Module 6

Fantasy

BIBLIOGRAPHY

DiCamillo, K. (2014). Flora and Ulysses: The illuminated adventures. Ill. by K. G. Campbell.  Somerville: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763660406.

PLOT SUMMARY

Flora Belle Buckman has deemed herself a cynic, especially since her parents divorce.  Little does she know her life is about to take an unsuspecting turn in the form of a squirrel.  Her neighbor, Mrs. Wickham accidentally runs over a squirrel with a high powered vacuum.  After Flora rescues the squirrel, she names him Ulysses, after the vacuum.  Ulysses has developed super powers as a result of his near-death experience with the vacuum.  He also begins to write poetry on her mother’s typewriter.  Flore and Ulysses forms and bond that her mother is determined to break, leaving Flora feeling unloved.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Flora and Ulysses, by Katie DiCamillo and illustrated by K.G. Campbell is a cute story of friendship and family.  Campbells comic laced illustrations in pencil are well blended to subtly enhance both shadow and light.  The illustrations are spread throughout the text and provide strong support of DiCamillo’s laugh-out-loud text.

REVIW EXCERPTS

“The very witty text and droll comic book style black and white illustrations perfectly relay the all too hilarious adventures of Flora, Ulysses, and a cast of eccentric characters who learn to believe in the impossible and have “capacious” hearts.” -Kirkus Review, Starred Review

“Campbell’s full page and spot pencil illustrations accentuate the mood, while interspersed comic book pages “illuminate” Ulysses’ superhero adventures and serve as a nice visual complement to Flora’s love of comics.” -Horn Book

CONNECTIONS

This would be a nice resource to teach diversity in friendship.

  

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gaiman, N. (2008). The graveyard book [Audiobook].  Retrieved from  https://www.hoopladigital.com/title11588418.

PLOT SUMMARY

Nobody “Bod” Owens wants to be a normal boy, but he finds this rather difficult as he lives in a graveyard and is being raised by its supernatural residents. Bod, who is human, is the sole survivor of a mysterious murder plot which claimed his entire family.  Bod has been granted full access to the graveyard to protect his life and, after a time, is free to interact with the human world.  Although Bod tries to become acclimated with the world outside the graveyard, with some difficulty, he doesn’t give up, even into his teen years, and neither does the deadly evil which, all these years later, still seeks him out.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The Graveyard Book, authored by Neil Gaiman and narrated by Derek Jacobi, is an enthralling tale of fantasy and adventure.  Each chapter is punctuated at the beginning and end with some lively, but lightly sinister music.  Although Jacobi speaks with an accent, he enunciates each word clearly and has a talent for conveying the emotion of the speaker and tone of the situation all while creeping the reader out.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

“This is not yet another silly little fantasy novel, but something with weight and depth.” -School Library Journal

“When the chilling moments do come they are genuinely frightening as only Gaiman can make them and redeem any shortcomings.” -Publisher’s Weekly

CONNECTIONS

This format of The Graveyard Book would be useful as a model of how fluid reading sounds.

BIBLIOGRAPY

Telgemeier, R. (2010). Smile. New York: Graphix.

PLOT SUMMARY

Raina is a happy-go lucky pre-teen who falls down and damages her two front teeth one night.  She and her family discover she will have to undergo multiple oral procedures over a long period of time which will affect her appearance.  Raina struggles to find acceptance no only with her friends and family, but with herself.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In this graphic memoir, Raina Telgemeier catalogs the physical and emotional effects she suffered through after an oral injury in her pre-teens.  She is open and honest about her experience through the sharing of some painfully embarrassing events.  The story has a fluid balance that chronicles her numerous dental visits between her attempts at navigating the pitfalls of being a teenager.  The brightly hued illustrations bring Raina’s personal turmoil and triumph to life with vivid facial expressions and body language.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

“This book should appeal to tweens looking for a story that reflects their fears and experiences and gives them hope that things get easier.” -Publisher’s Weekly

“Drawing on a deceptively simple style, Telgemeier has a knack for synthesizing the preadolescent experience in a visual medium.” -New York Times

CONNECTIONS

This would be good in a middle school drama class where portions of this book can be assigned to different groups, and have each one develop a script for one act.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Telgemeier, R (2016). Ghosts. New York: Graphix.

PLOT SUMMARY

Cat is not happy her family has moved to Bahia de la Luna, California, but her sister Maya suffers from cystic fibrosis and the change in climate would be good for her health.  The girls are told that ghosts inhabit their new town, which excites Maya, but Cat is skeptical.  Their friend and neighbor, Carlos takes them to meet the ghosts, but they accidentally injure Maya, causing her to require hospitalization. Cat is angry about what happened to Maya and takes it out on Carlos and wants nothing more to do with ghosts.  However, when Maya creates and alter for their late grandmother, Cat must face her fears and they both learn death is only a loss of life, not love.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Author and illustrator Raina Telgemeier does a wonderful job of using the cultural Dia de los Muertos celebration to broach the subjects of childhood illness and death in the book, Ghosts. The book is broken down by months instead of chapters, giving the reader a broader sense of time, which also supports character development.  The text includes a mixture of English and Spanish dialogue to which further authenticates the cultural aspect of the book.  Although the events of story are indeed fantastical, it can certainly open the conversation gateway about death with a child.  Telgemeier’s colorful illustrations are fantastic at conveying emotion through facial expression.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

“Telegemeier deftly weaves serious topics through the breezy presentation and masterfully and concisely adds layers of meaning with small gestures that subtly nudge at feelings about death.” -Booklist, Starred Review

“Telgemeier’s  bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and unable to put down this compelling tale.” ­-Kirkus Review, Starred Review

CONNECTIONS

This book could be paired with a nonfiction text on cultural celebrations.