Guts

The True Stories behind Hatchet and the Brian Books

While this book is a narrative nonfiction, it certainly differs from others recently covered.  Why?  A couple of summers ago I bought Hatchet for my son to read.  He was NOT interested.  So I let it be as we were really encouraging him to find his path to a love of reading.  Fast forward and he now loves to read. The other day he pulled Hatchet off the shelf and decided to 'give it a go'.  And...he liked it!  So when I saw this book that Gary Paulsen wrote about his life experiences that guided him in writing the Hatchet I wanted to read it and see if I could 'sell it' to my son for a nonfiction reading experience. 

As an adult in the end, I'll say I'm neutral on the book.  I will encourage my son to read it as soon as he finishes his current fantasy action fiction.  I'm intrigued to see what he will say.  

But back to the book, Paulsen accounts for many personal experiences in the woods, most in Minnesota and Alaska, and how he drew upon those experiences as he wrote Hatchet. If you have read Hatchet you will be intrigued to read about his life experiences. However, I feel he shared those experiences in a non cohesive timeline making it difficult for the reader. 

The title is Guts, and it does describe some experiences that some readers might find upsetting, but he covers those points because they were a valuable part of his experiences and how he wrote them in Hatchet.  

My hope with my son is that this book will help to bridge the gap between reading fiction and nonfiction.  I think this book should be paired with Hatchet because together they can help encourage fiction readers to try nonfiction and vice versa. It could also pair with his other fiction books such as The River and Brian's Winter.  It can also pair with other adventure books for boys and girls alike.  Books such as The Dangerous Book for Boys, The Outdoor Book for Adventurous Boys: Essential Skills and Activities for Boys of All Ages, The Daring Book for Girls, and Survivor Kid: A Practical Guide to Wilderness Survival.  These books and others like them can encourage learning and active outdoor play instead of inside play with video games!  I think these books would make a good addition to a children's library.

I was disappointed that Paulson only included four real life pictures in this book, although it is understandable that he wouldn't have had images of his lone hunting and camping adventurous, there could have been pictures of his experiences as an adult in the military, mushing dogs and learning to fly.  

When you read this book you will find that each chapter begins with a brief introduction- using parts of Hatchet.  For example, chapter two is labeled "Moose Attacks"..."he saw a brown wall of fur detach itself from the forest to his rear and come down on him like a run-away truck.  He just had time to see that it was a moose...when it hit him." (p. 30) Or in the example below he starts is chapter call the Joy of Cooking with a part of Hatchet that describes Brian's first hunt for survival.

While Guts hasn't won any awards it is noteworthy that Paulsen is a 3 time Newbery Honor Awards as well as Parents Choice Awards and several books have been on the ALA Best Books for Young Adults list.  

Paulsen, G. (2001). Guts: The true stories behind hatchet and the brian books. New York: NY, Delacorte Press.

Lexile Reading Level: 1230, grades 7-9

Brown Girl Dreaming

"A small gift from the universe waiting to be discovered"

p. 233

Jacqueline Woodson uses verse to tell the story of her childhood while highlighting social and racial challenges as well as her own struggles with learning.  Knowing that, it could be used to open discussion on civil rights, but I think it is a beautifully written story to inspire children to believe in themselves and strive for their dreams.  She knew she learned differently, did she realize it as a child or later as an adult writing the story? As a child growing up in the 60's and 70's she most likely didn't receive support or understanding as the term 'learning disability' was first used in 1963. 

This is a recollection of her own childhood memories including leaving Ohio and her father behind,  whom we learn she doesn't reconnect with until she is 14, and being raised for some time by her grandparents and their move to New York City.  She learns about Jim Crow law, civil rights, and later the beginning of Black Panther.  Her religious up bringing is guided by her grandmother as a Jehovah Witness.  Her best friend is from Puerto Rico.  Along with her 3 siblings she is raised by a single mother.  And until her grandfather, whom she calls Daddy, dies her world is split between life in the north and in the south, learning the nuances of both.  

Woodson recalls her frustrations as a child when she started school.  Being a year younger than sister Odella was hard as teachers instantly compared Jacqueline to Odella.  She recalls hearing Odella is bright, she is gifted.  Woodson thought, "I am not gifted. When I read, the words twist twirl across the page. When they settle, it is too late.  The class has already moved on" (p169). Woodson recalls her Uncle coming to visit and describes the earrings he gives Odella for being smart and how she (Woodson) wishes  someone would give her "silver and gold just because my brain clicks into thinking whenever it needs to but I'm not smart like Dell", (p 171-172).  I expected to her describe gifts she or her brothers received, but whatever she was given I think was overshadowed by how the gift to Odella was presented.  The impression that her Uncle does leave on her is how he believes in her, and maybe that was more important than the gifts.  She (Woodson) is telling a story and encouraged by her Uncle Robert.  "But my mother accuses me of lying, If you lie, she says, one day you'll steal." 

"It's hard to understand 

the way my brain works - so different

from everybody around me.

How each new story

I'm told becomes a thing 

that happens,

in some other way

to me...!" (p 176)

Woodson who once struggled in school, who felt inferior to her older sister goes on to be come an award winning author.  Who encouraged and inspired her?  Her uncle Robert and her grandfather are mentioned several times as encouraging and enjoying her stories.  Finally when she shares a poem in class she hears,   

"Brilliant! my teacher says, smiling.
Jackie, that was absolutely beautiful."

"And I know now
words are my Tingalayo. Words are my brilliance" (p 248).

Her story is one of resilience. How words of encouragement inspired her to keep writing her stories, to dream her dreams. Woodson has been the winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award, the recipient of three Newbery Honors, the Coretta Scott King Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

                                          

Woodson helps readers connect with her and her family by adding family trees and pictures of the Woodsons of Ohio and the Irbys of South Carolina.  I also enjoyed her Author notes about how she approached her memories, the family members that were able to help fill in the gaps and how this bittersweet walk down memory lane helped her understand herself as a writer.

Readers who like this book might also enjoy Words with Wings by Niki Grimes.  It is another story told in short poems or verse that highlights trouble in school and home with day dreaming and how writing her day dreams is the key to her success. 

Additional books on learning and living with different disabilities that would pair well are:
Educating Tigers by Wendy Sand Eckel
Sounds Like Home: Growing up Black and Deaf in the South by Mary Herring Wright
Reversals: A Personal Account of Victory over Dyslexia

Woodson, J. (2014).  Brown girl dreaming. New York, NY: Penguin Random House.

Lexile Level 990. Reading age 10-14

http://www.ldonline.org/article/11244/

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

They story of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, is a story of desperation, but also a story of inspirastion.  It is the story of a boy filled with determination to learn and to make his families life better.  Through a beautifully illustrated book William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer tell Williams story of growing up desperately poor and starving in Malawi.  A story of how drought brought famine in 2001 and how his family was trying to survive on one meal a day.  But almost more devastating to William was being told there was no money for him to continue with school.  When he remembers the library in the village he immerses himself in books, using his dictionary to piece together an understanding of how engines work. "Slowly, he built the sentence: 'Windmills can produce electricity and pump water." As he attempts to fulfill his dream of building a windmill the locals said, "This boy is misala. Only crazy people play with trash!" but soon friends joined his efforts and his belief that they could make electric wind. 

Kamkwamba draws you into the world of his childhood, dreaming of magic and ghost dancers to bring the rains as well as learning how the music comes from the radio.  Written and illustrated as a picture book young students can be engaged and inspired by the story.  It is also a great short read aloud for a middle grade class studying renewable resources and attempting their own engineering feats.  Coauthor Byran Mealer provides and accounting of Williams life growing up in the drought and famine that killed over 10,000 Mawali people.  Mealer explains in further detail the parts that William used to build his first windmill at age 14 and how he later improved it as well as being discovered by journalists and his invitation to a TED talk. As a University student he dreamt of being an engineer and returning to Malawi to work on renewable energy for his people.  

The illustration (below left) and photograph (right) bring together the illustrated story and the real life windmill that William built. 

What I like about using this book in the classroom is educators can introduce renewable energy to a class and that the brook brings a personal story in to inspire other students.  I would suggest a companion book, A Long Walk to Water, to be used along with The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind for older grades.  Linda Sue Park tells the story of Nya and Salva side-by-side with a remarkable conclusion.  Educators can use A Long Walk to Water to further a lesson as students also learn about the civil unrest in Africa and the Lost Boys of Sudan.  Both of these stories teach resilience, compassion and the value of learning.  

The following links would support further learning in the classroom:

https://movingwindmills.org/

https://www.lspark.com/images/pdfs/dg_longwalktowater.pdf

https://www.waterforsouthsudan.org/

Kamkwamba, W. & Mealer, B. (2012). The boy who harnessed the wind.  New York, NY: The Penguin Group

Narrative nonfiction's are a powerful part of literature.  They can bridge the gap between fiction and nonfiction readers, leading each group to explore the other.  When I read I like to get 'lost' in the story, which isn't a typical reaction to a nonfiction book. But a narrative nonfiction does just that- I feel invested in a character, I hurt for them and I root for them.  It was after I started reading narrative nonfiction that I found myself looking at more nonfiction books.  I've always loved reading cookbooks, crafting, sewing, and gardening books, procedural and informative.  It was information I could readily put to use.  However, now when I read a narrative nonfiction I am left wanting to know more about the history, facts or events in the book- and that is the power of this genre of books! The fiction reader is now looking for nonfiction explanatory texts.  I also believe narrative nonfiction books are great read alouds or discussion books for classroom learning.  When students can relate to a character they most likely want to know more, cue discussion and research in the topic.

My latest narrative nonfiction read was Too Young To Escape.  I didn't know what to expect, I certainly didn't expect to feel such strong emotions around the decision Van's mother was forced to make. This books forces the reader to think about the decision she made as well as Van's fathers decision when he fled, and the outward actions of her aunt and uncle.  The risks they all took and the courage every member of the family have.

"She's gone to Canada to be with your Ba and Linh." Ba Ngoai explained to Van when she asked if her Ma was home yet.  Marsha Skrypuch, author of Too Young To Escape, first wrote Adrift at Sea, telling the story of Vans brother Tuan Ho, who escaped Vietnam with his mother and two sisters by boat.  Skrypuch and her readers always came back to ask the question, what happened to Van?  The result was the collaboration between Skrypuch and Vanessa Ho Gatensby to tell Van's story of being left behind and the eventual reunion with her immediate family.  The book focuses on Van and her relationship with only three members of her family left in Vietnam.  I appreciate that Skrypuch mentions later in her notes that she left out other extended family members to keep the focus and clarity of the book on Van's narrative.  Follow up interviews with Van's father and mother are also shared at the end.  This gives readers a better glimpse into the turmoil that her parents faced with each decision they made.

Too Young to Escape would be a great addition to a collection on immigration or the Vietnam war.  This along with books such as Americanized: Rebel without a Green Card, The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees, The Turtles of Oman and Caravan to the North: Misael's Long Walk all open discussion to the reasons, struggles  and issues raised with immigration.  While of each of this books focus on different aspects of immigration, discussed together they would cover many facts of immigration

Van was just 4 years old when her ma and siblings escaped Vietnam in the middle of the night. Her grandmother was left to break the news to her. 

Photos of Van taken by her Aunt Di. I find these pictures show the love her aunt had for her, even if she didn't feel it as a guest in their house.  Understanding the consequences of the Vietnam war was more than Van comprehend as a child.  

Extension activities could include http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/ highlighting how immigration is a major part of American history and is still an ongoing part of American history https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/newamericans/foreducators_index.html.

While Too Young To Escape written for 8-12 year olds and has a lexile level of 740 I believe it could be stretched to higher grades for a lesson on immigration as it provides a broader diversity that isn't immediately considered when we think of immigration today.

Too Young To Escape won a 2018 NCTA Freeman Book Award: Young Adult/Middle School Literature Honorable Mention and was listed on the 2019 USBBY Outstanding International Books List selection, the 2019 ILA Notable Books for a Global Society selection as well as other book lists and nominations for awards in 2020.

Ho, V. & Skrypuch, M.F. (2018). Too young to escape. Toronto, ON: Pajamapress

Soaring Earth

Margarita leaves her childhood behind as well as summer trips to her mother's Cuba.  She dreams of returning to Cuba and traveling the world. This story of her life is written in poetry, short expressions of emotions as she fumbles through the reality of life.  

"How many other illusions do I experience, along with this one that fools me into thinking I'm capable of choosing my own direction." (59)

She gets lost in the idealistic life presented to her by so many others. Self identity is hard in high school, as a Cuban American she struggles with where she belongs.  Margarita grapples with finding her place with older boyfriends, drugs and war protests. 

"Do I need to alter my own definition of self?" (74)

Margarita hopes that she has found her place at UC Berkeley, instead she feels lost as a freshman. Slowly she finds things that she loves such as the beauty of the Hindi language, but she is also easily influenced as she tries to find her identity.  Strikes and riots equal missed tests and flunked classes.  Margarita finds herself lost, easily persuaded as she still holds onto her childhood dreams of Cuba.

"I've lost my identity
no longer a student
my face in the mirror
this dropout
a stranger." (83)

No school, no job, no home Margarita leaves readers wondering why she doesn't go home to start new again.  Instead she joins a commune, learns a trade, she roams the woods and once again is manipulated as she holds on to her dream of returning to Cuba. 

"This time, I won't give up. 
I need to learn how to help feed the hungry
with roots, shoots, seeds, fruit
and perseverance." (147)

"Hope follows wherever we go." (157)

This is Margarita's story of leaving her childhood, having hopes and dreams and teaching us that sometimes we must be lost before we can find ourselves and start again.

Students that enjoy this type of verse novel, although still nonfiction may also enjoy Inside Out and Back Again and Words with Wings.  Nonfiction written in this format is personal and it is because of the format that students can be drawn into another culture or experience.  They are relatable and make a good platform for beginning classroom discussions and would serve as a lead in on each of their own particular topics or together on a broader topic of self-identity.  While these three books range in age recommendations as low as third for Inside Out and Back again, Lexile level of 800, up to 7th grade to high school for Soaring Earth, Lexile level 1190, I think all three would be excellent collections to a school library.

Engle, M. (2019). Soaring earth. New York, NY: Atheneum.
Thanhha, L. (2013). Inside out and back again. New York, NY: Harper Collins
Grimes, N. (2013). Words with wings. New York, NY: Penguin.

"The day after Lawrence died in March 2012, the elephants, led by Nana, arrived at his house. They had not done so for some time as Lawrence had deliberately withdrawn.  He wanted them to be truly wild.  Yet they came, in an eerie vigil, which to think of still gives me goose bumps."

South African author and conservationist Lawrence Anthony writes a persuasive narrative text that shares his personal story and encounters with a rouge herd of elephants all while educating the reader about the African Elephants.  His story and the story of Nana, the newly appointed matriarch of this rouge herd, are intertwined as we become acutely aware of the intelligence and emotional depth that elephants have. After rescuing them from certain death, the original matriarch and baby had already been shot, Anthony works day and night to prepare for the arrival of the seven remaining scared creatures.  This is the story of how one person takes on the adventures that come with a herd of elephants. He learns from them and learns of each of their personalities and truly becomes a part of their family. 

This a piece to include in your library to teach compassion and empathy, as well as encourage learning about conservation, poaching, African Elephants, the native tribes and their cultures in Zululand.  With a lexile reading level of 840, this text is accessible to students in the 5th to 9th grade age.  It is a great stand alone nonfiction book or would compliment a classroom bundle of other explanatory, procedural and persuasive texts.  It encourages readers to question what they know or think they know.  It provides great discussion about the welfare of African Elephants and the cause and effect of poaching.  Students can consider Anthony's approach to 'rehabilitating' the herd.  He often comments about not wanting the elephants to become too accustomed to humans, however he develops an almost unbelievable emotional, rational and physical relationship with them, as exampled below.

 Nana becomes an incredible matriarch to her herd.  As she slowly came to trust Anthony the rest of the herd followed in suit in their individual ways.






Mnumzane struggles as the young bull of the herd.  He too develops a close connection with Anthony and has his own way of communicating.

Let this story carry you away to the Zululands of Africa and all of their rich history of wildlife, and native tribes and how the wildlife and humans must continue to adapt to live together.

Anthony, L. & Spence, G. (2017). The elephant whisperer: My life with the herd in the African wild. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company

The Boy on the Wooden Box

 

The Boy on the Wooden Box is a poignant memoir of Leon Leyson, one of Oskar Schindler's 6,000 Jews.  Leyson shares his story of growing up as the youngest of 5 siblings in rural Poland, their move to Krakow and ultimately how that move to Krakow saved his life.  After years of being silent about his childhood, he shares his story, painting a picture for readers to to envision his fear, courage and will to survive.  While The Boy on the Wooden Box was written for children ages 9 -14, it can be enjoyed by older students and adults as it shares the unique first person experience of a boy that was forced from his home to a ghetto, separated from his family and sent to a concentration camp.  Living through what no child should ever experience. His father managed to secure a spot on Schindler's list for the surviving family members. When Leyson was told his name had been crossed off the list he explains, "No words can express the absolute terror I felt. Having been given a little ray of hope, the loss of it was worse than not having had it all all.  I knew I wouldn't survive the next month in Plaszow, let alone the next year.  I was starving. I lived in constant fear."

As a  2013 Cybils Award winner and a 2014 ALA Notable Children's Books award winner, They Boy on the Wooden Box could be clusters with other nonfiction books on World War II and the Holocaust.  Additionally other narrative nonfiction and historical fiction books that would pair well with this book include; The War that Save my Life, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and the Diary of Anne Frank.  The Boy on the Wooden Box, along with the others listed could all lead to a classroom extension discussion on discrimination then and now.  Students can also discuss what they think led Schindler in The Boy on the Wooden Box as well as other characters/persons in the other stories led their own silent and most often secretive revolution against the Nazi's.  Are there other times in US history that battles against discrimination were fought?

Leyson, L. (2013). The boy on the wooden box. New York, NY: Atheneum.