Disney Channel Playlist - Various Artists

Album: Disney Channel Playlist Artist: Various Record Label: Walt Disney Records, 2009

Review:  I have to remember that I am an adult listening to an album of music designed, targeted and marketed to tweens.  I say that because this album doesn’t move me personally, however I’m sure young tweens will love it.  It is a collection of various artists who all already have successful recordings on their own.  This album is like the greatest hits of the all-stars of tween pop music.  The Jonas Brothers, Hannah Montana, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, and The Cheetah Girls all have songs on this album.  Younger tweens will know these artists and love the music.  Themes are growing up, parties, friendship, believing in oneself, following your heart, self-confidence and self-discovery.   By far, the most popular song on the album is a duet with Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato called “One and the Same.”  Wanting the audience to identify with them, they sing “You rock out in your room, I rock a world premiere, We're more alike than, Anybody could ever tell.” The Jonas Brothers rock the playlist with “Live to Party” singing “You gotta live to party, bust your move, Everybody’s in the groove, Tell the DJ to play my song, Are you ready to rock and roll?”  Not my kind of lyrics, but it works for the young tweens.  Hannah Montana is singing “Let’s Get Crazy” in a pounding dance beat and she inspires her audience to “Just be courageous, this style’s contagious, Everyone can rock out like a superstar.”  The Cheetah Girls are not to be outdone as they join in the party and invite the listener to “Dance Me if You Can.”  Young tweens will probably learn their first dance moves with this album and then look back five years later and wonder what they were thinking. 

Genre: Pop rock, Pop

Interest Level: Ages 8 and up.

Breakout - Miley Cyrus

Album: Breakout Artist: Miley Cyrus Record Label: Hollywood Records, 2008

Review:  Perhaps wanting to distance herself from her Disney Channel role of Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus cranks it up on this album.  I appreciate the fact that Cyrus co-wrote eight of the twelve songs on this album. Tweens may be inspired by the creative expression demonstrated by this young performer (sixteen when she released this album). Typical teen themes run through the songs; school, romance, emotions, growing up. The song “Wake Up America” encourages tweens to take responsibility and explore environmental issues; “Wake up America, We're all in this together, It's our home so let's take care of it, And everything you do matters.”  Sounding a little “edgy” and similar to Brittany Spears on the hit single "Fly On The Wall", Miley sings, “A little communication, Well that'll go a long way, You're getting misinformation, Too much hearsay, hearsay” will have tweens identifying with gossip which too often swirls in the tween world.  Another hit single is “7 Things”.  This song captures tween romantic relationships and the emotional, contradictory feelings. She sings, “The 7 things I hate about you, You're vain, your games, you're insecure, You love me, you like her

You make me laugh, you make me cry” and then in the same song, “The 7 things I like about you, Your hair, your eyes, your old Levi's, When we kiss,You make me laugh, you make me cry, Your hand in mine.”  Tweens have already embraced Miley Cyrus in great numbers.  These songs would get tweens moving at the middle school dance. This is another artist that I would not normally seek out, but I am impressed with her talent and recommend “Breakout”.

Genre: Pop rock, Pop

Interest Level: Ages 8 and up.

My Dog Skip

My Dog Skip: Film, 2000  Studio: Warner Bros. Director: Jay Russell Run time: 95 minutes.

Plot: The story is set in Mississippi in 1942. Willie is a 9-year old only child who is not very good at sports, has trouble making friends (gets bullied) and longs for a dog.  On his ninth birthday his mother gives him Skip, a Jack Russell terrier puppy.  The bond between boy and dog is immediate and sets the stage for the story. Skip and Willie are inseparable and through Skip, Willie’s life begins to change. Everyone in town knows the pair, Willie makes friends, gets to hold hands with the prettiest girl and becomes part of a baseball team with real uniforms.  There is a scene where Willie loses his temper with Skip, slaps him and then the dog disappears. Willie is in tears as he recruits the citizens of Yazoo City to help him find his beloved dog. Skip is missing for days and is located later trapped in a cemetery. Skip is injured and may not live leading to a poignant exchange between Willie and Skip in the animal hospital. I usually try not to spoil an ending yet the final words of the narrator are a powerful reflection, “They buried him out under the elm tree, they said. That wasn't totally true. For he really lay buried in my heart."

Review/Personal thoughts: This movie described as both heart wrenching and heart warming.  It is a coming of age story baed on the a memoir of Willie Morris. There are many themes revealed in this story including friendship, bullying, courage, forgiveness, parenting, and of course the connection between humans and animals.  I was especially moved by the scene where Willie slaps Skip and immediately feels regret. With Skip missing, we identify with Willie’s grief and remorse and wonder if Skip will ever be  found so that healing can occur. Willie pours out his heart to Skip who is unconscious on the operating table, expressing his sorrow and great love. 46.3 million U.S households have dogs as pets.  My bet is that everyone of them will love this film. (And many who don’t will also...)

Rated: PG

Interest Level: Ages 8 and up

Awards:  Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, Critics Choice Award, Best Family Film, 2001

Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements

Things Not Seen. by Andrew Clements. Philomel Books, 2002. 251 pages.

Plot: Bobby Phillips is a normal fifteen year old boy living in Chicago. He doesn’t stand out in a crowd.  One fateful morning he experiences a life altering event that few have ever experienced. He gets up, goes into the bathroom, looks into the mirror and sees nothing.  Every other day of his life he has looked into the mirror and seen himself - today he sees nothing. Overnight he has become invisible.  Of course he is concerned, but he doesn’t panic.  He tell his parents. Of course they are concerned , but they don’t panic.  Bobby’s dad is a scientist and he tries to solve the mystery. His parents don’t want anyone to find out.  Bobby can go out undetected in the world, but he is naked!  He meets Alicia, a girl at the library, and is comfortable talking with her because she is blind.  They become close friends.  In the meantime Bobby’s parents have been in a car accident. They are fine, but the police have been notified that Booby hans’t been in school and they suspect the parents are criminally involved with Bobby’s disappearance.  Alicia works with Bobby and they are led to the corporate offices of Sears, the manufacturer of an electric blanket suspected as a reason for the invisibility. Police investigations, private investigations, mystery and solar eruptions all lead to an exciting conclusion.

Review/Personal thoughts:  Even though the premise of the story is not believable, the story flows as if it is totally believable.  All of the characters interact as if this is just a problem they need to solve. Bobby is the narrator of the story and is very likable. Themes explored are friendship, first romance, honesty and family. I especially like Alicia’s heartfelt letter to Bobby where she tenderly describes her hopelessness and finally self-realization through her relationship with Bobby.  This book was recommended to me by a tween and now I recommend it to you.

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy

Reading Level: 5.0 Interest level: Ages 10 to 15.

Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick

Freak the Mighty. by Rodman Philbrick. Scholastic, 1993. 169 pages.

Plot: This is another story of an unlikely friendship. The main characters are Max, who has a learning disability and a huge strong body and Kevin who is incredibly intelligent and has a deformed body that refuses to grow. They were acquaintances in school, but it is not until Kevin moves into Max’s neighborhood, the summer before eighth grade, that they begin to develop as friends.   At a fireworks display, Max spontaneously lifts Kevin up onto his shoulders and this is how the two become one, known as Freak the Mighty.  Kevin is always encouraging Max and helps him to become a better reader and writer and this actually allows Max to exit his special ed. classes and join Kevin in his honors classes.  They are always together and on adventures of the mind and actual adventures in town. Things get scary when Max’s dad, Killer Kane, is released from prison and comes back to kidnap Max from his grandparents’ house.  Max then flashes back to how his father had murdered Max’s mom when he was only a child.  Kevin shows up as an unlikely hero and Killer Kane goes back to prison.  In the event you haven’t read the book I will not give away the ending. It is poignant and holds a surprise for the reader.

Review/Personal thoughts:  This was the first book I read that was recommended to me by a tween! I thoroughly enjoyed it. What a great story of friendship, tolerance and acceptance. The obvious theme of disability is present, but not exaggerated. There are also scenes dealing with bullying. Ridicule, self-worth, overcoming challenges and family are included in the story as well.  I highly recommend this book and so does at least one twelve year-old tween.

Genre: Fiction

Reading Level: 5.5 Interest level: Ages 9 to 15.

Awards: California Young Reader Medal, 1996 Winner Junior High California

Charlotte Award, 1998 Winner Young Adult United States

School Library Journal: Best Books for Young Adults, 1993

YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, 1994

The Rag and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier

The Rag and Bone Shop. by Robert Cormier. Delacorte Press, 2001. 154 pages.

Plot: Jason Dorrant is twelve years old and was just beginning to enjoy his summer vacation. He had completed a year at middle school and got along well with his eight year old sister.  Invited to swim with friends at a neighbor’s pool, he goes, but helps his friend’s younger sister, 7 year old Alicia with a jigsaw puzzle instead of swimming. The tempo of the plot quickly picks up when The body of Alicia is found in dense woods brutally murdered. Jason was the last one to see her alive and becomes the prime suspect while being lead to believe he is a vital witness helping with the investigation.  An expert interrogator, Trent, is called in with the promise of great benefits from a senator with a personal interest in Alicia, if he can get a confession.  The bulk of the story is centered  around the interrogation of Jason by Trent.  Trent is manipulative, relentless, and self-serving as he twists evidence to make Jason believe he has to admit to the killing. He persuades Jason that he only has two choices; to admit to being a cold-blooded child killer or a good kid who made a mistake. The tormentor extracts the confession, but is confronted by the fact that the real murderer confessed and there are witnesses.  There is a chilling ironic end to the story.

Review/Personal thoughts:  This is the first novel by Robert Cormier (and the last that he wrote) that I have read and I will be seeking out more of his books.  Great story line, great characters, taut and thrilling dialogue are all present. Readers will be swept up in the drama and suspense.  Guilt, corruption, murder, psychological torment, and truth are themes in this story.  I highly recommend this book for older tweens.

Genre: Fiction

Reading Level: 5.7  Interest level: Ages 12 and up.

Awards: Notable Best Books, A.L.A 2002

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. by Sherman Alexie. Little, Brown, 2007. 229 pages.

Plot: The story centers around Arnold Spirit, Jr., a native American teenager growing up on the Spokane Indian reservation. He is physically different because of brain damage and surgery, but he is smart and loves to draw cartoons.  The reservation is depressed and deep in poverty.  Arnold’s parents are alcoholics and the school is using thirty year old textbooks. Arnold gets a chance to go to an all white high school twenty-two miles away from the reservation.  This is the only way Arnold can see breaking out of the cycle of poverty on the “rez”.  He is immediately attacked by his best and lifelong friend, Rowdy, as a “white lover.”  Just trying to get to school everyday is a challenge. Arnold is accepted at the new high school after some racial slurs. He makes the varsity basketball team as a freshman. In a showdown with the basketball team from the “rez”, Arnold gets knocked out by his “best friend” Rowdy, the benches clear, and Arnold goes to the hospital. Arnold deals with more tragedy as his sister dies in a trailer fire, his father shoots his dog, and his grandmother is run over by a drunk driver.  In the end Arnold and Rowdy are able to save their friendship.

Review/Personal thoughts:  I think this is a phenomenal book.  Not everyone feels the same way apparently.   The Stockton School Board in Missouri has banned it.  It does contain some strong language. I am amazed at how humorously it is written while dealing with such sadness. Themes are friendship, racism, alcoholism, death, poverty and coming of age. I give it my highest recommendation for older tweens.

Genre: Fiction

Reading Level: 4.0 Interest level: Ages 12 and up.

Awards: Best Children's Books of the Year, 2008 ; Bank Street College of Education

Choices, 2008 ; Cooperative Children's Book Center

Notable Children's Books, 2007 ; New York Times

School Library Journal Best Books, 2007

Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books, 2007

Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, 2008

National Parenting Publications Award, 2007 Gold Book Ages 12 & Up

National Book Awards, 2007 Winner Young People's Literature

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial: Film, 1982 Studio: Universal Pictures Director: Steven Spielberg Run time: 115 minutes.

Plot: This is the story of the connection between a 10-year old boy named Elliot and a stranded extra-terrestrial affectionately named E.T. E.T. is a very non-threatening, actually quite adorable, alien creature who got left behind by his spaceship as it hastily departed Earth.  Elliot finds E.T., befriends him and brings him home.  He doesn’t tell his single parent mom about his new friend.  Elliot begins to form very powerful psyche, emotional and physical bonds with E.T. Elliot says, “You could be happy here, I could take care of you. I wouldn't let anybody hurt you. We could grow up together, E.T.”  There are scenes where E.T. gets dressed up for halloween, government agents attempt to steal E.T. and E.T. nearly dies. Ultimately, Elliot realizes that the best thing for E.T. is for him to return to his home.  Everything he does from that point on is to help his friend reach that goal.

Review/Personal thoughts: It is difficult to be neutral in my assessment of this film because it is one of my all-time favorites.  The movie is professionally produced and the characters are as real as life.  The relationship between Elliot and E.T. is precious. Tweens will explore themes of single parent homes, the bonds of friendship, loyalty, tolerance, growing up and letting go.  This movie lets viewers laugh and cry. I have labeled this film as a classic.  Its universal themes and heart warming story have persisted for 28 years and I can only see it entertaining and enlightening audiences that have not yet been born.  I give this movie the highest possible recommendation and hope any tween who hans’t seen it, will get to soon. 

Rated: PG

Interest Level: Ages 7 and up

Awards: Academy Awards, Oscar, Best Effects, Sound Effects/Best Effects, Visual Effects/Best Music, Original Score/Best Sound, 1983

Golden Globe, Best Motion Picture - Drama/Best Original Score - Motion Picture, 1983

How Angel Peterson Got His Name by Gary Paulsen

How Angel Peterson Got His Name (And other outrageous tales about extreme sports). by Gary Paulsen. A Yearling Book, 2003. 111 pages.

Plot: Get ready to hold your belly as you laugh hysterically while reading Gary Paulsen’s How Angel Peterson Got His Name (And other outrageous tales about extreme sports).  In this collection of short stories, Paulsen recounts events from his childhood that are all connected by the friendships of Paulsen and his pals as they involve themselves in various sports adventures and what awaits them in these pursuits.  Their stunts are driven by various intentions:  the desire to be the “winner” or record-holder in a competition/stunt, the desire to be noticed by girls, the hope of discovering the newest sport’s challenge.  Hilarious and oftentimes painful results seem to follow these friends as they “keep getting up” and dusting themselves off.  Whether it’s Orvis wrestling with a bear, Harris “bungee-jumping” from a hayloft using tractor inner tubing, or Angel wanting to go beyond seventy-four miles an hour on skis, Paulsen and his circle of friends try it all.  As Paulsen writes, “It was, always, worth the try.”  

Review/Personal thoughts:  This book is hilarious and will be enjoyed by tweens and adults alike.  The reader, while pulled into the boys’ antics, can’t help but reflect on their own real life stunts (some which might be downright embarrassing).  This collection of stories speaks to the daredevil in us all and the oftentimes ridiculous stunts that we try to pull off.  Through his stories, Paulsen addresses the curiosity in every child to want to push the envelope, to be brave, and to simply play.  It’s clear in the closing pages of the book, these boys weren’t going be told that something couldn’t be done or that their version of the experience wasn’t true. Paulsen and his friends believed in themselves and “what we could do or thought we could do.”  Paulsen’s stories remind us of our own stories and give us plenty of room to simply laugh at ourselves. 

Genre: Non-Fiction

Reading Level: 6.3 Interest level: Ages 10 to 13.

Social Media in the Classroom--for Kindergartners! Through High Schoolers

      This article, not surprisingly, is geared to teachers.  It acknowledges the many social media sites on the internet and encourages teachers to not only experience these sites for themselves in an effort to stay current with these sites in order to be able to speak from personal knowledge, but also encourages them to use these social media sites and skills in the classroom.  Using specific sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Blogger and Ning, the author (a Director of Technology at a California High School) poses questions about helping students learn global community social skills, incorporating these skill in schools and keeping students safe.  It is suggested that K-3 students begin conversations about and begin posting online with their class and even with other schools.  By middle school, students are prepared to have individual accounts.  Middle schoolers are considered a “tricky” group because 40 % of sixth graders will have already experience social networking at home or a friend’s house. What that lends itself to is providing a lot of guidance on appropriate use which may not have been emphasized at home. Excellent guidelines for teachers using social networking in classrooms are listed below:

* “Keep the network private, allowing only the students you choose to have access.”

* “Decide if you want parents to have access, and, if you do, give them their own accounts.”

* “Monitor the network regularly.”

* “Share both appropriate and inappropriate posts, discussing why something should not have been posted (and remember to remove inappropriate posts).”

* “Be specific on what the network is to be used for and what it is not to be used for.”

I appreciate the article’s focus on safety and including parents in the process.  Issues of privacy, privacy settings and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act are also great attributes of the article.  The article is informative, thoughtful, thought-provoking and inspiring to me as a teacher. 

Ramig, R. (Nov-Dec 2009). Social media in the classroom--for kindergartners (!)     

       through high schoolers.  Multimedia & Internet@Schools, 16, 6. p.8   

       (3). Retrieved April 25, 2011, from Academic OneFile via Gale.

To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird: Film, 1962 - Based on the novel by Harper Lee Studio: Universal Pictures Director: Robert Mulligan Run time: 131 minutes.

Plot: The plot is the same as the novel which is also included in this collection: The story centers on a brother and sister, Jem (10 years old) and Scout (6 years old) who live in Maycomb, Alabama where class and race predominate in many residents’ minds, during the depression.   Over several summers the children share time and adventures with a friend named Dill.  Central to these adventures is the children’s sense of mystery and terror associated with a reclusive neighbor named Boo Radley.  The children’s widowed father, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer who agrees to defend an African American man accused of raping a white woman. There is drama that unfolds with the trial that includes a lynch mob and with the children who come under attack from an unknown assailant as they return home after dark.

Review/Personal thoughts: The themes of racism, misperceptions, injustice, integrity, courage and compassion all carry over from the book to the film. The film powerfully portrays the author’s original intentions.  Of course, no film can capture every detail of the novel it is bringing to the screen. Several characters are left out, most significantly Aunt Alexandra. Two scenes which don’t make it into the film, which were both significant to me, are when Jem and Scout attend a black church with Calpurnia and when Jem is required to read to Mrs. Dubose to help her overcome drug addiction.  Tweens will appreciate the story brought to a visual format.  I would recommend that they read the novel first and then enjoy the film version.

Rated: NR

Interest Level: Ages 12 and up

Awards: Academy Awards, Oscar, Best Actor in a Leading Role/Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White/Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, 1963

Golden Globe, Best Film Promoting International Understanding/Best Motion Picture Actor - Drama - Gregory Peck/Best Motion Picture Score, 1963

The Suburbs - Arcade Fire

Album: The Suburbs Artist: Arcade Fire Record Label: Merge Records, 2010

Review:  This will most likely appeal to older tweens and has many thought provoking lyrics in an upbeat, guitar-driven foundation of music.  One definitely needs to enjoy rock beats to embrace Arcade Fire, however this is not screaming in your face loud - it is very listenable.  The fact that this album won a Grammy for Best Album of the year gives it musical credibility.  Band members Win and William Butler were raised in the Suburbs of Houston and that is the inspiration for the lyrics. According to Win, the album "is neither a love letter to, nor an indictment of, the suburbs - it's a letter from the suburbs." Themes explored include; coming of age, exploring emotions, romance, friendship, following your dreams and society. The title song speaks to growing up in the suburbs and reflecting, that “Kids wanna be so hard, But in my dreams we're still screamin' and runnin' through the yard”, yearning perhaps for simpler times. There is a very powerful video that accompanies this song at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Euj9f3gdyM  In the song “Ready to Start” they sing, “All the kids have always known, That the emperor wears no clothes, But they bow down to him anyway, It's better than being alone” evoking the tweens need to be part of the group.  I feel like I've been living in,  A city with no children in it, A garden left for ruin by a billionaire inside of a private prison” speaks to feelings of isolation and the inability for money to buy happiness from the song “ City With no Children”. Tweens who enjoy this style of music will identify with the themes and enjoy it immensely. I rate this album as brilliant.

Genre: Alternative/Indie Rock

Interest Level: Ages 12 and up.

Awards:  Grammy Award, Album of the Year, 2011