Empey's Book Corner

  (Pictures from Goodreads.com) 1.        Bibliography Gaiman, Neil. 2010. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. Ill. by Dave McKean. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publisher. ISBN978-0-06-053093-8 2.        Plot Summary In this fantasy pciture novel, Nobody Owens (Bod) is a normal boy. At least, his appearance is normal. What is ABnormal about Bod is that he is being raised by ghosts and his guardian is neither dead nor alive. As Bod grows older, he encounters a series of other unnatural creatures and beasts on his adventures through the graveyard. As he ages, he starts to wonder about the world beyond the graveyard he is not allowed to venture into because of the danger of death. The man who murdered his family is still hunting Bod and will stop at nothing to get to him. 3.        Critical Analysis “It takes a graveyard to raise a child.” The novel is aimed at ages 8-11 but could easily be enjoye...

  (Photo from Goodreads.com) 1.        Bibliography Telgemeier, Raina. 2010. SISTERS. New York, NY: Scholastic INC. ISBN 978-0545132060 2.        Plot Summary In the companion to SMILE, Telgemeier’s SISTERS, focuses on the relationship with her little sister. Like many sisters, the two do not see eye-to-eye and the result is blow out fights and animosity. The two have to come together at times though when their little brother is born and when they sense something is off in their family dynamic. This graphic novel depicts a family road trip from their home in San Francisco to a family reunion in Colorado. 3.        Critical Analysis Raina Telgemeier tells the story of her childhood frustrations with her siblings, mainly her sister, in the graphic memoir SISTERS. The story goes back and forth between then of small children and the now of older children. This is easy to follow in the p...

  (Picture from Goodreads.com) 1.        Bibliography Jamieson, Victoria. 2015. ROLLER GIRL. New York, NY: Dial Books. ISBN 978-0-8037-4016-7 2.        Plot Summary ROLLER GIRL tells the story of a twelve-year-old girl that used to do everything with her best friend, but falls in love with roller derby and has to strike out on her own. Astrid has to work really hard to be good at the sport, but also struggles with losing her best friend and making new friends. This graphic novel was written by a real-life derby girl!   3.        Critical Analysis This graphic novel is authentic because the novel itself was written by Victoria Jamieson, who was a derby girl. She knows the rules and struggles of the game firsthand and can speak to what a play may feel.   This coming-of- age story is great for students of middle school age with messages of friendship, perseverance, and ...

  (Picture from Goodreads.com) 1.        Bibliography Craft, Jerry. 2019. NEW KID. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 978-0-06-269120-0 2.        Plot Summary Imagine being in middle school with emotions and change running high. Now imagine starting at a new school; one you didn’t even want to go to. 7 th grade Jordan Banks is experiencing just that. Starting at a predominantly white school, Jordan has to navigate the new school culture and trying to make friends while keeping his old friends and staying true to himself. He expresses himself through his art, allowing the reader a glimpse into what he sees daily. 3.        Critical Analysis Craft immerses us in the world of Jordan Banks by creating his book in realistic graphic novel form. Readers’ see into Jordan’s home, school, neighborhood and even the visuals inside his mind. Jordan dreams of being like Batman, or ...

  (Picture from Goodreads.com) 1.        Bibliography Salisbury, Graham. 2005. UNDER THE BLOOD-RED SUN. Audible- Audiobook Unabridged. Narrated by Greg Watanabe. Listening Library. 2.        Plot Summary Salisbury’s intriguing historical fiction story centers around a thirteen-year-old boy, Tomizu, who is the American-born son of Japanese immigrants. He goes to school, helps the family, and plays baseball. Everything changes when the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor in 1941. After the attack, his father is arrested and suddenly everyone is suspicious of Tomizu and his family. He struggles to be the man of the household while figuring out the true meaning of friendship and loyalty. 3.        Critical Analysis Salisbury’s historical fiction novel is very accurate in accounts of the time. Through his research the reader gets the view of the regular citizen, not just soldiers which is typi...

  (Picture from Goodreads.com) 1.        Bibliography Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker. 2015. THE WAR THAT SAVED MY LIFE . Narrated by Jayne Entwistle. [Audiobook]. Follet Audiobook. Solon, OH: Findaway World. ISBN 978-1-101-89062-2   2.        Plot Summary Ten-year-old Ada have never left the apartment she shares with her brother and mother. Her mother, being humiliated by Ada’s club foot, does not allow her to leave, ever. When World War II comes to London, Ada devises a plan to escape with her brother who is being evacuated with the other children. Ada and Jamie end up with Susan Smith, who wants nothing to do with them, ends up taking them in. Ada learns how to ride a pony, makes friends, and starts walking with the help of crutches. Slowly but surely, Susan grows to love the children and they create an unbreakable bond. The question was, when or if will their mother come get them? When their mother finally arr...

  (Picture from Goodreads.com) 1.        Bibliography Schlitz, Laura Amy. 2015. THE HIRED GIRL. Berryville, VA: Candlewick. ISBN 978-0-7636-7818-0 2.        Plot Summary Fourteen-year-old Joan Skraggs dreams of a better life, with love and purpose, like the heroines in the novels she pours over time and time again. She is stuck living with her father and brothers, who see her as nothing more than a maid. After a devastating fight with her father when he burns all her books, she runs away to be a hired girl. Landing herself in a Jewish household, Joan changes her name, her ways, and her opinion of the world through a series of events. This coming of age story takes readers into the life of the average working girl as she figures out feminism, housework, religion, literature, human nature, and love. 3.        Critical Analysis 4.        Awards/ Reviews ...

  (Picture from Goodreads.com) 1.        Bibliography Schmidt, Gary. 2011. OKAY FOR NOW. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. ISBN: 978-0-547-15260-8 2.        Plot Summary Doug Swieteck is a young teen struggling to grow up in a time of war and change. At the beginning of the novel the reader learns that Doug’s father is abuse, a drunk, and consequently looses jobs easily. They move in order to start over, but patterns return quickly. Doug tries to find work and friends, landing on a young girl named Lillian Spicer. Through Lillian he gets a job at her father’s grocery store and discovers the town library. In the library he stumbles upon Mr. Powell, the librarian who teaches Doug to paint and see the world as an artist. Through trials and tribulations, Doug finds his place in the town and the world as he meets a variety of characters and gains experiences to help him overcome the negatives in...

  (Picture from Goodreads.com) 1.        Bibliography Fleming, Candace. 2014. THE FAMILY ROMANOV: MURDER, REBELLION & THE FALL OF IMERPIAL RUSSIA. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books. ISBN 978-0-375-86782-8 2.        Plot Summary Candace Fleming tells the true story of Russia’s last royal family, the Romanovs. Starting from the time a young Czar Nicholas II steps into his role as leader and ending with the downfall and deaths of the family, Fleming tells a captivating story of doomed family’s life, as well as details the lives of the Russian people by using firsthand accounts from ordinary Russian citizens. Accounts of problematic extremes including child endangerment, malevolent figures, and political repression that break up the chapters giving the reader a look at both ends of the social spectrum. Historical events of the Russian Revolution and World War I are included but the story’s main focus is the fam...

(Picture from Goodreads.com)   1.        Bibliography Tonatiuh, Duncan. 2015. FUNNY BONES: POSADA AND HIS DAY OF THE DEAD CALAVERAS. New York, NY: Abrams Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-1-4197-1647-8   2.        Plot Summary Tonatiuh’s non-fiction story FUNNY BONES, tells the story of how calaveras came to be. The figures were created by Mexican artist Jose Guadalupe Posada, known as Lupe. Lupe learned the art of painting and printing at a young age and eventually owned his own shop. As political unrest heightened, Lupe drew political cartoons and shared them. The locals were delighted and amused with the images, but the politicians did not find his humor funny. His cartoons were spread widely but he is most commonly known for his calavera drawings that have become the images associated with Mexico’s Dia de Muertos festival. Tonatiuh relates the important moments in Lupe’s life and also gives life to the ima...

  (Picture from Goodreads.com) 1.          Bibliography Murphy, Jim. 2015. BREAKTHROUGH!: HOW THREE PEOPLE SAVED “BLUE BABIES” AND CHANGED MEDICINE FOREVER. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN 978—547-82183-2 2.        Plot Summary Murphy’s descriptive non-fiction narrative recounts the 1944 groundbreaking operation that repaired the congenital heart defect known as blue baby syndrome. Doctor Alfred Blalock performed the operation, crediting him with being the trailblazer to what is now open-heart surgery. Behind the scenes there were two more individuals that contributed to the team effort. On being Vivien Thomas, an African American man who had been Blalock’s lab assistant for many years. He painstakingly developed the technique and then stood behind Blalock during the surgery, giving instructions and advice. Dr. Helen Taussig, a pediatric cardiologist, brought forth the idea in hopes that Blalock and Thomas could put a...