Traveling the Freedom Road

Traveling the Freedom Road: From Slavery and the Civil War Through Reconstruction. By Linda Barrett Osborne. Abrams, 2009. 128 pages. Tr. $24.95 ISBN 978-0810983380

Summary: The journey of American-Americans from slavery to freedom is passionately documented through first-person account. Archival newspaper advertisements, articles, photographs, and maps pair with the text, making this an ideal book on African American history to engage even the most reluctant of tween readers.

Critical Review: Osborne outlines the painful journey of slavery, from the first passage of slaves from the Ivory Coast, to their eventual emancipation almost three hundred years later. Tweens learn that slavery was not an inevitable event, but rather was a conscious decision. Seventeenth and eighteenth century African slaves received the same treatment as white indentured servants, and it was not until the early eighteenth century that slavery became defined through color. The different forms of slavery, from slaves in rural Plantation Households and fields, to city slaves are all included. With time the division between Southern whites and blacks grew, as whites limited the steps required for manumission and the privileges afforded to the free people. Slave insurrections grew in leaps and bounds, substantially contributing to white fears. It was illegal for African-American slaves to learn to read, attend their own churches, and to marry. Everything was under the control of the Master or Mistress. Enslaved peoples were not without agency, and engaged on countless occasions to overthrow the system. Many tired their chances of escape through the Underground Railroad. However, it was not until the Civil War that slaves were finally awarded their freedom. The contributions of black and white abolitionists and Northern militia are provided. With the Fifteenth Amendment slavery was officially banned in the U.S., however, it continued on under a different name in the South during the Reconstruction. It was not until the Civil Rights Movement that African American inequalities were addressed.

Genre: American History

Reading/Interest Level: 10-14 years

Reviews: Voice of Youth Advocates (2009, June 1); School Library Journal (2009, May 1); Booklist (2009, February 1).

Similar Materials: Laurie Halse Anderson’s Chains and Forge; the American Girl Series of “Addy”

Subjects/Themes: Slavery; Civil War; Reconstruction; African-American history; U.S. politics and government

Brief Annotation: The history of African Americans from slavery to Reconstruction is chronicled, showcasing their agency.

Meet Rebecca

Meet Rebecca. By Jacqueline Dembar Greene. Illustrated by Robert Hunt. American Girl Publishing, 2009. 96 pages. Tr. $6.95. ISBN 978-1593695200

Summary: Rebecca longs for the day when she’ll be able to light the Sabbath candles, like her older twin sisters Sadie and Sophie. Over Sabbath dinner, Rebecca learns about the necessity of bringing her relatives over from Europe. It’s far too dangerous there for Jews to live, and Rebecca is terrified for her cousin, Ana, who is the same age. She opts to forgo going to synagogue the following morning, to help her father, a tailor, in his shop. She desperately wants her relatives to live in New York, but for that they need money for the sea voyage. Can Rebecca help make this a possibility?

Critical Review: Rebecca is a strong, confident girl who is a wonderful role model for tween girls. Her story illustrates the history of immigration, highlighting the challenges immigrants faced to adjust to difficult traditions, languages, foods, and customs, all while keeping a foothold on their own traditions. Immigrants wanted to assimilate to American life, but there was also a strong push to maintain their own traditions. Rebecca’s family epitomizes the best of both worlds: weekly they celebrate the Sabbath, while keeping secular interests in perspective. Her cousin Max is an actor, and Rebecca longs to become one as well. In this book, she sells her trousseau. Along with the money Max and her father contribute, there is enough money to purchase tickets for Ana and her family.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Reading/Interest Level: 8-12 years

Awards: Sydney Taylor Notable Books; 2009 Silver Moonbeam Award; National Parenting Publications Honors Award

Reviews: Publisher’s Weekly (2009, May 18)

Series: Rebecca Series

Similar Materials: The following “Rebecca Series” books: Candlelight for Rebecca; Rebecca and Ana; Rebecca and the Movies; Changes for Rebecca; Rebecca and the Rescue

Subjects/Themes: early-twentieth-century New York City; Judaism; businesses, families; immigration history; theatre; moneymaking ventures

Character Names: Rebecca Rubin; Sadie and Sophie Rubin; Max; Uncle Jacob; Ana

Author Website: http://www.jdgbooks.com/

Illustrator Website: http://www.roberthuntstudio.com/

Booktalking Idea: I would pair this book with Karen Cushman’s Rodzina (about a Polish girl that immigrates to the American West) and Deborah Hopkinson’s Shutting Out the Sky: Life in the Tenements of New York, 1880-1924. Tweens will learn that the experience of what it means to be an American girl has changed across time and place. I would advise tween girls to also read other books in the American Girl series.

Brief Annotation: Eleven-year old Rebecca longs for the day when she’ll be able to light the Sabbath candles, and wishes that her European cousin Ana lived in New York with her. 

Strange Relations

Strange Relations. By Sonia Levitin. Random House, 2009. 304 pages. PB $6.50 ISBN 978-0440239635

Summary: Marne’s parents can’t don’t have enough time to spend the summer with their daughter. Her mother will be launching a new line of designer clothes in Paris, and her pharmacist father will be busy working at a local L.A. hospital. Life with her parents has been incredibly different since the loss of her little sister, who never returned home from summer camp. Marne’s Aunt Carole, now Aunt Chaya, agrees that she will be more than happy to have her as a guest for the summer in Hawaii. Aunt Chaya has embraced the most orthodox form of Judaism, Hasidism, and Marne is introduced to her lifestyle. The summer spent with Aunt Chaya, Uncle Yitz (an Hassidic rabbi), and her cousins forces Marne to reconsider what’s important in life.

Critical Review: Initially Marne rebels against Hasidic philosophy, believing that these rules do not apply to her. However, as time with her relatives grows, she begins to appreciate her Jewish faith more. This awareness forces her to confront previous beliefs. She understands that her best friend, Kim, does not have her best interests at heart. Aunt Chaya becomes a role model to Marne, teaching her the joy that comes from religion. Time spent with her cousins pushes Marne to confront the trauma she’s been holding in about her kidnapped sister. The summer is also therapeutic for her relationship with her parents.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Reading/Interest Level: 12-14 years

Awards: Sydney Taylor Award, 2008

Reviews: Publisher’s Weekly (2007, June 25); Booklist (2007, June 1); School Library Journal (2007, May 1)

Similar Materials: Valerie Zenatti’s A Bottle in the Gaza Sea; and Sonia Levitin’s The Singing Mountain

Subjects/Themes: families; divorce; Judaism; Hasidism; Hawaii; friendship; death; tragedy

Character Names: Marne; Aunt Carole/Chaya; Yitz; Kim

Author Website: http://www.sonialevitin.com/slides/slides.html

Brief Annotation: An adolescent girl spends the summer in Hawaii with her Hasidic relatives, growing in her appreciation for her Jewish faith.

Confessions of a Closet Catholic

Confessions of a Closet Catholic. By Sarah Darer Littman. Penguin, 2006. 208 pages. PB $5.99 ISBN 978-0142405970

Summary: Justine Silverman is fascinated with Catholicism, and secretly give up being Jewish for Lent. Her paternal grandmother, however, suffers a stroke. Justine is distraught. Could she have caused her grandmother’s sickness by turning her back on her Jewish faith? She confesses her sins to a priest, who advises her that it’s best to research the Catholic faith before becoming Catholic. Her research leads her to learn more about her Jewish faith.

Critical Review: Justine is initially confused with religion. Her maternal grandparents are secular, discouraging her from participating in what they consider as religious superstition. As a child, Justine attended synagogue with her maternal grandmother, and remembers those times with joy. Justine’s family adheres to the Sabbath, by cooking a lot of chicken. No one in her family attends weekly service. The family only appears in synagogue for Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. Justine respects the devotion she observes in the McAllister family. There everyone attends church at least once a week, and religious observance is a central part of family life. Justine is terribly curious about the Catholic faith, but she hides her interest from her family. Her siblings, paternal grandparents, and parents have laughed at her desire for religious information in the past. She confesses her sins to “Father Ted,” a teddy bear, and attends the occasional Catholic mass with her friend Mary Catherine. Her Catholic secret is safe until her grandmother has a stroke. Distraught with guilt, Justine confesses her terrible sin to her grandmother, a survivor of the Holocaust. She is ashamed with her actions. Amazingly her grandmother understands Justine’s need to research a variety of religions, and decide her faith for herself. When her Bubbe dies, Justine decides to learn all she can about the Jewish faith. She owes that to her Bubbe. Her quest brings her family closer to their Jewish faith. Justine and her father bond together by attending weekly synagogue services, where they can properly honor Bubbe’s memory by saying Kadish. Justine’s Jewish faith grows in leaps and bounds, as she meets for weekly session with the Rabbi, and decides to increase her religious devotion by keeping kosher. Her desires to become more religious are respected by her parents.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Reading/Interest Level: 10-14 years

Awards: Sydney Taylor Book Award, 2006

Reviews: Publishers Weekly (2006, July 17); Voice of Youth Advocates (2005, April 1); Publishers Weekly (2005, February 28); School Library Journal (2005, January 1)

Similar Materials: Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret

Subjects/Themes: multi-generational family, Judaism, Catholicism, middle-children; religious-identity formation; grandparents

Character Names: Justine Silver; Mary Catherine McCallister; Bubbe; Father Ted; Helena and Jake Silver; Mr. and Mrs. Silver; Grandma Lila and Grandpa Leo; Shira Weinstein

Author Website: http://sarahdarerlittman.com/

Brief Annotation: An eleven-year old Jewish girl questions her Jewish faith, secretly nourishing an interest in Catholicism.

B. Franklin Printer

B. Franklin Printer. By David A. Adler. Holiday House, 2001. 128 pages. Tr. $24.95 ISBN 978-0823416752

Summary: Adler chronicles the life of Benjamin Franklin. Though Franklin wore a number of career-related hats (i.e., scientist, inventor, philosopher, politician, author, and publisher), he primarily identified with the latter category. Franklin’s philanthropic contributions, namely the founding of the first public library in the U.S., are additionally chronicled, as well as his changing political attitudes. Originally Franklin deeply respected the British Monarchy, and desired to become a part of the British gentry. However, British policies towards the Colonists in the Stamp and other Acts encouraged Franklin to change his stance. He soon became a vocal opponent to British policies, vitally contributing to the success of the American Revolution.

Critical Review: Tweens interested in eighteenth-century and Revolutionary histories will covet this biography. Benjamin Franklin’s worldview easily comes to life through archival prints and maps, and primary documents. Chronologically organized, the biography seeks to understand Franklin’s rationale for joining the Revolutionary War, and to reconcile disparity between eighteenth century versus current perceptions of Franklin as the most beloved and criticized of the founding fathers. Adler presents Franklin’s early rise from an apprentice printer to a gentleman, factors that contributed to his identity as a British Imperialist and American patriot, and his role as a French diplomat during the Revolutionary War.  

Genre: Biography

Reading/Interest Level: 9-12 years

Awards: NCTE Orbis Pictus Award (Nominated for an Award) 2002

Reviews: Voice of Youth Advocates (2002, April 1); School Library Journal (2002, February 1); Booklist (2002, January 1); Kirkus Reviews (December 1, 2001)

Subjects/Themes: Benjamin Franklin biography, publishing, eighteenth-century British Colonies and England, politics, Seven Year War, Revolutionary War, Declaration of Independence, inventors, scientists

California Standards: 5.5

Students explain the causes of the American Revolution.

1.      Understand how political, religious, and economic ideas and interests brought about the Revolution (e.g., resistance to imperial policy, the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, taxes on tea, Coercive Acts).

2.      Know the significance of the first and second Continental Congresses and of the Committees of Correspondence.

3.      Understand the people and events associated with the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence and the document’s significance, including the key political concepts it embodies, the origins of those concepts, and its role in severing ties with Great Britain.

4.         Describe the views, lives, and impact of key individuals during this period (e.g., King George III, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams).

Author Website: http://www.davidaadler.com/

Brief Annotation: A persuasive, engaging biography on Benjamin Franklin, along with broader eighteenth-century issues will delight tween historical aficionados.

Road to Avonlea

Road to Avonlea: The First Complete Season. (1989 [original release date]). Directed by Kevin Sullivan. Starring Sarah Polley, Jackie Burroughs, Mag Ruffman, Zachary Bennett, Lally Cadeau. Sullivan Entertainment, 2009. 600 minutes. DVD $64.98 ASIN: B000T2DK1A

Summary: L.M. Montgomery’s Chronicles and Further Chronicles of Avonlea, and The Story Girl and The Golden Road are beautifully conveyed in this award-winning children’s T.V. program. The first series contains thirteen episodes, situated in the early 1900s on Prince Edward Island. The series chronicles the life of young Sarah Stanley, whose wealthy Montreal father sends to live with her island relatives when his company is faced with a difficult legal battle. Initially Sarah finds small-time life oppressive, deeply missing her father and nanny Louisa. However, she soon appreciates life with Aunt Olivia and Aunt Hetty, and forms a lasting friendship with her nearby relatives on King farm. Fans of Anne of Green Gables will cherish this series, for its familial warmth, friendship, and historical authenticity.

Genre: Historical T.V. Program

Interest/Age Level: 8 years through adult

Awards: (Retrieved from Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_to_Avonlea)

Emmy Awards: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Dramatic Series (Christopher Lloyd), 1992; Best Children's Program, 1993; Best Costume Design, 1995; Outstanding Guest Actress in a Dramatic Series (Dianne Wiest), 1997.

16 Emmy Nominations

4 CableAce Awards: Best Dramatic Series, 1991; Best Dramatic Series, 1993; Best Dramatic Series, 1994; Best Writing in a Dramatic Series (Heather Conkie)

17 CableAce Nominations

18 Gemini Awards: Best Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score (John Welsman), Best Performance by a Lead Actress (Jackie Burroughs), 1990; Best Original Score, Best Performance by a Lead Actress (Jackie Burroughs), 1991; Best Leading Actor (Cedric Smith), Best Guest Performance in a Series (Kate Nelligan), Best Direction in a Series (Allan King), 1992; Best Actress (Jackie Burroughs), 1993; Best Guest Performance in a Series (Bruce Greenwood), Best Original Score, Best Actress (Lally Cadeau), 1994; Best Supporting Actress (Patricia Hamilton), Best Original Score, 1995; Best Supporting Actress (Kay Tremblay), Best Guest Actress (Frances Bay), Best Original Score, 1996.

6 Gemini Nominations

3 John Labatt Classic Awards For Most Popular Program in Canada (chosen by the public), 1990, 1991 and 1992

Series: The following six series of Road to Avonlea between 1990 and 1996

Subjects/Themes: families; adjustment; moving; friendship; urban vs. rural life; one-room school houses; Prince Edward Island; aunts, uncles and cousins; L. M. Montgomery; stories; imagination

Character Names: Sarah Stanley; Hetty and Olivia King; Janet and Alec King; Felicity, Felix, and Cecily King; Andrew King; Nanny Lousia; Blair Stanley

Production Website: http://www.roadtoavonlea.com/

Brief Annotation: An affluent early 20^th century girl from Montreal, adjusts to small-town life with her Prince Edward Island relatives.

The Bad Beginning

The Bad Beginning: A Series of Unfortunate Events #1. By Lemony Snicket. Illustrated by Brett Helquist. Harper Collins, 1999. 162 pages. Tr. $12.99 ISBN 978-0064407663

Summary: The three Baudelaire children are now orphans, their parents having perished in the house fire. They stay for a while with the well-meaning Poe family, however, they soon long for a place of their own. Their banker and family friend, Mr. Poe, bequeaths Violet, Klaus, and Sunny to a distant cousin, Count Olaf. Olaf’s home is in complete disarray, and he forces the children to work for him by cleaning, cooking, and acting in his company’s theatricals. Their kind-hearted next-door neighbor, Justice Strauss, allows them free reign of her library, however, can she save them from their evil-hearted cousin?

Critical Review: Lemony Snicket’s “Series of Unfortunate Events” has garnered a great deal of praise. Critics have compared him to Charles Dickens or Roald Dahl. My feelings are torn: it is clear that Mr. Snicket is an extremely talented writer, however, his book was far too depressing to me. I cannot imagine reading this book as a child, and would only recommend the series with caveats. The Bad Beginning is a wonderful book to supplement tween’s vocabularies, without it feeling like a lesson. However, a particular audience is needed, one that will not become disgruntled to find that nothing positive happens in the lives of the Baudelaire children under the pen of Lemony Snicket. Just in this book alone the children face a number of extremely unpleasant situations, starting with the death of their parents. With the exception of their neighbor, who desperately wanted to adopt them, they are without caring adults. Their uncle abuses them, and incompetent Mr. Poe is of no help. Not only were the children unwanted and unloved, they were abused by their supposed guardian who was only after their money. Attempts to find others to help them escape their predicament were unfound, which tore at my heartstrings. I cannot fathom reading another morsel of this series, if the series is a continuation of negativity, without a morsel of sunshine in the mix.

Genre: Humor

Reading/Interest Level: 8-12 years

Reviews: Kirkus Reviews (1999, July 15); Publisher’s Weekly (1999, September 6); Library Journal (1999, November 1)

Series: A Series of Unfortunate Events

Similar Materials: Roald Dahl’s The Witches and Matilda; Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations; Lemony Snicket’s following books in “ A Series of Unfortunate Events”: The Reptile Room; The Wide Window; The Miserable Mill; The Austere Academy; The Ersatz Elevator; The Vile Village; The Hostile Hospital; The Carnivorous Carnival; The Slippery Slope; The Grim Grotto; The Penultimate Peril; The End 

Subjects/Themes: orphans, child abuse, brothers and sisters, plays, acting, death

Character Names: Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire; Mr. and Mrs. Poe; Edgar and Allan Poe, Count Olaf, Justice Strauss

Author Website: http://www.lemonysnicket.com/

Illustrator Website: http://www.bretthelquist.com/

Booktalking/Programing Idea: Encourage children to read the books, and then watch the movie (http://www.unfortunateeventsmovie.com/nonflash.html). Compare the book to those of Roald Dahl and Charles Dickens, and perhaps even Lois Lowry.

Brief Annotation: Three children deal with the death of their parents, and adjust to life with their wicked, abusive relative.