include Soman Chainani's "Gwen and Art and Lance," which is written entirely in texts and emails among the titular characters as Gwen tries to manipulate Art into taking her to prom amid unwanted overtures from Lance, and "Death Knell" by Victoria Schwab, which offers a nuanced meditation on what it means to be Death. There are no redeeming qualities for most of the villains here, and for the most part, there's a lot of superficiality. One notable exception is Cindy Pon's poignant "Beautiful Venom" (prompt: "Medusa, go!"), which makes the Greek myth relevant to modern readers as they watch Mei Feng become Mei Du in Pon's tragic retelling with a Chinese setting. VERDICT A weak but marketable work that will appeal to fans of the contributing authors.-Emma Carbone, Brooklyn Public Library © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.




5. CONNECTIONS


Retellings: This would be the perfect opportunity to build upon how characters and their stories change when stories are retold from a different point of view.

How does this change the goal of the author this time around?

What can we learn from the author/ characters ?

Is there a reason as to why we need to see a different perspective?


Character Development: what is the difference that you all now see from reading previous folktales told from a different perspective, to the perspective of the villain? Do your feelings for the character change, what about the story itself? Can you resonate with the villains or the “heroes”?

 
Anthologies exploration: We can explore with student discussion with us as facilitators to talk about the different styles that the authors used to write the stories, the themes discussed within the tale and their different forms of characters that were created.