Multicultural/Controversial chapters from text

These two chapters cover something that I deal with nearly every day at school. As the purchaser of library books, I have to constantly remind myself 'equal access for all patrons', which basically means that librarians need to provide books on a vast variety of topics from a wide variety of points of view. This of course, means all of my books have the potential to step on a lot of toes. I don't know how many times a parent has asked me not to let their child check out a book on (choose a banned subject to go here) or not read to a class of children any books with animals as characters, etc. If I really followed all these requests, I would be left with no books to read to classes or check out to students.
Additionally, on the multicultural aspect, I've had parents complain about books on the middle east and Muslim cultures, and other parents complain about the lack of books on other cultures. Unfortunately, no one can please everyone all the time.

Everlost by Neal Shusterman

Where do you go once you've died? Allie and Nick, both victims of a car accident, traveling down the perverbial tunnel towards the light, bump into each other, knocking themselves off course and into Everlost. Thus begins the adventure to find their way to 'where they are going', as Lief puts it.

Extras by Scott Westerfield

When this book came out, I was kind of tired of the whole series, so I didn't even buy it for my girls for a while. Refreshingly different, but hauntingly familar with the recent youtube, liveleak, any other web2.0 application. Instead of focusing on character, etc. most of society is worried about rank, how popular you are. You can raise it by being camera worthy, as cameras are everywhere, recording everything. Aya Fuse (our main character) meets a group of girls who want to stay anonymous, something that Aya can't imagine. Then she finds a story that will boost her to the top. Can she 'pop' it without exposing the group of girls? Once she's popped it, can she remain safe?

Massie by Lisi Harrison

Okay, I know, fast food read, but....I have to keep up with my girls! From the Clique series, a group of books about an alpha group of girls at an exclusive private middle school is invaded by the daughter of a family friend who moves into the guest house (!) to ride through some tough times. It's supposed to be temporary, but turning out to be permanent, as the father turned down a job opportunity in the town they moved from to stay in New York. In "Massie", spoiled, perfectly dressed Massie must get a job to pay for lessons lost when she is kicked out of the exclusive riding school after a cruel prank played on the owner's niece. She finally settles on peddling an exclusive line of make up to the less fortunate in a rather mean way, and in the end learns a thing or two about kindness and inner beauty. Massie still hasn't learned everything though, she uses her status as a super seller to get what she wants in the end.

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix

In this futuristic, realistic fiction, Luke is an outlawed third child. The oppressive government, concerned with food shortages after a serious period of droughts, passed legislation allowing parents only two children. All others are to be disposed of. Luke lives in hiding for the first twelve years of his life, Luke discovers another third child in a home built after the government razed the woods near his farm house. Luke begins to discover the world around him and the animosity the government has for the hidden children.

Takeoffs and Landings by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Lori and Chuck accompany their widowed mother one summer as she tours the country side giving motivational speeches to different groups, from bankers to farmers. Told from both young adults' point of veiw, the reader gains insights into each character and gains a great deal of information about why this family, while seemingly normal, borders on dysfunctional. Lori shows a great deal of anger toward her mother for seemingly abandoning her and her brothers and sisters at her grandparents house. She also harbors extreme hatred, which seems very misguided until the last chapters of the book, toward her brother who walks several circles below her sister socially, due to others' extremely poor perception of Chuck and his intellect. The book closes too nicely with an explanation from Mom about why she gives speeches and the circumstances behind their father's untimely death, which allows everyone to 'get along' better.

The Girl With 500 Middle Names by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Disgusted by her daughter's run down school, Janie's Mother decides to move the family across town, giving Janie the opportunity to go to a better school. The family economy, fueled by hand knitted sweaters, falls apart when a shop owner decides to outsource to a cheaper foreign country for the sweaters. Janie, needing new clothes and wanting to protect her mother decides to start wearing the unpurchased sweaters, each with a different name on them. For a while, she claims that she has many different middle names. This fuels a 'run' for the name sweaters, especially those with the girls middle names on them.

Don't You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Tish has to write in a journal for part of her grade in a high school class. Tish has a bad attitude towards school, life, people around her, excepting of course, her family and close friends. At the beginning of each journal entry, Tish writes, "Don't you dare read this, Miss Dunphrey", this allowing her to spill her guts about the rotten situation her family is in, what friends have done, what she's done, etc. She only lets Miss Dunphrey read a few. Miss Dunphrey mildly comments on the length or the number of entries per week, ignoring the obvious pleas for help. Through out the book, Tish's home life goes from bad to worse as her father comes in and out, nice at first, then abusive. When her mother leaves to go after her father, Tish's life goes into a living hell. Faced with feeding her and her brother, paying bills and trying to look like a normal family, Tish pours this all out into a journal, while sweet, innocent Miss Dunphrey completely ignores her cries for help. Finally, Tish allows her naive stupid teacher to read her entries and Tish and her brother are shipped off to a set of grandparents they've never met.

Among the Imposters by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Under a new identity, Luke, now Lee, goes to a odd windowless private school. Encountering new things everyday, such as bullies and the odd behavior of hidden children, Luke/Lee uncovers a spy for the Population Police looking for third children to turn over to the governement.

Because of Anya By Margaret Peterson Haddix

Diagnosed with alopecia areata at age 10, Anya struggles with the idea of beauty while loosing her hair to a disease who's name is pretty to her. One day in gym class, her wig falls off and classmates assume she has cancer. One girl, Keely, helps Anya come to terms with her illness and enjoy friendship once again.

Among the Barons by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Given a new identity by a wealthy family, Luke, now Lee, must journey to his new 'home' and pretend to be the real Lee Grant. While there, he uncovers several plots to kill himself, his parents, the president of the government and even he himself. This book gets muddied down towards the end with all the plots in motion and ends quite surprizingly.

Among the Betrayed by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Another "Shadow Children" selection, this time told from Nina's point of view. Nina has been captured and asked to betray three small children imprisoned with her. Rather than do that, she devises a plan to escape to save them from what she thinks is the Population Police. Only once she's escaped does she realise that she's been tested by the resistance fighters.

Among the Brave by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Told from the point of view of Trey, a school friend of Luke, Trey must rescue Luke and other third borns from the Population Police, while battling a personal battle with thoughts of cowardice and self doubt. Trey manages to rescue those that need rescuing while learning much about his strengths and weaknesses.

Among the Enemy by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Book six carries on the story of the shadow children through Matthias, another third child on the run. He is on the run with two other shadow children, who become sick. He leaves them briefly to find help, but ends up saving the life of a Population Police member and becomes the favorite of a high ranking official. He is rescued by Nina and Mike with the help of the perennial character, Luke/Lee. The two children he travels with are rescued early on by Mrs. Talbott.

Running out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Jessie has grown up thinking she lives in the early 19th century. But, as diphtheria begins to ravage her little village's children, her mother makes the most shocking revelation. The year is not 1840, but 1996. Jessie's mom tells her about the odd situation in which they and other families in their village, then explains that there is a cure for diphtheria, but for some reason the group that runs the village has decided that they will not give out the medicine. Jessie is sent to sneak out of the compound, and find Mr. Neely, someone who can help. As Jessie flees, she must figure out the world around her and decide who she can and can't trust. Finally, Jessie gets the help she needs for the children of Clifton village, but at a price, she herself falls victim to diphtheria, and loses her parents for a brief time. At the end, the family returns to the village to be caretakers to the land.

The House on the Gulf

Brit's older brother Bran gets a summer house sitting job for his family. Which couldn't be more convienient for his Pre-Med school mother and his younger sister Britt. Once moved in though, Bran begins to act strangely, asking many odd requests for living conditions. Britt makes friends with an elderly neighbor and then begins to run errands for many of the other elderly neighbors around her. As Bran continues to behave oddly, Britt is determined to discover his secret. When she does, the reader discovers that the family certainly shouldn't be housesitting at all and are living in what Bran thinks is the house of the grandparents that disowned their mother years ago. When word arrives that their 'grandfather' has died, Bran's plans to 'get back' at the grandparents that 'abandoned' them. The pair discover that they have the wrong family when the widow arrives to sell the house. The book ends quickly with the neighbor coming to the rescue and offering to allow the family to move in with her and her husband. Britt, in the end of the book, sends a postcard to her 'real' grandparents, hoping to renew family ties.

Say What?

Sukie and her brothers have a problem. Instead of the normal 'mom and dad' lectures that they normally get when doing something they know they shouldn't be doing, their parents are telling them random things, such as "Don't pick your nose" when Sukie was expecting "Don't eat your peas with your fingers!". After a sibling council, Reed decides to play spy and find out what's going on. After overhearing a parental conversation about their odd behavior, Sukie, Reed and Brian decide to turn the tables on their 'sneaky' parents and say random things back to them.

Leaving Fishers by Margaret Peterson Haddix

This book, best for middle or high school readers tells the story of Dory, a new student from a rural area trying her best to fit in at an urban high school. The book starts off with Dory agaonizing over trying to make friends with other students and not getting anywhere. Then Dory meets Angela, a perfect looking blonde girl who takes her under her wing and introduces her to a church group called the Fishers. At first, Dory likes being included, but then Angela, now both her friend and discipler, someone who 'watches over' and shows new members what it's like to be a fisher. As Dory grows in her new faith, Angela keeps putting more and more requirements and sacrifices on Dory, making Dory begin to question her position and faith in the fishers. Finally, after a horrible incident with children Dory babysits, Dory decides to leave the fishers, at first Angela and her new found friends put tremendous pressure on Dory to come back, then they start a campaign to make Dory feel guilty, finally ignoring Dory completely. Only at the end do we learn from an ex-fisher, that the group is a cult. Overall, the book was okay. I didn't really like how weak Dory is portrayed, but Haddix kept her weak and with self-esteem issues throughout the book. It's good to be consistant.

Great books for Great Eagles!

This is starting out as a project for a class I'm taking, but hopefully we can continue to use this as a place to record our thoughts about some of the great books we've read.
Mrs. Stout