American President: A Reference Resource

I have a two-page report due on Monday!!!

American President: A Reference Resource at http://millercenter.org/president

Plot: The Miller Center provides this online resource about all American Presidents. Each president has his own page listing basic information as well as a brief review of the presidency's highlights. Additionally, the pages include links to the presidents' life before and after their term. The pages also offer links about the specific president's family, cabinet, running mates, and speeches.

Genre: History, Websites

Reading Level: Some of the text is elaborate, but it remains fairly accessible.

Similar Titles: The Presidents: The Whitehouse, POTUS --Presidents of the United States

Personal Thoughts: The title seems fairly simplistic at first, but offers an almost overwhelming amount of information. It is an ideal resource for someone seeking a better understanding of the presidency. Or a tween stuck with a little-known president for a school paper (I always got the really obscure or unpopular ones. Always.).

King George: What Was His Problem? Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About the American Revolution

Just sittin' on my book

Sheinkin, Steve. King George: What Was His Problem? Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About the American Revolution. New York : Roaring Brook Press, 2008.

Plot: Everyone has heard the story of the American Revolution. Few, though, take the time to discover the complete story. The war quickly expanded beyond the English vs. Americans. Germans and French troops also contributed greatly to the battles and direction of the new nation. Additionally, actors, noblewoman, politicians, minorities, women, and children also left their mark. The American Revolution, like so many important historical events, involved much more than many assume.

Genre: History

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Similar Titles: Two Miserable Presidents: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About the Civil War, The Real Benedict Arnold

Personal Thoughts: Sheinkin gathered many of the stories in the title through his years as a textbook writer. He explains that he always found them interesting, but never had the opportunity to include them in his books. The title provides him with the opportunity to describe often-ignored individuals, opinions, and groups in the war, making the event seem less historical and more relatable. Also, the book make a point to include some of the more humorous and tragic aspects of the War for Independence. 

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Think of the children!

Baum, Frank L. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Chicago : Reilly & Lee, 1956.

Plot: The classic story describing the journey of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion to the mythical city of Oz. Dorothy desperately wishes to return to Kansas, while her friends want to support her through any way possible. All of their hopes depend on the elusive and temperamental wizard of Oz, who has wishes and needs of his own.

Genre: Fantasy

Reading Level: Grades 4-12

Similar Titles: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Ozma of Oz

Personal Thoughts: After reading another one of Baum's titles, I expected the book to offer another timeless story.

I was wrong.

To be fair, the titles still utilizes sympathetic, comprehensible characters combined with classic fairy tale elements, which was fairly revolutionary at its time. Unfortunately, some of those elements do not age well. Such situations include the enslavement of Dorothy, the kiss of the Witch of the North, and the liquid courage given to the lion. Additionally, the Scarecrow and Tin Man kill forty crows, a wildcat, and forty wolves via beheading. Such events do not settle well with modern sensibilities. Also, the book contains several elements that are simply weird without actually adding to the story, such as the land of china figures and the mountain head-shots. While the story is certainly not among the worst, it is not really child-friendly anymore.

Leaving China: An Artist Paints His World War II Childhood

All the feels

McMullan, James. Leaving China: An Artist Paints His World War II Childhood. Chapel Hill, North Carolina : Algonquin, 2014.

Plot: The descendent of well-to-do businessmen in China, Jimmy seems destined to be a happy, if timid, boy. Then rumors of war from Japan approached his home in Cheefoo. Jimmy and his mother get sent to the United States, while his father remains in China. While Jimmy moves across the world, his mother can no longer access the assets in China, causing her to rely more and more on family, good looks, and attractive personalities to provide for her and her son. Jimmy's father dies in China, just after the war ends. The boy must make his peace with loss, moving, and fear while learning about himself as he is, instead of who his parents want him to be.

Genre: History, Picture Books, Biography

Similar Titles: Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights, Angel Island: Gateway to Gold Mountain

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Personal Thoughts: The title has something strangely addicting to it. While I have mentioned grief can be difficult to convey effectively to tweens, the title is not purely sad. True, it has a lot of sad elements, including war, loss, and disappointment, but it does not rely on the emotional push of these elements. It is not a story of sorrow, but a story of a little boy trying to make sense of the world. McMullan writes appropriately for a young reader and does not gloss over genuinely difficult concepts, but he remains okay and he makes sure his audience knows it. In a weird but undeniable way, it is a story of hope.

Have a Hot Time, Hades!

Shocking!

McMullan, Kate. Have a Hot Time, Hades! New York ; Volo/Hyperion, 2002.

Plot: Hades, Lord of the Underworld, is actually an avid reader. However, he becomes irate when he reads his brother's published description of the Olympians' rise to power. Determined to reveal the truth, he writes this text. Zeus, he reveals, was rescued and guided by his mother. His siblings, including Hades, actually provided order and organization to the formation of the Age of Olympians. Zeus just uses his children to vote himself as overall leader. Additionally, the titans fell to a ten-year ballgame, the organization of the universe depended on a round of poker, and the heroic actions of Zeus were anything but.

Genre: Humor, Myth

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Similar Titles: Phone Home, Persephone!, It's All Greek to Me

Personal Thoughts: Written three years before Percy Jackson, the series focuses on Greek myths through both a humorous and modern tone. According to modern sensibilities, much of the Greek gods' behavior was...questionable. Throwing in modern references and ample humor, the title offers a funny and oddly relatable story.

He Has Shot the President

Brown, Don. He Has Shot the President. New York : Roaring Brook Press, 2014.

Plot: The book follows the events leading and following the assassination of President Lincoln. Booth managed to gain a group of like-minded people determined to undermine the North by eliminating the nation's leadership. The shock of the nation allows the group to escape, it also lead to a previous unseen amount of united fury. Ending Lincoln did not end the North. It finished Booth and every one of his co-conspirators.

Genre: History

Reading Level: Grades 1-4

Similar Title: America is Under Attack: September 11, 2001, Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever

Personal Thoughts: The title brings attention to a situation usually dismissed. True, most history classes discuss the fact that Lincoln was killed, but the motivations, actions, and people involved are often ignored. History is made of people, and reflecting on their past actions allow readers to think critically about their current effects. The text allows this to happen.