A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

Bibliography
Park, Linda Sue. 2001. A SINGLE SHARD. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0395978270

Plot Summary
Set in the 12th-century Korea, an orphan named Tree Ear is raised by an older gentleman named Crane-man in a potter’s village. The pair lives under a brigde, and survives off of rubbish and rice. Tree Ear begins to follow the work of a talented potter who catches him snooping around his house after breaking some of his work. To repay his debt, Tree Ear begins to work for the potter, and then stays on to work for food and the hopes to learn the trade. Through very hard work and much selflessness readers will see Tree Ear grow through his experiences and know what it is like to live in this time period.

Critical Analysis
In Ch'ul'po, a potter’s village, an orphan named Tree Ear is raised by Crane-man who has one shriveled leg, which is how he got his name. The pair lives under a bridge when the weather is nice and in an old kimchee cellar during the winter months. They are able to survive off of rubbish and rice that has fallen on the ground. The two work hard for everything they have, because in this time period “stealing and begging…make a man no better than a dog.” Park gives readers vivid images with her writing throughout to allow a true connection with Tree Ear.

Around the age of 12, Tree Ear accidentally breaks a rectangular lidded box by Min, who is considered the most talented craftsman in the town. To repay his dept, Tree Ear will work for Min for nine days completing task like chopping wood and cutting clay. During the nine days he builds a relationship with Min’s wife who is filling up his bowl with more food after he hides half of his lunch for Crane-Man. With completion of paying back his debt, Tree Ear stays on with Min to continue to help and get paid in food. During his work with Min, Tree Ear learns and experiences many new things. Including his biggest challenge of being sent on a journey to deliver two pieces of pottery created for Emissary Kim, but only arriving with a single shard due to trouble he runs into a long the way. Throughout the novel readers will be amazed with the determination Tree Ear has. Park does an award winning job in portraying a boy who must over come many obstacles to achieve his goal, and readers will be engaged throughout the book as Tree Ear encounters the ups and downs of his life.

Review Excerpts
Newbery Award
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Linda Sue Park's 2002 Newbery Award-winning story (Clarion, 2001) about Tree-ear, a 12th century Korean orphan who finds his future through his intuitive interest in the potter's trade, is nicely rendered.”
PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY: “Park (Seesaw Girl) molds a moving tribute to perseverance and creativity in this finely etched novel set in mid- to late 12th-century Korea.”

Connections
*Similar Books
BUD, NOT BUDDY. By Christopher Paul Curtis ISBN 043940200X
A YEAR DOWN YONDER. By Richard Peck ISBN 0142300705
KIRA-KIRA. By Cynthia Kadohata ISBN 0689856407
OUT OF THE DUST. By Karen Hesse ISBN 0590371258

The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

Bibliography
Curtis, Christopher Paul. 1997. THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM - 1963. New York: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0440414121

Plot Summary
In this humorous book about the Watson’s, readers will see the typical interactions and routines of an African-American family living in Flint, Michigan. This will all drastically change when the family goes to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963 to drop off the “official juvenile,” Bryon. In the cleaned up Ultra-Glide, the family will have a trip like no other, including being a part of one of the saddest moments in history.

Critical Analysis
Curtis uses a good mixture of drama and humor to write this unforgettable novel of the Weird Watson’s. Starting the story off on a very cold morning in their home in Flint, Michigan we can see comic features this book is going to have. Telling the story from a ten year old boy named Kenny, the middle brother; we get a creative story with a true understanding of all the characters.

All through, readers will see how a family’s closeness helps get them through the good and bad times. Like the decision to take Byron, the oldest son, who is an “official juvenile,” to Alabama to spend time with his grandmother to straighten up his bad behavior. Through the adventures, readers will laugh at events like Bryon getting his lips stuck to glass and cry when Joetta faces a bombing at a local church. From the beginning to the end, Curtis will show how African-Americans faced challenges of discrimination during the 60’s.

Review Excerpts
Newbery Honor Book
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Ribald humor, sly sibling digs, and a totally believable child's view of the world will make this book an instant hit”
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE: “The spectrum of emotions from comedy to tragedy make this a worthy Newbery Honor Book, 1996.”

Connections
*Other books similar to THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM – 1963
ESPERANZA RISING. By Pam Munoz Ryan. ISBN 043912042X
OUT OF THE DUST. By Karen Hesse. ISBN 0590371258
A LONG WAY FROM CHICAGO. By Richard Peck. ISBN 0141303522
A SINGLE SHARD. By Linda Sue Park. ISBN 0440418518

Children of the Great Depression by Russell Freedman

Bibliography
Freedman, Russell. 2005. CHILDREN OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 0618446303

Plot Summary
Russell Freedom tells of the American children of the Great Depression and how they were affected by the economic and social changes. From challenges of unemployment, lack of food and shelter, and the struggles of their parents, readers will finish this book with a true perceptive of the Great Depression. Freedom also includes photographs of the time that aid in the understanding of this time period and what children faced.

Critical Analysis
As many families faced much difficulty during the Great Depression, Freedman shows how the children of this time were affected. From poor and the starving, the Okies, and the boxcar kids, the lives of these children are captured in this historical book. Using information from sources like diaries and newspapers he portrays to readers an outstanding view. Freedman uses quotes from real children all through the book that helps readers see what they felt during those days. Like, “I have done a boy’s work ever since I was five years old,” written by a fourteen-year-old girl. Reading this shows how hard the children of that time worked to help their family stay afloat.

Also, incorporated throughout are pictures by photographers like Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange, which creates a vivid picture of what life was like during that time. Pictures from a sharecropper and his family to children of the dust bowl, these captured photographs gives readers a true glimpse. With the combination of a well written words and interesting black-and-white photographs Freedman generated a must read book.

Review Excerpts
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Few authors are as well suited as Freedman to present a clear and understandable outline of this period.”
PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY: “A Photobiography, tackles the Great Depression with the same flair as he does in his previous books.”

Connections
*CHILDREN OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION would be a great addition to use in classes that are studying this time period.
*Similar books
THE FORBIDDEN SCHOOLHOUSE: THE TRUE AND DRAMATIC STORY OF PRUDENCE CRANDALL AND HER STUDENTS. By Suzanne Jurmain. ISBN 0618473025
DUST TO EAT: DROUGHT AND DEPRESSION IS THE 1930S. By Michael L. Cooper. ISBN 0618154493
CHILDREN OF THE DUST BOWL: THE TRUE STORY OF THE SCHOOL AT WEEDPATCH CAMP. By Jerry Stanley. ISBN 0517880946
HITLER YOUTH. By Susan Campbell Bartoletti. ISBN 0439353793