The Realm of Possibility

The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan, published by Borzoi / Alfred A. Knopf; 1st edition (August 10, 2004)


Plot: The Realm of Possbility does not a have a continuous plot; rather, it is a collection of prose-poetry (in free verse) that jumps from character to character who are all experiencing the same sort of emotions within the same high school. They're isolated, confused teens without a good sense of who they are or where they're going, which provides a great sense of relatability (I would think) for the teens of today. Each story involves different circumstances and perspective, but the interrelatedness of the stories becomes quickly apparent.


Analysis: This story excels at something that most teens are lacking--the ability to jump from one's initial perspective to that of another's. By dramatically bringing together these seemingly different characters into a fold, Levithan accomplishes what high school fails to do: deliver a sense of universality that human beings inherently possess. Two of the stories are centered around homosexual characters and treats them as normal human beings, which I greatly appreciated considering that our culture has historically treated it as anything but.


Teachability: I think that this story was extremely teachable. I found it engaging, a fast read, emotionally truthful, and presenting important themes surrounding identity and identity development. We live in an exceedingly compartmentalized world, and this book helps break those barriers down by exploring what brings us together rather than pull us apart.

Monster: Walter Dean Myers

                Monster is a really creatively written and engaging novel about a boy on trial for a murder.  What is so unique about the novel is that it is written from the perspective of the boy, writing a movie script about what is happening in his life (because, as he claims, his life many times in this experience feels more like a movie than real life).   He also interjects the book with small journal entries, candidly talking about his emotions during the trial. It’s a wonderful novel to help introduce movie-script writing and elements of writing about the process of writing or thinking.  It has very easy to understand language, and could be definitely be taught in middle school, or lower level high schoolers.  The content is exciting and mature as well, as the narrator takes you through not just serious court proceedings, but issues of racism, poverty, and redemption.

I really liked Monster because of how engaging and easy to read it was talking about critical issues, but also because the style in which it is written opens up a lot of opportunities for hands-on activities within the classroom: mock trials, dramatization, discussions about film scripts, performance literature, discussions about choice of genre—I could go on and on.  Clearly, I would most definitely recommend this book to future classrooms, either sitting on the shelf or teaching it to the class!

The Breadwinner

The Breadwinner is a novel by Deborah Ellis, a Canadian author, which tells the story of an 11-year-old girl, Parvana, from Afghanistan.  Although not Afghani herself, Deborah Ellis is an anti-war activist who has traveled extensively through Afghanistan.  In her travels she conducted research and interviews which provided the foundation for this novel.  Ellis tells the story of the poverty, heartache and physical pain faced by Afghans as a result of war and internal conflicts.  After being injured in explosions, Parvana’s brother and father struggle to provide for her and her siblings.  One day, her father is taken away and, because women are not allowed to work, Parvana must take on the persona of a boy in order to support her family.  Eventually, Parvana’s sister decides to leave to be married and escape the war.  The family goes along leaving Parvana who soon learns that the Taliban is working in the area to which her family is headed. With the return of her father from prison, the pair leave their home to find their family.
   
This novel is not written by a middle-eastern author, however her depiction of Afghani culture seems to be legitimate and is backed-up by firsthand experiences and interactions with the native people.  This is definitely a great read for a middle school class especially considering current events.  The novel offers a way to teach students about a war that is complex and difficult to understand through a relatable protagonist.  Parvana’s struggles most likely seem distant to adolescents but her characterization helps the reader to relate to the experiences despite their intensity.  Additionally, the novel is a great teaching tool because it is relatable for both boys and girls.  The language is also very appropriate for a middle school class.  Ellis offers a great way to teach about war and current events in a way that respects and acknowledges Afghani culture. 

The Outsiders

S. E. Hinton’s novel, The Outsiders, is a perfect novel for an 8^th Grade classroom. It tells the story of two opposing gangs, the Greasers and the Socs, and the escalation of violence between them after one teenager is accidentally killed. Ponyboy, our protagonist, endures one unbelievable hardship after another as he loses his best friends. In a “classic” tale, the accidental murderer is named a hero after rescuing a group of children and is rewarded with a broken back and a newly enlightened mind. He helps a guilt-laden Ponyboy get his life back on track with his deathbed advice and serves as the voice of light in the novel.

Though the book may sound melancholic, it has amazingly deep and relevant themes for a multicultural classroom. Activities may be focused around topics such a gang violence, family relationships (Ponyboy and his older brothers have a dysfunctional connection), and suicide. The book is definitely teachable for girls and boys, especially in an inner-city or low-income setting. There are many opportunities for succulent vocabulary words and other teaching moments. The book even brings in Robert Frost and Gone With the Wind! Students will be able to make so many connections with this book and it would be ideal for prediction activities. Students will be amazed that the author was only 18 when Outsiders was published!

Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. Viking Press, Dell Publishing, 1967. 

Maus I by Art Spiegelman

The graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman is a story told of Spiegelman's interview of his father as he recalls his experience prior to the Holocaust as well as during the ordeal. The story follows Vladek, Spiegelman's father, as he lives through the experience of being a Jewish person in 1930s and 1940s Poland. Though Vladek and his wife emigrate to Holland for fear of German persecution in Poland, the reach of Nazi power extends to that part of Europe as well. In addition to the central story which takes up most of the text, there is also the story of the interview process itself as Art Spiegelman struggles with his relationship with his father while he is trying to gain a stronger understanding of what it was like to be a Jew during that time period. From an artistic standpoint, the most interesting part of this story is the fact that all of the Jewish characters are portrayed as mice, Nazis as cats and Polish non-Jews as pigs. Though they act as normal humans, it highlights the relationship and power dynamic between the Jews and the Nazis This story is extremely teachable for young readers. It is a captivating story of survival as well as providing a clear view of the stress that such struggle puts on all relationships. The artwork is unique and provides another layer to the story that a normal Holocaust story would not be able to do. I am a big fan of teaching graphic novels in school especially for students that struggle with reading because of the multi-modal function of the story. The story also brings the social and political history of the time to the forefront while showing its impact on the characters.

Millicent Min, Girl Genius By Lisa Yee

Reference: Yee, Lisa.  Millicent Min, Girl Genius.  New York: Scholastic Press, 2003.

                Lisa Yee’s novel, Millicent Min, Girl Genius, is an amusing and slightly sad story about an eleven year old girl genius’s summer before her senior year of high school.  Millicent is a deliciously awkward character that prides herself on her academic achievement, going as far as asking her teachers and professors for extra work.  However, her intelligence does cover all aspects of her life, which can be seen by the lack of friendship and fun in her life.  Millicent’s summer of “fun”, taking a college poetry class, is challenged when her mother signs her up for volleyball camp and forces her to tutor her arch nemesis Stanford Wong.   The novel describes Millicent’s attempts to appear normal to her new friend, Emily, and learn how to become a normal kid. 

                I thought this novel was an amazingly fun read, while still touching on some issues with the development of adolescent identity.  I am not going to lie, at some points of the novel I was very sad to see how Millicent was taken advantage of and ostracized by her peers.  I felt that this novel would be a good novel to talk to students about bullying.  This was not a difficult read, but it did have some amazing vocabulary words for students.  I would recommend this book as an individual silent reading, because I feel that some students would have trouble connecting with the story.  Overall this novel was a fun read but I would not recommend this novel as a unit novel.  

The Little Prince

The Little Prince is story about a pilot who has to make an emergency landing in the Sahara Desert and encounters a boy, the prince, who asks the pilot to draw a sheep. As the story progresses, the pilot learns more about where the prince comes from and how he arrived on earth. Although this book is only 80 pages with pictures, the themes are very applicable. There is a focus on friendship, imagination, and how “strange” grown-ups are. 

I think this book is very teachable. Because it is short, it wouldn’t take a lot of time to read in class, but it can easily translate to writing and drawing activities. I also think this book could appeal to a variety of students because the plot is so creative. Although this book is not blatantly multicultural, the author is French and because the prince is from a different planet, there is room for many interpretations of earth and the objects we encounter everyday, but so often just pass by. 

Saint-Exupery, Antoine de. Reynal & Hitchcock. 1943

If I Could Fly

Cofer, Judith Ortiz. If I Could Fly. Virginia: RR Donnelley & Sons Company, 2011. 


This novel follows Doris, a 15 year old girl growing up in the barrio dealing with her mother's abandonment of her and her father. Her parents are salsa performers who often leave Doris on her own while they perform, but Doris finds herself feeling even more alone when her mother gets sick and leaves their family with her father's coworker. Doris' father gets a girlfriend and Doris feels even more alone then she did before. She spends time taking care of the pigeons that live on the roof with an old neighbor and turns to her friends Arturo and Yolanda for support, but finds that both of them have serious problems of their own to deal with. After becoming a possible suspect in a shooting, Doris visits her mother and discovers new meanings of the word "family."
I think this book is teachable, but would be better as an independent reading book. The main character is female and the story would definitely appeal to girls more than boys- boys would probably not be interested in it at all. There are some sexual and violent themes, but eight graders and may seventh would be able to handle it. Also, Doris' friend Arturo is a character in An Island Like You, a different novel by Cofer so it might be interesting to incorporate both books in class

Annie on my Mind

Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden is a book about self discovery. In this book a girl named Annie and a girl named Liza meet at a museum and become fast, close friends. They eventually discover their love for one another but are found out by the headmaster of their school.The two decide to house sit for two teachers who also turn out to be lesbian. The two girls get in trouble for how they feel about each other, the teachers also get discovered but are very supportive of Liza and Annie. Later at college reunite and realize that how they felt was real I would teach this book as part of a literature circle unit, but not as a single class novel. It would be an asset to any class library, but I wouldn’t make it the focus of any unit. I’d like to center a unit on a book that starts off with more of a bang…this book starts off slowly. It’s a boring read and because the book is set in 1982, some of the language is outdated or unnatural. I do think many students would enjoy it, but considering the point of view, I’m not sure they would necessarily relate. I guess you can enjoy a book without perfectly relating to the main character, though, and it might give them a new or fresh (even 80s) perspective. In the end, Annie on My Mind is a good choice if you’re looking for a book you don’t want to spend a lot of time on. It would be good for literature circles because students could read it without a lot of guidance, and it would be good for a class library for the same reason.

The Rainbow People

Yep, Laurence. The Rainbow People. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1989. Print.

The Rainbow People by Laurence Yep is a collection of Chinese fables. In the introduction, Yep writes, "what Kenneth Burke said of proverbs is equally true of folktales: They are strategies for living. At the very least, the stories offered consolation and more often hope [ to Chinese immigrants]. But beyond that, the stories also expressed the loneliness, anger, fear, and love that were part of the Chinese-American experience" (x). Thus, to modern readers the stories are engaging and diverse, and they provide the reader with moral and philosophical insights as well as historical knowledge. The collection is divided into five sections: Tricksters, Fools, Virtues and Vices, In Chinese America, and Love. The explanation before each section illuminates unique and important facets of multiculturalism, society, and history within the folktales.

Although folktales may seem too simple or easy for middle school students to read, the book is full of advanced vocabulary (poignancy, implicit/explicit, allegory, stratagem) and the themes are complex. The students can analyze the imagery and symbolism behind the stories, and practice summarizing its major themes. It could be tied into a research project, with some students researching Buddhist beliefs in relation to kindness to animals (a theme in some stories) and others researching other connections; the creativity that could be invoked with a unit around this book is a definite plus. Furthermore, the book would not only be a good way for an English teacher to tie history into their own teaching, but a good way for a History teacher to tie reading and literature into their curriculum because the stories are generally pretty short. Studying The Rainbow People could be a great way for 6th graders to bridge the gap between 5th grade into middle school, but it would also be appropriate for 7th or 8th grade.