Book reviews

Good reviewers have their own sense of style and write readable and enjoyable reviews.

Masha Kabakow Rudman

Children’s literature: resource for the classroom

Writing a book review

Reviewing demands a careful thinking and analysis of the work under discussion; it demands that you keep asking yourself why you reacted the way it did; it demands that you present ample proof to your reader to substantiate your views.

Harry Tietelbaum

How to write book reports

This module provides you with the skills required to write reviews of children’s, intermediate and young adult literature. While successful book reviews share many characteristics in common, the reviewing of juvenile literature presents some specialized challenges.


Introduction
All book reviewers, regardless of the type of literature they review, share some characteristics in common. In Children’s literature: resource for the classroom, Rudman presents a list of 11 characteristics exhibited by fine reviewers and reviews:

1. A sense of children, their needs, and how they respond to books.
2. A sense of the enthusiasm and passion for the material.
3. A sense of respect of the creator for a book and for the creation process.
4. A sense of style.
5. Sense enough to avoid preconceptions, adages and old saws.
6. A sense of humility.
7. A sense of history of the genre in which they are reviewing, a knowledge of past books of the author and illustrator, and an ability to make comparisons in a review.
8. A sense of balance or proportion between plot and critical commentary.
9. A sense of your audience.
10. A sense of contemporary adult literature, art, film, and theatre and an historical perspective on these forms.
11. A sense of humour. (101-103)

The full text of Rudman’s guidelines may be found in Appendix A.

It is important that reviewers come to each new book with a fresh eye. They need also be aware their own biases and not let those interfere with their objective response to a particular book.


In addition, as stated above, the reviewer must also have a sense of history: to be able to fit a book within the context of an author’s work and within the larger context of children’s literature. Furthermore, the reviewer should understand the function of literature in our society.

Elleman notes that the reviewing of children’s books is different from the reviewing of adult books. And that difference is primarily due to differences in the market between adult and children’s books:

... children’s books are written, edited, published, reviewed, and purchased by adults, for children –a situation that does not exist in the adult market, and one that frequently set off the widely debated question of the importance of child appeal in a book. (148)

Adult reviewers of children’s books must always keep the ultimate audience, that is children, in mind when reviewing books.


Who reads reviews?
Library staff, both public and school, increasingly rely upon reviews when making purchasing decisions. Teachers, as well, use reviews when deciding what books to present in the classroom. And finally, reviews are used by the general public when deciding what books to buy for their children. But regardless of who reads the review its content should remain essentially the same. Most book reviews provide an evaluation of a book, based on its literacy qualities. They may also include an assessment of the projected popularity of the book. Sometimes reviewers place the book within the larger context of the book’s genre or the author’s other work. Library staff also appreciate comments about any potentially controversial material.


If the book you’re reviewing doesn’t belong to you, then use small slips of paper to make passages you want to refer to as you write your review. Don’t rely on your memory to help you find that outstanding description of setting at a later time. While you’re reading the book, you need to do some thinking about it as well. Pay attention to your initial reaction of the book: did you like it? Did the book appeal to your emotions, your intellect or to both?


Try to make some connections: is this the first book by this author? If this author has written more than one book, try to put the book in the context of his/her body of work. You may also compare the book to others in the same genre, or others that discuss the same theme.

If time and circumstances permit try the book with some children. For a younger audience try the book as a read aloud and see how the children respond. For older children, ask them to read the book and discuss it with you.

The second rule of book reviewing is that you should avoid making an “instant” decision about a book. Take your time: reread as many times as you need to locate and evaluate all the literary elements. Look for effective (or not effective) passages that you can use in a review.

Some do’s and don’ts for first time reviewers

Writing reviews is a skill that improves with practice and effort. A good way to begin developing this skill is to study several reviews of the same book as they appear in different publications. Note the essentials that seem to be the same in each and the differences in light of the source’s reading audience.

(Donelson and Nielsen, 291)

The following list of do’s and don’ts provides practical tips for the first time reviewer:

Some do’s

• Talk about intriguing aspects of the book. Library staff can, in turn, use what you said to sell the book to a reader.
• Talk about controversial material. Library staff need to be aware of any issues that may surround the book you are reviewing.
• Talk about cover illustrations. Many young readers choose their books strictly on the basis of their covers.
• do give a clear recommendation or non-recommendation. Be sure to explain your reasons.

Some don’ts

• Don’t assume your reader has read the book. Most will have not. Therefore, you must provide enough information that an informed purchase decision can be made.
• Don’t over-praise a book. Remember to remain objective in your praise. In the past, children’s literature has suffered from too many laudatory reviews and not enough objective criticism.
• Don’t get snarky. It’s acceptable not to like a book, but you still need to remain objective in your comments about a book. Reviewers need to be especially wary of books that present a different value system from their own.
• Don’t quote directly from the publisher’s blurbs. Blurbs are meant to sell books and they are hardly objective.

Assessing literary qualities
An important part of writing a book review is assessing its literary qualities. Assessing means not only indicating what the various literary elements of a particular book are, but also evaluating how effectively the author has used those various elements.

The following section provides a brief review of the literary elements used in evaluating and reviewing literature.

Setting is where and when a story takes place. The importance of the setting varies from story to story. For example, the setting in historical fiction is often considered to be an integral part of the story. An author’s description of that setting may very well determine how successful historical fiction is. Conversely, in some realistic fiction the setting is of little consequence. Above all, the setting must be clear, believable, authentic and consistent. 

Point of view describes who is telling the story. Authors choose from three types of narrators: first person, omniscient and limited narrators. Whichever style is used, it should fit the story and be logical. The voice needs to be logical and consistent throughout the story.

Characters form the heart of the story. In most books you should be able to identify the protagonist, that is the main character who carries the action of the story, and the antagonist, that is the character (or non human element such as nature) who acts against the protagonist.

Characterization describes how the characters change and grow in the story. Characterization is revealed through what the characters say and do and what other characters say and do about them. Any character growth should be logical. Books for intermediate and young adult readers can show a depth to characterization that is not possible in books for younger children. Any character development shown must be consistent with the character’s age and gender.

Plot is what happens in a story. Readers of all ages, but especially younger ones, want characters who overcome obstacles and encounter conflicts on their way to reach their goals. It is also important that the story moves in a related sequence to a logical outcome. Most books follow this pattern: 

• Beginning  

• Sets the stage. Characters, setting are introduced. Conflict starts. 

• Middle

• Builds momentum and development. Characters grow and develop as they encounter obstacles on their way to their goals.
•  Ending

• Reaches a satisfying conclusion. Most intermediate readers prefer a happy ending, but young adult readers can handle a more ambiguous ending.

The theme is the main idea of the book. It is the book’s central core and it shows us the author’s perception of life. There are a wide variety of themes in children’s literature: some books discuss serious life concerns, while others are written more as entertainment.

Style refers to how the book is written. It includes the author’s choice of words, the sentence patterns and length and the rhythm of the language. Also included in style is the author’s use of imagery or symbolism. When evaluating an author’s style consider the age of the intended audience.

Poor writing can be easy to spot: the style is often repetitive and the dialogue will seem stiff and artificial. Beware also of books that are too obviously didactic.

Reviewing nonfiction books
By virtue of their content, nonfiction books, such as informational books and bibliographies, have special reviewing criteria. These criteria are outlined in the modules that discuss those genres.


Assessing controversial material
Library staff need to know if there is anything that might be considered controversial in the book that is being reviewed. Heyleman states –

... it is important that a reviewer informs us if there is a probable controversial issue in the book, be it strong language, explicit sex, violence, or whatever. ... in the interest of giving full and complete information about the book, a reviewer should alert the librarian to any real problem area (148).

The author also notes that while some library staff will use this information as an excuse to buy a book or remove it from the shelf ... “the rest of us want a review to be as informative as possible, not so that we can avoid conflict, but so that we can deal with.” (148)

Writing an effective book review
Donelson and Nilsen point out that all book reviews tend to all sound the same:


... reviewers need to approach their task with the same creative spirit with which authors write books. They need to think of new ways of putting across the point that a book is highly recommended or that it has some unique quality that readers should watch for. (291)


Following these guidelines will help you fashion an effective book review:

• capture your readers’ attention with your first sentence: remember that those reading your review have many things competing for their time: you must hook them right at the beginning. Tietlebaum suggests several different ways of starting a review including –o placing the book within the context of the author’s worko locating the work within its genreo introducing some significant information about the authoro stating the theme of the work (42-43)
• consider your audience: put the book into context for them. Compare the book to others written by the same author or other books in the same genre. Provide some information about the author.
• Provide an informed judgement: try to summarize your over-all opinion of the book in one sentence. Buttress your opinion with direct quotes from the book.
• Consider what the author intended: evaluate how well you think he/she succeeded.
• Don’t simply provide a plot summary: provide more information about the book: the characters, the setting, the theme. Allow those reading the review to make an informed decision.
• Be accurate in everything you say about the book and its author: double check your statements to ensure accuracy.

More tips about the reviewing of children’s books may be found in Appendix C.

Building a file of book reviews
Virtually all library staff have to rely on reviews when making purchasing decisions. There’s simply not enough time to read all the new books published each year. To make more effective purchase decisions use more than one periodical when reading reviews. A list of reviewing periodicals is included in Appendix D. Clip the reviews for the books you decide to purchase. If possible, try not to buy books based on publisher’s catalogues as they tend to be too laudatory in their descriptions.

Consider, also building review files. Review files contain the following:

• Information about the author
• Reviews of the author’s works
• Your responses to reviews of the author’s work
• Did you agree with the reviewer’s comments
• Short, one paragraph summaries of author’s books in your collection
• Note especially any details that make the books different
• Jot down characters’ names and brief descriptions

You might wish to develop your own system of symbols or shorthand for indicating the literary qualities and popularity of a book. One system, used in the periodical, Voice of youth advocate, is shown in Appendix E.

Donelson and Nilsen suggest that you also note any special uses for the book:

Librarians sometimes write their descriptions in the form of a booktalk identifying a page they could read aloud, while reading teachers note the level of reading difficulty, and English teachers may mention how the book might illustrate a particular literary principle. A youth worker might make a note about the potential of the book as a catalyst to get kids talking along certain lines, whereas a teacher who anticipates that the book could be controversial is wise to note positive reviews and honors. (287)

When organizing your review files, use whatever pattern seems logical to you. For example, files may be organized by subject matter or theme, age level or genre. The key advantage to keeping review files is that they can be pulled and reorganized for any number or purposes including booktalking, creative displays and building bibliographies. Review your files on a regular basis: doing so will remind you about books that you can recommend. And if you can’t remember a book title or author’s name, a quick trip through your files will probably jog your memory.


Works cited
Donelson, Kenneth L. and Alleen Nielsen. Literature for today’s young adults. 5th edition. New York: Longman, 1997.

Kamerman, Sylvia E. Book reviewing. Boston: The Writer Inc. Publishers, 1978.

Rudman, Masha Kabakow, ed. Children’s literature: resource for the classroom. Norwood: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc., 1993.

Teitelbaum, Harry. How to write book reports. New York: MacMillan, 1998.

Appendix A: Qualities of a reviewer
The following excerpt discusses 11 qualities needed in a book reviewer.

Qualities of a reviewer

There are many qualities that need to be brought to the reviewing and evaluating process. Most fine reviewers and fine reviews exhibit eleven characteristics that are quite easy to identify.

1. A sense of children, their needs, and how they respond to books. We are, after all, engaged in a peculiar pursuit. Most children’s literature is written by adults, published by adults, and selected and reviewed by adults. The child or children, however, stand as the ultimate test of any book. We need to ask ourselves constantly, “Will children, or a child, understand and appreciate this book? Does this author have something to say to a child?”
2. A sense of enthusiasm and passion for the material. In evaluating books for children, who are not by and large cynical or pessimistic, there is no room for being jaded. A good book review should make you want to read the book and use it with children. Although certain famous, or more accurately infamous reviews – such as Dorothy Parker’s review of The House at Pooh Corner, “Tonstant weather froed up” – are certainly amusing, I do not think we should aspire to them. Good reviewers, using those fine words from Helen Garner, should aim to “light a torch, not wield a sword.”
3. A sense of respect for the creator of a book and for the creation process. Good reviewers are interested in determining what the author or illustrator has actually set out to do and in evaluating how well he or she has done it. In The Art of Fiction (1948), Henry James says that fiction is a tower with a thousand windows; at every window stands a writer. Obviously, the vision is going to be different from every window. The critic cannot make a judgment about where the writer’s eyes should look or what they should have seen. This principle is one of the most frequently violated in children’s book reviewing. There is an amazing tendency on the part of the reviewer to play author and editor than to review the book that is in front of them. This tendency to play editor was one of my own besetting sins as a young reviewer. I actually wrote in The Horn Book Magazine, in a review of Almedingen’s Anna, “Pallid in comparison with some of the great heroines of Russia fiction – women of mettle like Natasha of War and Peace – Anna, at least, has a certain charming simplicity:” A senior reviewer pointed out that possibly the author had not wanted or needed to create War and Peace, or Natasha for that matter, for young readers. We should not in reviews talk about the book that might have been; we simply need to do justice and to be completely fair to the book – the one that has actually been created.
4. A sense of style. Good reviewers have their own sense of style and write readable and enjoyable reviews.
5. Sense enough to avoid preconceptions, adages, and old saws. Good reviewers are not concerned with fitting a book into their particular theory of children’s literature. On occasion, authors of books can get away with their adages and old saws, but it is not a privilege we have as reviewers. As John Updike says in Picked-Up Pieces: “Do not imagine yourself a caretaker of any tradition, an enforcer of any party standard, a warrior in any ideological battle, or a correction’s officer of any kind.”
6. A sense of humility. To make sure that I maintain my humility, I keep next to my desk two classic Horn Book manqué. The first is a review by Ruth Hill Viguers, third editor of The Horn Book, in which she says, “Children, however, do not enjoy cynicism. I doubt Harriet the Spy’s appeal to many of them.” The other is by Anne Carroll Moore; its opening salvo sets the tone for a long, essentially negative review: “I may as well confess that I find E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web hard to take from so masterly a hand.” Reviewers do the best job they can, make the best judgements they can, but they need always to remember that they can make mistakes, be aware that they are fallible, and be willing to reevaluate books.
7. A sense of history of the genre in which they are reviewing.
8. A sense of balance or proportion between plot and critical commentary. This varies from book to book: good reviewers tell you what a book is about and why they think it succeeds or fails so that as a reader you have some idea of their critical perspective.
9. A sense of your audience. You have to know who your readers are, what they know about books, what they need to know about books, and what similar points of reference you actually have.
10. A sense of contemporary adult literature, art, film, and theatre and an historical perspective on these forms. Every now and then I am amused by those who see a particular children’s book as on the cutting edge of art. Children’s books are rarely on the cutting edge of anything, but we need to see them in the wider context of adult literature and art to understand this.
11. A sense of humour. Last, and most important, this is one of the qualities most lacking in children’s book reviewing. Children’s books are a great deal of fun. Children’s book reviews are often very dull. Whether they are funny in print or not, however, children’s book reviewers need a sense of humour so they can evaluate the material they read.

Rudman, Masha Kabakow, ed. Children’s literature: resource for the classroom. Norwood: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc., 1993.

Appendix B: How one book reviewer prepares to write a review
The following article explains how one book reviewer and writer analyses the books he is reviewing.

Book annotation speaks volumes

Add up the NB!, HA, HAW, and UGHs

Novelist and travel writer Paul Theroux once said, “A book isn’t really yours until you’ve made notes in the margins.”

There are readers who believe it is sacrilege to write in a book, and librarians like to foster that notion, the better to make their volumes acceptable to the next borrower. But when it comes to books I own, I tend to belong to the Theroux school.

There are many reasons why someone like me would want to mark up a book. As a reviewer, I want to keep track of the essentials, to make it easy to find a passage I want to quote or paraphrase. As a teacher, I want to be able to refer back to examples I’d like to use in class. As a writer, I want to refresh my memory on how another writer handled a particular problem. As a reader, I want to highlight my favourite passages.

Marking important sections is a habit you pick up in school. I remember being taught a method that proved quite successful in condensing texts to two or three pages of study notes. You used a yellow pencil for main ideas, blue for supporting points, red for definitions. You went back over your markings and assembled notes that could be condensed even further, the objective being to distill a whole course to a single page.

I often think back to that method when I see a student going through a textbook with a yellow magic marker, highlighting every single line. I can only assume he expects to learn through osmosis, the material mysteriously moving up through the marker into his arm and up to his brain.

While the colour system works for social science text books, I found I had to develop a different method for works of fiction. The tool I use is a soft pencil – 2B – so that I don’t make a dent in the page. I would never use a pen – that’s too final. The idea is that, if some day you want to sell the book, you can erase all the pencil markings. 

Now to reveal the secret code.

Alongside any passage that contains information important to the plot or the theme, I draw a vertical line and print NB. If it’s especially significant, I underline the NB. If I think I’ve discovered the key to the whole work, I’ll use two underlines.

Alongside any passages that seem particularly well said, I’ll draw a vertical line and put in a check mark. Something brilliant demands two or possibly even three check marks.

So that I don’t have to flip through the pages looking for these marks later, I write a terse summary of the section I marked on the first page of the book, just inside the cover. The summary is a one-line phrase and it’s accompanied by the page number. When I’ve finished reading the book, there will be a list of these, sort of a handy-dandy index. I can refresh my memory of the book by going over the list.

There’s more. Alongside any passage that strikes me as funny, I print HA. If it’s hilarious, I put an exclamation after the HA. If the book is supposed to be a comedy, I can tell whether it succeeds or fails by adding up the HAs.

Alongside any passage that is raunchy, I print HAW. Very raunchy: HAW!

If something occurs in the text that takes me completely by surprise – a peculiar plot twist or an uncharacteristic way of saying something – I use a single exclamation mark.

If a book misfires or just doesn’t grab me, I won’t give it many NBs or check marks. If a passage is especially bad or cloying or sickening, I’ll print UGH. (I’m not the only one who does this. Carol Shields showed me a copy of a book she’d been reviewing and I noticed an UGH in one of the margins. It was used to mark a metaphor that didn’t seem to work.)

I have just been reading Barney’s version by Mordecai Richler. Take a passage like this: “In my declining years, I continue to linger in Montreal, risking icy streets in winter in spite of my increasingly brittle bones. It suits me to be rooted in a city that, like me, is diminishing day by day.” This rates an NB because it gives information pertinent to our hero.

Now consider this: “All that’s flourishing (in Montreal) now are FOR SALE/A VENDRE signs, sprouting up every day like out-of-season daffodils on front lawns ...” This gets a check mark because it strikes me as well said. You might have guessed that my copy of Richler’s novel contains a great number of HAs and HAWs but absolutely no UGHS.

People tell me they like reading one of my books after I’ve marked it up because it reveals a lot about the way I think.

HAW!

Slice of Life is a weekly column featuring Manitoba writers. David Williamson’s next book is Anniversary, a play he co-authored with Carol Shields, to be published in the spring.

Williamson, D. Book Annotation. Winnipeg Free Press.

Appendix C: How to review children’s books
This excerpt provides specific details on how to review many different types of children’s, intermediate and young adult books.

This material is excerpted from a brochure prepared by the Children’s Services Division of the Santiago (California) Library System. 

To paraphrase T.S. Eliot, “The rudiment of criticism is the ability to select a good book and reject a bad book; and its most severe test is its ability to select a good new book, to respond properly to a new situation.”

The well-known specialist in children’s literature, Zena Sutherland, points out these responsibilities of the children’s book reviewer:

1. Be objective in your evaluation of the book.
2. Be aware of controversial themes, sex mores, and unconventional language.
3. Know the field of children’s literature so as to have a basis for their evaluation.
4. Know children, their needs and wants.
5. Know the audience for whom the review is being written.
6. Judge each book on its own merit.
7. Read the book cover to cover!
8. Consider the book as a communication. Popularity and literary quality are not the same thing. Both aspects must be taken into account; they should be in balance, and this balance should be carefully considered.
9. Compare this particular book with others in the genre or on the same subject or by the same author.
10. Be aware of the problem of translating a book into English:a. Is it true to the original text?b. Is it idiomatic?

When feasible, try to use the author’s writing style, or a few of his or her words, phrases or sentences to help convey the flavour of the book. But do not paraphrase a plot or give detailed recapitulation of contents. Three or four sentences are enough; not more than one should be devoted to the plot.

Watch for any biases:

1. Are sexual, racial, or age groups treated fairly?
2. How does the author’s treatment of them affect the impact of the book?
3. Is the author’s opinion presented as fact?

Types of children’s books Picture books The picture book at its best is a fusion of text and illustration. Illustrations should extend and interpret the story. Ask yourself the following questions about the picture books you review:

1. Does the fusion work?
2. Will it work for children?
3. How do you evaluate the design, originality, art work and appeal?
4. Do the mood and style of the picture match the text?

Folklore

1. How good are they at stories?
2. How does this collection compare with others of the same kind?
3. Are the stories available in other collections?
4. Is it a book for children, or a book for folklorists?
5. Does the style reflect an oral tradition, or is this a literary treatment?
6. Do the stories and style truly represent the culture from which they come, or do they reflect a bias from the author’s culture?
7. Are sources, parallels, or other relevant information provided?

Fables, myths and epics Older children are the primary audience for the pithy – if sometimes didactic – wisdom of the fables, although many individual fables have been skilfully presented in picture-story format. Children may not understand the complexity of symbolism in myths and legends, but they can appreciate the drama and beauty of the stories. The great epics can satisfy a child’s need to admire deeds of high courage.

Poetry Poetry should present a new perspective with an economy of well-chosen words.

1. Does the poetry speak to the child, not at or about him or her?
2. Evaluate poetry for its uniqueness and its use of language.
3. Check for variety in –a. Meter – the number of feet in a line, or the combination of the number and the kind of metrical feet (iambic pentameter, for instance).b. Rhyme – the repetition of sound at the ends of two or more lines or within lines.c. Scheme – pattern of rhythm within a poem.d. Type –i. Lyric – a short poem (ode, sonnet, etc.) usually with a musical qualityii. Narrative – poems that tell a story and are usually rather longiii. Dramatic – the pattern of rhyme within a poem
4. For an anthology of poetry, check the availability of the poems elsewhere.

Fiction Here we can use the same criteria we bring to judging adult fiction – with some special additions relating to children’s books:

1. Consider plot, characterization and style.
2. Is the story absorbing, convincing, and carefully worked out to an honest conclusion?
3. Is it entertaining without being moralistic?
4. Will the reader meet real characters and watch them grow?
5. Good fiction should offer an appealing story, told smoothly, with freshness, and originality.
6. Compare the novel with previous work by the same author, or with books on the same theme by other authors.
7. From whose point of view is the story told?
8. Tell if the book is from one of these sub-categories:
1. humorous stories
2. mysteries
3. animal stories
4. historical fiction
5. adventure fiction
6. realistic stories
9. Complexity of plot development and concepts presented should be geared to the level of the child’s development.

Nonfiction

1. Does the book aim toward high standards of literacy quality?
2. Is it accurate and current?
3. Will it appeal to the audience for which it is geared?
4. Do the illustrations clarify the text?
5. Notice the presence or absence of

a. tables b. maps c. appendices d. picture credits e. index f. glossary g. bibliographies h. table of contents i. suggestions for further reading

Biography Biography for children is frequently not documented carefully for accuracy, and it is therefore particularly important to check the author’s credentials – in addition to testing it against some of the following criteria:

1. Can you determine if the subject was the author’s own choice, or was the book contracted for by the publisher?
2. Does the author “know” the person and the field?
3. Does the biographee come through as a human being, or as a colorless paragon?
4. Is the dialogue based on imagination, or on diaries, letters, etc.?
5. Have the incidents included in the biography been wisely chosen to give a true portrayal of character and personality?

Science Here are some special points to check out:

1. readability – Is the language untechnical enough for the audience?
2. accuracy – Is it essential to compare books/authorities for authenticity of information?
3. currency – In fields where knowledge is rapidly changing, will the book soon be obsolete? Is it already?
4. illustrations – Drawings and photographs should be sharp, clear, detailed, positioned, and captioned to aid understanding.
5. index & bibliography – A thorough, usable index is a must.
6. Beware of:
1. oversimplification – Concepts should not be confused with facts.
2. anthropomorphism – Treating animals as though they have human characteristics.
3. teleology – Ascribing purpose to anything in the natural environment, e.g., “Squirrels bury acorns so they will have food in the winter.”
4. animism – Attributing conscious life and spirit to material things such as rocks, and plants.

How to books Craft, cooking, making things, knitting and other how-to-do-it books should fulfill the basic criteria:

1. Are the directions clear and complete?
2. Do the instructions include safety precautions?
3. Do the projects encourage creativity, or are they cut-and-dried recipes?
4. Is the finished product worth the effort?

Sports books Just as sports are full of action, sports books should be exciting, compelling, and dramatic:

1. Does the author create dramatic moments without resorting to clichés?
2. Are statistics used judiciously without bombarding the reader?
3. In how-to sports books, are the skills ones which the intended audience can really attempt?

History

1. Does the book make past eras come alive for the reader?
2. 2. Check the author’s accuracy and note any biases.
3. Does the author attempt to present the “facts” from more than one point of view?

Kamerman, S. Book reviewing. The Writers Inc. 1978

Appendix D: Reviewing journals
This appendix contains information about how to evaluate published book reviews. It also lists information about major Canadian and American periodicals that review children’s, intermediate and young adult literature.

Evaluating selection aids It’s a fact of life: most librarians cannot possibly keep up with all the books that are constantly being published for children and intermediate/young adult readers. Consequently, relying on reviews to assist with purchase decisions has become a way of life. However, this method is not foolproof and needs to be supplemented with as much reading of the actual books possible ... 

... Most libraries can afford to subscribe to only a few ... periodicals, so it is important to make an informed judgment about which periodicals you use when looking for reviews. 

Consider the following questions when evaluating each periodical:

1. Does the periodical have a published policy statement regarding its reviews?
2. Does the periodical provide written guidelines for its reviewers?
3. What criteria are used to evaluate the books reviewed?
4. How does the periodical acquire the books it reviews? And how are those books assigned to individual reviewers?
5. How complete is each review?
6. What criteria does the reviewer use when evaluating books?
7. How quickly does a review appear after the book’s publication?
8. Are titles from one particular publishing house more likely to be reviewed than titles from another?

Each periodical has its own strengths and weaknesses. Reading reviews in several periodicals will help you to maintain a balanced view.

Appendix E: One reviewing system

This appendix shows the reviewing system used by the periodical, Voice of youth advocates. BOOK REVIEW CODE

Quality

5Q Hard to imagine it being better written.

4Q Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses.

3Q Readable, without serious defects.

2Q Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q.

1Q Hard to understand how it got published, except in relation to its P rating (and not even then sometimes).

Popularity

5P Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday.

4P Broad general YA appeal.

3P Will appeal with pushing.

2P For the YA reader with a special interest in the subject.

1P No YA will read unless forced to for assignments.

Grade level interest

M Middle School (defined as grades 6-8)

J Junior High (defined as grades 7-9)

S Senior High (defined as grades 10-12)

VOYA. Reviewing code.

Historical fiction

Historical fiction dramatizes and humanizes the sterile facts of history.

Judith Hillman

Discovery Children’s Literature

Historical fiction is the term used to describe fiction that is set in the past. Considered a subgenre of realistic fiction, historical fiction is distinguished by accuracy: all elements in the story must be realistically portrayed for the time period depicted.

 

Most historical fiction falls into one of three categories. The first category includes fictional characters and may also include created events. History is used as a backdrop for the story. For example, The Slave Dancer (Paula Fox, 1973) demonstrates the miseries of the slave trade. The story is told from the point of view of a 13-year-old white boy who is kidnapped by slave traders to play his fife on their ship. The second type of historical fiction consists of partly fictionalized stories that feature people who actually lived and documented historical events. Underground to Canada (Barbara Claassen Smucker, 1977) is an example of this type of historical fiction. This novel tells the story of the underground railway, used to transport runaway slaves through the United States and into Canada. Although the major characters are all fictitious, the book includes references to Alexander Ross, a Canadian abolitionist. The third type of historical fiction is based on the writer’s actual memories. The Little House series (Wilder, 1953) is an example of this type of historical fiction: the books are based on the author’s own memories of growing up in the American Midwest.

 

Sometimes it is difficult to determine if a book should be classified as historical fiction, realistic fiction or biography. Sutherland explains how to determine if a book is historical fiction or realistic fiction: “does the author create a vivid picture of another historical period and is that picture vital to the telling of the story?” (384)

 

If the answer to that question is no, then you probably have an interesting story, but not an example of historical fiction. Books such as Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery, 1908) and Little Women (Alcott, 1867) are examples of realistic fiction, not historic fiction, as they were written as contemporary fiction.

 

To decide if a book should be considered historical fiction or biography, consider whether the book contains fictionalized elements. Works that contain aspects of fiction, that is made up characters and situations, should be considered historical fiction. Biographies should be based totally on fact.

 

Another point that may prove puzzling is determining the time frame for historical fiction. Many critics believe the cut off point for historic fiction should be the end of World War II. However, as we continue to move through this century we need to revise that date. For most children today even the 1960’s seem remote, although most adults would be reluctant to label books set in that decade as historical fiction!

 

Hillman suggests the following categories for time periods in historical fiction:

1. Ancient World
2. Medieval World
3. Exploration and Colonization
4. Westward Expansion and Industrialization
5. Early 20th century (169)

But regardless of the time period the story may be set in, the appeal of historical fiction is best summed up by Donelson and Nielsen:

 

Most of us read historical novels because we are curious about other times, places and people; we also read them because, most important, we want adventure, suspense and mystery. (189)

 

Themes in historical fiction

The themes found in historical fiction are as broad as history itself. Many works of historical fiction explore themes that have been concerns of people throughout history. For example, the upholding of love and honour is a common theme. Stories about people searching for freedom are also found. A love of the land and the independence that brings may also be found. Whatever the theme is, it needs to be expressed in terms that are relevant to today’s young readers. In addition, it should provide insight into and an understanding of the past.

 

Evaluating historical fiction

Hillman offers this assessment for historical fiction, “historical fiction must be credible, with all the elements working together to depict a genuine, believable story.” (172)

 

Authenticity is the key to well written historical fiction. In order to create an authentic historical story, authors of historical fiction often undertake extensive research. They will spend hours combing through old records and newspapers. They may also conduct interviews and visit historic sites and museums. All the details in a story must be accurate – the clothing, housing, food. “Because historical fiction is rooted in history, an infrastructure of accurate historical fiction is necessary.” (Jacobs and Tunnel, 105)

 

Furthermore, authors must make their story’s time period come to life for young readers. The sights, the sounds, sometimes even the smells, combine to create a living picture of life in another time. Revealing the story through the eyes of a young protagonist is very appealing for young readers. Jacobs and Tunnel point out that the traditional study of history typically ignores children and –

... therefore, the gap between themselves and the dusty past widens. A young protagonist who is inserted into ... the difficult period of the Great Depression allows young readers to experience history through the senses of someone who views life in a similar way – as a child. (107)

Historical fiction also places special demands on how the author treats the literary elements of setting, characters and plot:

 

• Setting

The setting is an integral part of historical fiction. Settings must be historically accurate. Successful writers of historical fiction must provide enough details to interest their young readers and to paint a clear picture. However, authors must not overwhelm their readers with too many details.

 

• Characters

Young readers must be able to believe that the characters in historical fiction are real people just like themselves. Most writers of historical fiction don’t use historical figures as the main characters unless they can actually document conversations and events. Instead, the main characters are often fictional characters, closer in age to the reader and historical characters take on secondary roles.

 

Characters must also be authentic for the story’s time period: they must not exhibit any contemporary actions or values.

 

• Plot

Well written plots in historical fiction arise naturally from the story’s time period. The author’s description of the conflict contained in the plot helps “readers to understand the values expressed during a time period and the problems, moral dilemmas, and social issues faced by the people.” (Norton, 524)

 

Writers of historical fiction must also be skilful at creating dialogue. Most authors take some liberties with the language their characters speak – to hold their reader’s attention. Books filled with archaic dialogue will soon bore or confuse a young reader. On the other hand, the use of too much modern language can break the mood of the story.

 

In summary, Russell states that well written historical fiction:

1. tells a good story,
2. conveys the flavour of the historical period,
3. authentically captures the people of the period, their values and their habits, 
4. uses dialogue to make the characters sound authentic but not artificial,
5. faithfully uses historical knowledge to avoid distorting history,
6. fairly and sensitively portrays different sides of the compelling issues of the period, and
7. gives us insight into contemporary problems as well as helps us understand the problems of the past. (149) 

In contrast, Donelson and Nilsen tell us that a poor historical novel may have –

A story that could have happened any time or any place. The historical setting is for visual appeal and to compensate for a weak story.

Anachronisms in which the author illogically mixes up people, events, speaking styles, social values, or technological developments from different time periods.

Awkward narration and exposition as the author tries to teach history through characters’ conversations.

Oversimplification of the historical issues and a stereotyping of the “bad” and the “good” guys.

Characters who fail to come alive as individuals having something in common with the readers. They are just stereotyped representatives of a particular period. (190)

The Value of historical fiction

 

“The greatest value of historical fiction is that it allows the reader to experience the past.” (Rothlein, 41) Readers of historical fiction can learn about events that changed the course of history; they can gain an understanding of their heritage and begin to sense the flow of history. They can see how people have worked together in the past and they learn how present and future are linked to actions in the past.

 

They learn that “history consists of many people who have learned to work together.” (Norton, 523) Historical fiction is often used to supplement the teaching of history in schools. Jacobs and Tunnel believe that history textbooks are not effective in “helping children make meaningful connections with the past.” (102) Historical fiction, on the other hand, allows the reader to experience the past on a first hand basis:

As children live through historical events or periods in the books they read, they learn what life was like and what people felt and often must consider the problems and issues of the day.

Glazer, 404

 

Issues in historical fiction

Norton asks these questions:

Should historical fiction reflect the attitudes and circumstances of the times? Or should historical fiction reflect the changing attitudes toward people of all races? (554)

These questions are particularly pertinent to the historical novels that depict minority groups. Authors of historical fiction believe that they should remain faithful to the historical context of their stories. This belief may lead them to write stories that depict certain peoples in unflattering light or stories that retell unpleasant experiences from our history. Jacobs and Tunnell believe that children should not be served “sugar coated” versions of history. They point out that much of our history is indeed “unsavoury.”

But the lessons history has to teach us will go unlearned if we are forever softening the message ... In the immortal words of George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” (107)

Appendix: Criteria for evaluating realistic fiction

The following shows the evaluation criteria for realistic fiction developed by Mary E. Norton.

Norton offers the following criteria for evaluating realistic fiction:
1. The content should be presented honestly. Sensationalizing and capitalizing on the novelty of a subject should be avoided.

2. A story should expose personal and social values central to our culture, at the same time revealing how overt expression of those values may have changed.

3. The story should allow readers to draw personal conclusions from the evidence. The author should respect the reader’s intelligence.

4. The author should recognize that today’s young readers are in the process of growing toward adult sophistication.

5. The language and syntax should reveal the background and nature of characters and situations.

6. The author should write in a hopeful tone. A story should communicate in an honest way that there is hope in the world.

7. Children’s literature should reflect sensitivity to the needs and rights of girls and boys without preference, bias or negative stereotypes.

8. If violence is included in a story, the author should treat the subject appropriately. Does the author give the necessary facts? Are both sides of the conflict portrayed fully, fairly, and honestly? Is the writing developed with feeling and emotion? Does the author help children develop a perspective about the subject?

9. A story should satisfy children’s basic needs and provide them with insights into their own problems and relationships.

10. A story should provide children with enjoyment.

Appendix B: Should history be rewritten?

This appendix contains two articles which explore the effects of political correctness on the writing of historical fiction. 

An educator speaks...

Masha Kabakow Rudman 

My six-year-old grandson is biracial and I worry about how the world will treat him. Fortunately he goes to a local public school where they care very much about affirming diversity and helping children feel proud of their heritage. Recently the school held a read-in of African-American authors’ works, and illustrators’ works, too, and I was invited to do the reading. In the kindergarten class that my grandson attended, I read one of Ashley Bryan’s books – Turtle knows my name. Afterward, Sam came to me and said, “Grandma, you should have read one of the books I’ve written because I’m an African American author.” So of course, I read his book aloud too. He’s learning that he is valued and competent, and that his rich heritage is something he can draw on. Every child has a right to that. It’s important for us to provide children with information about their history that is accurate and respectful.

Children deserve to be told the truth. They also need to be taught to search for it. Truth is defined in Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary as “the body of real things, events, and facts.” But of course it doesn’t stop there. The dictionary goes on to say that truth is “fidelity to an original or to a standard.” So the question becomes Whose reality? Whose standard? Whose truth?

Let’s go a little further in looking at today’s topic. Political Correctness. What an insulting term, cleverly coined in order to make a manipulative political statement and to provide an automatic putdown. I looked up the word political in the Oxford English Dictionary. One of its meanings is “in a sinister sense: scheming, crafty, cunning”; it involves “having regard for the interests of politics rather than the questions of principle.” And I think therein lies the definition of political correctness. Whenever, and I hate that term by the way, somebody says it’s “politically correct,” the indication or accusation is that principle doesn’t exist and that something is being done purely for political reasons.

Let’s think of an example of vocabulary that might be labelled “PC” ... how about the use of the term woman instead of girl for a mature female? Language is very powerful, and relegating a woman to the status of a girl, while some people might consider it flattering (“You look so young”), in actuality is demeaning and disempowering. In some cases, such as the use of the term African American to replace black or Afro-American, which effectively replaced Negro, which replaced colour, words are used in an attempt to build a certain kind of self-image and stance toward the world. It almost always turns out that this kind of changeover is controversial, with some members of the group itself disliking the new terminology, and others advocating strongly for it. Admittedly, part of the pressure comes from groups who are attempting to establish a certain kind of power base. But certainly some of the push is a result of a people’s reclaiming a heritage, and, therefore, affirming an identity. What to one group is a demonstration of respect, referring to people in the way they want to be called, to others, is “political correctness."

Some of the people doing this labelling are disturbed by any attempt to modify language. Some are uncomfortable with anything beyond a Eurocentric outlook; others genuinely underestimate the effect of language and semantics on popular understanding and attitude. On the other hand, there are some people who are honestly afraid that the use of new language and ways of thinking about people can turn into censorship. They worry that only the new terminology will be accepted by publishers and other people in power. They are rightly concerned about cutting off debate and mindlessly conform to vocabulary without the commitment of principle.

What I would like to encourage is the assembling of a library collection of all sorts of viewpoints, vocabulary, and political, moral, and intellectual stances. I’d like us to get deeper into the issues of truth and values and investigate how we can bring to children the challenge of examining different attitudes and positions without fear of being stigmatized as racist or sexist or accused of caring only about political correctness.

That is not to say that all language and ideas have equal value. I firmly believe that we must help young readers to identify cliché and stereotype in order to help them make astute judgments about the quality of the information and literature they are being exposed to. Let’s look at typecasting and its effect on us. Please take a minute to turn to your neighbour and exchange with him or her what your heritage is. Then I’d like you to name one or two stereotypes that bother you, that you know people have about your heritage. If you can’t think of any about your group, ask your neighbour what he or she has heard about your group’s characteristics.

For most of you that was an easy thing to do. Some of you identify with more than one heritage, and that’s fine, and some of you are fortunate enough not to have been marked by stereotypic thinking. But most of us have felt, if not victimized, then perhaps wounded, or at least annoyed by some of the automatic assumptions because of our heritage. And it doesn’t even have to be negative! I’m Jewish. And I don’t like to cook. I feel even less competent than I might if I were not Jewish and therefore not expected to enjoy cooking. But there it is. Sometimes when I tell people I don’t cook they don’t believe me, because, after all, I’m Jewish. Ascribing characteristics to an individual solely because of membership in a group is unfair and dehumanizing, even if the intention is to be complimentary (all Irish people are poetic; all Africans have rhythm; all Asians are good at math).

Literature can go a long way toward cementing or dispelling stereotypes. We need to be careful to discern when characters and situations in books are affirming negative and typecast images and then to talk about it with young readers. Let’s do a little demonstration of the power of stereotypes, in this case literary ones, and the necessity to go beyond them. What does a princess look like? (Answers are almost always: blonde, blue-eyed, petite, passive.) How about a prince? (Tall, dark, and handsome, of course.) Now let’s describe stepmothers. (Ugly, mean, abusive, wicked.) Do you really believe that? Maybe not intellectually, but you surely do viscerally. My mother died when I was seventeen. She was my best friend and I missed her sorely. About two years later my father married a woman who was funny and feisty and bright and competent. I have never been able to refer to her as my stepmother. I’m an adult, and I know the difference between fantasy and reality. I also recognize the legitimacy of the term stepmother. But that image of the wicked stepmother is so strong inside me that I can’t go beyond it. I call her my second mother, or when I don’t want to go into any lengthy explanations, simply, my mother. Terminology represents how we feel and what our attitudes are.

How do we help children go beyond these literacy templates and hurtful societal stigmas? One way is to amass a collection of books that challenge assumptions. There are many Cinderellas from all over the world; for example, Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella story from China, Rough-face girl (from Algonquin Native American lore), “Askenbasken, Who Became Queen” (from Denmark) (“Askenbasken, who became queen” in The Cinderella Story, ed. Philip Neil (New York: Viking, 1989), 52-57), “Cenerentola” (from Italy) (Rose Laura Minicelli, “Cerenentola,” in Old Neapolitan Fairy Tales (New York: Knopf, 1963, 24-34)), and Korean Cinderella are a few of the hundreds of variants that can help us in terms of what Cinderella looks like and how she behaves. Ed Young, who did the gorgeous illustrations for Yeh-Shen, went to great lengths to research the origins of the story. His work always represents accuracy and authentic depth of understanding of the culture he’s portraying. Rich examples of different sorts of beauty, like the daughters in Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters, or the young girl in Honey I Love, are also useful to blast any one-sided conventional notion of beauty.

Becoming immersed in a variety of literature prepares young people to become open to differing ideas and ways of looking at the world. Whether it’s fantasy, fiction, or nonfiction, it’s essential to acknowledge that multiple viewpoints exist. Furthermore, documentation and honesty are needed in presenting any story to make it work even when it’s not labelled “history”.

Now let’s examine the word history. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it primarily as “narrative of past events, tale, story. A learning or knowing by inquiry...” and goes on to explain that in early use the term meant “the relating of incidents either true or imaginary”; only later did it become “the relating solely of what was professed to be true.” It evolved to be “that branch of knowledge which deals with past events, as recorded in writings or otherwise ascertained; the formal record of the past, especially of human affairs or actions; the study of the formation and growth of communities and nations.” This was particularly interesting to me because much of my history instruction had to do with wars. We “did” the American Revolution, the Civil War, and World War II. It’s as if as a country we had lurched along from war to war, ignoring our growth as a community and as a nation and the roles different groups in the United States had in contributing to our development.

In a letter to the editor of one of our local newspapers recently a woman faculty member in the History Department at Harvard wrote in because a history teacher at Amherst Regional High School had died. She paid tribute to a history teacher she had had in high school. She said, “I liked history before I met Mr. Heffley, but I loved it after he had shown me the drama that infused the study of history. Suddenly the dates, names, and places seemed worth knowing because they were set within a context of rich and complex experience. In Mr. Heffley’s class the Industrial Revolution wasn’t just an event about which to memorize details. It was a puzzle to be solved, a mystery to unravel, a phenomenon that mattered even now, well over 100 years after the fact. I learned from him that historians disagreed, that they made use of fact but relied on interpretation, that they constructed their tales of the past from a mass of tangled evidence. I came to see that past generations spoke to us all and offered the wisdom and pain of their experience through history. Most of all, I began to understand that human beings, once every bit as alive as we, lived again through the study of history.” Ellen Fitzpatrick, letter to the editor, Amherst Bulletin (June 11, 1993): 1.

So what are some “trends” now in historical fiction? “Story” figures importantly in history. And it is very much through story and literature that we transmit important values, philosophy and information to young people. One of the dramatic instances of how the current approach to history has incensed some people and delighted others is the revisiting and rethinking of Columbus and his voyages. Children have been invited to see many sides of this milestone in history.

For example, Michael Dorris’s Morning girl introduces us to a close and loving Taino family on the eve of Columbus’s landing, helping us to see how important to their culture their hospitable and courteous values were, and hitting us hard with the realization that once those strangers’ ships landed it literally meant the end of life for this family and their entire community. Milton Meltzer’s Columbus and the world around him and Charlotte and David Yue’s Christopher Columbus: how he did it reflect careful research and evenhanded looks at the specifics of all the voyages and the talents as well as deficiencies of this shadowy man.

The February 1992 edition of Language Arts included an article by William Bigelow called “Once Upon a Genocide: Christopher Columbus in Children’s Literature,” containing fifteen titles of books about Columbus, all of which he sharply criticized for their lack of historical accuracy. (William Biglow, “Once upon a Genocide: Christopher Columbus in Children’s Literature,” Language Arts 69 (Feb. 1992): 112-20) That wonderful periodical, Book Links in September 1991 featured forty-six books at all levels about several aspects of the Columbus voyages and with varying views. (Barbara Elleman, “The Columbus Encounter,” Book Links 1 (Sept. 1991): 6-13) The cornucopia of titles published during the quincentennial went a long way to help adults as well as children rethink the whole era of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century exploration and the way it had been presented to us as history.

The New Yorker had a cartoon last year that captured the sense of the new thinking: it depicts a young man apprehended by police officers, protesting loudly, “ARREST ME? WHAT DO YOU MEAN ARREST ME? I DISCOVERED THIS APARTMENT, AND IF CLAIM ITS CONTENTS FOR MYSELF AND MY FAMILY!” The analogy is not exactly perfect, but it will do. Children need to learn that there were civilizations in existence in this so-called New World and that to “claim” someone else’s land was, in a sense, to steal from the indigenous inhabitants of that land.

On the other hand, we learn all the time about conquering armies and the taking of land by invasion and force. After all, that’s how we got Texas, New Mexico, and Puerto Rico. However, Columbus wasn’t billed in the past as a conqueror or invader. He was thought of as an explorer and discoverer, a valiant and even noble man who changed the world. Well, in a sense he did. Again, the New Yorker had a cartoon depicting some native people on the shore, watching Columbus sail in with his three ships. One turns to the other and says, “This marks the end of Western Civilization as we know it.” And he was right.

But I suspect you’ve been “Columbused” to distraction this past year, so I’d like to look at some other aspects of history to aid in my quest for truth and how to present it. In the recent book The Story of ourselves: teaching history through children’s literature, edited by Michael Tunnel and Richard Ammon, Terrie Epstein points out that what some people call “the western migration” to others was the “eastern invasion.” (Michael Tunnel and Richard Ammon, eds., The story of ourselves: teaching history through children’s literature (Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann, 1993.)

James Lincoln and Christopher Collier’s My brother Sam is dead changed forever the way many people look at the revolutionary war by giving readers a picture of an ordinary family caught in the everyday ugliness of the war. In this book no one dies valiantly, and justice is not served. Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt did the same for the Civil War and demonstrated that just because people were on the “right” side of the war, they weren’t necessarily good people. Conversely, not everyone fighting for the South was a villain. In both of these authentic and forceful books the causes of war and its consequences are not oversimplified. The complexity of the human involvement as well as the political questions are explored with craft and elegance.

Jean Fritz has enlivened history with her profiles of famous Americans, and has helped young readers to see that history contains passion and humour through everyday events pertinent to their own young lives. Milton Meltzer and Russell Freedman are among the talented authors of nonfiction who disseminate history through a combination of narrative and documentation and introduce issues that invite thought and investigation. Julius Lester’s body of work about slavery represents a point of view not often included in the classroom. To be a slave, Long journey home, and This strange new feeling strongly affects readers’ understanding of what the institution of slavery was about. Ann Turner’s work captures a sense of history poetically, and generally from a very intimate perspective. Dakota dugout and Grass songs represent the voices of pioneer women. Mildred Taylor’s saga of the Logan family represents us with the history of the Depression era in Mississippi as nothing else can.

Katherine Paterson re-creates twelfth-century Japan in Of nightingales that weep, focusing through the eyes of a young woman on the civil war raging at the time – and also incidentally helping us to understand transformations of what one considers to be beauty. Mid-nineteenth-century Lowell, Massachusetts, comes alive in the book Lyddie, and we feel the tension and sorrow evoked by the war in Vietnam when we follow Park on his quest to find his father and himself at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Park’s quest. Walter Dean Myers has offered an on-the-spot raw look at that war in Fallen angels through Richie Perry’s experiences with his group of fellow soldiers.

One aspect of history that I am particularly absorbed with is the Holocaust. For a long time it was characterized mainly by its representation in one autobiography: The Diary of Anne Frank. It was interesting for me to read recently that Otto Frank tried in vain for a long time to get it into print. He was turned down by numerous publishers who told him that no one would be interested in an ordinary girl’s diary, and besides that, the topic was terribly depressing. It is our good fortune that he persevered.

Now there are hundreds of books on the Holocaust, aimed at different age levels, and providing many perspectives, upsetting stereotypes, and telling a variety of stories. In addition to those that describe the years of Hilter’s domination, the mass murders, and the concentration camp era, some of the books include information about the pre-Nazi time, and several tell of what happened after the war. Some are terribly explicit about atrocities, the fight for survival, and the cruelty of neighbours and former friends. Many, on the other hand, detail incidents of courage and compassion. In a number of the stories the characters survive, often against all the odds, and several books powerfully deal with the survivors’ dilemma. Some of the books are hopeful, others are bitter and angry. The main characters are Germans, Danes, other Europeans, and Americans. Jews and Gentiles are represented.

There is even one book, Gentlehands, by M.E. Kerr, that introduces readers to a character who seems sensitive, refined, and loving – he’s even a grandfather – who turns out to have been a torturer in the concentration camps. The illustrations can be photographs, drawings by professional artists, and paintings by children. The genres include poetry, novels, autobiographies, nonfiction, time travel, and allegory.

The time travel book is Jane Yolen’s The Devil’s arithmetic, which starts from the premise of an assimilated, modern Jewish American child who hasn’t wanted to think about the Holocaust. She is transported back to the midst of the horror, and the reader experiences the event with her. The comfortable contemporary setting makes the drama even more potent through the contrast with the journey into the past.

The Newberry Award winner Number the stars, by Lois Lowry, is told very much from the perspective of Annemarie, a Danish child who takes part in the harbouring and eventual transfer to Sweden of her Jewish friend, Ellen. It is Annemarie’s story, so it makes sense that she is the active one whose feelings and thoughts with the reader is most in tune with.

Lisa’s war, by Carol Matas, tells of the same circumstances, the Danes’ assistance of about 6,500 Danish Jews in their escape to Sweden. This time, however, the protagonist is a Jewish girl. The story is told in the first person, and includes much that the Jews themselves did to aid in their own rescue. Both stories are valid and truthful and provide a kind of balancing effect for the reader.

But a balanced view is not enough. Anti-Semitism, like any racism, doesn’t die; it just sleeps. It can too easily be awakened. Depth and breadth of understanding occur only when children are invited and challenged to question, explore, discuss, and confront how authors handle the issues and events making up any historical era.

If we want children to gain an understanding of any period of history, we can’t be satisfied with one or two books. We have to communicate that we only get at the truth if we are comprehensive and wide-ranging in our search for it. That’s how we avoid censorship, too: we don’t want “mind-control” from any faction. We need to sort through as many points of view as we can possibly find. We want high-quality well-researched literature with stellar characterization and plot. We want multiple perspectives. We want the richness of story.

With that combination our young people can value differences, appreciate literature, and learn from history so that it can affect current and future behaviour. They will want to search out what is respectful, honest, principled, and truthful. Then their statements about past and current events and their understanding of issues in today’s society will not contain even a tinge of conforming to political pressure or paying surface lip-service to matters of deep concern.

The allegory Terrible Things, by Eve Bunting, thankfully brought back into print by the Jewish Publication Society, dramatically brings home many points I’ve tried to convey. It is part of the wealth of books now available on the Holocaust. It is aimed at every age level and urges readers to learn from history. Its implications form the conclusion to my comments.

The story tells of a group of woodland creatures living in harmony until the day the “Terrible Things” invade. These “Things” are formless and nameless. They systematically remove each species from the forest, with none of the others offering resistance, and the white rabbits, in particular, assiduously avoiding any sort of protest or confrontation. In the end, even the white rabbits who have considered themselves impervious to harm, are eliminated. Only the littlest of the rabbits escapes and he sadly concludes that if he and the others had banded together, perhaps they all could have survived. He leaves his home, vowing to spread the word about what he has learned. He hopes someone will listen.

Thank you for listening. 

Masha Kabakow Rudman is Professor of Children’s Literature and Director of Elementary Teacher Education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts. She is the author of numerous books and articles, including Children’s Literature: An Issues Approach, the third edition to be published in August, 1994.

Bibliography of works cited
Adams, Edward B. Korean Cinderella. Seoul, Korea: Seoul International Tourist Pub. Co., 1982.

Bunting, Eve. Terrible things: an allegory of the Holocaust. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1989.

Collier, James Lincoln, and Christopher Collier. My brother Sam is dead. New York: Scholastic, 1974.

Dorris, Michael. Morning girl. New York: Hyperion, 1992.

Frank, Otto. The Diary of Anne Frank. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1953.

Greenfield, Eloise. Honey I love: and other poems. New York: Harper-Collins, 1978.

Hunt, Irene. Across five Aprils. New York: Pacer, 1989.

Kerr, M. E. Gentlehands. New York: HarperCollins, 1978.

Lester, Julius. Long journey home. New York: Scholastic, 1972.

____________. This strange new feeling. New York: Dial Books, 1982.

____________. To be a slave. New York: Scholastic, 1968.

Louie, Al-Ling. Yeh-Shen: a Cinderella story from China. New York: Putnam, 1990.

Lowry, Lois. Number the stars. New York: Houghton, 1989.

Martin, Rafe. Rough-Face Girl. New York: Putnam, 1992.

Matas, Carol. Lisa’s war. New York: Macmillan, 1989.

Meltzer, Milton. Columbus and the world around him. New York: Watts, 1990.

Myers, Walter Dean. Fallen angels. New York: Scholastic, 1988.

Paterson, Katherine. Lyddie. New York: Viking Penguin, 1991.

____________. Of nightingales that weep. New York: Harper & Row, 1974.
____________. Park’s quest. New York: Lodestar, 1988.

Steptoe, John. Mufaro’s beautiful daughters: an African tale. New York: Lothrop, 1987.

Turner, Ann. Dakota dugout. New York: Macmillan, 1985.

____________. Grass songs. New York: HBJ, 1993.

Yolen, Jane. The Devil’s arithmetic. New York: Macmillan, 1985.

Yue, Charlotte and David Yue. Christopher Columbus: how he did it. New York: Houghton, 1992.

A Writer speaks ...
Diane Stanley
Diane Stanley is the author of Shaka, King of the Zulus (Morrow, 1988), Bard of Avon (Morrow, 1992), and Charles Dickens, the man who had great expectations (Morrow, 1993).
I think there is no question that the doctrine of political correctness has had a significant impact on the publishing industry, especially with regard to children’s books. While virtually anything goes in adult books, as long as it is reasonably well written and someone thinks there is a market for it, those of us who write and publish books for children recognize our obligation not only to entertain them but to help them develop socially desirable values. Since those values shift from time to time, so do the messages we send our children.

The doctrine of political correctness is one of the most influential, and also perhaps controversial, social movements of the day. It seeks to bring a more tolerant, inclusive and earth-friendly society, a universal goal of great value that we all embrace. It has raised the consciousness of America in amazing and wonderful ways and has had a real and positive effect on society as a whole. The publishing industry has played a large part in this new awareness, and the result over the past ten or fifteen years has been the production of better, more thoughtful books that reflect the diversity of our country. But in any sweeping social movement, there are bound to be excesses, and there is no question that reflect the diversity of our country. But in any sweeping social movement, there are bound to be excesses, and there is no question that political correctness is thick in the air these days. Authors and publishers, already sensitive to the nuances of language and concerned about these issues because of their own beliefs, are doubly careful for fear of being somehow misunderstood. And so we censor ourselves. 

I would like to explore some thoughts about writing history in the age of political correctness and some of the ways this self-censorship has affected me personally in the writing of children’s books.

First, let me say I think political correctness has brought about some important changes in the way history is written. It asks us to take a second look at the record, not only at what has long been accepted as fact, but also at the traditional interpretation of those facts, and to try to correct the record for bias. History has always been written from the point of view of the authors, who unconsciously select from the record those facts that support their beliefs while ignoring those that contradict them. This has usually meant that the history of any country was at the mercy of the dominant group. Today historians are more likely to search out parts of the story that were never told because they were not considered important enough at the time, to reevaluate the contributions of minorities and women which were ignored by a society which did not value them. However, we must be careful not to create new myths and falsifications in our zeal to get rid of old stereotypes and bias. It is the job of the historian to demythologize the record, and though history and biography can never be as pure as science, we must set our standards high in the hope of at least coming close to the truth.

There is a strong feeling today that, wherever possible, books about people belonging to a certain culture should be written by members of that culture. Certainly we all know our group best, and trying to step into the mind of a character whose life is very different from our own can result in a bad book. We may impose stereotypes on the character, or make mistakes, or miss some important part of their worldview, which will make the book ring false. Because of this, I felt I was treading on dangerous ground when I decided to write a book about Shaka, king of the Zulus. Did I have the right to tell his story? I wanted to very much. There are few books on African history for American children, and Shaka was an important and fascinating figure. Since he lived two hundred years ago and in Africa, I felt that any other American writer would have to approach his story just as I did – through research. I decided to risk it.
As always, I tried to present the story in as balanced and honest manner as I could. But there was now an added pressure to present Shaka in as positive a light as possible for fear that someone would think I was disparaging him out of ignorance or prejudice. Shaka, like many other great national leaders, accomplished his goals through making war on his neighbours and taking their land. While this is out of keeping with our current sense of morality, facts are facts, and those facts should only be judged by the standards of the time in which the character lived. For much of history, including Shaka’s time, such conquest was the road to glory.

Looking back on the many decisions I made in the course of writing the book, I remember one in particular that was influenced by political correctness. I chose not to include an anecdote that, while not central to the story, shed light on Shaka’s emotional life in a most poignant way. If I had found the same story in my research on Peter the Great, I would have used it.

Shaka had heard from some Englishmen about a certain Rowland’s Macassar Oil. It was because of Macassar Oil that Victorian ladies draped little lacy “antimacassars” over the back of their chairs to protect the upholstery. Some of this hair oil contained a dye that darkened gray hair. Shaka believed that anything that could turn gray hair black again must have magical rejuvenating properties and he became obsessed with obtaining some for his beloved mother, who was old and frail. He sent ambassadors to the king of England for some. Alas, the Englishmen of Cape Town did not take his request seriously. The ambassadors never got to England and, to Shaka’s despair, returned with no Macassar Oil.

This story would have been a perfect lead-in to the subsequent death of his mother and his reaction to it by sliding into madness. But I was afraid that this story made Shaka look foolish and reinforced ancient stereotypes. Both from an artistic and historical point of view the story fit, but because I was reaching out of my own experience to explore another culture, I did not feel comfortable using that story.

To generalize from that specific incident, the writing of a book involves a series of tiny decisions, one after the other, some as small as the choice of a single word, others more important, such as which slant to take, what to tell, and what to leave out. It is very difficult not to let political correctness join the forces of intellectual honesty and artificial judgment in making those decisions.

I am currently working on a biography of Cleopatra. Because she was the enemy of Rome, much valuable source material was destroyed shortly after her death. The most intimate and complete source that remains was written by Plutarch, and it presents her primarily in relation to the two men in her life, Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony. Cleopatra has been maligned as a sexpot and I have certainly set the record straight: she was an intellectual, a most forceful woman, and not beautiful at all. Nevertheless, as far as we can know the details of her life, the big events are unquestionably connected to her unions with the two most important men of her day. So I have to tell it as it was – I cannot put a feminist agenda on the story.

An interesting sidelight is the Newsweek article of some years back focusing on Afrocentrism, and particularly the book Black Athena. Looking for a catchy headline, the editors of Newsweek came up with “Was Cleopatra black?” Anyone who read past the cover would have discovered that those same editors did in fact realize that not only was Cleopatra not black, she wasn’t Egyptian either: she was Greek. Now the issues raised in Black Athena have nothing to do with Cleopatra, though some of the more extreme proponents of Afrocentric views claim she was black. No single source I have encountered has indicated anything besides the historically accepted view of her origins, and we can trace her parentage back more than three hundred years. In the end, you just have to trust your research.

My next book after Cleopatra is about a whaling voyage. Both the editor and I were somewhat worried about the subject, because we obviously regret the fact that whales were hunted to the brink of extinction. We feared that in even approaching the subject we might seem insensitive to the whole issue of endangered species.

Nevertheless, it is a vivid peace of American history and one worth knowing about. It will be mentioned in the text that those voyages often took as long as two to four years, the reason being that they had to go all the way around Cape Horn into the Pacific Ocean. Why? Because there were scarcely any whales left in the Atlantic. Would I have made a point of mentioning this if it weren’t for political correctness? Probably I would, because it is part of the big picture, but in the politically correct nineties, it had to be there.

In preparation for this book, I have been reading a number of true narrative accounts of whaling voyages, and it has been fascinating to observe that in the nineteenth century, whales were perceived as fierce and malicious creatures, whereas today they are sentimentalized as “gentle giants of the deep.” The truth lies somewhere between these two extremes, and it is a fitting analogy for the challenge facing anyone writing history today. We must always try to find that middle ground. We must approach our work within an agenda, politically correct, or otherwise. We must attempt to write a reliable account well supported by fact, to consider it in the light of its context, and, we hope, to tell it well.

Works Cited

Donelson, Kenneth L. and Alleen Pace Nilsen. Literature for today’s young adults. 5th edition. New York: Longman, 1997.

 

Glazer, Joan I. Introduction to children’s literature. Upper Saddle River: Merrill, 1997.

 

Hillman, Judith. Discovering children’s literature. Englewood Cliffs: Merrill, 1995.

 

Jacobs, James S. and Michael O. Tunnell. Children’s literature briefly. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1996.

 

Norton, Donna E. Through the eyes of a child. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River: Merrill, 1999.

 

Russell, David L. Literature for children: a short introduction. New York: Longman, 1994.

 

Rothlein, Liz and Anita Meyer Meinbach. Legacies using children’s literature in the classroom. New York: HarperCollins, 1996.

 

 

Evaluating realistic fiction

Children’s literature arouses their imagination, emotions and sympathies. It awakens their desire to read, enlarges their lives, and provides a sense of purpose and identity for children.

Jim Trelease
The Read Aloud Handbook

Realistic fiction

Realism for children involves reflection, both as a mirror showing real life and as a mode of thought in which the meaning of that life is contemplated.

Joan I. Glazer
Introduction to children’s literature

This module examines realistic fiction. It also discusses three types of closely-related fiction: historical fiction, realistic animal stories and survival stories.

Defining realistic fiction
Realistic fiction is the term used to describe fiction that tells a story that is possible, but the story is told in a creative and artistic way. All the literary elements – setting, characters, plot, theme – must be plausible. The story itself doesn’t have to be true, but it could be.

Realistic fiction (or realism) has a number of distinguishing characteristics. First, the setting must be one that is possible in today’s world. It does not have to be a setting that the reader has experienced first hand, but it must be one that the reader could experience. Second, the characters must act like real people. They must be depicted accurately and realistically and not have any supernatural or magic powers. Third, the plot and the conflict that arise out of the plot must seem real to the reader. Also, conflicts must be solved in realistic ways. Finally, the theme developed in the story must be one that is relevant to today’s young readers.

A very popular genre, realistic fiction offers its readers to read about “my life.” Jacobs and Tunnel describe the appeal this way:

This is my world. This is how I live. This story is about a girl like me. And the people in it are vaguely recognizable from the outset ... The main character becomes a kindred spirit. She experiences the same disappointments and hopes, rejections and joys as the readers, who is amazed and thrilled to find someone who sees the world through similar glasses. (90)

Themes in realistic fiction
Prior to the 1960’s many topics were considered taboo in books written for children and teens. But as society moved through this turbulent decade the social unrest seen in the society as a whole began to be reflected in the books being written for the juvenile market. Much discussion ensued about what was appropriate reading matter and many previously taboo subjects began to appear in novels aimed at intermediate and young adult readers. Books that dealt with such themes as sexuality, alcoholism, and death, among other topics, began to appear. This development peaked with the emergence of the problem novel in the 1960’s.

Today, authors of realistic fiction develop many diverse themes. Most contemporary themes fit into one of the following broad categories: family situations, peer relationships, growth and maturity and cultural differences. Within these larger categories, you will find many issues that represent the common experiences shared by today’s children.

For example, some of the themes developed in stories about family situations include – child abuse, single-parent families, foster homes, desertion, and divorce. Growth and maturity themes are very common – young readers are interested in books that address their own physical and emotional changes.

A recent change in realistic fiction is the development of stories told from a minority viewpoint leading to the development of multicultural literature.

Evaluating realistic fiction
Hillman suggests the criteria applied to all literature may also be applied to realistic fiction:
A good story, well told, that enlightens as well as entertains is key to our enjoyment. We want to be cognitively and emotionally engaged. We care about characters and are curious about what will happen to them. (Sometimes we’re sad when the story is over.) 165

Whether authors tell a “good story” is largely dependent on how they handle four literary elements: characters, plot, conflict and theme.

• Characters
  In order for a realistic fiction to be successful, the reader must identify with the characters in the story. Well developed characters pull the reader into the story and make them care. Virtually all protagonists in the realistic fiction written for young people are young themselves. According to Egoff, these young protagonists are endowed with “naive honesty, courage, determination and sensitivity.” (22) It’s worth noting that most children prefer to read about characters their own age or slightly older, and may balk at reading about younger children. Sometimes, however, the age of the characters may not be as important as the depiction of the struggle the characters are undergoing.
• Plot
  Plots are also an important element in realistic fiction. They need to move briskly, keeping the reader engaged and interested. In addition, the events in the story must seem plausible to the reader.
• Conflict
  This literary element is the heart of realistic fiction. It grows out of the characters’ action (plot) and attitudes. Characters are frequently shown facing tough questions that often don’t have easy solutions. A recent trend in realistic fiction shows parents who are unable to assist the child protagonist and depict the character seeking help from outside the family unit such as a teacher or a friend.
• Theme
  As noted above, many different themes are presented in realistic fiction. Whatever the theme, it should arise naturally out of the story being told. The book should provide some insight into the problem being explored and how it might be resolved. Readers should be encouraged to draw their own conclusions about what happens in the book. Watch for books that seem didactic or preachy: “a book becomes didactic when the teaching function over powers the telling of a good story.” (Glazer, 418)

Other literary elements to be considered include setting and the author’s writing style.

 

• Setting
  Look for settings that are authentic. Skilful authors use realistic details to make their settings seem real to the reader. Because setting includes when the story takes place, it may be the one element that dates a story. Realistic fiction is based on contemporary life and authors tend to set their stories within the period of their existence; therefore, these books can become dated rather quickly. However, a well crafted plot, and interesting characters who face a still contemporary problem may help to overcome any deficiencies in the setting.
• Style
  The author’s style must suit the story that is being told. The dialogue must seem real for the characters and the situation being depicted. A simple, straightforward style is often best for realistic fiction. While authors may incorporate figurative language in their description of characters or setting, realistic fiction is not the place for too much complicated prose.

Poorly written realistic fiction will display one or more of the following characteristics: poorly developed, stereotypical characters; problems that seem overwhelming, but can be solved too easily; and improbably settings.

 

For more information about evaluating realistic fiction see Appendix A.

 

The Value of realistic fiction

Glazer states the following as the key values of realistic fiction:

Through realism readers gain the experience of living somewhere else, living with strangers, smelling exotic foods cooking, or seeing flashes of colour in dress and personality. They see that societies are not all alike and they are values in each. They can explore different systems of child rearing, and variations in customs, and by extension learn more about what forces affect people. (420)

 

And while showing differences between people, realistic fiction also shows the similarities that we all share – the problems, hopes and dreams which are common to all people.

 

Realistic fiction allows readers to learn about themselves, and others in a nonthreatening and entertaining way. Sometimes the problems presented are within the reader’s own experience, sometimes they are not. In either case, the reader is carried into new territory. The reading of realistic fiction is a safe way for children to extend their own experiences – all within their own imaginations.

 

Furthermore, the reading of realistic fiction may help to build the emotional and intellectual maturity that comes with the understanding that there are many different viewpoints in this world.

 

Issues in realistic fiction

Realistic fiction is the most attacked and censored of all the genres. The reasons are obvious – the issues discussed in much of realistic fiction make some adults uncomfortable. Some parents feel that they would rather discuss these issues within the home setting than have their children read about them in books. Library staff need to be aware of realistic fiction that has sparked controversy in the past and books that may spark controversy in the future.

 

More information about controversial books can be found in the Censorship module.

 

Works cited

Egoff, Shelia and Judith Saltman, The New Republic of Childhood. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1990.

 

Glazer, Joan I. Introduction to Children’s Literature. Upper Saddle River: Merrill, 1997.

 

Hillman, Judith. Discovering Children’s Literature. Englewood Cliffs: Merrill, 1995.

 

Jacobs, James S. and Michael O. Tunnell, Children’s Literature Briefly. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1996.

Young Adult issues: Censorship

“Where they have burned books, they will end up in burning human beings.”

Almansor by Heinrich Henne, 1821

Thousands of books smoulder in a huge bonfire as onlookers give the Nazi salute during the wave of book burnings that spread throughout German prior to World War II. International News Photo

Part One:

This exercise assumes you are employed in the library of Whyville School. Whyville is a small community and all the children attend the school from Grade 1 to Senior 4. Recently you faced several challenges about materials in your library from a parent. You received no support from any other staff, and in fact, the principal asked you to remove the offending material. Now the principal has been visited by the same parent and wants you to develop a list of other materials in your library which could receive challenges in the future. The principal has also indicated that you should be prepared to remove those materials from circulation.

Develop criteria that could be used to determine which library materials are likely to be challenged in the future:

• Gay characters
• Explicit language
• Profanity
• Racism names
• Sexual matters
• Drugs
• Alcohol
• Religion
• Terrorism

Develop a list of reasons why it is very difficult to protect libraries, both public and school, from challenges:

• Not everyone supports a challenge
• Do you take a book off because it offends one person?
• Libraries have to be neutral
• There is a wide range of views, not everyone finds the same view
• People interpret materials differently

Part two:

Working on your own, write definitions for the following terms as they are used in a library setting:

• Censorship
  Suppression of ideas and expressions
• State censorship
  State/customs/police for governments/churches/individuals
• Self-censorship
  Writer who changes word or scene to filter out inappropriateness
• Publication ban
  courts hide evidence from the public
• Selection
  choosing books of good quality for patrons
• Challenges
  action taken by individual/group saying why a book should be removed from circulation
• Public attack
  takes challenge to media for support
• Written complaint
  letter condemning library’s contents
• Oral complaint
  speaking out regarding disdain for library
• Expression of concern
  Query for judgement of book
• Pressure of inclusion
  Censorship calls from left and right, e.g. male nurses, female doctors

Part three:

Working on your own, answer the following questions:

What personality traits do censors generally share?

Censors have one view which they believe to be correct. They believe there is a relationship between reading and committing an act, that reading encourages the act. They assume children believe what their teachers tell them.

What techniques are used by censors?

Censors can try to prevent print materials reaching their desired audience. They can severely alter texts to omit material they do not want the wider audience to read.

Part four

List steps that a library should take to prepare for potential challenges to materials:

• Have a form available to fill out
• Have a fair policy to follow
• Research
• Keep ear to the ground
• Keep current
• Have library/establishment support
• Clear selection process
• Committee/everyone/reconsideration

Describe how staff should deal with challenges:

• Have witnesses present
• Make notes soon after
• Don’t panic
• Tell the Book & Periodical Council

Explain what actions should be taken after a challenge has been received:

• Record challenge properly
• Be prepared for more challenges
• Reconsider policies

Remember any work can be censored at any time. Anyone can challenge a book. Removing a book from circulation can make it popular; the work will be deemed forbidden fruit and everyone will want to read it.

...if one book is removed from a classroom or library, no book is safe any longer. If a censor succeeds in getting one book out, every other person in the community who objects to another book should, in courtesy, be granted the same privilege. When everyone has walked out of the library carrying all these objectionable books, nothing of any consequence will be left no matter how many books remain.

Donelson and Nielsen

The Winnipeg Public Library’s Request for Reconsideration of Library Material form is available online at http://wpl.winnipeg.ca/library/pdfs/RequestReconsideration.pdf. The library asks for identification of the book, whether the whole or portion of the book is a concern, what do you think the material’s purpose is, and a request to state the concern as specifically as possible citing identifying pages, passages, etc.

Quiz: How much do you know about censorship?

1. Why was The Diary of Anne Frank challenged by parents in Wise County, Virginia, in 1982?

The diary contains sexually offensive passages.

2. Who was Anthony Cornstock?

He was the secretary of the New York Suppression for Society. He determined what was meant to happen on wedding nights in the early twentieth century.

3. What twentieth-century literary classic was burned in the United States (in 1918), Ireland (in 1922), Canada (in 1922) and England (in 1923)?

Ulysses by James Joyce.

4. Why was George Orwell’s 1984 challenged in Jackson County, Florida, in 1984?

1984 was said to be pro-communism and contain sexual passages.

5. What award-winning local Winnipeg young adult author had a school reading in Winnipeg cancelled soon after a school reading in Orleans, Ontario was cancelled? What reason was given for cancelling the reading in Ontario?

Margaret Buffie, who was Frances Rain, wrote profanity in her books. She wouldn’t deal with many students.

6. Which of the following Canadian authors have had their books banned in certain Canadian schools: Brian Doyle, Margaret Laurence, Alice Munro, W.O. Mitchell, W.D. Valgerson, Robert Munsch?

All six authors have had books banned in Canadian schools.

7. What do these authors have in common: Albert Einstein, Thomas Mann, Sigmund Freud, Bertolt Brecht, Erich Maria Remarque, Jack London, Helen Keller, H.G. Wells, Ernest Hemmingway, Leon Trotsky?

Their works were all burned by Jews.

8. What world-famous book did Canada Customs ban from Canada for 48 hours during Freedom to Read week in 1989?

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie.

9. What books were threatened with being burned in the town of Manning, Alberta, in September 1991?

The Impression Series, which contained one poem about witches.

10. Who objected to a Canadian picture book being included in the public libraries of Sechelt, B.C., in February 1992? What was the reason for the objection and what was the title of the book?

Maxine’s tree, which was a book about logging, because “logging’s bad”.

11. What novel, by a Manitoba author, was challenged in the Fort Garry School Division in 1991?

Gentle sinners by W. D. Valgerson.

12. What is the significance of the temperature 451 degrees F?

It is the temperature at which books burn.

Why should freedom of speech and freedom of the press be allowed? Why should a government which is what it believes to be right allow itself to be criticized? It would not allow opposition by lethal weapons. Ideas are much more fatal things than guns. Why should any man be allowed to buy a printing press and disseminate pernicious opinions calculated to embarrass the government.

Vladimir Ilyrich Lenin (1870-1924)

The truth is, that when a library expels a book of mine and leaves an unexpurgated Bible around where unprotected youth and age can get hold of it, the deep unconscious irony of it delights me and doesn’t anger me.

Mark Twain (1835-1910)

Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote to freedom to err.

Mohandas K. Ghandi (1869-1948)

A democracy smugly disdainful of new ideas would be a sick democracy. A democracy chronically fearful of new ideas would be a dying democracy.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

We knew that the imagination, like certain wild animals will not breed in captivity.

George Orwell (1903-1950)

Give me six lines written by the most honourable of men and I will find an excuse in them to hang him.

Cardinal Richelieu (1858-1642)

A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.

John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)

Every burned book enlightens the world.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

To choose a good book, look into an inquisitor’s prohibited list.

John Aiken (1747-1822)

The most beautiful thing in the world is freedom of speech.

Diogenes (c. 320 BC)

Transitional books, easy readers and chapter books

Easy readers: definition

• Designed to be read by beginning readers
• Serve as a transition between picture books and chapter books

Evaluation: text

• Simple vocabulary
  o Not dumbed down
• Shorter sentences
• Sounds like natural language
  o Line breaks follow natural breaks in sentences
  * Not good for read aloud
  o Readability formulas
  * Fry formula
• Some repeated phrases, repetitive refrains
• Appropriate tone
• May be slightly didactic

• o Humour very appealing
• Characters
  o Children (family life) and animals
• Plot
  o Simple, direct storyline
  o No flashbacks or side stories* Starts quickly* Continues with action* Concludes satisfactory
  o Must be comprehensible to young child
• Setting
  o Mostly familiar
  o May include some fantasy

Evaluation: illustrations

• Interpret story literally
  o Not overwhelm
• Colour
  o Adds interest
  o Not distract
• White space
  o Used effectively
• Type
  o Size
  o Legible

Evaluation: other considerations

• Size of book
  o small
• Colour
  o Appeals to child
• Several stories
  o Look like a chapter book
• Series
  o Familiar characters and settings (see below)

Value

• May not meet all literary standards
  o But meet needs of beginning readers
  o Provide a positive reading experience
• Help children develop confidence in their reading skills
• Provide opportunity for child to read to an adult

Chapter books: definition

• Look like adult books
  o Introduce concept of reading a longer book
  o From 40 – 60 pages
• Serve as a bridge to more complicated fiction
• Each chapter tells a self-contained story
  o Very few illustrations
  o Not integral to text
• Focus has moved almost completely to words

Evaluation of text

• Characters
  o Many memorable
  o May change and develop
  o Children (family life) and animals
• Plot
  o Important element
  o Quick start
  o Lots of action
  o Satisfactory ending
• Writing style
  o Longer sentences
  o Expanded vocabulary
• Setting
  o Usually realistic
  o May be hint of fantasy

Notes

When choosing Easy Readers and Chapter Books keep these points in mind:

• How difficult is the theme/concept that is presented in the books?
• Does the child have an interest in the subject area?
• Is there any difficult figurative language in the book?
• Look for a wide variety of themes/content:
  o E.g. mysteries, sports stories, family life
  o May help develop a reading interest for child
• *  Can then be pursued in more complicated books
• Look for series books:
  o Provide continuity of character, setting and writing style
  o Allow readers to anticipate what will happen next
  o Can make successful predictions as they read
• Check the shelves carefully:
  o Some easy readers get shelved as picture books
  o Look for repetitive language patterns
• Many authors/illustrators produce both picture books and easy readers.
• Don’t use easy readers for read aloud.
• Chapter books are usually suitable for read aloud.
  o But do review first!
• Importance of covers cannot be overstated.