A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park. Dell Yearling, 2003. 152 pages.

Plot: This story takes place in 12th-century Korea and centers around a twelve year old orphan name Tree-ear.  He lives homeless under a bridge with Crane-man who has graciously taken him in to help provide food and shelter which they must constantly scavenge on a daily basis.  Tree-ear becomes fascinated by the work of Min, a village potter, and after inadvertently breaking one of the potter’s creations, begins to work off his debt by collecting wood, carrying clay and cleaning.  After a year of “apprenticeship” Tree-ear, who has been dreaming of the day he can create his own pot, is devastated to learn the potter’s trade is only handed down from father to son as Min unkindly and with resentment states “You are not my son!”  Tree-ear is conflicted, but agrees to undertake a difficult and dangerous journey (which Min could never undertake because of his age) to carry some of Min’s work to the royal court in hopes of landing a commission.  Tree-ear is challenged by the journey, arrives with only “a single shard”, is successful and returns to tragedy, transformation and hope.

Review/Personal thoughts:  I was curious about the setting and theme of this book.  After reading about half of it, I was not impressed, but from the moment of the devastating realization about the requirement of father to son for the potter’s trade I was drawn in and held there for the remainder of the book.  The range of emotions and experiences of the main character are well-crafted and easy for the reader to recreate. The reader explores themes of family, homelessness, trust, perseverance, creativity, fear, honor and gratitude.  Although set in a place long ago and far away from modern America, tweens will connect with Tree-ear and share his journey with empathy and interest. I would have no problem recommending this book to a tween.

Genre: Fiction

Reading Level: 6.7  Interest level: Ages 9 to 13 years old

Awards:  2002 Newbery Medal

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. Yearling Newbery, 2009. 197 pages.

Plot: Miranda is a feisty 6th grader living in New York City in the late 1970’s.  Life is going along at its predictable pace but not for long.  Strange events begin occurring when Miranda receives a mysterious note and a portion of it reads “I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own.” As more notes arrive, showing up in the oddest of places, the note-writer shares clues that seem to indicate he/she has information that is of a predicting nature…as if, somehow, the future is involved in the present.  Added to the mix is the fact that Miranda’s best friend Sal is no longer speaking to her and she must find her way through the sometimes confusing roads of friendship.  Along with Sal, Miranda’s world is filled with other interesting characters:  the laughing man, Marcus, Julia, Annemarie, Colin, Richard, Jimmy, and Miranda’s headstrong mom.  Miranda is a young girl in the middle of a great mystery and time is of the essence. Will Miranda and Sal become friends again?  Will Miranda’s mom be a winning contestant on the $20,000 Pyramid? Will the mystery be figured out?  

Review/Personal thoughts:  In the page preceding the first chapter of the book, there is a quote by Albert Einstein that reads “The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious.”  The reader is immediately thrown into Miranda’s mysterious journey as she tries to figure out the events that are happening around her and piece together the notes that are meant for her…and her alone. Alongside the mystery, Stead also has our protagonist navigating the emotional roads of friendship – the loss (yet regaining) of a friendship, the attempt to build new ones, the misperceptions we may have of others and the assumptions some may make of us.  It is also a novel that explores the power of connection, the relationships we make in our lives.  It’s about the willingness to have an open mind, the desire to see life in as many ways as possible…and to see that anything is possible if we take away the constraints of the mind and time.  This novel is a fast-paced read that will draw the “tween” reader in from the first page. The beauty of this novel is most certainly found in its examination of the mystery of life. 

Genre: Mystery

Reading Level: 4.6  Interest level: Ages 9 to 13

Awards:  Newbery Award, 2010

Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, 2010 Winner

IRA Children's and Young Adult's Book Award, 2010 Winner

National Parenting Publications Award, 2009 Gold Books for Ages 9 & Up

Kirkus Best Children's Books, 2009

Notable Children's Books, 2010; ALSC American Library Association

School Library Journal Best Books, 2009

YALSA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults, 2010

Morning Girl by Michael Dorris

Morning Girl. by Michael Dorris. Hyperion Paperbacks for Children, 1999. 74 pages.

Plot: The main characters are Morning Girl, who loves to get up early and set out into the day and her brother, Star Boy, who prefers to sleep late and loves the night.  They live with their mother and father on an island in pre-Columbian America.  The story alternates back and forth between the brother and sister who at times struggle with the misunderstandings that arise from sibling rivalry. Morning Girl loves to take walks on the beach and collect treasures. She loves to contemplate life and and herself.  She wonders what she looks like and her father helps her by telling her to “Look into my eyes, what do you see?”  Morning Girl answers, “Who are these pretty girls who live inside your head?” Father replies, “They are the answer to your question.” The family lives simply in a somewhat idyllic setting that is temporarily shattered by a violent hurricane. Star boy is stranded and must face the storm alone. The family deals with the grief of Mother’s miscarriage.  Morning Girl grows to understand and love her brother.  She goes for a swim one morning, but who are these strange looking people who arrive and does she understand how her life will never be the same?

Review/Personal thoughts:  This is an excellent novel for younger tweens. The characters are well-developed and the story flows easily. Universal themes of family, survival, grief, healing and coming of age transcend the dramatic cultural differences between Morning Girl’s culture and today’s modern world. The epilogue dated October 11,1492 is especially compelling and will surprise readers.  This is an award winning book and and should prove enjoyable for young tweens. 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Reading Level: 6.3  Interest level: Ages 8 to 13.

Awards: Scott O'Dell award for historical fiction

In Search of the Roots of Adolescent Aggression

  It may seem odd to include an article on adolescent aggression in a blog space dedicated to library materials for tweens, however I received great insight into the developmental stages of life and especially those that affect tweens.  

  The focus of the article is an attempt to understand and perhaps find the root of those especially violent aggressive acts perpetrated by a relatively small number of adolescent males.  Primary to the understanding is the role that the brain plays as a response system in humans.  The primarily cortical system which is slow and analytical and the primarily subcortical system which is fast, conceptual and reflexive.  

Astounding to me is the fact that “We go through seven profound biological changes during our life, and three of these generally occur from ages 10 to 14 - the middle school years!”  Birth, death, loss of reproductive capabilities and loss cognitive abilities are four of the biological changes.  The three which occur in a portion of the tween years are; shifting from childhood to puberty (the beginning of reproductive capability), shifting from concrete to formal operations (the maturation of intelligence) and shifting from an authoritarian to consensus morality (the maturation of personal and social identities). (p.67)  It is important for adults in the lives of this age group to be aware of these profound biological changes and to relate appropriately.  

  I appreciate that the author declares that there is not just one cause that can be linked to aggression.  Parents and environment, technology, violence, malfunctioning brain activity, chemical imbalance, drugs, and testosterone can all contribute to events leading up to deadly violent acts.

  Offered as strategies to reduce adolescent aggression are “intervention programs that will help develop social skills and coping strategies” and reducing stereotyping and ridicule. 

The author has taken a contemporary issue and through a well- researched investigation attempted to articulate possible causes and even more importantly offered strategies to reduce the adolescent aggression which has produced some horrifically tragic results. 

Sylwester, R. (1999). In Search of the Roots of Adolescent Aggression. Educational Leadership, 57(1), 65. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.