Joyful Noise

Joyful Noise/I am Phoenix: Poems for two voices (audio book on CD)
by Paul Fleishman
Audio Bookshelf, 2001

Genre: Books on CD, Poetry

Honors: Newbery Medalist (Joyful Noise)

Review: Audio Bookshelf presents two of Paul Fleishman's poetry books in audio format, performed by Melissa Hughes and Scott Snively with cameo performances by Terry Bregy, Heather Frederick, Adam Gaulin and Ashley Seaney. Joyful Noise is a collection of poems about the life of insects, spoken by the insects themselves, while I am Phoenix tells the stories of different types of birds. All poems are recited rhythmically with alternating lines for two people, and each poem is about a single species.

Opinion: I was originally going to read Joyful Noise for the first assignment, as it is a Newbery winner. However, I could not find the book when I first paid a visit to the library and instead, the children's librarian recommended I give the audiobook set a try, to get a feel for the poems as performances. The audiobook was there on the shelf, so I nabbed it. I'm glad I took her advice. First of all, the poems are written for two people, so it is a bit odd that there are, at times, what sounds like as many as five people speaking (as in the poem "Cicadas"). It does not detract from the beautiful harmonies of the actors, however. No two poems are spoken in the same tone or rhythm. I felt that the actors did a wonderful job making each character in Joyful Noise sound like people with different voices and personalities. The poem "Book Lice" is especially sweet, with the actors using accentuated voices cooing over the microphone as two book lice with different reading tastes who find each other and fall in love, adoring the differences between them. I was not quite as thrilled with I am Phoenix, but I only listened to it through one time and perhaps I should have given it another listen. I returned to Joyful Noise several times before sending it back to its home at the library.

Ideas:

The fingertips of Duncan Dorfman

The fingertips of Duncan Dorfman
by Meg Wolitzer
Dutton Children's Books, 2011

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy

Honors:

Literary Prizes - ALA Notable Children's Books

Literary Prizes - Booklist

Literary Prizes - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Literary Prizes - Kirkus Reviews

Literary Prizes - Library Media Connection

Literary Prizes - New York Times

Literary Prizes - Publishers Weekly starred

Review: Hoping to change his image at school as the new kid nicknamed "Lunch Meat," Duncan reveals a secret skill to his peers that gets the attention of the leader of the school's Scrabble team--and one of Duncan's bullies--who convinces Duncan to join him at the national youth Scrabble tournament in Yakemee, Florida. There, Duncan meets a boy who's been trained for the tournament in order to make up for his father's childhood loss at the same tournament, and a girl who hopes to find a boy she met briefly three years ago and taught to play Scrabble but whom she knows nothing about, not even his name. Duncan and his new friends find more than competition at the tournament: they each risk a part of themselves in order to succeed, and Duncan learns it takes a lot of courage to do the right thing.

Opinion: The plot was uncluttered and fairly simple with no overarching themes and just a touch of fantasy, which is appealing for certain kids. The language was very tame. However, Wolitzer's writing style is filled with grammatical errors that this publisher somehow overlooked again and again, and every time I came across one it disrupted my reading experience (so, at least once every page!) Commas in language are musical in a way--I think of the rest symbol used in music in places where a note should not be held or no note should be played--and overuse can create dis-chord rather than fluid sentences. Misusing the comma is common in undergraduate writing and it does appear to happen in many novels, and I'm sure that many publishers don't see the type of use as problematic; however, I take issue with it because it both makes her book a clunky read (too many unnecessary, lengthy mental pauses when you encounter those commas) and it subconsciously plants the idea in youth that hers is the proper way to use commas. My opinion of this book is that it is a good book for reluctant readers, especially those who identify with the outsider Duncan, but I would not pick it up again for a second reading. Once was enough for my fingertips!

Ideas: This book is inspiring for non-Scrabble players and enthusiasts alike. I thought I was a pretty good player myself until I read about anagrams, bingobangobongos, and the list of two-letter words playable (and Wolitzer includes entire lists of acceptable words in both categories in the book, perfect for memorizing!) A class wanting to have some fun with this book can start a Scrabble club or have a Scrabble day; it is a great way to teach children new words, and students can practice challenging their peers to learn which words are real and playable and which are considered real but are not playable ("Spork" is Wolitzer's example in the story).

Looking for me

Looking for me
by Betsy R. Rosenthal
Houghton Mifflin, 2012

Genre: Historical fiction, Novels in verse

Honors: Unknown

Review: In the middle of writing an epic-length poem for her teacher about the ups and downs of life with her Jewish-American family, Edith Polansky is asked why she only refers to herself as "number four" of twelve children. Edith is then given the task of completing her family poem by answering a vital question about who she is, and she begins to form an answer while learning to cope with the death of a sibling.

Opinion: Edith is a very endearing character, writing tenderly of her relatives at times and bitterly, at other times, about her mixed feelings regarding having a large family and having to stand in for her working mother when she is not in school. I discovered this book at an educational resource center when I was looking for titles for a group of 6th-8th graders, and I ended up bringing it home and am just now reading it. It seems like it would be a nice book for reluctant readers because it is a quick read and is riddled with cute quips and sarcasm.

Ideas: An activity similar to the one assigned to Edith can be used as part of a history lesson. Students can research the life of families of Jewish immigrants to the United States and write about their findings in a poem format.