Richie's Picks: THE BEST OF 2008
"It was the call of workers who organized,
Women who reached for the ballots,
A President who chose the moon as our New Frontier,
And a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the
Promised Land."
-- Will I Am, "Yes We Can"
I literally spent an hour sobbing with joy on Election Night after they
splashed the "President-Elect Barack Obama" graphic across the screen. Having
had the moving experience of hearing Barack speak three years ago at an
American Library Association convention in Chicago, and having actively
participated
in making the dream come true, I couldn't let myself believe that he'd
actually won until CNN made it official.
I've spent a lot of time in 2008 contemplating how our country has evolved
(or, in some instances, has failed to evolve) over the years since I was a
young child in the early Sixties. I was traumatized as a young kid by watching
the footage on the evening news of Bull Conner with the attack dogs and the
fire hoses; the aftermath of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing; and the
disappearance of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner. I also vividly recall
reading Newsday back in my emergent reader days when they still printed separate
sections of Help Wanted ads for women and men -- typically with different
rates of compensation for the same job -- and saw how there existed in the
America of my childhood a real limitation to the positions of power and prestige
that women were permitted to pursue.
In talking to students about my feelings and recollections, I have continued
to utilize Karen Blumenthal's _LET ME PLAY: THE STORY OF TITLE IX, THE LAW
THAT CHANGED THE FUTURE OF GIRLS IN AMERICA_
(http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/let_me_play.html) (2005) and _FREEDOM
RIDERS: JOHN LEWIS AND JIM
ZWERG ON THE FRONT LINES OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT_
(http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/freedom_riders.html) (2006) as
important components
of my booktalking repertoire.
I gladly acknowledge that in choosing my favorite books of the year, I
cannot help but be influenced by the breathtaking history being made in 2008.
_THE LINCOLNS: A SCRAPBOOK LOOK AT ABRAHAM AND MARY_
(http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/the_lincolns.html) by Candace
Fleming, Schwartz & Wade
Books, 176 pages, ISBN: 978-0-375-83618-3; Libr. ISBN: 978-0-375-93618-0.
From beginning to end, Candace Fleming's lively, almanac-style volume on the
Lincolns is impeccably-researched, fun, and informative. I've begun recent
booktalks by reading aloud the piece titled "THE TITLE PAGE OF THE BOOK THAT
CHANGED MARY'S FUTURE" in which we learn how Mary's father's reading of A
VINDICATION OF THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN by Mary Wollstonecraft was responsible for
Mary Todd receiving "an education unmatched by her peers."
THE MOON OVER STAR by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney,
Dial, 32p., ISBN: 978-0-8037-3107-3.
In THE MOON OVER STAR an eight year-old black girl named Mae -- who was born
around the time that JFK directed that we would go to the moon -- imagines,
amidst images of the Apollo 11 mission, reactions of her extended family, and
her community's prayers for the astronauts, how she might, herself, one day
become an astronaut. That Mae can dream what she does is the product of so
much change having taken place in 1960s America coupled with the sense amongst
so many of us in 1969 that if we could fly astronauts to the moon and back,
then America really was a place where anything could happen.
Yes, we can.
_HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON: DREAMS TAKING FLIGHT_
(http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/hillary_rodham_clinton.html) by
Kathleen Krull, illustrated by
Amy June Bates, Simon & Schuster, 40p., ISBN: 978-1-4169-7129-0.
Mae wasn't the only girl with such aspirations:
"Once there was a girl who wanted to fly. She dreamed of zooming in a
spaceship up through the clouds into outer space, learning new things about Earth.
"She wrote to the national space agency to volunteer. But it was 1961, and
some paths were still closed to women, such as the job of astronaut."
I can just imagine how some inspired young female who got to hear Hillary on
the campaign trail this year might grow up to be a future President. This
is a superb introduction to the girl who grew up to be Hillary.
And speaking of the campaign trail:
If Katie Couric ever asks ME which past US Supreme Court decisions I
disagree with, the first thing out of my mouth will be Plessy v. Ferguson. In the
same way that Title IX was the lynchpin to making things far more just for
American women in so many aspects of life, the infamous Plessy decision was the
key to institutionalizing segregation in all aspects of American life for
more than half of a century. Separate train cars meant separate schools,
separate water fountains, separate sections of movie theaters...and Negro League
baseball.
WE ARE THE SHIP: THE STORY OF NEGRO BASEBALL by Kadir Nelson, Jump at the
Sun/Hyperion, 88p., ISBN: 978-078680832-8
Kadir Nelson's nine-inning romp through the heroes and heroics of Negro
League baseball is something else!
"...Umpiring wasn't always that great, either. Some of those guys wouldn't
have known a strike from their left foot. At one time, the league had
official umpires, but they couldn't travel with the teams. It was too expensive.
A few of the umpires were former players. Pop Lloyd and Wilber 'Bullet'
Rogan used to ump later on in their careers. Those guys were tough. They had to
be, with guys like Oscar Charleston and Jud Wilson in the league. At one
game in Kansas City, there were three umpires. Rogan was behind the plate, and
the other two were at first and third. A play took place at third base, and
Rogan ran down the line. He called the man out, and the base umpire called
him safe. They started to argue and got into a fight. Bullet Rogan pulled
out a knife, and the other guy took off running toward the center-field fence
and climbed over it. The next day it was in the papers. Rogan had a bad
temper. We wouldn't argue too much with him about balls and strikes. Whatever
he called you, you would just let that go. He was old, but he'd fight you
anyway."
_THOREAU AT WALDEN_
(http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/thoreau_at_walden.html) by John
Porcellino from the writings of Henry David Thoreau;
with an introduction by D.B. Johnson, Hyperion/The Center for Cartoon Studies,
101p., ISBN: 1-4231-0038-7 (hardcover); 1-4231-0039-5 (paperback)
I fondly recall my walk through the snow-covered woods at Walden Pond when I
was last in that part of the world. Porcellino's nonfiction graphic
novelization of Thoreau's time at Walden Pond, told entirely in Thoreau's own
words,
is a perfect introduction to the man, his actions, and his philosophy:
"I had this advantage, at least, in my mode of life, over those who were
obliged to look abroad for amusement, to society and the theater. That my life
itself was become my amusement and never ceased to be novel...many a forenoon
have I stolen away, preferring to spend thus the most valued part of the
day, for I was rich, if not in money, in sunny hours and summer days...and I
spent them lavishly."
_THE TROUBLE BEGINS AT 8: A LIFE OF MARK TWAIN IN THE WILD, WILD WEST_
(http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/the_trouble_begins_at_8.html) by Sid
Fleischman, Greenwillow, 200p. ISBN: 978-0-06-134431-2
Any kid who assumes that the inspiration for great writing comes from just
sitting around on your butt in front of a laptop has got to read Sid
Fleischman's hilarious and harrowing account of the travels and travails of Samuel
Langhorne Clemens. (This true storytelling is so much fun that it may well
leave readers pondering whether to actually read Twain or to just go on and read
more Fleischman.)
_PLANTING THE TREES OF KENYA: THE STORY OF WANGARI MAATHAI_
(http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/planting_the_trees_of_kenya.html) by
Claire A.
Nivola, FSG/Frances Foster Books, 32p. ISBN: 0-374-39918-2
What can possibly be better to share with adolescents than the true story of
a determined young woman who single-handedly inspires scores of people to
take part in helping to heal Mother Earth and is eventually recognized with the
Nobel Peace Prize? This is my nomination for the California Young Reader
Medal in the category of Picture Books for Older Readers. Share this book
with a class and then get them to plant and care for a tree together.
_THE MYSTERIOUS UNIVERSE: SUPERNOVAE, DARK ENERGY, AND BLACK HOLES
(Scientists in the Field series)_
(http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/the_mysterious_universe.html) by
Ellen Jackson, photos and illustrations by Nic
Bishop, Houghton Mifflin, 60p., ISBN: 978-0-618-56325-8
"Supernovae are also helping scientists understand a mystery that lurks in
space. The discovery of a new substance called dark energy has stunned the
scientific world. Until the 1990s, no one knew this strange energy existed. In
fact, if you had asked a scientist about dark energy twenty years ago, you
would have been told to stop watching so many science fiction movies. In
contrast, today astronomers think it's very real."
I've been reading this passage aloud to students and using it as a
springboard to asking them the rhetorical-yet-vital question: "Which is worse --
having science books (or history books or biographies) in your library that have
been around long enough that the information in them has since been proven
inaccurate, or to not have these books at all? If school librarians hold onto
informational books that were published 10, 20, or 30 years ago, then won't
people looking at the shelves mistakenly assume that the collection is
well-stocked?
With human survival on Earth challenged by global warming, rapid depletion
of scarce resources (including clean water), and international tensions, when
the need to educate our children to the best of our abilities is greater than
it has ever been, it is essential to rid school libraries of obsolete
science books, biographies, history books, books about other countries, etcetera,
and bring in new, accurate, engaging books like this one.
_TROUBLE_ (http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/trouble.html) by Gary
D. Schmidt, Clarion, ISBN: 978-0-618-92766-1
As was the case for me in previous years with Turner Buckminster and Holling
Hoodhood, the degree to which I connected with Henry Smith was unmatched by
any other character I met during the past year. I long for an eighth grade
audience, a few weeks, and a copy of this book.
_THE UNDERNEATH_
(http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/the_underneath.html) by Kathi Appelt
with drawings by David Small, Atheneum, 314p. ISBN:
1-4169-5058-3
Don't let the cute cover confuse you. This is a dark, complex,
impeccably-crafted tale. When I read it back in the spring, I immediately thought
this a
contender for the next Newbery Medal. Nine months later, scanning the Mock
Newbery book lists online, I am even more of an advocate...
_THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS_
(http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/the_disreputable_history.html) by E.
Lockhart, Hyperion,
345p. ISBN: 0-7868-3818-3
I love Frankie and have been including this delightful
Feisty-Young-Heroine-Takes-On-The-Old-Boy-Network tale in my Title IX-Hillary
bio-MOON OVER
STAR-Wollstonecraft booktalking routine.
_HE FORGOT TO SAY GOODBYE_
(http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/he_forgot_to_say_goodbye.html) by
Benjamin Alire Saenz, Simon & Schuster Books
for Young Readers, ISBN: 1-4169-4963-1
Ben Saenz, author of my longtime favorite _SAMMY AND JULIANA IN HOLLYWOOD_
(http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/sammy_and_juliana_in_hollywood.html
) (2004) gives us The World According to Jake Upthegrove, an attitudinal,
self-described teen anarchist.
_THE SPECTACULAR NOW_
(http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/the_spectacular_now.html) by Tim
Tharp, Knopf, 294p., ISBN: 978-0-375-85179-7; Libr.
ISBN: 978-0-375-95179-4
I'd really, really liked Tharp's _KNIGHTS OF THE HILL COUNTRY_
(http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/knights_of_the_hill_country.html)
(2006), and
so I raced to read this one when it was chosen as a National Book Award
finalist. Given my affection for great, gritty, devastatingly moving YA boy
books, and the degree to which Sutter Keely affected me, I found myself rooting
for this one to win the NBA over my other favs.
_THE HUNGER GAMES_
(http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/hunger_games.html) by Suzanne
Collins, Scholastic Press, 407p., ISBN: 0-439-02348-3
I'll ask you again: How much (or little) does it take to peel away the
veneer that makes us human? If you still haven't read THE HUNGER GAMES then you
are seriously missing the boat.
_LITTLE BROTHER_
(http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/little_brother.html) by Cory
Doctorow, Tor, 365p. ISBN: 0-7653-1985-3
I was down in Berkeley this summer at the International Association of
School Librarianship conference and was so, so tickled to walk around town and see
this book displayed in the window of one bookstore after another. Hopefully
President Obama can delay our having to deal with at least some of what
confronts the San Francisco teen named Markus (aka w1n5t0n) in this near-future
story of government invasion of personal privacy in the wake of the next big
terrorist attack on American soil.
_HURRICANE SONG_
(http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/hurricane_song.html) by Paul Volponi,
Viking, 136p., ISBN: 978-0-670-06160-0
Excuse my absolute disgust for the outgoing President, but it is bad enough
to send our children off to die in an expensive mistake-of-a-war. It has got
to be even worse to do the let-them-eat-cake routine when it involves
innocent Americans trapped and dying in a hurricane-ravaged American city. A
gritty YA tale that strands you in a place where you'd never want to find
yourself.
_TEN MILE RIVER_
(http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/ten_mile_river.html) by Paul Griffin,
Dial, 196p. ISBN: 978-0-8037-3284-1
This first novel about two teens who have been ground through the system
before finding their own secret refuge in an abandoned West Harlem train
stationhouse has really stayed with me. The NYC subway scenes make me think back
to
_FAT KID RULES THE WORLD_
(http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/fat_kid_rules_the_world.html) (2003).
THE WAVE by Suzy Lee, Chronicle, 40p., ISBN: 978-0-8118-5924-0
Being a Pisces boy who spent the first half of my life on the beaches of
Long Island and the past 24 years in the coastal hills of Northern California, I
think of the seashore as one of my vital organs. This wordless gem of a
picture book features a little girl playing with the breaking waves. Suzy Lee
utterly captures the exhilaration and the hypnotizing power of the sea from a
child's point of view. Each time I "read" this book, it brings back that
dizzying, rocking feeling that would build up in me as I'd become one with the
waves and remain with me as I sat in the back seat of my parents' car, riding
home.
We can all work together to keep our seashores -- and the rest of our planet
-- the beautiful, healthy, idyllic place where I was so blessed to grow up
playing.
Yes, we can.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks _http://richiespicks.com_ (http://richiespicks.com/)
Moderator, _http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_school_lit/_
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_school_lit/)
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_http://www.myspace.com/richiespicks_ (http://www.myspace.com/richiespicks)
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