BOOK reMARKS

Reviewed by Phyllis Jennings, Librarian, Research and Instructional Services

This is the children’s alphabet book I have been waiting for. It is more fun than a McDonald’s playground and twice as original!

Alphabet books abound- some are based on animals, garden flowers, or popular characters in children’s books; here is one based on the metropolis. From the A of a construction site sawhorse to the Z of a tenement stairway, this book takes you on a tour of New York City in refreshing and original ways. The author/illustrator, Stephen Johnson, tells us: “The idea for Alphabet City came to me while I was walking along a city street. I noticed an ornamental keystone that looked like the letter S . Then suddenly I saw the letter A in a construction sawhorse and the letter Z in fire-escapes.”

Realistic pastel, charcoal, and watercolor paintings in a colorful, simple format will appeal to readers of all ages. You will soon find yourself looking for alphabet letters as you take your daily walk, with or without a child in tow. After you turn the last page, you’ll be happy to learn that this book has a companion titled City by Numbers, available at most public libraries.

Cabell Library Juvenile Literature PE1155.J645 1995

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Celebrating Black History Month at the VCU Libraries

Reviewed by Jennifer Roach, Undergraduate Services Specialist

Here is a special children's book depicting life for an African-American child confronted with segregation laws of the 1950s. Tricia Ann is finally old enough to go to "Someplace Special" all by herself. Her concerned grandmother sends her off with encouragement, "hold yo' head up and act like you b'long to somebody." Along the way Tricia Ann encounters the Jim Crow sign indicating where she must sit on the bus. She cannot sit on the bench near the fountain her grandfather helped to construct. She is not welcome in the hotel lobby, or the main entrance of the movie theatre. Jerry Pinkney, illustrator, portrays the main character in a vibrant blue dress and she is the focal point of every page. His illustrations show the confusion, disappointment, and frustration Tricia Ann experiences. Tricia Ann finally arrives at the special place her grandmother calls "a doorway to freedom." She reads the words carved into the side of the grand building:

PUBLIC LIBRARY: ALL ARE WELCOME.

We learn from an author’s note that the story is based on personal experiences growing up in Nashville, TN during the segregation of the 1950s.

Cabell Library Juvenile Literature (4th floor) PZ7.M478693 G6 2001

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Reviewed by Monique Prince, Undergraduate Services Librarian

Betty Smith became an overnight celebrity when her first novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was published in 1943. Much of the novel surrounds Francie Nolan's childhood in Brooklyn, New York. Smith colorfully describes the various people Francie encounters, and portrays both the hardships and small joys of living in an impoverished family and community. Although she is a lonely child, Francie's greatest escape is found in books and from her perch on the fire escape outside her home, she reads and watches her neighbors interact through the branches of the tree growing around her. She thinks often of her lovable, alcoholic father, her hard-working mother, and her younger brother and best friend, Neely. The novel is somewhat autobiographical—both Smith and Francie Nolan grew up in the tenements of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, both loved theatre and reading, and both completed an eighth-grade education before working odd jobs and eventually enrolling as a special student at the University of Michigan. This classic coming-of-age story is compelling both for its literary merit and for its portrayal of city life in the early 1900's.

Cabell Library PS3537.M2895 T71

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Celebrating Black History Month at the VCU Libraries

Reviewed by Kevin Farley, Collection Librarian for the Humanities

Julian Houston, an associate justice of the Superior Court of Massachusetts, grew up in Richmond in the early Civil Rights era. His young adult novel, the semi-autobiographical New Boy, recounts Houston's experiences in the wake of the landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling against segregation, Brown vs. Board of Education—a decision that sparked the closing of the Prince Edward County school system in Virginia. Houston's story skillfully shows the torn allegiances of Robert Garrett, whose academic success propels him into the world of Draper Academy, a private school in Connecticut in the late 1950s. As Draper's first black student, Garrett must face prejudice in unfamiliar forms, while also struggling with the isolation of being at Draper as the larger struggle for Civil Rights takes place at home. At each stage of his journey, Garrett meets resistance and acceptance from family, friends, and strangers alike, maturing into a compassionate leader and activist against racism.

Cabell Library PZ7.H8225 N4 2005

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Celebrating Black History Month at the VCU Libraries

Reviewed by Robert Johnson, Education Services Librarian, Tompkins-McCaw Library

Jessi's family is new in town, and is one of the only African American families. When Jessi begins babysitting Matt, part of another family new to town, she discovers she isn't the only person who feels the sting of being "different." Jessi's Secret Language is book #16 in The Baby-Sitters Club series, which spawned a television series and a movie.

Community Health Education Center PZ7 .M35675 J47 1988b

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Celebrating Black History Month at the VCU Libraries

Reviewed by Robert Johnson, Education Services Librarian, Tompkins-McCaw Library

Set over a period of two days and one night, the action in Go Tell It on the Mountain happens primarily in the past. Ostensibly a bildungsroman exploring 14-yr-old John Grimes' supposed spiritual awakening, author James Baldwin creates a novel of greater depth than that description affords. Baldwin uses the "coming of age" form to compose a narrative involving religious hypocrisy, personal sacrifice, the Great Depression, homosexuality, and the exodus of African Americans from their Southern rural homes to Northern, urban dwellings.

Cabell Library PS3552.A45 G58 1985

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Reviewed by Monique Prince, Undergraduate Services Librarian

If your family responsibilities over the Thanksgiving holiday involve entertaining your young relatives, make your way up to the fourth floor of Cabell Library to browse through our collection of juvenile and young adult literature. For a festive read, grab An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving, which would be good for the fourth- or fifth-graders in your family. It is the story of the Bassett family living in New Hampshire in the mid-1800s. After their parents are called away unexpectedly to visit a sick relative, the seven Bassett children decide to prepare for Thanksgiving themselves. Of course, surprises, cooking mishaps, and misadventures follow but all ends well as a large crowd gathers for a successful Thanksgiving feast. Since it was published first in 1882, the language and New Hampshire dialect may be challenging for young readers, but it is enjoyable nonetheless.

Cabell Library Juvenile Literature (4th floor) PZ7 .A335 O43 1989

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Reviewed by Monique Prince, Undergraduate Services Librarian

I can't remember how many times I read this book as a child—but I do remember being fascinated by this tale of independence and survival. When a group of Russian hunters arrives at a remote island and kills many of its inhabitants, those remaining decide to abandon the island. As the ship sails away the narrator, Karana, notices that her young brother is still on the island. Hysterical, she jumps overboard and returns to shore and together they prepare to survive alone until another ship returns for them. Her brother is killed the next day by wild dogs, and Karana spends the next several years in solitude on the island. She encounters many dangers, including wild dogs, hunters, an earthquake, an octopus, and a tidal wave. While her life is dangerous, she also learns survival skills—she makes weapons, builds a house and fence, builds and mends a canoe, and makes her own clothes. Both the day-to-day aspects of a solitary life, and the dangerous adventures she encounters makes this a fascinating book for late elementary and middle school students, but on rereading it, I can say that it is a great quick read for adults as well. Island of the Blue Dolphins won the 1961 Newbery Medal.

Cabell Library Juvenile Literature PZ7 .O237 I75

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Reviewed by Monique Prince, Undergraduate Services Librarian

October 16-22 is Teen Read Week, so what better book to recommend than The Catcher in the Rye, widely considered to be the quintessential American coming-of-age novel. It is narrated by Holden Caufield, a teenager who gets expelled from a prep school and spends a couple days in New York City deciding what do to next. Throughout the novel, his cynicism contrasts with his strong desire to hold onto the innocence of childhood for himself and others—the loss of which results in "phony" adulthood. His concern is evident in the way he acts protective towards his younger sister and childhood friend, as well as the symbolism of the title itself; he wants to be someone who protects children from falling over a cliff into adulthood (a catcher in a rye field, drawing from the song lyric "If a body meet a body, comin' through the rye"). This resistance to leaving youth is surprising since Holden's own childhood was far from idyllic—he is still trying to cope with the loss of his brother to leukemia and his parents' emotional distance. The Catcher in the Rye is a classic with a lot of depth, but it is also a quick read. Even if you read this one in high school, it is worth another look; your own perspective and life experiences will color your impression of this book in a different way each time you read it.

Cabell Library PS3537.A426 C3 Various Locations

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Reviewed by Monique Prince, Undergraduate Services Librarian

Another favorite Banned Book is Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning classic To Kill a Mockingbird. Set in depression-era Alabama, it is both an endearing story about two children and their father, and a compelling examination of Southern race relations. Atticus Finch is a defense attorney with two young children, Scout and her older brother Jem. As an adult, Scout narrates the story of her childhood spent trailing after Jem and their summer friend Dill. One summer, their father is asked to defend Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping a poor white woman. Atticus is criticized by many for taking the case seriously; his commitment to justice and equality in the face of threats and insults is a lasting lesson to his young daughter who idolizes him.

Cabell Library PS3562.E353 Various Locations

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Reviewed by Monique Prince, Undergraduate Services Librarian

To celebrate Banned Book Week, which is September 24 - October 1, I reread a childhood favorite, Bridge to Terabithia. I first read this in fifth grade; I vividly remember sobbing as I read the ending and wondered if I would do the same thing this time around. Set in rural Virginia, this book is about a friendship that changes ordinary life into a world of imagination and magic. The two main characters are fifth graders Jess and Leslie. Leslie is the new kid in school and after a rocky start, becomes Jess's best friend. Together, they invent a secret world called Terabithia, which they rule as King and Queen and defend against opposing foes. When Jess is faced with the tragic loss of his best friend, he is at a crossroads--will he abandon Terabithia and refuse to heal after Leslie's death, or will he accept the challenge of ruling Terabithia alone? While as a ten-year-old, I cried when Leslie died, this time I was most struck by the simple beauty of Jess's grief in the days that follow. This was especially touching after learning that Katherine Paterson wrote this novel for her young son after his best friend died. Perhaps because of the subject matter, Newbery Medal winner Bridge to Terabithia is ranked #9 on the top 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books (1990-2000).

Cabell Library Juvenile Literature (4th Floor) PZ7.P273 B7

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