InLand/YA Booktalks

Book Talk: The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

By Jessica Peterson

In Avi’s, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, a young girl is thrust into a situation she never would have dreamed of, never to be the same again.

Miss Charlotte Doyle is repeatedly warned not to board the ship. The reactions of the people around the docks, the warnings from the sailors, and the eerie sense she gains from the ship itself make her feel nauseous. When the other families who had planned to join her for the trip do not show up, her hesitation is confirmed. Miss Doyle finds herself trapped on a ship at sea, her only companions a team of rowdy sailors.

As she begins to accept her situation, she makes acquaintance with the crew. Some welcome her, while others never seem to trust her. As she becomes familiar with her new environment, she learns of the discountenance between the sailors and their leader, Captain Andrew Jaggery. She soon learns the secrets of the past, though she is hesitant to believe them. Zachariah, the only black man aboard the ship and the ship’s cook, tells her of the past, how Captain Jaggery is a violent man who beat a former crewmate until his arm was useless and had to be amputated. Miss Doyle is appalled at such fabrications and turns to the Captain for his reassurance. She considers him a gentleman, like her father, and she does not wish to believe such allegations against him. When she learns what a mistake she has made, that all she was told against him was true, it is too late.

When Miss Doyle finds herself feeling responsible for the Captain’s merciless murders of two men, she has to make a choice; to be on the side of the crew, or the side of the Captain. She chooses to become part of the crew, to take up the roll of a man. She even dresses the part, something she never would have thought she’d do, even finding herself wearing pants! She learns the ways of the ship, she sleeps in the quarters with the crew, and she finds herself climbing to one hundred and thirty feet above the sea in the ropes of the rigging to do the job that one of the crew would have done.

Choosing the side of the crew puts her in even more danger. Charlotte, the crew welcomes her by calling her by her first name, is now under the ruthless eye of the captain. He watches carefully to see her make even the tiniest mistake. As the story unfolds, his anger toward her—for questioning his authority, for leaving her role, for siding with his disdainful crew—is unleashed when he pins her as a murderer.

There are so many details in this story that make it come alive. It is written as though she were keeping a journal, from the mind of Charlotte herself as the storyteller. The crew and the sea become her family and home, and it makes the reader feel her sense of liberation.

This story has many underlying themes that could lead to plenty of classroom discussions. When Charlotte first boards the ship, she considers herself of higher class than the sailors. She puts herself on par with the Captain, unaware of how that affects her relationship with the rest of the crew. This could lead into a discussion on class.

The first person that shows Charlotte kindness aboard The Seahawk is Zachariah, and he suggests that the two have much in common. He is the only black man aboard the ship. She is the only girl. Throughout the story, the two overcome society’s designated roles for their demographics.

Another possible theme in The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is that of justice. When Captain Jaggery brings Charlotte to trial after accusing her of murder, he asks her directly: “Was this a fair trial?” Based on the way he held it, it was a fair trial, in which she was completely framed for something she didn’t do. Even today, our justice system has its flaws. It would be easy to delve deeper into this part of the story and make it a lesson plan.

Yet another theme that goes along with this story is that of women’s rights. Charlotte was raised in England and trained never to question elders or authorities. This is out of respect, which is good. But in Charlotte’s case, it seems that she was trained not to have a voice. As we read further into the story, we see that women have little say in making important choices and decisions. Charlotte overcomes these contentions. At sea, she finds, her voice is heard.

This story makes you think. It makes you consider the ideals of others, rather than holding a narrow one-sided perspective. It is comparable even to our society today. I would say that this text could be used in a middle school classroom, and it could fit into a variety of different units. Overall, it was an enjoyable read!

 

Book Talk (2012): Ghost Boy by Iain Lawrence

By Brooke Troutman

Ghost Boy by Iain Lawrence is a coming-of-age story about fourteen-year-old Harold Kline, set against the backdrop of World War II. But Harold isn’t the typical pubescent boy; Harold is albino. He calls his skin “white as chalk,” his hair the color of sunlight glinting off the water, and his eyes so blue that they’re clear. Harold’s albinism has defined his self-perception in such a negative way that he wears dark glasses to cover his eyes and a helmet to cover his hair. Later on in the story, he even dyes his hair black in an attempt to disguise his unique condition. Growing up, Harold was constantly teased for his appearance. He was called names like “Whitey” and “Maggot.” Kids said he looked like he was dead.

Harold is caught splashing brown river water onto his white body by an old Indian man called Thunder Wakes Him (also known as Bob). “It won’t wash off…You’re the way you are,” Thunder Wakes Him tells Harold. He also informs Harold that he’s following the circus—Hunter and Green’s Travelling Circus. The signature calliope music of the circus draws Harold to its colorful tents, its tantalizing foods and smells, and the sounds of giant elephants. But Harold is again harangued by mean kids, even among the excitement of the circus. It is the formidable shadow of “The Fossil Man” (known as Samuel) that scares off the children. Harold finds himself inside the tent of an enormous hair-covered man with curled claws and ghastly teeth, and his fellow freak show performer, a tiny woman named Princess Minikin (called Tina).

Samuel and Tina instantly and genuinely befriend Harold. They send him a ticket to the circus, asking him to come see them again. In the meantime, Harold learns about another character in the circus: the Cannibal King of Oola Boola Mambo. The Cannibal King is also an albino—the only other albino Harold has ever heard of. Determined to meet the King and tired of his difficult home life, Harold steals away in the middle of the night and heads off to join the circus, leaving his faithful dog Honey behind.

But Thunder Wakes Him is all that’s left of the circus; they’ve packed up and moved on to the next city. Thunder Wakes Him offers to carry Harold on his horse to wherever the circus is. Harold is dropped off on the way, left to ride with eager Samuel and Tina. Samuel and Tina also introduce Harold to the Gypsy Magda, a slightly creepy old woman who lived through the Holocaust, and who tells visions. The Gypsy Magda knew Harold was coming; upon meeting him, she warns him with a prediction: “Beware the ones with unnatural charm. And the beast that feeds with its tail. A wild man’s meek and a dark one’s pale. And there comes a monstrous harm.” The Gypsy Magda also tells Harold that he will live his dream, but shortly after, a death will occur. The prophecy hangs over Harold until it is eventually fulfilled…

After finally arriving at the circus, Harold encounters a beautiful, young girl named Flip Pharaoh, rider of the white horses. Her charming ways and pretty face have Harold falling head over heels—his first experience with a girl. But Flip isn’t quite as sweet and innocent as she appears to be, and she’s also promised to be married off to Roman Pinksi, an antagonist in the story. Nevertheless, Harold and Flip form a bond, albeit a shaky bond. Flip gives Harold a job working with the three elephants of the circus, collectively called ‘the roses’ because of their names: Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (Conrad for short), Max Graf, and Canary Bird.

The elephants have always been used for dancing in Hunter and Green’s Travelling Circus, but Harold endeavors to teach them how to play baseball, a passion he shared with his older brother. Flip encourages (and later, demands) Harold in the task, though she has ulterior motives for wanting the elephants to succeed. Much of the book focuses on Harold’s training and coaching of the elephants. Teaching elephants to play baseball is just as hard as it sounds, but Harold patiently persists. Over the course of the training, Harold forms a particularly special bond with Conrad, saying that the elephant feels what he feels. Conrad even comes to Harold’s rescue on several occasions when Roman threatens him. But Conrad is big, and his rescuing of Harold often involves physical force that has the potential to kill. Mr. Hunter, owner of the circus, threatens to shoot Conrad for his treatment of Roman and also to prevent any other damage that could happen during the circus’s shows.

Conrad is spared in a very touching scene where he pathetically tries to dance for Mr. Hunter as Harold looks on. Mr. Hunter relents, but assigns Harold to never letting the elephants out of his sight. It’s not a sentence that Harold minds; he loves Conrad. Harold’s job as elephant keeper and baseball coach elevates his status within the social world of the circus. He’s no longer one of the freaks with Samuel, Tina, the Gypsy Magda, Wallo the Sausage Man, and the bearded lady. The new power seems to go to Harold’s head, and he is torn between identifying with his old friends—the freaks—or Flip and her friends.

The climax of Ghost Boy is a scene towards the end of the book when the elephants are playing a baseball game, and bunches of circus performers and workers join in. The circus was in a state of despair; they were broke and angry after a series of accidents at the previous show. The circus comes together in this moment, and hopelessness seems to be forgotten. But the baseball game takes a terrible and heartbreaking turn, and the Gypsy Magda’s words ring true.

Ghost Boy is an excellent book. The story will have you identifying with Harold, wishing you were a freak, loving an elephant, and crying your eyes out. It’s a book that should be implemented within the classroom not only because it’s an easy read and about a teenage boy, but because it touches on themes of animal companionship, fitting in, self-discovery, power, love, and true friendship. Ghost Boy grabs your heart like a ghost: soft and subtle, but powerful and undeniable. 

Book Talk: Bearstone by Will Hobbs

By Alex Cox  

Cloyd Attcity has no friends, no family and no home. He was kicked out of his reservation and removed from his group home. After discovering an old Navajo relic, he dubs himself Lone Bear. But this “lone bear” is now living with Walter the Old Man and his farm. Eager to work and prove his worth, Cloyd ventures to build a fence around Walter’s farm. Cloyd believes that if he can prove himself to Walter that he will then take him to his “Pride of the West,” a gold mine that has been abandoned for forty years.

Quickly Cloyd is fearful of revealing too much of himself to Walter so as to keep the secret of his past, including that he can’t read. Walter also dealing with personal struggles, recently lost his wife, Maude. Tempers flare and emotions run high in the heat of the work day and soon Walter realizes that Cloyd deserves more time off from work. As his wife once said, “A ranch is a house, but a farm is a home.” Clearly Walter wanted Cloyd to have a home.

During his time off Cloyd befriends a horse he called “Blueboy,” due to the blueish-grey color of his skin and hair. But still this playful release does not hinder Cloyd’s worry that he will not get the fence done before it is time to bail hay into the barn, summer will be over and he will never see the “Pride of the West.”

Both Cloyd and Walter are similar in the way that they both reveal little of themselves to one another and both have a past that influences their future. Through compromise and experience both grow into themselves and become better men because of it. This is a story of two people who have no real purpose to stay together, and choose to learn and care for one another through the goodness of their heart. Readers of any generation will enjoy this and will be inspired by the tale of men of different ages who discover what it means to truly “live in a good way.”

Book Talk: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

By Brittnay Crabb

 As I was done reading this book, I knew that if I had the chance, I would try to influence and persuade my fellow peers to give this memoir a chance to be heard for more reasons than one. Essentially, this book is about a woman named Henrietta Lacks who was treated unjust and unfair. In a nut shell Henrietta was a young 32 year old African American woman who was sick and ill.  She nor doctors were able to fully figure out her illness until after her death. Later after, we find out that she was sick with cancer which leached on to her ovaries. With this in mind, there was a huge debate on the reasons behind her death. The argument of the book goes as this, in her era, African American’s were still not privileged  the same rights as the main stream race, with that in mind, no one can pin point the specific reasons behind her death. None the less, she was a WOMAN of color, which makes her situation that much more difficult.  As the book goes along, we realize during her time of illness, the doctors where more concerned about experimenting with her rather than trying to save her life.

            As her story continues, we then are told the deeper issues that come along with the Lacks family. While doing research and test, the doctors that were supposed to help her then removed her cells. The book says, “she was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells where taken without her knowledge in 1951- her cells became one of the most  important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping…Henrietta’s cell have been bought and sold my millions." The thought of stealing another person’s cells from their body blows my mind. But, the sad part about this is that it gets worse. We later find out that some of her family member cannot afford health insurance.

            As of today the family is still trying to find the best solution to solve this issue. “As for the Lackses, they have a few legal options, they couldn’t sue over the cells being taken in the first place for several reasons, including the fact that the statute of limitations passed decades ago. The could attempt to stop HeLa research thought a lawsuit, arguing that it’s impossible to anonymize Henrietta’s cells, which contain their DNA. Even though this may seem like a good idea, this is something they do not plan to do because they do not want to get in the way of science.  A poem that I feel is truly important reads, “cancer check up can’t afford white and rich get it my mother was black black poor people don’t have the money to pay for it mad yes I am mad we were used by taking out blood and lied to We had to pay for our own medicine, can you believe that. John Hopkins Hospital and all the other places, that has my mother cells don’t give her nothing." That poem was written by Henrietta’s daughter. If we look further into this situation as a whole, the issue is clear. During the time period of 1951, African Americans were not treated equally. With that in mind, we soon realize the racial issues that arise in this problem.

            Overall, this book was touching, because being a African American woman, it hurts to know that my people were treated so unfairly and so unjust just because the color of their skin, not their mistakes, not their past but because they were black. 

Book Talk: Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

By Ray Muro

Twilight is a book that follows the main character of Bella Swan, who has moved into Forks, Washington from Phoenix, Arizona. Bella lives with her dad, who is the police chief of Forks. When Bella first starts school in Forks, she doesn’t know anyone at all because she hasn’t really grown up in Forks.

Bella eventually befriends a girl named Jessica who introduces us to some other minor characters. Bella soon catches a glimpse of Edward Cullen. Bella is quite fond of Edward and wishes she could meet him. Bella gets happy when she goes to her science class and finds out that Edward is in it and sits right next to him. The whole class he doesn’t talk to her though and keeps giving her dirty looks and when the bell rings he just storms off.

The next day Edward isn’t in class and this behavior continues for about a week. One day Edward returns to class and tells her that he is sorry for his rude behavior when they first met. The two then have their first conversation in class and hit it off to the point where Bella wants to know more about him. The two don’t talk again though until one day Bella is nearly smashed by a car because it is sliding on ice. Edward sees the car sliding towards Bella and jumps in front of her to save her from the car. Edward swears it wasn’t him, and Bella is sure that it was Edward that stopped the car.

Bella one night goes into Port Angeles and is nearly attacked by some guys, but Edward yet again saves Bella. The two then have dinner where Edward reveals he is a vampire. Edward also explains that he doesn’t drink human blood, but rather would like to preserve human life and drink animal blood. Bella then decides she is not afraid and goes into a committed relationship with Edward. Edward is introduced to Bella’s father, while Bella meets Edward’s family who is also vampires. The plot soon thickens when another vampire smells Bella and wants to kill her. In the end the rouge vampire is killed and Bella is returned safely and soundly.

Book Talk: Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

By Ismael Valle

            The year is 2000 and all of fairy kind, calling themselves the People, has been forced underground for generations.  Through a combination of advanced technology, much of which is sold to the human race as it becomes obsolete for the fairies, typical fairy magic, and a strict adherence to policies and codes set forth by the Council, the People have been able to hide themselves in a huge city, aptly named Haven, which clings to the underside of the crust of the Earth.  However, they have not been completely successful in their attempts to hide from the destructive human race. 

            Ladies and gents, say hello to Artemis Fowl II, future inheritor of the Fowl estates, criminal mastermind, 12-year-old boy genius and a firm believer in fairies.  Fowl, unlike many childish believers of fairy kind, has sifted through the online wack-job sites about Big-foot and Nessy and the myths of pots of gold and leprechauns.  He knows the truth.  Leprechaun really means LEPrecon, an elite squad of fairies who’ve been assigned to protect the hidden city of the People.  The fabled pot of gold that one receives when catching a leprechaun is actually a ransom that the People will pay after a fairy has been held hostage for longer than 24 hours.  With the help of his manservant/life long bodyguard, Butler, and an arsenal of homemade fairy catching gadgets, Artemis will attempt to be the first human to finally reach the end of the rainbow.  He will ransom back his captured leprechaun agent for the pre-approved People ransom amount and use the money to find his long lost father.  Enter the underdeveloped parents of young adult literature.  The motivation behind the kidnapping scheme is a crime boss father, Artemis fowl I, who is lost, presumed dead, after his boat is blown up in the Baltic sea and his mother, Angeline Fowl, who has subsequently gone mad with grief and has locked herself in her bedroom and in a fake reality in which Artemis’ father has never left.  In order to get the funding for the appropriate connections to find his father Artemis needs fairy gold…and lots of it.  First step to fairy gold is a fairy prisoner.

            Artemis and Butler are an extremely formidable duo.  With Artemis calling the shots and making the plans, butler has the fun job of keeping all of the subsequent danger, that Artemis obviously invites, from killing, maiming or otherwise hurting one little hair on his diabolical head.  Butler, trained since boyhood for this very task, takes it extremely seriously.  Having mastered multiple forms of martial arts as well as being a special forces vet combined with a formidable size has well prepared Butler for the challenges he is going to be facing in order to protect his young charge. For Artemis, being a super genius has left the young fowl in an awkward state, unable to communicate with kids his own age and even most adults due to his intelligence and seeming love of showing it off, he is mostly a friendless unhappy child desperate for a normal life.  Through the novel we watch as the relationship between charge and guard change to one that more resembles father and son or brothers.  Relationships and friendships become key through the novel as this partnership comes head to head with Captain Holly Short of LEPrecon, their unlucky victim.

            Holly is the first female to be allowed into LEP, and the only female to achieve a field commission, is also an excellent pilot and savage warrior.  She is above ground, something that is only allowed with special permission, to recharge her magic at a magical hot spot. This hot spot just so happens to be on the same island as Fowl manor, who’d have guessed that?!  Holly flies in low thanks to her high-tech wings with a neutrino 2000, a pistol that shoots lasers, strapped to her hip and a low reserve of magic.  Her haste to complete the recharging ceremony allows Artemis and Butler to get the jump on her.  Holly to Artemis: “Stay back human, you don’t know what you are dealing with.” Unfortunately for her, he does. Artemis knows of the fairies magical powers, knows about their tactics and weapons, he even knows about the 24-hour time limit.   

            However, the people do have a couple tricks up their own sleeves.  Backing up Holly and extremely unwilling to part with as much gold as he demand is Commander Julius Root of LEPrecon your typical police commander: impatient, loud, angry and aggressive; Foalie, a centaur inventor whose high-tech toys, (the neutrino 2000 and the wings) and innovativeness are rivaled only by Artemis himself and the backing of the resources of the People.  Artemis has Butler, his own gadgets, home field advantage and time on his side. The sides have been chosen, the lines drawn the demands made.  Let the battle begin.