Literacy Now

The YA novel Dive was originally released in traditional print book form in 1994. In the years since, many new books have come and gone and Stacey Donovan has written, ghost written, or consulted on dozens of books. Dive may have been relegated to history but for the encouragement of her literary agent to look into e-publishing. In September, Open Road Media released Dive as an e-book and now Donovan’s novel is anew.

Dive was published about 20 years ago. What was your reaction to its rerelease as an e-book?

Dive got another opportunity to be in the world because someone loved it. My literary agent nudged me to contact Open Road Media because she said the book was in her top 10 forever. I said to myself there's nothing to lose. Most of my life, my writing, fiction, poetry, screenplays, has been rejected—I've been sending out stuff since I was a kid. Rejection is part of being a writer, of being an artist, of living in this world, I think. It was a shock that Friday morning when I received an e-mail that Open Road would like to publish the book. So I will tell you: I sprang up from the desk, and I danced!

How do you believe Dive is still relevant now?

My hope is that Dive will always be relevant because human beings will always be searching for meaning in life. We will always experience unexpected occurrences, like who ran your dog over, why your best friend is suddenly not speaking to you, what is happening with your father who is now in the hospital, what to do when someone you immediately love walks into the room, because that's what life is. This is what happens with V (the main character of Dive).

There is a lot of discussion around the #weneeddiversebooks movement. How do you think LGBT topics are addressed?

We know that some young people take their own lives because they cannot imagine a world where they will be embraced. Sexuality is not simply girl meets boy or boy meets girl. We're in the 21st century now, an awareness and discussion of gender identity is, thankfully, part of it. Still, to be "different" in any way is a challenge. Yes, we need diverse books now, and of course we need to be apprised of or reminded of the many glorious books/plays/songs/operas/paintings/sculptures—so many more arts to mention—that voice to the world that the expectation of being "normal" is for those who think themselves normal, NOT for the rest of us.

From where did you draw such a deep character and the complexity of the challenges she faced?

Dive was my first novel. It's in the "write what you know" category. 

Why would this be a good book to use in the classroom?

There are many "firsts" in Dive, experiences that many people undergo. I have a hunch that most of us know what it is like to feel alone at times. There's the hit-and-run with V’s little dog, her father becoming ill with a fatal disease, the escalation of her mother's drinking, her changing relationships with her siblings. Then there's V's falling in love and it happens to be with a girl and not a boy. Something a lot of readers and reviewers have not mentioned that is so interesting to me is that V's best friend abandons her without a word as to why. To lose a close friend, for whatever reason, is so challenging, so crushing; to not know what is happening because it has not been said aloud; this might be the hardest thing V faces. We find out why in the story.

April Hall is editor of Literacy Daily. A journalist for about 20 years, she has specialized in education, writing and editing for newspapers, websites, and magazines.

In an often-cited quotation, poet Ralph Hodgson wrote, “Some things have to be believed to be seen.” His sentiment feels particularly relevant to these newly released books for young readers that suspend natural laws or scientific explanations in order to explore alternative realities. “[Fantasy is] the metaphor through which we discover ourselves,” writes author Susan Cooper and, ultimately, through the imagined worlds constructed by these authors and illustrators, readers are provided opportunities not only to explore new and different possibilities, but also to reconsider themselves and the world in which they live. 

 Ages 4–8

Leo: A Ghost Story. Mac Barnett. Ill. Christian Robinson. 2015. Chronicle.

Leo: A Ghost Story is the story of Leo, a young ghost who has been living alone for many years. When a new family takes up residence in his home, it quickly becomes clear that Leo is no longer welcome; he decides to leave his life as a “house ghost” and instead live as a “roaming ghost.” Eventually, after wandering unseen and isolated in the city, he crosses paths with a young girl named Jane, who not only sees Leo, but also quickly befriends him. When Leo discovers that Jane believes he is a figment of her imagination, he worries that revealing himself as a ghost will frighten his new friend away. He decides to stay with Jane, living as her favorite imaginary friend. One evening, a burglar breaks into Jane’s home, but because he cannot be seen, Leo is unable to stop the thief. He covers himself in a bed sheet and apprehends the burglar by locking him in the closet. Stirred from her slumber by the ruckus downstairs, Jane calls the police, who haul the thief off to jail. Jane is puzzled as to how her imaginary friend was able to scare the thief into a closet and Leo reveals that he is, in actuality, a ghost. “That’s even better,” Jane responds enthusiastically; as the narrative ends, the pair go to the kitchen for a midnight snack. Leo: A Ghost Story brings together Mac Barnett’s straightforward, deadpan (pun intended) prose and Christian Robinson’s acrylic paint and cutout construction paper illustrations to create a contemporary picture book with a “timeless” feel.

Zen Socks. Jon J. Muth. 2015. Scholastic.

The latest in Jon J. Muth’s Zen series of picture books, Zen Socks is the story of young Leo and Molly and their escapades with their new neighbor, a giant panda named Stillwater. Both through written words and Muth’s watercolor-and-ink illustrations, the text offers various meditations on patience, sharing, kindness, and the often unexpected ways in which we learn new things. Zen Socks is structured as three related vignettes, the first of which focuses on Molly’s dream to be a ballet dancer and emphasizes the importance of both practice and patience. The second vignette draws upon a conversation between Stillwater and Leo to highlight themes of sharing, doing what is right, and rethinking what one may expect will bring happiness. Finally, the third vignette centers on an outing at the beach, where the friends find dozens of starfish trapped on the beach as the tide goes out. Learning that the starfish will dry out in the sun and die, Leo, Molly, and Stillwater begin throwing them one-by-one back into the water. When Leo expresses dismay that there are too many starfish stranded on the sand for them to be able to make a difference, Molly throws another starfish back into the ocean and responds, “It made a difference to him!” Readers will want to remain cognizant of some gender stereotypes embedded in both language and illustrations, but the book offers an accessible consideration of kindness, generosity, and compassion.

Ages 9–11

Crenshaw. Katherine Applegate. 2015. Feiwel and Friends.

In her first novel since The One and Only Ivan, Newbery Medal–winning author Katherine Applegate returns with Crenshaw, the story of a young boy named Jackson who has never had a mind for make-believe. He values facts more than stories because “You can’t see a story. You can’t hold it in your hand and measure it.” When Jackson realizes that there are few groceries in the house and learns that his family has no money to pay their rent, he inquires as to whether everything is OK. When his parents evade his questions, he understands that his family has again fallen upon hard times. While coming to terms with his family’s circumstances, he is dismayed further when he discovers four purple jelly beans where he should have found cereal; they are a sign that Crenshaw, his imaginary friend from three years earlier, is reemerging. It may seem unlikely for a child as scientific as Jackson to have an imaginary friend (he hopes, after all, to be an “animal scientist” when he grows up), and Crenshaw, too, is unconventional as an imaginary friend. Not only is he a seven-foot-tall cat, he is not overtly supportive of Jackson—at least in the ways one might expect. However, through Crenshaw’s quirks and antics (e.g., his penchant for purple jelly beans, his love of bubble baths and acrobatics), Jackson finds his voice and learns that he is not alone in the world.

The Marvels. Brian Selznick. 2015. Scholastic.

In The Marvels, Brian Selznick continues the genre-defying work he began with The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck. His latest is a volume that exceeds 650 pages, combining both illustration and narrative while building a fictional story off the real lives of two individuals. The first section, spanning approximately 390 pages, opens with the story of Billy Marvel, whose life after a shipwreck leads him to become the first in what will be several generations of celebrated stage actors. Told almost entirely through pencil-and-ink illustrations, the lives of the members of this acting dynasty are traced across two centuries, ending as the theatre in which the family has built their legacy is engulfed in flames. In the second section, the text shifts to approximately 210 pages of written prose before transitioning once again to 40-plus pages of illustrations that bring the novel to a close. Here, the action centers on a 13-year-old boy named Joseph who flees his boarding school to live in England with his reclusive uncle, Albert Nightingale. Albert’s house seemingly belongs in a previous century and is filled with objects and regalia that appear to have once been the property of the Marvel family. Believing that he is somehow connected to the Marvels, Joseph and his friend Frankie begin uncovering clues that reveal a mystery involving Joseph’s family and Albert’s house and that ultimately raises questions about truth and fiction, reality and fantasy, past and present.

Ages 12–14

A Curious Tale of the In-Between. Lauren DeStefano. 2015. Bloomsbury.

A Curious Tale of the In-Between is mystery/thriller which centers on 11-year-old Pram Bellamy, a young orphan who lives with her aunts, the owners of the “Halfway to Heaven Home for the Ageing.” Since birth, Pram has been able to see two worlds: the world of the living and that of the dead. Her ability to see ghosts has made it difficult for her to make friends and fit in at school, a reality which ultimately suits Pram: She prefers the company of books and her ghost friend, Felix, to the dull individuals that reside in the world of the living. Things begin to change, however, when she meets Clarence, a boy at school who is also motherless. The two quickly bond and decide to go in search of Pram’s father (a sailor who may not know she exists) and the spirit of Clarence’s mother. They align themselves with Lady Savant, a spiritualist who promises to help them but ultimately seeks to use Pram’s abilities for her own ulterior purposes. This suspenseful novel, of particular interest to those intrigued by gothic and paranormal tales, focuses on themes and topics such as death, suicide, the power of friendship, and the importance of family.

Serafina and the Black Cloak. Robert Beatty. 2015. Disney/Hyperion.

Set in 1899, Serafina and the Black Cloak is the story of 12-year-old Serafina, a young girl who leads an isolated and secretive existence in the immense and opulent Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. For as long as she can remember, Serafina has lived in the manor’s basement with her father, a construction worker who stayed on after the estate was built to serve as a repairperson. Although she does not understand his reasoning, Serafina’s father has warned her that she must remain hidden from the home’s residents at all times. Luckily, she possesses unique physical abilities, well-suited to her responsibilities as Chief Rat Catcher, that allow her to move both stealthily and unnoticed throughout the estate. When she witnesses a man in a black cloak abducting a young girl, she begins defying her father’s orders and befriends Braden Vanderbilt, the nephew of the mansion’s owners. As children continue to disappear from the Biltmore Estate, Serafina’s determination to solve the mystery forces beyond the confines of the house itself and into its grounds, where she moves closer to uncovering the identity of the mysterious man in the black cloak and also uncovers the truth about her own identity.

Ages 15+

Feral Pride. Cynthia Leitich Smith. 2015. Candlewick.

Feral Pride is the third installment in Cynthia Leitich Smith’s Feralseries (which is itself a spin-off of her Tantalize trilogy). Feral Nights, the first in the series, centers on a werecat named Yoshi who goes in search of his sister, Ruby, and discovers that she is a fugitive wanted in connection with the murder of a young werearmadillo. Yoshi, along with a human named Aimee and a werepossum named Clyde, join forces to look for Ruby, and are eventually kidnapped and brought to a dangerous tropical island. As the story continues in Feral Curse, readers are introduced to Kayla, a girl whose boyfriend dies in the midst of a spell conjured to make her a human instead of cat. At the same time, he unintentionally enchants the carousel in a local park and transports shape-shifters of different species (including Yoshi) to Pine Ridge. Feral Pride begins where Feral Curse left off and, like the other titles in the series, is told in multiple voices, with chapters alternating among the perspectives of Clyde, Aimee, Yoshi, and Kayla. As the novel begins, the four characters are driving to Oklahoma in a police cruiser that belongs to Kayla’s friend Jess’s father in an effort to stop an impending war between werepeople and humans. Their journey is interrupted, however, when the governor of Texas is captured by a supernatural creature claiming to be a snake-shifter. Pursued by agents of the federal Humanity Protection unit, the foursome returns to Austin, determined to find a way to stop the yetis, whom they are convinced are responsible for the recent events. With its focus on supernatural creatures and its subplots involving teen romance, the fast-paced and action-packed series could easily lend itself to cinematic or television adaptation.

Wonders of the Invisible World. Christopher Barzak. 2015. Knopf.

Seventeen-year-old Aiden Lockwood lives in Temperance, Ohio (a fictionalized, rural town outside Youngstown) on a farm that has been in his family for generations. As the novel opens, Aiden feels detached from his own life, as if he is only going through the motions of a day-to-day existence. Everything changes, however, when his childhood best friend returns to town to finish his senior year of high school. When Aiden first hears Jarrod calling his name in the hallway of their high school, he has no memory of him, nor does he believe they had actually been friends in elementary school. Jarrod reminds Aiden of stories he used to tell about his ability to see things that no one else could, such as a figure dressed in a black suit standing next to their teacher who died the following day. Soon, accompanied by strange dreams, memories that Aiden had forgotten or hidden return to him. As Aiden begins uncovering his family’s secret history, he is charged with the task of freeing his family from an ancestral curse brought upon them by his great-grandfather nearly one century earlier. Although the novel relies on some common tropes in young adult “problem novels” (e.g., Jarrod serves as something of a deus ex machina for Aiden), many readers will look past aspects of the book that feel formulaic and instead focus on the paranormal suspense and the overarching messages about love, family, and the journey toward finding one’s voice and place in the world.

Thomas Crisp is an assistant professor in the Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education, where he teaches courses in children’s and young adult literature and literacy at Georgia State University.

The review contributions are provided by members of the International Literacy Association’s Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group.

Last month, the Lansdowne Library officially kicked off their 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Program.  With this preliteracy program, libraries across the United States encourage and support families and caregivers in reading to newborns, infants, and toddlers—in turn, fostering bonding between parents and children. Research shows that reading to children at home increases their reading readiness skills, so we are targeting children who have not yet started kindergarten.

The idea is that children will have a positive attitude about reading and will be eager to learn. They will acquire letter knowledge, background information, an awareness of the structure and sound of language, and a richer vocabulary—all from just listening to stories!

Although the idea of reading 1,000 books before kindergarten seems like a daunting task, it really is not! We broke it down into easy-to-accomplish goals:

• 1 book a day for 3 years = 1,095 books
• 10 books a week for 2 years = 1,040 books
• 3 books a day for 1 year = 1,095 books

The Lansdowne Library was fortunate to have Charlotte Ryan, a fellow librarian within the Delaware County Library System, assist us with setting up and launching the program. Charlotte provided templates for logs and literacy tips, and she supported us when we had questions.

One thing Charlotte stressed was the ease of the program and she was correct. After the initial preparations (which really meant photocopying logs, stuffing folders, and reaching out to families of young children), the program is quite simple. Families are discovering new books and spending time together reading, and the feedback has been very positive.

How our program works:

• Register at the Lansdowne Public Library and receive a folder and reading log for the first 100 books.
• Read to the child/children and record the titles read.
• Report via the reading log to the library when 100 books are read.
• Receive small incentives for each 100 books read: a reading tip, and a log for the next 100 books.
• Keep going! When 1,000 books are read, families receive a certificate and the child’s picture will be posted on our 1,000 Book Wall of Fame.

This program is for every child under 5 in a family, from infants to prekindergartners. The club’s end date is when the child begins school. There is no need to feel rushed, as this program is made to be enjoyed. It is to be used as an opportunity to read, talk, and sing with children. These activities will not only prepare children for school but also create special memories.

The most frequent question we were asked is, “Does the same book read over and over count?”

Our answer: Yes!

Children’s author and reading advocate Mem Fox encourages parents to “read at least three stories a day; it may even be the same story three times.”

We encourage families to read library books, books from their personal collection, books borrowed from a friend, anything to begin on the path to learning how to read while introducing thousands of new words and experiences along the way.

For more information about the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Program or for a location near you, visit the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten website.

Rachee Fagg is head of children’s services at the Lansdowne Public Library in Lansdowne, PA.

Scary stories have been children’s literature favorites for generations of readers and their families. The language changes, but stories of tension, amazement, excitement and, at times, even humor remain ingredients for fright and horror. A collection of spooky stories and terrifying tales would not be complete without including a few favorites from the past that readers of any age return to for thrills and pleasure.

Ages 4–8

Fright Club. Ethan Long. 2015. Bloomsbury.

Vladimir has called one last meeting of the Fright Club to practice the three features of successful monsters before Operation Kiddie Scare. They are to practice ghoulish faces, scary moves, and chilling sounds. Already disappointed with the results of the members’ demonstrations of their fright skills, he answers a loud knock on the door and rejects the overtures of a bunny who wants to join the club. Even when the bunny returns with a lawyer, who challenges the exclusion, and a multitude of other cute critters, Vladimir stands firm and assures the members they will go away if ignored. When they become afraid of the critters who have taken up a vigil outside the clubhouse, the monsters invite them to demonstrate their frightening faces, moves, and sounds and accept them into the club. The new members cheer for the monsters’ skills. The book, with illustrations in dark, monotone colors, shows how the more the merrier holds true even for monsters.  
—SW

In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories (An I Can Read! Book). Alvin Schwartz. Ill. Dirk Zimmer. 1985. HarperCollins.

Variations on tales from different countries, including those in Europe and what is now Suriname in South America, the seven short stories in this anthology are scary but not too much. In one story, on a dark and stormy night, a man gives a boy a ride home and lends him his sweater to keep him warm. When the man returns to the house the next day to retrieve his sweater, the boy’s mother tells the man her son died one year ago. So the man goes to the cemetery, and there on the grave is his sweater. In “The Green Ribbon,” Jenny and Alfred grow up together, fall in love, and marry. Twice he asks her why she wears a green ribbon and she says she will tell him when the right time comes. On her deathbed he asks her a third time, and she tells him he can untie the ribbon to find out. He does and Jenny’s head falls off! The illustrations, done in warm and earthy hues, belie the ghostly and scary events of the stories.

—SW

The Little Shop of Monsters. R.L. Stine; Ill. Marc Brown. 2015. Little, Brown.

Those who can answer the unseen narrator’s question “Are you afraid of MONSTERS?” with a NO are invited to visit the Little Shop of Monsters. A boy and girl enter and view the caged monsters: Snacker, Stinky, Smelly, Sneezer, Bubble-Belly Billy, Yucky and Mucky, Squeezer and Teaser, Tina-Not-Ticklish, Sleeper-Peeper, and Piggler-Gigglers. Brown’s colorful portrait of each monster perfectly fits its characteristics and behavior. So many choices. Contrary to the process of selecting a pet, however, “[w]hen you come to the Little Shop of Monsters, you don’t CHOOSE a monster…A MONSTER CHOOSES YOU!” Following the narrator’s warning to turn the page fast, readers see the two children running off. Escape! The added invitation to come back again soon to perhaps find your monster (or will it find you?) serves as an invitation to read the book again.

—CA

Scarecrow Magic. Ed Masessa. Ill. Matt Myers. 2015. Scholastic/Orchard.

Written in rhyming language, the story recounts the activities of a man made of straw who, after dark and when the moon is full and bright, comes alive. The scarecrow takes off his clothes, revealing his skeleton self, and dives into the pond for a swim. In the field where the scarecrow stands and in the nearby woods, creatures come out to play and “[g]houlies and ghosties dance under the moon.” Gourds and pumpkins come alive in monster form and feast on delectable treats including fresh worms and snacks that have the odor of feet. The double-page illustrations in dark, rich colors of blues and purples have highlights reflecting the moonlight. When the sky grows light with the rising sun, the revelers depart. The skeleton scarecrow must put his uniform on again to stand on his post, knowing the party will come again.

—SW

The Secret Room (The Haunted Library #5). Dori Hillestad Butler. Ill. Aurore Damant. 2015. Grosset & Dunlap.

The ghostly good fun of this chapter book series with cartoon illustrations continues as ghost brothers Kaz and Little John, who live in an old mansion that houses the local library on the first floor, join fellow occupant ghost Beckett and Claire, a solid (the ghost term for a human) who lives on the second floor and can see and communicate with ghosts, in solving a mystery surrounding solid and ghostly objects found in a secret room. While they piece together the relationship between an envelope marked TOP SECRET, empty bottles, and a doll found in the room, Kaz and Little John are reunited with Grandmom and Grandpop, who are living in a new haunt, a nursing home, and Claire learns that her mother also had a ghost friend when she was young.

—CA

Tacky and the Haunted Igloo. Helen Lester. 2015. Ill. Lynn Munsinger. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect decorate their igloo and create costumes representing things they are afraid of such as insects, the dark, thunder and lightning, and bubbles. Tacky, lying about during the preparations, can think of nothing he is afraid of. When the other penguins prepare a rich array of treats, including batcicles and awful waffles, Tacky thoroughly samples them; but he must still find a costume, and sets out to find one. The double-page illustrations rendered in bright colors show the fast-paced action that occurs when a trio of hunters—a bear and two wolves, disguised as ghosts—arrive demanding treats. Tacky finally appears in his scary costume. Surprised by his costume, which looks exactly like the bear in his hunting cap and jacket, and terrified at the realization that Tacky is his twin, the bear leads the retreat from the igloo. The hunters flee in disarray without their ghostly disguises and the penguins greet Tacky in a way he doesn’t expect.

—SW

Ages 9–11

Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods: 20 Chilling Tales From the Wilderness. Hal Johnson. Ill. Tom Mead. 2015. Workman.

Johnson reimagines tales of creatures from American folklore found in William Cox’s Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods (1910), with an unnamed narrator, an imminent cryptozoologist who has knowledge of these deadly beasts based on personal encounters. The narrator offers gruesome details of the characteristics and behavior of fearsome creatures of the wild, untamed lumberwoods of North America and reports the tragic fates of both amateurs and experts who have sought to capture them. The chilling stories of the hodag, slide-rock bolter, cactus cat, whirling whimpus, hoop snake, and 15 other strange beasts are peppered with humorous, nervous giggle-inducing comments. Mead’s black-and-white cartoons, including some glow-in-the dark portraits of the creatures, perfectly mirror the creepiness of the tales. The appendix includes a “Fearsome Facts” chart listing the habitat, range, size, diet, life span, speed, and rankings on fearsomeness and absurdity of each creature.

—CA

The Halloween Tree. Ray Bradbury. Ill. Gris Grimly. 2015. Alfred A. Knopf.

Tom Skelton puts on his costume of bones, musing about the connection between his name and the costume as he prepares for an evening of fun with his group of friends on Halloween. When Pipkin appears, not in costume but with pain in his side, however, the evening takes a turn none of them could have imagined. Pipkin instructs them to go to a particular house. The boys arrive at this house, its door knocker comes alive, a wind attempts to pull them into its dark reaches, and a spirit emerges out of the Halloween tree to take them on a journey. He guides them through a history of Halloween and the homage to the dead by the Egyptians, Romans, Druids, the people of the Middle Ages in England and France, and the people of Mexico, that is as dramatic in its progress as it is breathtaking before he tells them they need to make a sacrifice for their friend. Grimly’s nightmarish black-and-white drawings and three full-color plates in autumnal hues for Bradbury’s Halloween tale, originally published in 1972, depict the setting and stages of the nocturnal journey of the boys.

—SW

The Jumbies. Tracy Baptiste. 2015. Algonquin Young Readers.

Baptiste notes that the book is inspired by a Haitian folktale about a magic orange tree and conflates it with the jumbie of Trinidad—a bad-thinking, sneaky, selfish, greedy creature whose purpose is causing trouble—that inhabits forests but can emerge and enter homes and communities. In this novel, Corinne lives with her fisherman father, Pierre, and harvests the most exquisite oranges on the island to share with friends and sell. One jumbie, Severin, has designs on the community and Pierre, and steals magic potions from the local witch. Severin ingratiates herself into Pierre’s life; her powers of magic bewitch him but do not fool Corinne. She aims to reclaim the island that had belonged to the jumbies centuries before Europeans arrived and to claim a family of her own. Readers learn that Corinne’s mother was Severin’s sister, Nicole, a woman of generous spirit. Corinne must discover her own kind of magic if she is to save her father and protect her friends, who all help save the community from the jumbies.

—SW

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Alvin Schwartz. Ill. Stephen Gammell. 1981. HarperCollins.

Folklorist Schwartz organizes his retellings of 29 scary folktales in five sections: jump stories (with directions to the storyteller about making exclamations at crucial moments to elicit physical reactions from listeners); ghost stories; scary stories about all kinds of things such as hearses, graves, and spirits; belief legends that serve as cautionary tales about dangers that might be met in day-to-day life; and stories meant to make you laugh more than to scare you. And if the stories alone don’t scare you, Gammell’s creepy drawings will. Back matter includes notes on the tales, sources, and a bibliography. Schwartz’s series of scary American folklore continues in More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (1984) and Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones (1991).

—CA

Trick or Trap (Goosebumps Most Wanted Special Edition #3). R.L. Stine. 2015. Scholastic.

Best friends Scotty Harmon and Amanda Gold readily admit to being cowardly, wimpy, and scared of just about everything. Scotty’s younger sister, Rita, delights in scaring Scotty and watching him scream his head off. And then there are the Klass twins, Mickey and Morty, and their sidekick Kenji, who delight in terrifying Scotty and Amanda. With the approach of Halloween, Scotty and Amanda plan to toughen up and get revenge against their tormentors. They decide to host a scary party in the old, abandoned house that everyone says is haunted. On Halloween night, however, the house plays its own tricks and sets its own traps. Terrified, all escape from the house unscathed—or do they? As Stine’s fans have come to expect, he ends this spooky Goosebumps book with a surprise.

—CA

Ages 12–14

Guys Read: Terrifying Tales (Guys Read Series #6). Jon Scieszka (Ed.). Ill. Gris Grimly. 2015. Walden Pond/HarperCollins.

In the introduction, Jon Scieszka says the writers were told “to go all out to shake you up, freak you out, and just completely terrify you” (p. 4). Just the titles of the stories alone such as Adam Gidwitz’s “The Blue-Bearded Bird-Man,” Kelly Barnhill’s “Don’t Eat the Baby,” and R.L. Stine’s “Disappear!” and Gris Grimly’s creepy full-page illustrations that introduce the stories are disturbing. Those who go on to read the 10 well-crafted terrifying tales will agree the writers do a great job of both scaring and surprising readers. Good short stories such as those in this Guys Read book encourage young readers to seek more stories by the writers of their favorites. The appended biographical sketches of the authors include a listing of selected titles that will serve guys—and gals—as a good source of more good reading.

—CA

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Washington Irving. Ill. Arthur Rackham. 1990. William Morrow/Books of Wonder. 

In this reissue of the 1928 edition of the story, complete with the original set of Rackham’s full-color paintings and pen-and-ink drawings, the language of Irving’s story of 1815 is fresh and exciting as readers meet the dignified and polite Ichabod Crane, who is the teacher in a town in the valleys, or hollows, of New York, inhabited by Dutch farmers and their families. The story is as much a romance with Ichabod, smitten by the lovely, bewitching, and wealthy Katrina, as it is a chronicle of the man who saw himself an honorable knight errant and a willing adversary to the muscular, boisterous Brom Bones, who also sought Katrina’s hand and affections.  The descriptions of the towns, the people, and Ichabod’s scholarship are humorous and heartful, yet the story turns ominous when all the town’s folk are invited to a lavish party during which Katrina rebuffs Ichabod. Ichabod’s boney horse takes a turn through Sleepy Hollow and he becomes the stuff of legend.

—SW

The Nest. Kenneth Oppel. Ill. Jon Klassen. 2015. Simon & Schuster.

Steve is allergic to wasps; he worries about his baby brother, Theo, who has a congenital problem and a poor prognosis for survival; he has anxieties and fears for which he has seen a psychiatrist; and he has vivid dreams. In one nightmare, a wasp of pale color appears to him saying she and her colony can help with the baby. As the dreams become more frequent, Steve tells the wasp the baby needs an operation and asks her when she is going to make the baby better as she promised. “My dear boy, we’re working on it right now” (p. 67), she says. He pressures his father to remove the wasp’s nest outside the baby’s window until he learns the wasps are nurturing a baby there. When the queen sets a deadline for putting the new baby into the crib, the gut-wrenching novel grows increasingly ominous until dream intersects with reality and a showdown with swarms of wasps infiltrating the house challenges Steve’s resourcefulness. The dark, shadowy illustrations convey the menacing and dreamlike bind that Steve finds himself in.

—SW

Took: A Ghost Story. Mary Downing Hahn. 2015. Clarion.

The recession of 2008 has created setbacks for Daniel, Erica, and their parents, precipitating their decision to move into an old house surrounded by woods outside a town in West Virginia. Known as the Estes house, it comes with the tale that Selene, a child who had lived there 50 years before they moved in, “got took.” Daniel and Erica are miserable; he is bullied at school, and her conversations with her doll, Little Erica, increase in number and length. Readers are introduced to another story, the tale of Old Auntie and her pet hog, Bloody Bones, narrated by an old woman. While Daniel is watchful of the woods and swears he observes shadowy figures, Erica hears her name whispered in the rustling leaves of the woods. When she is enticed to the woods by the haunting sound, Daniel chases after and brings her back. With her doll left in the woods, Erica is inconsolable. And so begins a series of events, tense with uncertain outcomes with Erica’s disappearance, the family’s despair, Daniel’s sense of guilt and failure, and a possible solution to a mystery that is generations old.

—SW

The Wicked Cat (Spooksville #10). Christopher Pike. 2015. Aladdin.

While exploring in the woods outside Spooksville, pals Adam, Watch, Sally, and Cindy find a green-eyed black cat that follows them back to town. Although the cat attacks and scratches Cindy badly, Sally takes it home. Wherever the cat is, however, strange things happen, including a fire on Cindy’s front porch when she won’t let the cat in the house. When the cat speaks to Sally, saying she too can have magic powers if she repeats “I want to be a cat. Sally wants to be a cat,” things really get weird. Sally’s friends, with the help of the town witch, Ann Templeton, and homeless Bum, the ex-mayor who knows all about the history of Spooksville, must discover how to undo the trading of places of the cat and Sally before things turn deadly. Aladdin is reissuing all of Pike’s Spooksville horror stories, originally published from 1995 to 1998.
  
—CA

Ages 15+

Don’t Stay Up Late: A Fear Street Novel. R.L. Stine. 2015. Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press.

Lisa Brooks has been left with nightmares and hallucinations after a car accident that killed her father and injured her mother. Nonetheless, when her therapist recommends Lisa for a babysitting job on Shadyside’s Fear Street, she takes it in spite of the superstition that those who live on the street are cursed. Caring for Harry, an apparently lovable young boy, comes with one strict guideline: Under no circumstance can he stay up late. Lisa loves her new job, but Harry is a manipulative charmer and getting him to bed by eight o’clock becomes increasingly more difficult. Then the monstrous killings of two of Lisa’s school friends occur on Fear Street and Lisa begins to see things—things her therapist says she shouldn’t be seeing, whether they are real or not. With this second entry in the relaunch of Stine’s popular series, fans can rest assured that evil still resides on Fear Street.  

—CA

The House. Christina Lauren. 2015. Simon & Schuster.

In this horror novel, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billlings (writing under the pen name Christina Lauren) put a twist on the haunted house subgenre. Gavin lives alone in a very strange house. The house and all the objects in it are alive. House has loved Gavin and provided for all his needs from early childhood. Now as his relationship with Delilah, who has been away for years at a private school, turns romantic, Gavin tells her of his strange living arrangement, brings her home, and introduces her to House as someone important in his life. Possessive House doesn’t like it at all. As Gavin becomes increasingly more insistent that House accept Delilah and the teens talk about going away to college, House becomes cold and violent, seriously injuring Delilah and punishing Gavin. When the intention of House to do anything to keep them apart becomes apparent, they set about planning for escape. House will not make it easy. 

—CA

In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe: Classic Tales of Horror, 1816–1914. Leslie S. Klinger (Ed.). 2015. Perseus Crime.

Klinger has compiled a selection of horror tales by 19th-century writers whose short stories have mostly been lost “in the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe.” The 20 tales are organized in chronological order, and each is introduced with a brief biographical note on the author’s literary contributions. Some of the authors are well known but are not remembered primarily for their short stories. For example, the first tale, “The Sand-Man” (1817), is by E.T.A. Hoffmann, who is best known for his novel The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1916), which became the basis of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker ballet. The final short story, “The Squaw” (1893), was written by Bram Stoker. Stoker wrote numerous short stories, but his novel Dracula (1897)is his tale of horror that is widely read today. Writing styles, vocabulary, and obscure references (which are explained in footnotes) make this a challenging collection to read. Those who accept the challenge will be treated to hours of masterful horror writing by 19th-century authors whose influences are acknowledged by some of the foremost writers of fantasy today.

—CA

Sandip Wilson serves as associate professor in the School of Education and in the English Department of Husson University, Bangor, ME.  Carolyn Angus is former director of the George G. Stone Center for Children’s Books, Claremont Graduate University, and lives in Mountain View, CA.

The review contributions are provided by members of the International Literacy Association’s Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group.

Professional development takes many forms. School districts provide professional development to educate teachers about curricular adoptions or broad initiatives. Teachers also create their own professional development around aspects of teaching and learning of particular interest to them. They may return to a college classroom, participate in professional book clubs with colleagues, or pursue information on an individual basis. Teachers want to know about new practices, but they also want information to support what they know to be tried-and-true best practices: reading aloud, including children’s literature in the curriculum, and educating the whole child. The bottom line is that teachers must continue to be learners, and the books reviewed in this column speak to both beginning and veteran teachers at all levels of education. 

Assessment for Reading Instruction (3rd ed.). Michael C. McKenna, Katherine A. Dougherty Stahl. 2015. Guilford.

The third edition of McKenna and Stahl’s quintessential Assessment for Reading Instruction addresses three contemporary developments in the teaching of reading: response to intervention (RTI), the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), and the increased realization of the need to assess vocabulary. They maintain the primary strengths of the previous editions’ strong theoretical base and actual assessments. The inclusion of 30 reproducible assessment tools for emergent literacy, word recognition and spelling, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, strategic knowledge, and affective factors sets this text apart from other assessment texts. McKenna and Stahl encourage teachers to focus on students’ strengths as well as weaknesses. Most important, they emphasize the primacy of interpreting assessment results in ways that inform instruction. A webpage with downloadable reproducible materials has been created for those who purchase the book. This is an invaluable resource for teachers who seek specific and meaningful information about their student readers.

–LTP

Children’s Literature in the Reading Program: Engaging Young Readers in the 21st Century (4th ed.). Deborah A.Wooten, Bernice E. Cullinan. 2015. International Literacy Association.

With the continued emphasis on standardized testing and misunderstanding of the Common Core State Standards, many schools are increasingly turning to commercial reading programs that provide little opportunity for students to actually read. At the heart of this edition is an awareness of the importance of expanding the breadth and volume of students’ reading. The contributors address educators’ expressed need for theory and research supporting the inclusion of children’s literature in the classroom, strategies to improve students’ literacy learning without diminishing their desire to read, innovative ways to create text sets that include a variety of genres and formats, and guidance in identifying quality multicultural and global books. The ideas presented in this edition of Children’s Literature in the Reading Program will enrich the teaching practices of both new teachers and seasoned veterans.

–LTP

Digital Reading: What’s Essential in Grades 3-8. William L. Bass II, Franki Sibberson. 2015. National Council of Teachers of English.

Teachers who are interested in broadening their understanding of the essential role digital reading can play in 21st-century classrooms now have a professional text designed for just this purpose. Bass and Sibberson expand our definition of reading beyond the traditional designation of print to include digital formats. The authors help connect students’ expertise in technology and digital reading brought from home to classroom contexts. They explore a variety of digital tools and texts for enhancing learning, showing educators how to integrate these tools and texts into the curriculum and across content areas. The authors draw upon “Reading Instruction for All Students,” a Policy Research Brief produced by the National Council of Teachers of English, which argues that visual and digital texts demand that students approach the task of reading differently. Emphasizing authentic digital learning experiences characterized by intentional instructional design, this professional text includes a wealth of practical examples from the authors’ classrooms, as well as the classrooms of their fellow teachers. Packed with practical advice and useful tools, this valuable resource guides teachers across the ever-expanding digital landscape.

–LDP

Handbook of Reading Assessment: A One-Stop Resource for Prospective and Practicing Educators (2nd ed.). Sherry Mee Bell, R. Steve McCallum. 2016. Routledge/Taylor and Francis Group.

The preface to the Handbook of Reading Assessment states that the primary goal of this edition is to “provide the assessment knowledge educators need to improve their practice and better understand the assessment-instructional link” (p. xv), and this edition does not disappoint. Within the framework of an inclusive model of reading, educational professionals from various disciplines will gain assessment knowledge, develop a common language for communication across disciplines, and make meaningful theory/practice connections. The theoretical grounding is impressively strong as are the practical applications of each area of assessment: a perfect marriage. The authors discuss formative and summative assessments in areas including motivation to read, informal reading assessments, progress monitoring, and individual and group formal assessments. In an era of high-stakes standardized tests, this is an important resource and source of empowerment for teachers who work with students on a daily basis. A companion website offers additional resources.

–LTP

In Defense of Read-Aloud: Sustaining Best Practice. Stephen L. Layne. 2015. Stenhouse.

Stephen Layne is preaching to this choir member in In Defense of Read-Aloud, but what a sermon he delivers! Regie Routman’s foreword sets the tone for the book then Layne takes over, accompanied by a chorus of primary, intermediate, and secondary educators, respected teachers, and master practitioners. Layne presents historical and contemporary research supporting read-aloud as best practice and poses the question, “Why doesn’t our practice match our verbalized intent?” With gentle (and over-the-top) wit and humor, Layne presents best practices for orchestrating read-aloud, selecting appropriate read-aloud titles, and reading aloud as an art form. The final chapter includes favorite read-aloud books of K–12 practitioners, literacy gurus, current and past presidents of premier literacy associations, and Layne himself. Each chapter opens with correspondence between a practicing teacher and a well-known author and concludes with e-mails between Layne and educators regarding their read-aloud dilemmas. Respected voices in the field also provide position statements regarding read-aloud.

–LTP

In the Best Interest of Students: Staying True to What Works in the ELA Classroom. Kelly Gallagher. 2015. Stenhouse.

Those who read Gallagher’s Readicide (2009) will be delighted with this new offering, and those who haven’t discovered it will definitely want to seek it out after reading In the Best Interest of Students. With his standard wit and insight, and in alternating chapters, Gallagher examines what the CCSS in reading, writing, speaking and listening do and do not get right. Reminding us that standards come and go, he encourages us to fit the current standards around our teaching rather than tailoring our teaching to fit the standards. In the final chapter, Gallagher advocates for changing the 50/50 Approach he proposed in Readicide to a 20/80 Approach and maps out what 20% whole-class, challenging, close reading balanced with 80% extended, small-group, and independent reading would look like. As always, Gallagher gives us much to think about regarding our practice as educators.

–LTP

Let’s Talk: One-on-One, Peer, and Small-Group Writing Conferences. Mark Overmeyer. 2015. Stenhouse.

Let’s Talk is a valuable resource for professionals who use a workshop framework to teach writing. Overmeyer examines the role of talk in the Writing Workshop and offers practical support for making conferences more manageable and meaningful. He offers multiple ways to structure talk in the workshop, including the traditional talk between teachers and students, as well as talk between students and their fellow writers. Three types of teacher–student conferencing are explored: the classic conference, involving one teacher and one student; the guided writing conference, involving one teacher and several students; and the public author’s chair conference, involving one teacher and many students. Overmeyer extends our notion of workshop talk to include peer writing conferences, including pairs and small groups of students. The qualities of effective feedback are explored, as well as strategies for working with English language learners. The author weaves entertaining stories about his own students’ writing experiences throughout the text, along with actual samples of their writing. A theme carried throughout this professional text is a commitment to creating positive writing memories within communities of writers. Useful forms for conference note-taking and record-keeping are included.

–LDP

The Reading Strategies Book: Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Readers. Jennifer Serravallo. 2015. Heinemann.

Teachers familiar with Conferring with Readers, The Literacy Teacherersaders op, and Teaching Reading in Small Groups will be pleased to discover a new professional book by the best-selling author. This robust resource offers teachers over 300 reading strategies, which the author describes as “reading recipes.” The strategies are organized by 13 goals, and each chapter begins with an extensive explanation of the reading goal. Serravallo urges teachers to match individual goals to individual readers, promoting differentiated literacy instruction. The strategies are designed to support preemergent and emergent readers, print work, comprehension in fiction and nonfiction, and studentsdents and nonfiction, and studentsallo urges teluency; and improve writing about reading. Each strategy includes an explanation of the strategy itself, a teaching tip, prompts, and a sample visual to support readers. Other resources entail targeted Fountas & Pinnell reading levels, text genre and types, and reading skills. The author includes helpful language for prompting and guiding readers, as well as for demonstrating and explaining the craft of reading. This comprehensive professional text is designed to be used with any reading program or approach.

–LDP

Sharing the Blue Crayon: How to Integrate Social, Emotional and Literacy Learning. Mary Anne Buckley. 2015. Stenhouse.

The social emotional learning of young children can become subsumed by an ever-increasing emphasis on standards and testing requirements. Buckley’s Friendship Workshop seeks to counteract these effects, building classroom communities around the social and emotional languages of children. These communities are characterized by respect and care, as well as high engagement in learning and problem solving. The Friendship Workshop teaches children how to build empathy and trust through the sharing of personal stories and powerful feelings. According to Buckley: “Friendship Workshop is a conscious approach to helping children identify and regulate their emotions so they can make choices that support their relationships and their schooling” (p. 3). Strategies are explored for working with special populations of students, such as English language learners and children from high-poverty home environments. The author introduces the format for conducting a Friendship Workshop and extends the workshop to literacy lessons. A variety of concepts are explored, such as the language of learning, self-regulation skills, getting along as part of a group, and giving and receiving feedback. The author shares heartwarming anecdotes from her early childhood classrooms to illustrate the workshop elements and goals.

–LDP

Writers ARE Readers: Flipping Reading Instruction Into Writing Opportunities. Lester L. Laminack, Reba M. Wadsworth. 2015. Heinemann.

The best-selling authors of Learning Under the Influence of Language and Literature and Reading Aloud Across the Curriculum have a new offering that highlights the reciprocity of the reading and writing processes. Rather than the traditional approach of separating reading and writing instruction, the authors advocate for their connection, increasing both efficiency and effectiveness of literacy teaching and learning. Laminack and Wadsworth propose a new idea that they call “flipsides,” which is the notion that each reader insight can be flipped into an insight for the writer. According to the authors: “Our focus here is to help readers see the flipside of those actions, gain insight into the writing behind them, and then activate those insights as writers” (p. viii). The book is organized into three sections: text structure and organization, weaving meaning (comprehension strategies), and story elements. Sample lessons and student writing samples illustrate how to flip reader knowledge and apply it to knowledge of writing. Recommended children’s literature titles for each section provide teachers with a valuable resource.

–LDP

These reviews are submitted by members of the International Reading Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG) and are published weekly on Literacy Daily.