The Giver review

Virginia Caldwell
Book Review Genre 6
TWU assignment
LS 5603 – 20


THE GIVER


Bibliographic Data:
Lowry, Lois. 1993. THE GIVER. New York: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0395645662


Plot Summary:
Jonas is a boy who lives in a seemingly utopist future community. However, when he is chosen to be "The Receiver,” Jonas begins to find out about many wonderful and terrible truths about the world and his community; this new knowledge changes Jonas in various ways.


Analysis:
In THE GIVER, Lowry takes the reader on an adventure into a fascinating future society, which is governed by Elders. Unlike our world, the community is extremely structured and attempts to do away with the past ills of society by imposing strict rules on people.

For example, all infants are born to “birthmothers,” and then taken to the building for the "newchildren" (babies from birth to one year old) to be cared for by “Nurturers.” After the first year, the babies are given to pre-approved families who will raise them. The elders match the family members by personality, disposition, and intelligence, so that the family will be a harmonious and pleasant unit.

The community that Lowry creates is fascinating and believable. She creates just the right amount of fiction versus humanity to make this community come alive to the reader. The way she unfolds the tale is done so well that the reader will be completely engrossed in finding out the next rule or detail of the fictitious community.

To the reader, this very structured community might seem somewhat appealing because it has many of the qualities that society is often missing today, like two parent families that pay attention to their children by spending time with them and communicating. In addition, the community is very safe to live in. These qualities really bring the reader into the novel, and make them consider whether living like the people in the book might be better. Lowry’s use of this technique is expert; the reader goes on a journey as the book progresses, and begins to change his or her mind about things at about the same time that Jonas does in the book’s action.

Jonas, the eleven-year-old protagonist is a normal young boy, who kids will identify with, because of the common youth concerns, like “What will I become?” However, Jonas will discover his lifetime job at the Ceremony of Twelve Year Olds, during which every child who is twelve is assigned a position.

Jonas is assigned a very honored, yet secretive and frightening position – a position that the community only has one of – “The Receiver.” Soon, Jonas learns that his job will separate him from society, be very painful, and will allow him access to vast amounts of knowledge.

When he starts his training, Jonas begins to grow as a character. He begins to develop independent thought, and a new perspective about his community. He comes to find out that the people in his community are completely ignorant of most of the world and its history. Jonas, by himself will be the carrier of generations of knowledge that the community in general is protected from; all this knowledge is a great burden that the “Giver” must pass along to Jonas before he can retire.

One example of how the information is passed from “The Giver” (the former “Receiver”) to Jonas is the passage below.

“I’m right then,” The Giver said. “You’re beginning to see the color red.”

(Jonas) “The what?”

The Giver sighed, “How to explain this?
Once, back in the time of memories, everything had a shape and size, like they
still do, but they also had a quality called color.”

This learning of so much new knowledge about so many things causes Jonas to see how shallow and without the people of the community are, and how much they are missing by keeping the community free of all things unpleasant. The community standard of “sameness” has removed many of the special and happy things about life along with the pain; Jonas comes to find that without certain knowledge, people cannot experience the greatest emotion – love.

The shallowness of the citizens is highlighted in a passage in which Jonas’ father is discussing the “release” of the baby that would be born as a twin. The community rules said that only one twin could be kept. It was Jonas’ father’s job to decide which twin to keep and which to “release.”

“I want to get some sleep early tonight,” Father said, “tomorrow’s a busy day
for me. The twins are being born, and the test results show that there
identical.”

“One for here, one for Elsewhere,” Lily chanted. “one for
here, one for Else—“

“Do you actually take it Elsewhere, Father?” Jonas
asked.

“No, I just have to make the selection…then I get the smaller one
all clean and comfy…..Then I perform the ceremony of Release and –“He glanced
down, grinning at Gabriel. Then I wave bye-bye,” he said, in a special sweet
voice.”

Later, Jonas actually views his father performing the “release.” Jonas is horrified to watch his father stick a large needle into the baby’s head that kills him. Jonas is increasingly seeing that the community would be better off without the “sameness” doctrine; he is seeing how the entire community is functioning like clones, not fully aware human beings.

The novel ends with a plan between “The Giver” and Jonas, to redistribute the good and bad memories between the people of the community.

THE GIVER is a masterpiece that will cause readers to examine the human condition, the value of pleasure and pain, and the point of living.



Review Excerpts:
School Library Journal, 05/01/1993
The Giver, who passes on to Jonas the burden of being the holder for the community of all memory ``back and back and back,'' teaches him the cost of living in an environment that is ``without color, pain, or past.’’ --Amy Kellman, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

BookList, 04/15/1993
There's a distinctly appealing comfort in sameness that kids--especially junior high kids--will recognize. Yet the choice is clear. Sameness versus freedom, happiness at the risk of pain. ((Reviewed Apr. 15, 1993)) -- Ilene Cooper. Booklist, published by the American Library Association.

The above reviews are from Book Index with Reviews. 2007 EBSCO Publishing, Powered by The Title Source TM (Accessed through http://online.twu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_142_1 on November 20, 2007).

Connections:
Other books with similar themes
ANTHEM by Ayn Rand, TUCK EVERLASTING by Natalie Babbitt, GATHERING BLUE by Lois Lowry, and MESSENGER by Lois Lowry.

MONSTER review

Virginia Caldwell
Book Review Genre 6
TWU assignment
LS 5603 – 20


MONSTER

Bibliographic Data:
Myers, Walter Dean. 1999. MONSTER. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 0060280778


Plot Summary:
MONSTER tells the story of Stephen, a sixteen year old boy from Harlem who is on trial for murder.


Analysis:
Told from the point of view of the protagonist, Stephen Harmon, MONSTER is a story that deals with the issues of man against himself and man against society. It is a story about the state of the human condition as well as growing up.

Myers created MONSTER to read like a movie script that Stephen creates as he attends his trail for the murder of a man that happened during the course of a robbery. At his high school, Stephen developed an interest in filmmaking, and he chooses to tell his story as if it were a film. Instead of a regular novel, MONSTER reads more like a play, although with personal diary entries from Stephen. In additional, the novel creatively uses fonts, print size, graffiti-like print and a few photographs to convey the information to readers.

The diary entries are key to telling how Stephen is feeling, especially when is in his prison cell. The diary is in a handwritten form. The following except is a look into his realization that his future is in peril.

I am so scared. My heart is beating like crazy and I am having trouble
breathing. The trouble I’m in keeps looking bigger and bigger. I am
overwhelmed by it. It is crushing me. (201-202)

MONSTER leaves a lot of room for the reader to think and ponder whether not Stephen is guilty at all, and whether or not his being an accessory by acting as a lookout is equal to his charge of murder. MONSTER also addresses the possibly inequity of who the authorities choose to charge for a crime and the fairness of the entire court and prison system. Stephen never reveals if he did act as a lookout, but he does begin to critically look at guilt and innocence as well as life’s meaning and purpose in general. The novel also touches on the issues of race and class problems within America.

One very thoughtful observation is Stephen’s realization that:

“They didn’t allow kids in the visiting area, which was funny because if I
wasn’t locked up, I wouldn’t be allowed to come into the visiting room.”
(156)

By the end of the novel, the reader does know that Stephen is very changed by the experience. He has decided to become a better person. During the short action of the book, readers will get to see Stephen forced into adulthood in a very short time period, due to the events of the story and the subsequent trial. Many loose ends are tied, but one is left very open: Stephen has seen that other people see something that is perhaps evil in him, and is very concerned about this; the novel ends with Stephen trying to figure out if there is something to this – is he a monster?


Review Excerpts:
School Library Journal, 07/01/1999
“Myers expertly presents the many facets of his protagonist's character and readers will find themselves feeling both sympathy and repugnance for him.” --Edward Sullivan, New York Public Library Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

BookList, 05/01/1999
“Myers combines an innovative format, complex moral issues, and an intriguingly sympathetic but flawed protagonist in this cautionary tale of a 16-year-old on trial for felony murder.” ((Reviewed May 1, 1999)) -- Debbie Carton. Booklist, published by the American Library Association.

The above reviews are from Book Index with Reviews. 2007 EBSCO Publishing, Powered by The Title Source TM (Accessed through http://online.twu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_142_1 on November 21, 2007).


Connections: Other books with similar themes
TEARS OF A TIGER by Sharon M. Draper, CRANK by Ellen Hopkins, BURNED by Ellen Hopkins, and MONSTER: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF AN L.A. GANG MEMBER by Sanyika Shukur.

PRINCESS ACADEMY review

Virginia Caldwell
Book Review Genre 6
TWU assignment
LS 5603 – 20


PRINCESS ACADEMY

Bibliographic Data:
Hale, Shannon. 2005. PRINCESS ACADEMY. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 1582349932

Plot Summary:
Miri is a fourteen-year-old girl living in the poor mountain town on Mount Eskel. One day, a representative of the King comes to announce that the new princess must be a girl from this area. All of the girls of the right age are rounded up and sent to the newly formed “Princess Academy” to learn all of the things a candidate for princess should know before meeting the Prince, who will choose one girl to be the Princess.

Analysis:
Miri has never felt useful in her mining hometown because she is never allowed to work in the mines, like most of the other residents. She aches to prove herself useful in some way, and feels like an outsider in a community where everyone works hard to survive, mostly by mining linder, the only product Mount Eskel exports.

The entire town is surprised when a representative of the King tells the townspeople that the next princess of the land will come from Mount Eskel, and that all girls who are the correct age must leave home to attend a “Princess Academy.”

After some initial resistance from the parents, the girls are sent three hours away to a large building that will serve as the school. The impoverished girls meet the teacher, Olana, who is cruel. She insults the girls and delivers extreme punishment for small rule infractions.

At this point, Miri begins to emerge as a leader, who is unhappy with the treatment of the girls. She gains the courage to stand up to the teacher, but is initially only rewarded with distain from the other students.

Despite the homesickness and pain of isolation, Miri begins to discover that she is intellectually bright. She is the first of the group of twenty girls to effectively read a passage in class. Miri decides that she likes learning, even if she has little desire to leave her home to become a princess.

During the course of THE PRINCESS ACADEMY, Miri learns a great deal about herself. She finds out that she is strong, honest, hardworking, intelligent, and worthy of love. Miri also finds the sense of belonging to her community that has evaded her since she can remember. One thing that gives Miri her first hint that she indeed does belong, is that she finds that she can use a special communication. This “quarry speech” is what the mineworkers of the town use when they are mining because they cannot communicate any other way due to the noise and conditions. Miri find out that she can use and hear “quarry speech.”

After finding this out, Miri wants to communicate with the other girls at the academy; she wants to tell them that they can all run home.

“She did not know if it was possible to say something so specific; she had never
tried. But if quarry speech used memories, could she convey more than just
quarry warnings? Could she tell everyone to run?”…

“Rabbits run!”
and all the children stood and ran.
“Miri seized this memory and sang it with
her thoughts, down into the beating of her boot, down into the linder.”
(117-199)

Due to her fairness and concern for others, Miri becomes the most popular girl at the academy. Miri does not get caught up by the fierce competition between the girls to be a princess. Her focus remains on the welfare of every person, and she teaches others many important lessons about life. Miri begins to find her calling in life.

Hale is masterful in keeping THE PRINCESS ACADEMY exciting by having two climactic events in the novel, and a interesting, satisfying ending. This novel is proof that fairy tales may exist, but are not always exactly what we all expect of them, which is refreshing.



Review Excerpts
BookList, 06/01/2005
“Hale nicely interweaves feminist sensibilities in this quest-for-a-prince-charming, historical-fantasy tale. Strong suspense and plot drive the action as the girls outwit would-be kidnappers and explore the boundaries of leadership, competition, and friendship.” -- Anne O'Malley. Booklist, published by the American Library Association.

Publishers Weekly 08/08/2005
“Through education—and the realization that she has the common mountain power to communicate wordlessly via magical "quarry-speech"—Miri and the girls eventually gain confidence and knowledge that helps transform their village.” Ages 9-up. (July) Publishers Weekly, A Reed Business Information Publication

Connections:

Other books with similar themes
ELLA ENCHANTED by Gail Carson Levine, THE GOOSE GIRL by Shannon Hale, BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA by Katherine Paterson.

The Art of Keeping Cool Review

Virginia Caldwell
Book Review Genre 5
TWU assignment
LS 5603 – 20


The Art of Keeping Cool

Bibliographic Data:
Lisle, Janet Taylor. 2000. The Art of Keeping Cool. New York: Athenium Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689837879


Plot Summary:
During World War II, young Robert, whose father is called away to work as a war pilot, moves away from his family’s farm, to live next door to his Grandparents in Rhode Island. Here Robert begins a new chapter of his life, which will shape him forever.


Analysis:
Lisle takes the reader back in time, to the United States during World War II, and focuses her novel on the suddenly changed life of a thirteen-year-old boy, Robert. Robert’s father is away fighting, and his mother decides to move the family to Rhode Island to live near her in-laws.

It is here that the real story begins. Robert and his family get to know relatives that they had never met. Grandpa is generally an unpleasant and frightening man, Grandma is the family peacekeeper, and Aunt Nana and Uncle Jake are a nice couple, albeit financially down on their luck.

Lisle has a great talent for creating and revealing characters. For example, she describes Robert’s thirteen-year-old cousin, Elliot as follows:

“Elliot had a problem – he registered things too deep. Sometimes it seemed to me
as if his receivers were turned up too high on the world and what he saw came at
him with extra force.”

“There was no getting through to him. There never
was when he had one of his nervous shutdowns.”

The descriptions above are the best I have ever read to describe and explain a person with an anxiety disorder; this talent reveals Lisle as a master of her craft, and it most certainly makes the character of Elliot come alive for the reader, as she does for all of the book’s characters.

In Rhode Island, they live on the coast near an army fort that is protecting the United States coast from any potential German attacks. Lisle describes the feeling and scenes so well that the reader feels that he or she is actually living in wartime Rhode Island. This is done particularly well, by making the main protagonist a young boy, because children will relate to this much better than they do the usual World War II characters, who are usually grown men at war. The following describes measures that people around the coast were asked to do in order to keep the location of friendly ships secret and to prepare for any attacks.

“At night, we followed the fort’s orders to curtain and even double curtain our
windows, and everyone went to sleep with shoes and clothes laid out in case we
had to evacuate fast.”

Robert and Elliot become friends, and Elliot, who is very talented at drawing, causes them to meet a German artist, Able Hoffman, who lives in the area. It is not a good time to be a German expatriate in the United States, and he is highly suspect in the community. This storyline happens concurrently along with others, like family relationships and secrets, war, friendship, and growing up; this multidimensional plot makes this book hard to put down. For example, throughout the book, there is always an element of suspense: the mysterious German painter, the reason that Robert’s dad was never mentioned in his Grandparent’s home, if Robert’s father was alive and well overseas, and whether or not the Germans would attack the coast.



Review Excerpts
BookList, 09/15/2000
“Lisle weaves together the thrilling war action and the spy mystery with the battles in Robert's family and Robert's personal struggle with anger, jealousy, guilt, and betrayal.” -- Hazel Rochman. Booklist, published by the American Library Association.

Kirkus Reviews, 09/15/2000
“Briskly plotted, emotionally complex, brutal in incident yet delicately nuanced in the telling, a fine historical fiction.” (Fiction. 10-14) Copyright 2003, VNU Business Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The above reviews are from Book Index with Reviews. 2007 EBSCO Publishing,
Powered by The Title Source TM (Accessed through
http://online.twu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_142_1 on October 24, 2007).

Connections:
Some books with similar themes: A Boy at War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor by Harry Mazer; Summer of My german Soldier by Bette Greene; Number the Stars by Lois Lowry; A Coming Evil by Vivien Vande Velde; Remember World War II: Kids Who Survived Tell Their Stories by Dorinda Makanaonalani Nicholson.

The Midwife’s Apprentice

Virginia Caldwell
Book Review Genre 5
TWU assignment
LS 5603 – 20


The Midwife’s Apprentice

Bibliographic Data:
Cushman, Karen. 1995. The Midwife’s Apprentice. New York: Clarion. ISBN 0395776082


Plot Summary:
In a village in fourteenth century England, a twelve or thirteen year old wandering homeless child finds a midwife to let her work for room and board. After meeting her basic needs, the girl begins to grow in other ways, and tries to find out where she belongs.


Analysis:
Absolutely worthy of its Caldecott Medal, The Midwife’s Apprentice is a fine historical novel that is centered upon the early life of a young pauper girl in Medieval England.

The novel is fantastic in its description of what medieval life in a small village was like, and does not try to make it prettier, or cleaner, than it was. In fact, our young heroine is first found sleeping in a dung pile, because it is the warmest place she can find.

She has no name, except for what people have called her in the past, which is “Brat.” After Brat wakes up, she is taunted by local village boys; a woman finds her and she is so hungry that she musters up the courage to beg the woman for food. The woman denies her this, but decides to let her work for food. Jane is a midwife, and although she is somewhat cruel, starts “Brat,” who soon takes on the name of “Beetle” in the village, on her journey to discover who she is and where she belongs.

Jane’s character is expertly crafted by passages like the following:

“Taking Beetle gave her cheap labor and an apprentice too stupid and scared to be any competition. This suited the midwife.”

However, Beetle soon starts to find a little bit of self esteem and makes a life long friend, a cat, who like Beetle, is alone in the world. Beetle begins to learn skills and to develop as a good person, despite her place in the world.

During this young girl’s journey, the reader is immersed in a completely realistic medieval world; Cushman does this so well that the reader is not even aware of the unnatural time warp he or she has delved into.

For example, Beetle is unexpectedly sent to a fair to get supplies for the midwife. Cushman describes the event as follows:

“She passed through the forest of bright booths and pennants flying, offering
for sale every manner of wondrous thing – copper, kettles, rubies and pearls,
ivory tusks from mysterious animals, cinnamon and ginger from faraway lands, tin from Cornwall, and bright-green woolen cloth from Lincoln. She laughed at the puppets, wondered at the soothsayers, applauded the singers, and cheered for the racing horses.”

At this nearby town, Beetle also acquires her new name – Alice. She begins to form a new identity and gain some courage. This allows her to see the importance of having a name, and the related significance of having a place in the world. She names the cat “Purr,” and gives a homeless six-year-old boy the name Edward, after the king.

One of the many things that make this novel great is the way Cushman makes the characters of yesteryear come alive as if they were the people of today. The reader really feels for the people in the book, and can see exactly how they could know these people today.


Review Excerpts
School Library Journal, 05/01/1995
Gr 6-9 “With simplicity, wit, and humor, Cushman presents another tale of medieval England. Here readers follow the satisfying, literal and figurative journey of a homeless, nameless child called Brat, who might be 12 or 13 - no one really knows.” --Sara Miller, Rye County Day School, NY

BookList, 03/15/1995
Gr. 7-12. “this novel is about a strong, young woman in medieval England who finds her own way home.” ((Reviewed Mar. 15, 1995)) -- Hazel Rochman. Booklist, published by the American Library Association.

The above reviews are from Book Index with Reviews. 2007
EBSCO Publishing, Powered by The Title Source TM (Accessed through

http://online.twu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_142_1 on October 28, 2007).

Connections:
Some books with similar themes: CATHARINE, CALLED BIRDY by Karen Cushman, OUTRAGEOUS WOMEN OF THE MIDDLE AGES by Vicki Leon, THE MIDDLE AGES: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY by Barbara A. Hanawalt.

The Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare -- Review

Virginia Caldwell
Book Review Genre 5
TWU assignment
LS 5603 – 20


The Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare

Bibliographic Data:
Stanley, Diane and Peter Vennema. 1992. The Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare. Ill. By Diane Stanley. New York: Morrow Junior Books. ISBN 0688091091


Plot Summary:
With some help from the historical records, the authors piece together, and tell the story of the life of William Shakespeare.


Analysis:
The Bard of Avon expertly begins with explaining how William Shakespeare’s father was the high bailiff of Stratford-Upon-Avon, and how he held the job of screening entertainers for the village’s events. One troupe came into town when William was five, and the authors ponder whether this could have been the first performance that Shakespeare saw.

The biography goes on to discuss Shakespeare’s education, and the possibilities of what he did for a living during the years between his schooling and marriage. It briefly tells how many children he had with Anne, his wife, and then his move to London.

Within these narratives, the working of the theatre, its playwrights, actors, and locations are detailed. This adds interest to the biography. For example:

“These new theaters were circular wooden buildings with an open courtyard in the
middle…..People could stand in the courtyard for a penny. They were called groundlings, and they
were known to drink too much beer and be quite noisy and rude if they didn't like the
play… Anyone willing to pay a bit more could sit in one of the three
galleries, where they had a roof to protect them from the sun or a sudden
shower.”

The book also tells about how the theater companies were sponsored monetarily by nobles, and that the companies took the name of the sponsor. For example, one group was “Lord Chamberlain’s Men.” The inclusion of details like these makes this book a truly excellent piece of work.

In addition, the work of Shakespeare is addressed. The following passage gives insight into the works.

“Most of his plots were not original. He found them in storybooks and in
the pages of history. He breathed life into the main characters, added new
ones, and changed the plot as his imagination prompted him.”

At the end of this book is a postscript that among other things, points out some common phrases that people used today that Shakespeare created. For example, the words “lonely”, “hint”, and “excellent” originally belonged to Shakespeare.

The illustration is amazing; it is beautifully painted in watercolor, and has a somewhat cartoon like appearance. The medieval atmosphere is captured with drawings of the village and its happenings. Stanley gives special attention to the details, which really bring the paintings to life. For example, a little dog is portrayed with teeth, and looks like it is growling. A separate illustration shows a play, and a vendor is selling oranges to the crowd. There is a painting of the actors getting dressed before a play, in which some are perfecting their wardrobes, others practicing lines, one man applying makeup, and a musician practicing on his dulcimer.

The artwork also shows the difference between village life and the standard of living within Queen Elizabeth’s court; this art also shows things like the difference between the commoner’s floors, which were wood, and the castle floors, made of stone. Furthermore, the royal court is always around the Queen in the illustrations, which is very true to life.

In conclusion, The Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare, is an easy to read, thought provoking, and very fascinating biography. The new facts, small details, and careful attention to the flow of the work makes this a fast paced, humanistic view of Shakespeare, as well as the people and daily life in the 1500s.



Review Excerpts:
School Library Journal, 11/01/1992
"Using the few facts known about their subject, Stanley and Vennema manage a full-bodied portrait of a life and time without resorting to fictionalizing or sloppy speculation."--Sally Margolis, Deerfield Public Library, IL

Kirkus Reviews, 07/15/1992
“The authors of several handsomely illustrated historical biographies (Good Queen Bess, 1989) take on an unusually demanding subject with intelligence, scrupulous regard for the historical record, and a wise eye to the interests of their audience.” Copyright 2003, VNU Business Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved


The above reviews are from Book Index with Reviews. 2007 EBSCO Publishing, Powered by The Title Source TM (Accessed through http://online.twu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_142_1 on October 21, 2007).



Connections:
Some books with similar themes: SHAKESPEARE by Peter Chrisp, Dorling Kindersley, and Steve Teague; SHAKESPEARE’S LONDON: A GUIDE TO ELIZABETHAN LONDON by Julie Ferris; and GOOD QUEEN BESS by Diane Stanley.

Review of HOTTEST, COLDEST, HIGHEST, DEEPEST

Virginia Caldwell
Book Review Module 4
TWU assignment
LS 5603 – 20


Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest


Bibliographic Data:
Jenkins, Steve. 1998. Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0395899990


Plot Summary:
Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest, written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins a nonfiction work about the extremes of various places on Earth. For example, this book tells the reader about the places that have the most and least amount of rain per year, among many other interesting little-known records.


Analysis:
Jenkins makes scientific facts fun in this short book about things and places that have bragging rights as the “most” or “least”. For instance, it introduces and explains that the wettest spot on Earth is Tutunendo, Columbia. To add interest, a small paragraph of the opposite page add that the place with the most rainy days in Mount Wai-ala-ale in Hawaii. There is a map of Tutunendo, which shows where it is in South America, and then where it is in the world. This gives the reader a great perspective. Finally, a chart compares Tutunendo’s annual rainfall with other objects, like a man, and the average annual rainfall in Chicago. This is very effective in allowing the reader to figure out just how much rain this place gets per year.

Every place in the book has similar maps, interesting facts, comparisons, and relative size charts like the ones described above. Put together, these assets really make the book come alive to the reader.

The book is organized by placing similar places near each other. For example, the book begins with the Nile River, which is the longest, and then moves to Lake Baikal, which is the oldest and deepest lake. This organization is works well, and helps the reader move through the book in a logical manner.

In addition to writing Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest, Jenkins is also the illustrator. He uses cut and paste paper collage to portray the images of the places in the book. Many of the illustrations look very real, and are always colorful and interesting. Jenkins also adds a map with a red dot to show the reader where the place is located. In addition, to show the relevance of the special place’s unique claim, many illustrations have a chart that compares it to other places. For example, on the page about the deepest spot in the ocean, the Marianas Trench, Jenkins’ illustrative chart also shows the average depth of the ocean, and the height of the Empire State building. This gives the reader a fantastic perspective about the actual depth of the Marianas Trench.



Review Excerpts:
School Library Journal, 08/01/1998
“Browsers will pick up this delightful picture book and read it through completely. This eye-catching introduction to geography will find a lot of use in libraries and classrooms.” Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI

BookList, 08/01/1998
“Highly effective visual education for the classroom or for young browsers intrigued by superlatives.” ((Reviewed August 1998)) -- Carolyn Phelan. Booklist, published by the American Library Association.


The above reviews are from Book Index with Reviews. 2007 EBSCO Publishing, Powered by The Title Source TM (Accessed through http://online.twu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_142_1 on October 14, 2007).



Connections:
Some books with similar themes: Biggest, Strongest, Fastest by Steve Jenkins; Actual Size by Steve Jenkins; Guinness World Records 2008 by Guinness World Records.
Activities: This book would be great for a unit on geography.