Victor Awasthi

Victor Awasthi

English 112B

Prof. Warner

12/8/04

1.) Frank, Hillary. I can't tell you. Cataloging in Publication Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004.

�Shooting off his big mouth (again), Jake alienates his best friend and college roommate, Sean. As a result, Jake takes a self-imposed vow of silence and communicates only in written messages. In fact, the text of Frank's playful investigation in narrative technique consists exclusively of Jake's messages, the written replies of others, and occasional drawings. The result is story as assemblage, always interesting to look at but sometimes confusing, and, at least initially, emotionally distancing. Most readers will eventually warm up to funny but feckless Jake and sympathize with his frustrated longings for Alexandra, but the unconventional way the story is told calls attention to itself and distracts from narrative continuity and reader-character empathy. Contemporary teens who communicate largely in instant messages may well disagree, but in either case, Frank's experiment is fascinating.� (Summary taken from http://www.amazon.com)

(Helpful Teaching Sources: http://www.doorsofhope.com/fam-teens-kids/teenconnections.htm; also consult Amorette�s Presentation)

2.) Lyons, Mary E. & Branch, Muriel M. Dear Ellen Bee: a Civil War scrapbook of two Union spies. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2000.

�A scrapbook kept by a young black girl details her experiences and those of the older white woman, "Miss Bet," who had freed her and her family, sent her north from Richmond to get an education, and then worked to bring an end to slavery. Based on the life of Elizabeth Van Lew.� (Summary taken from, http://libaccess.sjsu.edu:2100/member/csearch.htm)

(Helpful Teaching Sources: http://www.pbs.org/civilwar/; http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/; http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/)

3.) Denslow, Sharon Phillips. All their names were Courage: a novel of the Civil War Publisher: New York: Greenwillow Books, c2003.

Inspired by her love of horses and her friend Isaac's facility for drawing them, 11-year-old Kentuckian Sallie Burd asks both Union and Confederate generals to describe their favorite steeds, and then compiles a book of their responses. In letters to her older brother, William, a Union soldier, Sallie describes her project's progress, as well as keeping him up to date on local events and conditions; William in turn provides vivid, sometimes poignant, reports on camp life and his state of mind. By war's end, Sallie has received 13 answers--ranging from Stonewall Jackson's affectionate tribute to his Little Sorrel ("When we pause in our marches, Sorrel lays himself down like a dog") to Sheridan's quiet praise for his Rienzi. There's a note from a wounded veteran rebuilding his life with a horse's help. Drawing many, perhaps all, of her anecdotes from historical records, Denslow opens an inviting window to the past with these consistently short, simply written missives and appreciations. (Summary taken from http://libaccess.sjsu.edu:2100/member/csearch.htm)

(Helpful Teaching Sources: http://www.pbs.org/civilwar/; http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/; http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/)

4.) Pfetzer , Mark and Galvin, Jack. Within reach: my Everest story. New York: Dutton Books, 1998

�Mark Pfetzer had a dream. When he was thirteen years old he decided he was going to climb Mount Everest. This was a true dream, a realistic dream. He began training. His first major climb was a Nepal trek, a trip that cost $5,000. So, in addition to strenuous physical training, he also devoted part of each day to soliciting sponsors for financial support. It all came together and Mark began a record setting career in mountain climbing. At the age of fourteen he became the youngest person to ever summit Mount Pisco and Huascaran in Peru and Cotopaxi in Ecuador. When he was fifteen he summited Aconcagu in Argentina and made his first attempt at Mount Everest. A broken rib prevented him from summiting, but he set a record for climbing the highest in his age category. He summited Mount Rainier in Washington State and Ama Dablam in Nepal before attempting Everest again. A tragic storm kept him from reaching the top, although he had set another record for height attained at his age. Following that attempt, he summited Kilimanjaro in Africa and Cho Oyu in Tibet. The people who accompanied Mark on these trips, the equipment used, and the dangers involved are described in meticulous detail.� (Summary taken from http://libaccess.sjsu.edu:2100/member/csearch.htm)

(Helpful Teaching Sources: http://www.mnteverest.net/; http://www.everestnews.com/; http://www.nationalgeographic.com/everest/; http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/everest/index.html)

5.) Marsden, John. Letters from the Inside. Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia Pvt. Limited, 1991. ISBN: 0440219515

�The formal style of writing present in the letters enables Marsden to convey just enough information while still maintaining the suspense in the novel. Letters from the Inside revolves around two girls, Mandy and Tracy, who have become pen pals. Through the letters one can notice the going bond of friendship between two girls. After a few exchanges of letters, Tracy reveals that she is actually serving time in a maximum-security prison. Letters begin to intensify their relationship and begin to uncover some of difficulties/problems in their lives. Mandy admits that her brother is quite violent and has beaten her up at-least once; and the end of the novel alludes to the fact that he might have attacked Mandy. Tracey�s crime is never revealed but with Mandy�s support and encouragement, Tracey drops the tough girl fa�ade and makes plans to better her life when she gets out of jail. And by the end of the novel reader starts to sympathize with her.� (Summary taken from http://libaccess.sjsu.edu:2100/member/csearch.htm)

(Helpful Teaching Sources: http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/; http://www.preventchildabuse.org/; http://www.weprevent.org/; http://www.tccrime.com/hot_childabd.html)

6.) Moriarty, Jaclyn. Feeling sorry for Celia. Publisher: New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001.

�When Elizabeth Clarry's English teacher rekindles "the joy of the envelope" in his private school students by having them correspond with a pen pal from a nearby public high school, the fifteen-year-old long distance runner finds herself confiding in "A Complete and Utter Stranger." Elizabeth's life is complicated. Her emotionally unstable best friend, Celia, keeps running away from home. Her estranged father has moved back to Australia and is trying to creep into her life. Her mother, a workaholic advertising executive, is a distant presence and communicates with her daughter via short, wacky messages left around their house. Written entirely in the form of letters, notes and postcards, Moriarty's debut novel is quirky and utterly delightful. It includes missives from several imaginary organizations like "The Society of People Who Are Definitely Going to Fail High School (and Most Probably Life as Well!)," "The Cold Hard Truth Association," and "The Best Friend's Club" that serve as mouthpieces for Elizabeth's angst-laden psyche. Moriarty creates an endearing, believable heroine and tells her story with compassion, intelligence and humor.� (Summary taken from http://libaccess.sjsu.edu:2100/member/csearch.htm)

(Helpful Teaching Sources: http://www.focusas.com/Anxiety.html; http://www.aacap.org/; http://www.aacap.org/about/glossary/Anxiety.htm; http://www.veryshy.org/anxiety_child.htm)

7.) Marsden, John. Tomorrow, when the war began. Publisher: Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1995.

�When Ellie and her friends return from a camping trip deep in the bush, they find that their country has been invaded and their families taken prisoner. A fax left by one of their parents warns them to "go bush," but that is easier said than done. First, they have to evade patrols, rescue one of their crew, blow up the bridge that serves as the main artery for the invading forces, and, eventually, grow up. In the midst of all the action, Marsden manages to work in a Swiss Family Robinson survival element, a little romance, and a lot of internal turmoil about man's justifications for hurting other human beings. In short, this suspenseful adventure story has something for everyone and just enough insight into what makes us tick in times of stress to allow readers to overlook the implausibility of the premise. It also provides an interesting look at the lives and concerns of Australian teens.� (Summary taken from http://libaccess.sjsu.edu:2100/member/csearch.htm)

(Helpful Sources: http://www.aave.com/; http://www.breakloose.com.au/)

8.) Lyons, Mary E. Letters from a Slave Girl : The Story of Harriet Jacobs. Publisher: New York: Scribner; Toronto: Maxwell Macmillan Canada; New York: Maxwell Macmillan International, c1992.

�For most of seven years, slave Harriet Jacobs hid in a garret seven feet wide, nine feet long, with a ceiling that sloped up from the floor to a high of three feet. The tiny cubicle had been quickly constructed between the roof and ceiling of a storeroom in her grandmother's house so that Harriet could escape the abuse of her master. Mary E. Lyons recounts the life of this indomitable woman through a series of fictionalized Letters from a Slave Girl. Addressed to family members and friends, they describe Harriet's childhood days, the harsh indignities of slavery, her escape to the tiny room and eventual freedom. Ms. Lyons based her letters on Harriet Jacobs' 1861 autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, and in a note to the readers explains what is fact and what is fiction. She also provides a drawing of Harriet's secret hiding place.� (Summary taken from http://libaccess.sjsu.edu:2100/member/csearch.htm)

(Helpful Teaching Sources: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/; http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/slavery.htm; http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart1.html; http://www.nps.gov/frdo/freddoug.html)

9.) Kehret, Peg. My brother made me do it. Publisher: New York: Pocket Books, 2000.

�JRA stands for rheumatoid arthritis, but eleven-year-old Julie Webb thinks it should stand for "Junky Rotten Afflication." Although it isn't a life threatening disease, it does cause many changes in her life. Her arms and legs ache, and she doesn't know if she'll be able to compete in the talent show or the year end fun run. Julie's friends, and her younger brother, Frankie, rally around her in a way that will make you cheer. Told through Julie's letters to her eighty-nine year old pen pal, this warm and funny book will have you laughing out loud one minute and wiping tears from your eyes the next.� (Summary taken from http://libaccess.sjsu.edu:2100/member/csearch.htm)

(Helpful Teaching Sources: http://www.bupa.co.uk/health_information/html/health_news/190703addic.html; http://www.freedomyou.com/level%202/FOOD%20ADDICTION%20GUIDE.htm)

10.) Lasky, Kathryn. Mary, Queen of Scots, Queen Without a Country. Publisher: New York: Scholastic, c2002.

�In this fictional journal in the Royal Diary series, Lasky focuses on a relatively stable period in the young queen's life--her time in France, betrothed to the Dauphin Francis. As in her previous titles about queens in the series--Elizabeth 1 (1999) and Marie Antoinette (2000)--here Lasky creates a voice that's both accessible and believable, deftly incorporating historical detail and the intricacies of court life and behavior while showing the teenage queen as a compelling, independent character who still fights with her friends, yearns for her mother, and experiments with outfits and makeup, with some near-disastrous results. A useful historical note helps separate fact from fiction, and, as in others in the series, a family tree and handsome portraits round out the back matter. A lively, well-written novel for both personal reading and curricular use. Suggest Jane Yolen and Robert Harris' Queen's Own Fool (2000) to readers who want more about Mary.� (Summary taken from http://libaccess.sjsu.edu:2100/member/csearch.htm)

(Helpful Teaching Sources: http://www.royal-stuarts.org/mary_1.htm; http://members.aol.com/skyelander/mary.html; http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/hob/index.shtml)