Getting Away with Murder--Reading Journal

Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case
By Chris Crowe

When Americans think back to the 1950s, we eagerly remember the rise of rock and roll, poodle skirts, and idealistic life as portrayed by the sit-coms Leave it to Beaver and Happy Days. We would rather forget the dark underbelly of societal behavior during that era showcased in attitudes of racial haughtiness and intolerance, validated by unjust laws like the Jim Crow Laws, and enacted by bigoted vigilantes such as Roy Bryant and J. W. Milam in the kidnapping and murdering of Emmett Till.

As I read Chris Crowe’s Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case, I felt astounded, angry, ashamed, horrified, and sickened by the details of Emmett Till’s murder and the trial that followed. I’m not sure if prompting all of those emotions was among Chris Crowe’s objectives as he researched and wrote this account; however, if (at the very least) his objective was to educate for the purpose of preventing history from repeating itself, his purpose took root in me. I believe that few readers could read this book without some emotional response, which makes it a perfect read for middle school (7th & 8th graders) or high school readers. Other points that make it ideal for this age include the following: (1) the victim is a teenager; (2) the reading level is not difficult—it might require some attention to specialized vocabulary (legal terms and regional terms); (3) the pictures (especially the thumbnail-size pictures at the beginning of each chapter) reinforce and (in some cases) clarify the text; and (4) the content is gruesome in parts; however, I never felt offended (disgusted, yes) by the pictured or printed content.

This would be a great book to partner with To Kill a Mockingbird or Huckleberry Finn. To Kill a Mockingbird is set in Alabama during the 1930s when the Jim Crow Laws were in full effect. Huckleberry Finn takes place in and along the banks of slave states prior to the Civil War when slave owners were at will to treat their slaves as they felt appropriate with no fear of legal repercussions. Reading and reacting to this historical event first, students may be able to appreciate Twain’s and Lee’s motivation behind their fictional novels.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid--Book Review

"A Twenty-first Century Charlie Brown" posted October 21, 2008
By
Ima Teach (Texas)

Online game developer/designer and now author Jeff Kinney introduces his audience to Greg Heffley, a rather puny, mildly popular, intellectual (but not interested in embracing that quality) middle schooler whose journal reflections will keep the reader chuckling. As with most middle school kids, Greg finds this time in his life wrought with lofty ideals, deflating disappointments, and intimidating challenges. His mother buys him a journal in which he chronicles his thoughts about his life and activities in and out of school. At school, his familiar and funny misdaventures include avoiding the cursed touch of the infamous aged, begrimed, and sun-fried cheese; attempting to boost his self-image by running a smear campaign to win a student council office; and wrestling in a form-fitting leotard in P.E. At home, he is sandwiched between his older brother Rodrick (who enjoys many more freedoms than Greg) and his annoying, over-indulged younger brother Manny (who gets EVERYTHING he asks for at Christmas).

The first of four books in a series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: A Novel in Cartoons became a #1 New York Times Bestseller. The reader need but read the first page to get a taste of the humor and enjoyment of Kinney's witty combination of text and cartoons:

"First of all, let me get something straight: This is a JOURNAL, not a diary...All I need is for some jerk to catch me carrying this book around and get the wrong idea. The other thing I want to clear up right away is
that this was MOM's idea, not mine."

Greg Heffley is a twenty-first century Charlie Brown--he just can't seem to catch a break. Readers from middle school through high school as well as adults will enjoy the good-intentioned, hilarious, and unfortunate antics of Greg Heffley.

Persepolis--Reading Journal

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
By Marjane Satrapi

I find history fascinating, and I enjoyed reading this book for the historical perspective it provided. I found, though, that I needed a little more background information about the Islamic Revolution to follow the storyline more easily. Satrapi provides a brief history in her introduction to the book; however, I had to read, reread, and look back in the book several times to keep the characters and events straight in my mind. I think that a teacher would have to provide quite a bit of background knowledge and specific vocabulary (ex. “dialectic materialism”) to adolescent readers for them to understand and relate to Persepolis.

The artwork in the novel is very vivid and moving. Typically when I read something that is unpleasant to imagine, it is very easy to skim over words. However, the bold images of Satrapi’s artwork ensured that I (the reader) took in concrete images of the words I was reading—torture and other atrocities.

Although Persepolis is an historical novel, it is also a memoir—and that of a young girl. This is what, I believe, would make it attractive to adolescent readers. Marji faces fear and drastic changes in her dress, schooling, and freedoms. She questions some of her own family’s practices and her leaders’ actions. She rebels in her own way against some of the practices with which she disagrees. Persepolis depicts Marji trying to understand, process, and react to what is going on in her world. We see her reactions (sometimes rebellious reactions) to both the political changes she faces as well as the rules of her parents. We also watch as she suffers through many personal losses. Though not faced with a political revolution, many teens and ‘tweens must deal with similar questions and life changes. Satrapi offers a voice of reason, an urging to stand up for convictions, yet a philosophy of forgiveness for her readers through Marji as well as the characters that advise and influence her.

Daisy Kutter: The Last Train--Video Book Talk

Daisy Kutter: The Last Train
by Kazu Kibuishi

Dairy of a Wimpy Kid--Reading Journal

Dairy of a Wimpy Kid
By Jeff Kinney

As I sat reading on the couch, using my husband as a back support, he was obviously reading along, for he kept chuckling. I’m sure he could relate to Greg somewhat, being one of the smallest boys in his class all through junior high. Any middle school boy, but especially those who fall at or below the average popularity rating, can relate to Greg and his quest for positive attention from his peers. Author Jeff Kinney does not sugarcoat Greg’s character at all—he is self-centered, opportunistic, and an inconsiderate friend. Perhaps that is what makes him so realistic. Aren’t all middle school boys (and girls for that matter) like that to some degree? Despite his faults, he is a likable character, and I had to laugh at all of his antics (and Kinney’s cartoons). He is honest (at least in his journal) and a kid that everyone can relate to. The book serves as a great springboard for discussions about friendship, perceptions, gender differences, honesty, and many other social issues that ‘tweens face on a daily basis.

I laughed consistently throughout the book, and it was an easy, quick read. I think upper elementary and middle school boys (and girls) would LOVE this book because they can relate to it so easily. The handwritten font as well as the cartoons would appeal to almost all readers, especially reluctant readers, in my opinion. However, I found that it was a little episodic; and, although the ending is logical and fitting, it was something of a let- down to me—a little abrupt with not much of a resolution. I found myself thinking, “That’s the end?!” I’m not sure what I was looking for. Perhaps I was wanting to see more evidence that Greg grows and learns from his mistakes a little more at the end. With the diary format, though, I’m not sure if a more self-reflective ending would have worked as well (nor would it be very realistic for a middle-school boy :-)).

Craft Lesson #2--Daisy Kutter: The Last Train

CRAFT LESSON #2: Picture This! Putting Words to Pictures (ESL 9 – 12)

Materials: Daisy Kutter: The Last Train (Second Edition: August 2006) by Kazu Kibuishi
Present and Past Tense Verbs (Handout)*
Pen and Paper

TEKS: (ESL III) 1ABC, 3AB, 6AE, 7F

DISCUSSION: Many times, ELLs have difficulty with writing in the past tense. This activity provides an opportunity for ELLs to work with the past tense. Because Daisy Kutter is a graphic novel, it gives ELLs the opportunity to see the action, discuss what is
happening in each frame, and then write about what is happening in each frame in the past tense. Prior to this activity, ELLs build their own word bank of past tense verbs by completing a Verb Tense worksheet. (This activity should be a post-reading activity).

HOW TO TEACH IT:
Review the difference between present tense and past tense verbs. Distribute the Present and Past Tense Verbs handout.* The handout lists the following regular and irregular verbs in present tense: aim, shoot, fly, enter, disappear, wait, drop, look, find, climb, grab, open, see, turn, is, hold, and make. When the students have completed the verb tense handout, have them look at pages 140 – 143 in Daisy Kutter. In these pages, Daisy defeats the “world’s first remote-controlled heavy artillery” machine with a single rifle shot. The action, though, is conveyed only through pictures and a few instances of onomatopoeia. As they are viewing these frames, ask them to tell you what is happening in each frame. Once you have discussed the action together, ask them to write a paragraph describing the action of those frames in past tense. They may use the lined text box on the back of their Past Tense Verbs handout.* Remind them to use past tense verbs. The verbs on their handout should provide a helpful word bank for suitable past tense verbs.

Extension: (for more advanced ELLs) Have the students brainstorm synonyms (or look in a thesaurus) for each of the past tense verbs listed on the handout. Then have them write the present and past tense forms of these verbs as well. Encourage your students to use the synonyms in their descriptions of the Daisy Kutter’s face-off with the robot.


*If you would like a copy of the handout, please e-mail me.

Daisy Kutter--Reading Journal

Daisy Kutter: The Last Train
By Kazu Kibuishi

I read comic books when I was young; however, I have never read a graphic novel before. I found myself engrossed in the plot line and intrigued by the characters, especially Daisy Kutter. The basic storyline was familiar—a retired outlaw agrees to one last gig; however, it was refreshing to have a female as the Western protagonist. She is a pretty spunky character, too. Kibuishi draws her as an adorably cute young lady—boyish figure, blonde curls, and wispy bangs that fall over her eyes—reminiscent of the flower for which she’s named. In personality, she is independent, trenchant, sassy, confident, strong, and assertive; yet she is far from being a one-dimensional character. She is also impulsive and slightly sentimental. I think this book presents some interesting discussion material; for example, how do girls strike a balance between being feminine and being strong and capable? This book also opens the door for discussions about crossing perceived gender barriers.

I found the mixture of science-fiction with Western refreshing. It reminded me a little of the first Star Wars movies with the desert setting dotted with robots and robotic animals. Kutter’s cannon-strength shotgun was awesome, and the transformer killing machine on the train and the Winters hologram were creative additions to standard Western confrontations.

I’m not sure if Kibuishi purposefully drew the characters as such, but Bloom and Tom had square faces and lines—it seemed complementary to me in that they were both flat, or one-dimensional, characters. Kutter is all sharp angles except her face and hair, which are softer and rounder—all of which fit her personality.

I think it would be difficult to use a graphic novel such as Daisy Kutter as a class novel, simply because so much of the story must be perceived through the pictures. Having said that, I do think using the frames that just show action (with no words) in graphic novels like this one would create a great opportunity to teach students about how important it also is in writing to capture a moment in time with words and create pictures with words. It would be an interesting activity to have students see how effectively they could recreate the final confrontation between Winters and Kutter (pp. 134 – 143) with words and capture the tension and emotion of the moment.

While I enjoyed the novel, I would be very selective of the students to whom I might recommend this book. I think the content is suitable for middle school but not the language. Perhaps it is because of the brevity of written story, but the course language stands out. I realize that Kibuishi probably purposefully gave Daisy’s language a rough edge to support her rough persona; however, I would not use it with students younger than 10th grade.