Module 15: Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

Bibliographic Citation: Anonymous, Go Ask Alice. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc., 1971.

Plot Summary:

Alice is a fifteen year old girl that begins to keep to a journal of her life and her feelings.  In her journal, Alice begins by writing about the things that worry her, such as wether her crush likes her or not, and her concern over her weight.  Then, her father who is a college professor, accepts a job in a new city and the family moves.  Alice doesn't quite adjust to the move and during the summer she stays with her gradnparents.  It is during this summer that Alice is introduced to drugs and her life changes.   

At first Alice tries LSD without knowing it, but she had a a good experience and enjoyed it.  Even though Alice promises herself never to try drugs again, she eventually falls into them, trying various different drugs.  With the drug use came a different Alice, and she began to do things she later worried about, such as having unprotected sex and then being worried about being pregnant.  Later, Alice and a friend decide to run away, and she continues her drug use.  Eventually they ran out of money and she stopped doing drugs, and eventually went back home, where her family welcomed her.  Just when life seemed to be looking positive, Alice stopped writing in her journal.

My Impressions of the Book:

I must admit, I love and I hate this book.  I love the book because it's so interesting and I found myself in Alice's world, so much so that I was sad when Alice seemed to hit rock bottom, then happy when she changed her life around.  It felt like an emotional roller coaster, and it was all very sad because the drug addiciton is so real in our society today.  Through the book you can see how drug abuse can really destroy lives.  The part I hate about this book is when the entries stopped and Alice dies!  I was so upset, it just didnt seem fair that when her life seemed to be falling into place and she was finally happy, she stopped writing. 

Review(s) About the Book:

American Library Association

Texas Middle School
Removes Go Ask Alice

The Aledo, Texas, school board voted June 14 to remove Go Ask Alice from the middle school library, and to require parental consent for students to borrow it from the high school library.
Following a parent’s complaint about the 1970s-era diary of a teen-age girl’s destructive experience with drugs and sex, the middle school’s screening committee decided to limit the book to students whose parents had given them permission to read it. The parent, dissatisfied with the decision, then went to the school board. Board President Steve Reid, who told the June 15 Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he had not read the book and has no intentions of doing so, said it should also be removed from the high school library.
Aledo Middle School Principal Bob Harmon told the Freedom Forum’s Web site that Go Ask Alice “was one of our most popular books.” Noting that the process leading up to the school board’s vote had been long and tedious, Harmon said, “Censoring books is a really difficult issue.”
Posted June 28, 1999.

Wilson Web

AUTHOR:	LAUREN ADAMS
TITLE:	A Second Look: Go Ask Alice
SOURCE:	The Horn Book 74 no5 587-92 S/O '98

The magazine publisher is the copyright holder of this article and it is reproduced with permission. Further reproduction of this article in violation of the copyright is prohibited.
    Published in 1971 by Prentice-Hall, Go Ask Alice spread like wildfire among teen readers as soon as it appeared as an Avon paperback--"more than four million copies sold," touts the current Aladdin paper edition. Conjuring all the pulsating power of the Jefferson Airplane rock song from which it borrowed its name, Go Ask Alice gave an insider's look at the simultaneously glamorous and frightening world of drugs. As a curious pre-teen, I lapped up the "real diary" of this anonymous fifteen-year-old, eager to learn of the thrill and lure of those forbidden substances from the smugly satisfying position of not sharing Alice's fate (and of suddenly "getting" what Grace Slick was singing about).
    My motives were not as lofty as those of the critics who strongly recommended the book when it first appeared. Knowing that many parents (and teachers and librarians) would be uncomfortable with the subject matter--and the vulgar language--of the book, the Christian Science Monitor implored, "Precisely because of this reluctance to expose one's children to such material ... the book must be read." From Library Journal: "This diary depicts all the confusion, loneliness and rebellion associated with adolescence.... Unlike other 'true-to-life' stories, this is true (it's based on an actual diary). An important book, this deserves as wide a readership as libraries can give it." And Publishers Weekly recommended the book as an "eloquent look at what it must be like to be in the vortex" of drug use. However, PW was, it seems, the only source at the time to question the book's authenticity: "Maybe we're all too cynical on that subject these days, but it does seem awfully well written, and in any case brilliantly edited."
    But most readers accepted the book for what it claims to be--a real diary by an anonymous teen. The question of authenticity was raised again only when Alleen Pace Nilsen interviewed Beatrice Sparks for School Library Journal in October 1979, after seeing Sparks listed on the cover of a new book as "the author who brought you Go Ask Alice." Nilsen's article, "The House That Alice Built," depicts Sparks in a less than flattering light as a purported youth counselor with sketchy qualifications. Nilsen relates Sparks's claim that she compiled the book from diaries given her by a young girl she befriended but added other incidents and ideas from similar cases. Nilsen concludes, "The question of how much of Go Ask Alice was written by the real Alice and how much by Beatrice Sparks can only be conjectured." (In a letter to SLJ Sparks later defended not only the book's credentials and her own but the decor of her house, which also came under attack in the article.)

For full review check link:

http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2211/hww/results/results_single_fulltext.jhtml;hwwilsonid=TZ1HI4HOIEIDPQA3DILSFGOADUNGIIV0

Use in Library Setting:

This book can be put on display for various reasons on different occasions.  For example, if a display on books written in a journal format are diplayed then this book can be used.  This book can also be displayed during Banned Books week.  Lastly, if a library is having an event on drug prevention or teen social issues, then this book would be perfect for the display. 

Module 14: Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff

Bibliographic Citation: Wolff, Virginia Euwer. Make Lemonade. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1993.

Plot Summary:

Fourteen year old LaVaughn, has a goal in life, and that is to go to college.  She begins to make her goal attainable by looking for a job.  When she finds a babysitting job, she thinks it is a perfect part time job.  Seventeen year old Jolly, is a single teenage mother of two, who works the evening shift and is in need of a babysitter; and this is how LaVaughn and Jolly meet.     

LaVaughn goes to Jolly's house and she feels sorry for the kids, Jeremy and Jilly, who are dirty and live in a dirty apartment, but she takes the job.  Soon after she begin working, Jolly gets fired from her job and has no way of paying LaVaughn for babysitting.  LaVaughn encourages Jolly to go back to school and she still helps her by babysitting for free.  Eventually Jolly finds free day care for her kids and she is able to go back to high school. 

My Impressions of the Book:

This is one of those books that make you think about those less fortunate and what obstacles they face to succeed in this world.  This book takes you into the world of a young teenage mother, struggling to make something of herself and make a better life for her kids.  As you read this book, you can't help but feel sympathy for Jolly and her two kids, and you just want her to make it through all her obstacles.  Through this book you get a glimpse into the world of poverty and the underprivileged, and just when you think your life is tough, you think of Jolly and everyone she represents in this world, and you can't help but count your blessings.     

Review(s) About the Book:

School Library Journal

Wolff, Virginia Euwer. Make Lemonade. Holt. 2006. 200p. ISBN 978-0-8050-8070-4. $7.95.
Jolly is the 17-year-old mother of Jeremy and Jilly. She needs a babysitter. Enter 14-year-old LaVaughn, as street naïve as she is book smart. Together the two girls exist as a sort of family until the differences between them lead them on separate paths, each one making lemonade from the lemons in her life.
Why It Is for Us: Wolff’s free-verse style depicts the harsh realities of parenting in urban poverty with equal parts grit and grace. The reader roots for both girls and for a more hopeful future. Luckily, the book is the first in a trilogy. The story is continued in Printz Honor winner True Believer (2001) and will be completed in this year’s This Full House. [Originally published in 1993.]

Reading Matters Website

Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff (1993)

This book is absolutely unforgettable. It's just a story about fourteen-year-old La Vaughn who takes on a babysitting job. She needs to work her way through school to save enough money to get through college. That's how it is in America. She means to study, to get a better job, to escape the poverty that she is growing up in.
She babysits for Jolly, a lone and inadequate, seventeen-year-old mother of two, Jeremy and Jilly. Now, the place where this little family live is absolutely disgusting. Like La Vaughn says, you really don't want to know this, but she tells you anyway. The children are filthy and deprived of all the good things in life. No decent food, no bus trips out anywhere, no learning at home, no stable basics at all. But, Jolly loves them fiercely.
Things go well enough at first. Jolly works an evening shift and La Vaughn babysits from the finish of school until late in the evening. La Vaughn works hard to look after the children and complete all her homework every night. And she takes pride in herself and her work because she's nicely brought up. She really does her best for Jeremy and Jilly. She spends time playing with them and teaching them and cleaning them and comes to love them. While Jolly is working she can afford to pay La Vaughn and La Vaughn's bank account, her own escape route, grows satisfactorily.
For full review:
http://www.readingmatters.co.uk/book.php?id=50

Use in Library Setting:

I would promote this book to specific school organizations/ clubs that raise awareness to young girls.  So, if a topic is teen pregancy, then this book can be introduced and encouraged to read so teens can see the effects of teen pregnancy.

Module 13: Babymouse Heartbreaker



Bibliographic Citation: Holm, Jennifer L. Babymouse Heartbreaker. New York: Random House, 2006.

Plot Summary:

Babymouse is excited about the Valentine's Day dance and can't wait for someone to ask her to the dance.  As the day progresses, Babymouse's day only gets worse.  Everyone she talks to already has a date for the dance and it seems she is th eonly one that hasn't been asked yet.  Babymouse began to get tired of waiting, so she made sure to "bump" into specific "boys" in her school in hopes that they would ask her to the dance.  Unfortunately, Babymouse did not have any luck, so after school she decides it's time for a makeover.  As Babymouse walks home with her new loook, she doesn't get the attention she expected. 

The next day, Babymouse is on a mission to find a date.  She asks different boys to the dance, and none say yes.  Babymouse begins to question herself, maybe something is wrong with her.  Then she realizes, she could go to the dance alone.  So, she convinces her mother to buy her a dress and soon enough, Babymouse is at the school dance by herself.  Once there, she decides maybe it wasnt such a good idea, that is until Georgie asks her why she isn't dancing.  Turns out Georgie wanted to ask Babymouse to the dance but assumed she had a date, and they dance the night away. 

My Impressions of the Book:

This was definitely an easy and quick read.  I really enjoyed looking at the pictures as I read and I found them to be rather humorous.  It seemed that Babymouse was desperate for a date to the dance, and she was willing to go with anyone that would look her way.  I found the pictures of the different possible dates to be hilarious, Babymouse is a cute little mouse and she was willing to go to the dance with anyone!  My favorite part of the book was when Babymouse turned into a secret agent and was determined to complete a mission by zeroing in on her target,  (p. 66-67).    

Review(s) About the Book:

Barnes & Nobles: Editorial Reviews

Children's Literature

As Valentine's Day approaches, Babymouse's head is filled with romance. Who will invite her to the school dance? As the days go by and no one asks her, Babymouse comes up with more and more elaborate plans to get a date (including a rather elaborate makeover inspired by Cosmouse magazine). Finally, she decides to ask someone herself, but even that fails to yield a date. Amidst Romeo and Juliet—and Gone With the Wind—inspired daydreams, Babymouse tries to navigate the winding path of adolescent love with often wacky results. This highly amusing graphic novel is a entertaining Valentine's story skillfully balancing romantic fantasy and school situations without ever being sappy. The illustrations are black and white with, of course, some valentine pink. The comments to the characters by the mysterious narrator/artist add another dimension to the story, ensuring that people of all ages can enjoy this tale.

Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews

Babymouse: Heartbreaker

Jennifer Holm , Matthew Holm
Graphic Novel  Series
For ages 7 to 10
Random House, 2006   ISBN: 0375837981 School is normally a very unromantic place and the only way Babymouse can inject a little romance into her daily life is to have a little daydream by herself every so often. But, wonder of wonders, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and maybe something will happen on this especially romantic day.
Babymouse loves Valentine’s Day and this year the school is going to host a dance. Babymouse imagines what the dance could be like and then she begins to worry that no one will ask her to go with them. If only a “handsome prince” would come along and take her to the dance but alas, no such person seems to exist for Babymouse. Is there something that she should be doing to attract such a person to her? Should she even take the drastic step of asking a boy to go to the dance with her instead of waiting for one to ask her?
Anyone who has gone through the heartache of waiting for someone to ask them to a dance will instantly appreciate what Babymouse is going through. One cannot help laughing at Babymouse’s daydreams and at the same time feeling very sorry for her when she cannot seem to get a date for the special night. The hilarious interaction between the narrator and Babymouse is, as always, a delight and the graphic format perfectly suits Babymouse and her story.

Review Written by Marya Jansen-Gruber

Use in Library Setting:

I have yet to see a book display in a library on graphic novels, so, I would definitely promote the reading of graphic novels by having a display.  This is one of the books I would display.  In encouraging kids/ teens to read graphic novels, I would use this book in a book talk as well. 

Module 12: The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon

Bibliographic Citation: Runyon, Brent. The Burn Journals. New York: Vintage Books, 2004.

Plot Summary:

Brent is 14 years old when he decides to douse his bathrobe in gasoline, put it on, and light a match.  His goal was to kill himself, but the flames were too hot and he began to yell for his brother Craig.  Craig calls 911 and soon the fire trucks and ambulance are there.  Brent is checked into the Children's National Medical Center in Washington D.C. where he is to spend a few months recovering.  

Brent is able to breath because of a tube in his mouth and he goes through different surgeries to fix his burned skin.  While in recovery, Brent must speak with a psychologist, and this he does not enjoy.  The psychologists asks him if this was the first time he attempted to commit suicide and it turns out it was attemot number 3 or 4.  Brent stays in the Children's National Medical Center for about four months, and he recovers failry well.  He is then transferred to an institute in Delaware.  Brent does not like the new place he is being sent to and he feels it is a jail, not a recovery center.  Again, he deals with different psychologists, all of whomhe hates talking to and refuses to answer their questions.  When his parents ask him about the incident, he doesn't know what to tell them.  His bother hardly ever visits him and he holds a grudge on Brent, because the family has been torn apart because of Brent. 

In September, Brent finally goes back home.  He adjusts to being home and seeing the bathroom where he attempted suicide is tough for him.  However, soon enough Brent is off to school and he continues his life.           

My Impressions of the Book:

I must say that this is one of my favorite books now because I was able to enter the world of a disturbed teenage boy; struggling to find himself and his place in this world.  As I began to read the book, I could not believe what thought process Brent had when he decided to douse himself in gasoline and light a match.  I have always wondered what people attempting to commit suicide think about right before the act, or how people feel when they attempt to commit suicide and are unsuccessful.  This book gave me the opportunity to see that thought process, and the effects of his actions, not only in his own life but the life of his loved ones. 

Review(s) About the Book:

Barnes & Nobles Editorial Reviews: School Library Journal

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-One February day in 1991, Runyon came home from eighth grade, had a snack, soaked his full-length bathrobe in gasoline, and set himself on fire. He intended to kill himself. Everything shortly after is written in short bursts as the author takes readers in and out of his various states of consciousness: the helicopter ride; the parade of nurses, doctors, therapists, and orderlies at Children's Hospital in Washington, DC, and the regimented details of his care divided among them; and the pain of the burns on 85 percent of his body. The entries lengthen and the story builds like a novel as the author takes readers along as co-patients. The dialogue between Runyon and his nurses, parents, and especially his hapless psychotherapists is natural and believable, and his inner dialogue is flip, often funny, and sometimes raw. The details of the surgery, therapy, and painstaking care that go into healing burns are fascinating, and are likely to grip teens with a taste for gore or melodrama. Runyon's brave willingness to relive this horrifying year in unflinching detail is perhaps even more fascinating, as is the slowly unfolding mystery of the sadness that made a smart, popular, funny, loving boy try to take his own life. Depression, regret, and rebirth are the themes that tie the narrative together, and the subtle tension among the three are beautifully related, offering no neat resolution. The authentically adolescent voice of the journals will engage even those reluctant to read such a dark story.-Johanna Lewis, New York Public Library Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Barnes & Nobles Editorial Reviews: Publisher's Weekly

Publishers Weekly

Engrossing from first page to last, this book based on Runyon's own adolescent experiences draws readers into the world of an eighth-grader whose life is irrevocably changed the day he deliberately sets himself on fire. Brent, after narrowly escaping death, wakes up in a hospital with 85% of his body severely burned and begins a slow, arduous path to recovery. Rather than analyzing reasons the patient wanted to kill himself, the first-person narrative remains focused on the immediate challenge of survival, incorporating meticulous details of Brent's day-to-day ordeals in the hospital and later in a rehabilitation center. Time, at first, is measured by Brent's fluctuating levels of discomfort and comfort, ranging from the excruciating pain of having bandages removed to the sheer bliss of tasting ice cream for the first time in several weeks. And his repentant apologies to his parents and to Craig, his brother, who discovers Brent immediately after the incident, are wrenching in their honesty ("I hope Craig can love me again"). When his wounds begin to heal, Brent's thoughts turn from the present to the future as he nervously makes plans to return home and re-enter society. Despite its dark subject matter, this powerful chronicle of Brent's journey to heal expresses hope, celebrates life and provides an opportunity to slip inside the skin of a survivor with a unique perspective. Ages 14-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Use in Library Setting:

I would display this book in a library display dedicated to autobiographies, or maybe a display on suicide prevention.  I would also use this book if a teen came looking for a book written in the journal format. 

Module 11: Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Bibliographic Citation: Bartoletti, Susan C. Hitler Youth Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2005.

Plot Summary:

Hitler's youth was very extensive, well over seven million boys and girls belong to Hitler's youth, they followed Hitler's ideals and wanted to be a part of the movement.  The book focuses on 12 kids that followed Hitler.  The kids would do anything to support Hitler and they went through various trainings to be a part of Hitler's regime.  These kids had special meetings where they learned about all about Nazi's, they attended camps, wore uniforms, earned badges, etc.  It was this youth that enabled Hitler to be as powerful as he was.  

My Impressions of the Book:

I thought this book was very informative and I found it to be interesting reading.  I like how it gave the perspective of teens who had no idea they were contributing to such a horrible thing.  I also liked the pictures throughout the book, they give a glimpse into the world Hitler and what young people thought of him at the time.  The point of view in this book is different from the usual Holocaust books, this one gives the point of view of young people who didn't know any better and worshipped Hitler.  

Review(s) About the Book:

Amazon Editorial Review

 From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 5-8–Hitler's plans for the future of Germany relied significantly on its young people, and this excellent history shows how he attempted to carry out his mission with the establishment of the Hitler Youth, or Hitlerjugend, in 1926. With a focus on the years between 1933 and the end of the war in 1945, Bartoletti explains the roles that millions of boys and girls unwittingly played in the horrors of the Third Reich. The book is structured around 12 young individuals and their experiences, which clearly demonstrate how they were victims of leaders who took advantage of their innocence and enthusiasm for evil means. Their stories evolve from patriotic devotion to Hitler and zeal to join, to doubt, confusion, and disillusion. (An epilogue adds a powerful what-became-of-them relevance.) The large period photographs are a primary component and they include Nazi propaganda showing happy and healthy teens as well as the reality of concentration camps and young people with large guns. The final chapter superbly summarizes the weighty significance of this part of the 20th century and challenges young readers to prevent history from repeating itself. Bartoletti lets many of the subjects' words, emotions, and deeds speak for themselves, bringing them together clearly to tell this story unlike anyone else has.–Andrew Medlar, Chicago Public Library, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0439353793/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books

Amazon Editorial Review

 From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 7-10. What was it like to be a teenager in Germany under Hitler? Bartoletti draws on oral histories, diaries, letters, and her own extensive interviews with Holocaust survivors, Hitler Youth, resisters, and bystanders to tell the history from the viewpoints of people who were there. Most of the accounts and photos bring close the experiences of those who followed Hitler and fought for the Nazis, revealing why they joined, how Hitler used them, what it was like. Henry Mentelmann, for example, talks about Kristallnacht, when Hitler Youth and Storm Troopers wrecked Jewish homes and stores, and remembers thinking that the victims deserved what they got. The stirring photos tell more of the story. One particularly moving picture shows young Germans undergoing de-Nazification by watching images of people in the camps. The handsome book design, with black-and-white historical photos on every double-page spread, will draw in readers and help spark deep discussion, which will extend beyond the Holocaust curriculum. The extensive back matter is a part of the gripping narrative. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0439353793/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books

Use in Library Setting:

I would display this book if we had a Holocaust display.  This book can also be used to educate teens about the Holocaust and Hitler.  

Module 10: Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

Bibliographic Citation: Choldenko, Gennifer. Al Capone Does My Shirts. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2004.

Plot Summary:

Twelve year old Moose has just moved to Alcatraz Island with his family.  The family had to move to the island because his father took a job at the prison.  Moose and his sister Nathalie soon meet the other kids in the island, and Moose isn't too fond of all of them, especially the warden's daughter, Piper.  When Moose's mother takes an evening job, Moose is responsible for his older sister Natalie who is "sick," she has been 10 for about 6 years and she has bad tantrums.  Natalie fixates on numbers and her buttons.  

One day, Moose is out looking for a baseball and he leaves Natalie sitting with her buttons, when he returns he sees her with an inmate, number 105.  Moose panics and wonders how long this friendship has lasted and what actually has happened between the two.  Inmate 105 is very nice to Natalie and she repeats his number over and over again.  Moose is torn between telling his parents and making sure to keep Natalie locked in the house so she wont see 105 again.  Natalie however thinks otherwise and wants to go outside, she continues to repeat the number 105.  When he eventually takes her out again, Natalie goes to her meeting  place with 105 and he is there, waiting for her.  He holds her hand, something Natalie hates, and she doesn't move her hand away.  Moose feels all kinds of emotions, he's upset but also realizes she is 16 and this could possibly be normal, the inmate isn't much older than Natalie.  

Meanwhile, Moose's mom is unstable and continues to try to get Natalie into a special school, where she hasn't been accepted.  The day is nearing, when Natalie has an appointment at the school, even though she is way past the age limit, her mother insists natalie is still 10 years old.  On Natalie's birthday, Moose finally lets his mom have it, and he tells her its useless, Natalie is 16 and everybody knows it.  Either way, Moose's mom goes to the interview with Natalie, and again she is denied.  Moose then decides he is going yo write a letter to Al Capone and see if he can work something out.  Soon enough, the school calls and says they are starting a new school for older teens, and Natalie is accepted.  Al Capone writes Moose a small note, simply saying, Done. 

My Impressions of the Book:

I found this book to be a very good read.  I liked that it's setting was Alcatraz and I enjoyed the adventures Moose had in and out of the island.  At first I couldn't figure out what was wrong with his sister, but eventually I understood it was autism.  I like how the life of an autistic child was portrayed in the novel because many people don't know what it's like to live with an autistic person.  I think this book brings awareness to an issue that many families face.  I also liked the character of Piper, she was very spunky and took advantage of her fathers role in the prison.  Either way, I liked how she came up with schemes and somehow took Moose along for the ride.   

Review(s) About the Book:

Library Journal

Cholodenk, Gennifer. Al Capone Does My Shirts. Putnam Juvenile: Penguin Group (USA). 2004. 240p. ISBN 978-0-399-23861-1. $16.99.
"Today I moved to a twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd and surrounded by water." So narrates 12-year-old Moose in this School Library Journal Best Book of 2004 set in 1935 on Alcatraz Island when gangster Al Capone is an inmate working in the prison laundry. Readers learn how Moose and his family ended up on Alcatraz—his father took a job as a prison guard so that Natalie, Moose’s sister, could attend the Ester P. Marinoff School for students with autism. The story addresses how having a sister with autism affects a sibling’s life more than autistic Natalie herself; Cholodenk portrays both aspects of the story well. A humorous treat for siblings of people with autism and an entertaining read for all.

Barnes & Nobles Editorial Reviews

The Washington Post

Natalie's story is an important thread, sensitively handled. But what stays in the mind is the teeming mini-society of the island, where guards' families really did live and where a kid really might have encountered Al Capone, an inmate at Alcatraz from 1934 to 1939. — Elizabeth Ward

Use in Library Setting:

I would use this book to teach kids/ teens about Alcatraz and/ or autism.  This book could be great for children that have a sibling with a disability, they can read a book that they can relate to.  So, this book would also be good for a book talk with upper elementary kids and middle school students. 

Module 9: Abduction by Peg Kehret

Bibliographic Citation: Kehret, Peg. Abduction. New York: Puffin Books, 2004.

Plot Summary:

Bonnie and Matt's mom has given them great advice as to what to do if they are ever apporached by a stranger.  However, when Matt is apporached by a stranger that claims to know his mother and sister, and happens to have the family dog, Matt is tricked into going with the stranger.  It turns out the stranger is Matt's father, Denny, whom he's never met.  Denny ends up taking Matt to his apartment and keeping him there.  While Matt is missing, Bonnie and her mother are doing everything they can to find Matt.  Since the family dog was taken, Bonnie is convinced that Matt is not simply lost, he has to be missing, and he must have been abducted because he would never leave on his own.  

When Bonnie is invited to a baseball game, she agrees to go even though she feels guilty at going without her little brother.  When she is at the game, she spots a kid that looks like her brother, but she can't be sure since he is in disguise.  Once she gets closer, her thoughts are confirmed and she sees her little brother.  However, Denny spots her and he ends up taking both children.  Bonnie tries to get help along the way, but nobody listens to what she is saying, such as when she went into the bathroom and she told two ladies what was happening.  They thought she was playing a game and didnt take her serious.  Eventually Bonnie and her brother Matt managed to get away from Denny.  Then Denny thought it would be a good idea to go on a ferry and get rid of Bonnie, when he was about to throw Bonnie overboard, she yelled Zinger, and Matt threw his baseball as hard as he could, hitting Denny.  The kids were rescued and Denny was arrested.   

My Impressions of the Book:

I found the title to be interesting which is why I picked up this book in the first place.  I have to say that this is not on my top 10 books.  Matt is abducted by his father, whom he's never met, and I just didn't fall in love with any of the characters in the novel.  I felt myself getting flustered when Matt was at the baseball game with his dad, and I didnt know why he didnt just run away or ask someone for help.  I mean he was in a stadium with thousands of people, just ask for help!  Then Matt's sister finds him, and again, no yelling for help, no nothing!  So, the plot annoyed me a little.  However, I can see this book being very educational to many kids/teens.  I think this book teaches kids/ teens awareness about being abducted.  So, this book is added to my blog because a teen that reads this book can learn a lot, as in tips as to what to do if you are abducted.  There were a lot of terms throughout the book that teens can leanr, such as what an Amber Alert is.     

Review(s) About the Book:

Barnes & Nobles Editorials Review

Janis Flint-Ferguson - KLIATT

Bonnie is a pretty typical seventh grade student. She is responsible for her six-year-old brother after school and so she leaves the middle school directly to join her brother in the bus line and get him home. But on this Friday her brother isn't standing in the line waiting for her. In fact, he has disappeared from the elementary school. The school is searched, the teachers are brought in, and finally the police arrive, but Matt Stolter is still missing, abducted by his father. Denny Thurman is a desperate man and intends to use Matt to get money to pay off gambling debts. He disguises himself to cover his tracks and uses a pet dog to lure Matt away. While Bonnie and her mother talk to news media, hang posters, and wait for news, Denny hides Matt in an apartment and tells him that his mother and sister have died. After a week, Matt is bored and Denny needs more money—fast. Matt, Bonnie and Denny end up at a Mariners game in Safeco Field where the situation goes from coincidence to climax. The novel follows the situation at home and at Denny's as the sense of loss and missed clues mount up. Coincidence provides much of the suspense. There is little violence and the story is happily resolved. KLIATT Codes: J—Recommended for junior high school students. 2004, Penguin, Dutton, 224p., Ages 12 to 15.

Barnes & Nobles Editorials Review

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7-Matt, a kindergartener, meets his 13-year-old half sister every day after school for the ride home. When he fails to show up, Bonnie immediately notifies his teacher and principal, and a full-scale search ensues. Even though Matt has been taught "stranger danger," he is lured into the kidnapper's car with his own dog, stolen from his house. The kidnapper is the boy's father, whom he has never met, and who tells Matt that his mother and sister are dead. So even though the boy knows his phone number, he doesn't try to call. The story portrays a kidnapper's determination and the ease with which a child can be swayed by a stranger despite years of teaching. The novel also does a good job of incorporating modern-day search techniques, such as an Amber Alert, and explaining their use. The plot stretches a bit when Bonnie spots her brother at a Seattle Mariners game, but it does make for a suspenseful ending as she also becomes a victim. The story is resolved happily but with a twist showing the remorse of the people who could have helped along the way but didn't for various reasons. This novel has enough suspense to keep children interested, and it will also appeal to reluctant readers.-Diana Pierce, Running Brushy Middle School, Cedar Park, TX Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Use in Library Setting:

I would recommend this book to parents who want to educate their children on what to do in case of an emergency, such as being abducted.  No one wants to think about their children being abducted, but awareness is very important.