The River Between Us - Historical Fiction

The River Between Us by Richard Peck is primarily set in the first year of the Civil War in a southwestern Illinois town, Grand Tower. Grand Tower is a very small town along the Mississippi, about 60 miles from the strategically important, Cairo, Illinois where the Mississippi meets the Ohio. As with all towns close to the secessionist confederate states, the residents of Grand Tower were mixed in their alliances but had more Union than Confederate supporters due to pride in native son, Abraham Lincoln.

This historical novel revolves around events in the lives of the Pruitt family: Ma, Cass, Noah and his twin, Tilly. Tilly, who is fifteen when the events happen, tells the story. Included in the tale are events surrounding the Pruitt family when they take in two young women from New Orleans who come north for safety, Noah’s enlistment in the Union army and the horrifying conditions in the army camp/hospital in Cairo. These events change the family forever.

The story is told in flashback; the first and last chapters are told by Tilly’s grandson Howard Hutchinson, who travels from St. Louis to Grand Tower with his father and brothers in 1916, on the eve of the United States’ involvement in the First World War. He learns of his family’s history through Tilly during their visit.

The book’s title, The River Between Us, refers to more than just the Mississippi River, it signifies feelings and events that divide people as well as those that bring us closer together. Peck explores the historical relationship between blacks and whites, Northerners and Southerners, the personal relationships between Tilly and her mother and Howard and his father.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I felt the details of the hospital and the descriptions of New Orleans’ society and attitudes toward people of color would be very enlightening for young adults. I would recommend this book to middle school and high school students, especially those who find learning history “boring”. Historical fiction is a great way to learn of historical events; stories help to make the subject real. The River Between Us was recognized was a National Book Award finalist, won the Scott O’Dell Award for historical fiction, and the Parents’ Choice award, among others.

I thought Peck’s description of the Hutchinson’s preparations for the 120 mile journey in their Model T to be very enlightening and would make a good hook. He writes:

Our preparations had taken days. We’d been through the toolbox time and time again. We’d filled as many cans of gasoline as we could strap to the running boards. Dad had personally filed down the points on the spark plugs. I hadn’t slept a wink in two nights, and now the moment of leaving was upon us.

Mother wasn’t going and didn’t want us to go. And I didn’t know why. I remember her up on the porch and the Ford there in the middle of Maryland Avenue. Dad and I wore dusters and caps with goggles. One of the extra features of our Ford was a windshield. But it was always laid across the hood for city driving. The Ford was a touring car, which meant it had a canvas pull-up roof in case of rain, or for when you spent a night on the road.

You had to crank the car a good ten minutes to get it going, and Dad left that part to me. The knack for starting a Ford was to jack up a rear wheel. He got the little boys settled on the rear seat, but they kept running back into the house for something they’d forgotten. I wondered if we’d ever get away.

But at last the engine caught and turned over. The Ford coughed twice and came to life. Dad broke a fresh egg on the radiator so that it would hard-boil and seal the leaks. The boys were more or less settled. Dad let out the brake and fiddled with the gas lever. We’d already aroused the neighborhood. Now we were off in a volley of sharp reports from the tailpipe. And Mother was turning back to the house…..

Dad’s plan was to keep the Mississippi River on our right side and try to be in the vicinity of Chester, Illinois, by nightfall. We made good time on dry roads south from Dupo and didn’t have our first flat until very near Waterloo. In all we did pretty well with only four flats that day, one in each tire. But it seemed like the Ford was on a jack more than it was on the road.

The Thief Lord - International

A group of orphans, a rather comical detective, a mysterious count and heartless stepparents are a few of the extraordinary characters in The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke, a young adult novel translated from German. This story, set in Venice is a story of friendship, adventure, mystery and magic.

The story begins as Victor, private detective is hired by a German couple, Esther and Max Hartlieb, to find their missing nephews. Prosper who is twelve, and Boniface (Bo), five, lost their mother six months ago and the Hartliebs want to adopt Bo. Rather than be separated, the boys ran away to Venice, a city their mother loved and often told them about.

In Venice, the boys join up with a gang of orphans who live in an abandoned movie theater and survive from the sale of items stolen by their ringleader, the Thief Lord. The Thief Lord, Scipio, is a young teenager and is a mysterious character. He doesn't live with them, only visits. The group survives fairly happlily until two events occur that disrupt their existence; they are tracked down by Victor and they are hired by the shadowy Conte to steal an old wooden wing that is missing from a magical carousel. The adventures that unfold involve disguises, kidnapping and several late night boat trips to the Isola Segreta, the Secret Isle.

This book kept my interest until just before the end, which I foundto be very disappointing. It was unbelievable, and seemed as if there were just too many story lines to tie up. Despite this, I do think most middle school students would enjoy it, there is something for everyone. I also think students would like how independent and self-sufficient the children are. This is not a gritty novel where the orphans do whatever they must to survive, the children in the book engage in very little theft or illegal behavior and there are extenuating circumstances when they do.

The School Library Journal and Kirkus both gave this novel a starred review. As a hook, I believe a map and some pictures of Venice would be appropriate and this excerpt that shows Scipio to be very self-assured.

But just then, someone pulled back the curtain of the small window. Two eyes, round and bright, seemingly with no pupils, gleamed through the darkness of the confessional. Prosper shuddered and only after another look did he realize that they were glasses, reflecting the sparse light.

"One shouldn't wear a mask in a church, any more than a hat." The uneven voice sounded like a very old man.

"One also shouldn't talk about a theft in a confessional," Scipio answered, "and that's what we're here for, isn't it?"

Prosper thought he could hear a small laugh. "So you really are the Thief Lord," the stranger replied quietly. "Well, keep your mask on if you don't want to show your face, but I can still see your very young."

Scipio knelt bolt upright. "Indeed. And you are very old, judging by your voice. Does age matter in this transaction?"

Blizzard! The Storm that Changed America - Non-fiction

The blizzard of 1888 was not the worst storm in history, but it was the best documented one to that time. "Blizzard! The Storm that Changed America" by Jim Murphy is a non-fiction account of the March 1888 blizzard that slammed New York City and the east coast. This book uses a wealth of original source materials to relate the details of the storm and the stories of the people affected by them. It is illustrated with actual photos as well as drawings and stories from the New York newspapers. In addition to information about the storm, Murphy also includes many details of what life was like in 1888.

I like that Murphy follows different people through the events of the storm, some with tragic outcomes and others who have miraculous tales of survival. For example, he tells of a farmer, Sam Randall, who dies 30 feet from his front door while returning from attending to his animals. Murphy also relates the story of Gurdon Chapell, 9 years old, and his brother Legrand who is 4. These two boys, unbeknownst to their family, set out for their grandparents' house and are lost in the storm. Their absence is not discovered until the following day but, against all odds, they are found alive, huddled in a cave of snow.

Murphy also discusses how this storm changed public works and individual responsibilities in times of crisis. After the storm, cities began making emergency plans and having the workers to carry out these plans. Because of downed electrical and telephone lines these lines were required to be buried while the inability of workers to get to their jobs during this storm was a huge factor in the building of the subway system.

Middle school students would find this book interesting; probably more boys would be interested than girls due to the fact that boys tend to gravitate toward non-fiction. It is a slim book, but it is not an easy reader. There is a lot of information and although the events are chronological, it moves from person to person which may cause some students difficulty. This book was an ALA Best/Notable book in 2002 and it was also a starred review in Kirkus, Horn Book and the School Library Journal.

A good hook for this bok would be to introduce it to students when inclement weather is approaching, maybe when talk of a snow day is in the air. I would also read a little of a young woman who perishes after the train she is on can go no further.

"At some point, Sara ran out of strength entirely and stopped moving. Snow and ice clung to her clothes, hair and face as if she were a statue in a park. Then the icy figure toppled over backward. Her will to struggle, to push herself up and keep moving, was gone. She lay there as if she were on the softest of featherbeds.

Immediately, snow began to cover her face an body as well as the hat she had clung to throughout her ordeal. Soon, only the red feather poked through the snow, and then it, too, disappeared. The storm was only a few hours old, really, just a baby, and yet it had already claimed dozens of victims."

Here in Harlem: Poems in Many Voices - Poetry

Poetry generally is not a genre I enjoy but I was pleasantly surprised by “Here in Harlem: Poems in Many Voices” by Walter Dean Myers. This collection of poems was inspired by Edgar Lee Masters' “Spoon River Anthology” and kept me engrossed and entertained. There are 54 poems each told by a different character and through these characters Myers writes of the Harlem of his youth. The poems celebrate the cultural richness and diversity that was Harlem in its heyday. Each character is identified by name, occupation and age and each describes a sliver of their life in a poem. Myers addresses the difficult aspects of life in Harlem such as racism, poverty, segregation as well as celebrates the leaders, poets, artists and musicians of the time.

Here in Harlem: Poems in Many Voices is illustrated with black and white photos from Myers personal collection. The photos are not of the characters telling the poems, but add interest and depth to the book. I especially liked the cover photo of a young Duke Ellington. In it, he and the women he is with seem very happy and carefree; this reminds me that despite the ugliness of discrimination and poverty people still managed to have full, happy lives. They did not let their situations define them.

Myers’ poems are easy to read; some are entertaining while others are thought provoking. I believe students in middle school and high school would enjoy reading these poems. I think African-American students would especially like this collection since it the people it explores are African-Americans, but I believe most students could be engaged by the poetry. This book was an ALA Notable/Best books in 2005 and was a starred review by the School Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus Review and Publishers Weekly. To hook students, I would read a few of the poems such as "Delia Pierce", a poem of a hairdresser who insists that she "ain't the kind to talk behind nobody's back" as she gossips about clients.

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