Claire's Literary Lounge

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Howden, Sarah. (2022). Illustrated by Erika Rodriguez Medina. THE TUNNEL. Owlkids Books. ISBN: 978-1771474276 2. PLOT SUMMARY When something bad happens to a little boy, he feels like running away despite his mom and aunt trying to help. So, he digs a tunnel in his room and escapes, but soon realizes that he wants to go back. His mom tells him it’s okay if he wants his own space but the important part is that he returns. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS This story doesn’t focus on a specific event happening, but rather centers on the emotions and coping mechanisms after the event has occurred. No details are given as to why the little boy is sad and only the first sentence mentions anything happening at all. This works in the book’s favor to broaden the relatability and interest to the audience. It is possible to infer that the boy has lost his father due to his mother being alone and the aunt coming to help out, but that is mostly speculation. Other readers could interpret it dif...

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Fox, Mem. (1998). Illustrated by Pamela Lofts. KOALA LOU. Voyager. ISBN: 978-0152000769 2. PLOT SUMMARY In this sweet story about a mother’s love, Koala Lou is the oldest out of all her siblings and feels overlooked. In order to gain her mother’s attention, she signs up for the Bush Olympics but comes in second much to her disappointment. However, Koala Lou learns that her mother’s love is unconditional and it doesn’t matter if she lost or how many siblings she has, her mother will always be there for her. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The story was set in Australia, a fact that the author reinforces with a koala being the main character and entering into a competition called the Bush Olympics. The illustrations in this story were realistic, sharp, and colorful, paired with expressive faces and body language of the animals. The emotions expressed were obvious and matched with the story very well. When Koala Lou was happy all her teeth were showing and when she was sad, her head...

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Raschke, Jens. (2019). Illustrated by Jens Rassmus. Translated by Belinda Cooper. DO FISH SLEEP? Enchanted Lion Books. ISBN: 978-1592702855 2. PLOT SUMMARY In this story about coping with death and loss, big sister Jette loses her younger brother Emil to a terminal illness. She describes his passing, his funeral, and various emotions of grief and relief that she feels. The author has her wonder about death and what it really means and what happens to those left behind. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The author does a superior job of writing from a kid’s perspective about what they think death is like and describing the grief they feel about losing a loved one. Though heaven is mentioned, he doesn’t go into any specific religions and has the kid remain rather ambiguous about a higher power of any sort. This decision allows for the book to reach more audiences and provides a frank and truthful outlook on the questions kids have about death. Throughout the book, the author goes thr...

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Cuthew, Lucy. (2022). BLOOD MOON. Walker Books. ISBN: 978-1536225785 2. PLOT SUMMARY In this story, a teenager named Frankie has her first sexual experience with a boy he really likes and starts her period. They agree it’s only blood, but soon a meme goes around shaming her and the moment they shared. This creates a situation for online bullying, and now Frankie has to navigate high school and struggles with deciding who to trust during this highly emotional event. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The author addresses a rather taboo subject in many parts of the world, menstruation. Specifically, she discusses it during an intimate moment that quickly becomes public knowledge in the school and surrounding area with students and other young people. Her discourse is open and honest with her vocabulary about blood, orgasms, and period symptoms, which is refreshing when content involving menstruation is usually brushed over or hidden behind vague language. Incorporating the cyberbullyi...

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Lamb, Sacha. (2024). WHEN THE ANGELS LEFT THE OLD COUNTRY. Levine Querido. ISBN: 2. PLOT SUMMARY An angel and demon from the Jewish religion embark on a journey to America, leaving their homeland for the first time in an attempt to rescue one of their own villagers whom they believe is in trouble. Along the way they run into the challenges of traveling to a new land, being outsiders, and making some friends along the way. They uncover a conspiracy that traps Jewish immigrants into debt and focus on taking down the men causing trouble for the community. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The author embeds Judaism seamlessly into this story depicting an angel and demon teaming up together to stop the exploitation of their people who are relocating to the United States. Even though this novel is a fantasy, the author still embeds real struggles faced by immigrants such as having to send money back to family, over working and getting underpaid, the possibility and reality of getting den...

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Johnson, Angela. (2010). THE FIRST PART LAST. Simon & Schuster BFYR. ISBN: 978-1442403437 2. PLOT SUMMARY At the age of 16, Bobby has a kid with his longtime girlfriend, Nia. Bobby now has to adjust to his new life of taking care of a baby and not having Nia by his side. As any teenager, he makes some right decisions and some wrong and struggles with his mother frequently regarding his new responsibilities. In the end, he moves to a new town with his father in hopes of being able to start over and be the best father he can to his child. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS In this story, the author depicts the real struggles of being a new father, specifically a new teenage father. The content of the story is relevant and relatable to teens now and portrays a boy trying to do his best for his daughter. Focusing on what’s important, redirecting priorities, and accepting responsibility are themes shown throughout the book and can be relatable to all readers. Incorporating the loss o...

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Thomas, Angie. (2021). CONCRETE ROSE. Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers. ISBN: 978-0062846716 2. PLOT SUMMARY This story details the life of a seventeen year old African American boy named Maverick living in the city. He belongs to a local gang and deals drugs in order to help his mom pay the bills until he finds out that he’s going to be a father. He tries to provide for his son by legal means but his cousin is murdered, his former gang is looking for revenge, and he finds out he’s going to be a father again. He slips back into the life he knows and struggles coming to terms with his cousin’s death, being a new dad, and trying to finish school. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS This book discusses the significant topics of drug dealing, gangs, teen pregnancy, poverty, and murder. The author doesn’t shy away from any of the difficult topics she addresses. Instead, she hits them head on with an openness that is striking at first, but needed in order to relate to r...

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Gaiman, Neil. (2008). Illustrated by Dave McKean. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. HarperCollins Pub. ISBN: 9780060530921 2. PLOT SUMMARY This story follows Nobody ‘Bod’ Owens from the time he was a baby to a teenager. He escapes death from a skilled killer who believes Bod is part of a prophecy that will take down his evil organization. Bod finds safety in a graveyard where a strange caretaker and ghosts raise him. The novel follows his journey of trying to exist between the life of the living and the dead all while avoiding the killer that murdered his family. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS This fantasy novel revolving around ghosts, magic, and monsters involves a mystery that takes years to solve. The different aspects such as Bod learning how to fade and dream walk and being the only one from the living who is able to interact with the dead of the graveyard, follow the fantasy trope that the main character is somehow different from others. This provides a unique contrast with his name, No...

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Ryan, Pam Munoz (2015). ECHO: A NOVEL. Scholastic Press. ISBN: 9780439874021 2. PLOT SUMMARY This story follows the path of a harmonica that is possessed by the spirits of three sisters who are trapped in a cottage in the woods until the curse that was given to them by their caretaker can be broken. The harmonica finds its way across the globe being passed to three different people over the span of ten years. Each of their story’s is about the bonds of family, the struggles of war, and deciding who to trust in the most difficult of times. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS This tale weaves together three unique stories in a masterful way. Three different characters, three different families, and three completely different lives, but this story binds them together through a harmonica and a mission that they didn’t even know they were participating in. In this low historical fantasy novel, the author addresses intolerance, ignorance, poverty, and war through the lives of the main chara...

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Jamieson, Victoria, Mohamed, Omar, & Geddy, Iman (2020). WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED. Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9780525553915 2. PLOT SUMMARY This graphic novel was about two brothers who live in a refugee camp in Kenya after having to flee Somalia. The older brother struggles with taking care of his younger brother, who has a learning disability. He learns to balance school, his social life, and chores while hoping that one day they are able to be one of the lucky few who get picked to relocate in America or Canada. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The narrator is a young boy and the author does a good job of writing the story and dialogue to match his age. Their complex lives involve hard topics such as marrying as a teenager, war, drugs, and resettlement are all addressed and told in a way for teens who may have never encountered these issues to understand. The author is also able to show throughout the novel the bonds bound in blood such as Omar caring for Hassan an...

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Hale, Nathan. (2021). ONE DEAD SPY: THE LIFE, TIMES, AND LAST WORDS OF NATHAN HALE, AMERICA’S MOST FAMOUS SPY. Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams. ISBN: 9781419757266 2. PLOT SUMMARY This graphic novel took the real life spy Nathan Hale to tell tales of history. In this first installment in the series, he told his story and how it is tied in with the revolutionary war. Nathan Hale was to be hanged for spy crimes, but was swallowed up by the Big Book of History instead, and then he told an English Soldier and the Hangman what he had seen, thus putting off his execution. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The author breaks down the facts of the revolutionary war through a failed American spy in this graphic novel. He is able to fit in real drawings, maps, and diagrams while still making way for humorous dialogue and pictures including a few fourth wall breaks. By focusing on Nathan Hale as a level headed trustworthy narrator, the author is able to make the Hangmen act as a simple-mind...

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Wolk, Lauren. (2018). BEYOND THE BRIGHT SEA. Puffin Books. ISBN: 9781101994870 2. PLOT SUMMARY Crow is an orphan found and raised by Osh and Maggie on a tiny island. As she grows up, she wonders where she came from and who her parents were. With Osh and Maggie’s help, this starts her on a journey of discovery and learning where she belongs. A greedy thief antagonizes them throughout the journey, but they ultimately triumph, and though some mysteries are left unsolved, Crow accepts the loss of the life she could have had and strengthens her bond with her adoptive father Osh. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Set in the 1920s, the story focuses on the life of a twelve year old orphaned girl. Though race is not explicitly mentioned, the author gives enough hints to the reader that the characters are all different. With Osh’s “sing songy language” and accent, and then Crow’s skin that was “like Osh’s after six months in the sun". She notes their differences to plant the seed of cu...

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Gantos, Jack. (2011). DEAD END IN NORVELT (Audible). Narrated by Jack Gantos. Macmillan Publishing Group LLC. Harrisonburg, Virginia. ISBN: 9781250010230 2. PLOT SUMMARY In this story, the main character Jack gets grounded for the whole summer and ends up helping his elderly neighbor Ms.Volker. She writes for the town’s newspaper and gets Jack to type up the obituary columns for her. The summer turns into a hilarity of adventures including being the middle-man between his feuding parents and reveals a mystery: all the elderly people in the town are dying. Jack and Ms. Volker uncovered the mystery all while dealing with Jack’s frequent nosebleeds. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The audiobook for this story was narrated by the author himself Jack Gantos. The cadence and persona he brought to the voice of Jack sounded natural. Gantos displayed Jack’s mischievous character, his disgust at the embalming process, and his curiosity during the fires that any twelve year old exhibits, all...

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Vawter, Vince. (2013). PAPERBOY. Random House USA Inc., New York. ISBN: 9780307931511 2. PLOT SUMMARY An eleven year old boy referred to as “Little Man” takes up a paper route for his friend for a month one summer in the 1950s. The story follows his interactions with the people he meets, his family, and a meddlesome thief. Along with navigating these newly formed relationships and changes in his life, he works on communicating with others and accepting his stutter as a part of himself. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The structure of the story is a boy typing on his typewriter and the author follows through with this theme. There are no indentations for the paragraphs, no quotations around dialogue, and is written in a stream of consciousness style. One of the main focuses is on the narrator’s stutter, which he writes out as well with a series of “s-s-s-s” before his hard to say words. This may be repetitive or become annoying after a while, but reflects the true feelings of livin...

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Cushman, Karen. (2019). CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY. HarperCollins. New York, NY. ISBN: 9781328631114 2. PLOT SUMMARY In this story, Catherine, a thirteen year old girl, details her life via journal entries as she navigates her life as a nobleman's daughter. She tells of each of her rebellious actions to keep from marrying various suitors and her avoidance of her duties as a “lady”. The book takes place over the course of a full year and starts with Catherine rejecting what was expected of her to her eventual acceptance and learning to take control of her life in the ways that she’s able. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The story takes place in the thirteenth century with an authenticity that is palatable to young readers. The frank honesty of the times in regards to gender roles, marital expectations, and child rearing is done well as the author explains it through the point of view of the main character. As a young girl, almost woman in those times, the main character is expecte...

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Fleming, Candace. (2014). THE FAMILY ROMANOV: MURDER, REBELLION, & THE FALL OF IMPERIAL RUSSIA. Schwartz & Wade Books. ISBN 9780375867828 2. PLOT SUMMARY Candace Fleming is the author of The Family Romanov, which tells the true story of the upheaval in Russia under Nicholas Romanov’s leadership which leads to the eventual demise of his family. This account goes into depth about the discord in Russia and how poorly it was handled by Czar Nicholas II and delves into his personal life, showing his struggles as a leader and a father caring for a sick son. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The author organized this book into parts and then chapters and then sections. The sections help breakdown the sheer mass of information that is provided and needed in this book to understand the Romanov leadership and how it started going ary. The reason that the Romanovs were executed is not simple or easy, but the author lays out the unrest, revolution, and changes in power that span over a ...

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bartoletti, Susan. C. (2014). THEY CALLED THEMSELVES THE K.K.K.: THE BIRTH OF AN AMERICAN TERRORIST GROUP. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780544225824 2. PLOT SUMMARY This book details the rise of the K.K.K., the Klu Klux Klan. It starts at the end of the civil war to show why the group started and continues through their rise to power, the violence they instigated, and the investigation that ensued into their cult. Using pictures, illustrations, journal entries, and direct quotes to show multiple perspectives, the author Susan Campbell Bartoletti gives a detailed and factual account of the K.K.K’s impact throughout the years. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS With pictures, illustrations, or excerpts on every page, this book provides detailed evidence and factual accounts that allow the reader to have multiple points of view of the K.K.K. and the power they held over the region. The author doesn’t hold back in detailing their violence and the effects they ...

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Montgomery, Sy. (2007). Photographs by Nic Bishop. THE TARANTULA SCIENTIST. Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 9780618915774 2. PLOT SUMMARY This book by Sy Montgomery follows a tarantula scientist Sam Marshall and his exploration through the rainforest in French Guiana. Montgomery details tarantula facts along with Marshall’s tasks as a scientist to help preserve, study, and help these creatures. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS This nonfiction book is full of facts that the author has put together by focusing his story around the scientist Sam Marshall. The author uses Marshall’s research methods and dialogue to help explain tarantula habitats, behavior, and physical features. For example, when describing spider behavior the author uses Marshall’s dialogue, “Ooh, she’s reared up, and not very pleased with me.” This shows a tarantula’s reaction when it feels threatened, providing facts without listing them out in a mundane manner. This book also includes tarantula facts at the end of ...

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Jenkins, Steve., & Page, Robin. (2008). WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A TAIL LIKE THIS? Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 9780618997138 2. PLOT SUMMARY This book combs through unique features of various animals involving the use of their noses, ears, tails, eyes, feet, and mouths. Jenkins provides the facts on the importance of these features while Page provides the illustrations that help bring context to the information. The types of animals featured include reptiles, fish, mammals, and insects. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Appropriate for elementary aged children, this book details numerous facts about common and uncommon animals. As the book goes through the different features, there is a page that zooms in on the body part being analyzed and the following pages act as a spread zooming out on those images and explaining how that animal uses their anatomy to their advantage. The layout of the images is pleasing as it allows the reader to read from left to right or hop around the page and rea...