Get Cooking

Bibliographic Information: Stern, S. (2009). Get cooking. Somerville: Candlewick Press. ISBN: 9780763639266

Plot Summary: This third cookbook of Sam Stern, Get Cooking, offers teenagers over 100 recipes focusing on eight ingredients chosen by his friends: tomatoes, pasta, cheese, meat, vegetables, potatoes. sweets, and chocolates.  The recipes are great for either snacks or meals, and he also provides nutritional advice and helpful tips for preparing the meals.  The cookbook also offers full color photos of the recipes.  Stern includes a vegetarian and gluten free section for those on special diets.

Critical Evaluation: Get Cooking provides teenagers a range of recipes to match their skill in the kitchen.  There are simpler recipes like “Chili Pepper and Bean Tortillas,” “Chocolate Nut Brownies,” “Frozen Chocolate Banana Sticks,” and “American Pancakes.”  More adventerous cooks might want to take a shot at “Cool Cauli Curry,” “Spanakopita,” or “Baked Egg Stuffed Tomatoes.”  The pictures help teen chefs envision their culinary end products, and his laid-back tone gives the instructions a relaxed feel.

Reader’s Annotation: Get off the couch, and get cooking with Sam Stern!

Information about the author: At the age of 22, Sam Stern has published six cookbooks showcasing his passion for cooking.  His cookbooks have been translated into 14 languages, and he maintains a blog that features his recipes.  

    Stern is from the UK, and he currently studies Politics, Sociology, and Business at Edinburgh University.  He has three sisters and one brother (Stern, n.d.).  

Genre: Non-fiction; Cookbook

Curriculum Ties: Cooking class

Booktalking ideas (one or two):

1. Preview some of the recipes.

Reading level/Interest age: 13+

Challenge Issues: N/A

Why I included this book: I chose this book for my collection for those young adult patrons who are interested in cooking.  Sam Stern is an excellent role model for teens who love to cook.  

References:

Stern, S. (n.d.). Virgin to veteran. Retrieved from virgintoveteran

How They Coraked: The Awful Ends to the Awfully Famous

Bibliographic Information: Bragg, G. (Author) & O'Malley, K. (Illustrator). (2011). How they croaked: The awful ends to the awfully famous. New York: Walker & Company.

Plot Summary:  How They Croaked explores the demise of nineteen famous people from history including King Tut, Pocahontas, Galileo Galilei, and Beethoven.  All of thier deaths have something in common- they were pretty nasty.  For instance, King Tut died from malaria, Julius Caesar was stabbed by a group of disgruntled senators suffering twenty-three stab wounds- only one of which was fatal, and Charles Dickens died of a stroke.  Preceeding the description of each individuals gruesome death, a little bit of their life history is explained.  It is interesting to note that medicine has come a long way in the last 100 years.  Many of their death would have been prevented with the medical advances we have now.  At the end of each celebrity’s chapter, and bit of trivia is given, for instance the end of King Tut’s chapter explains all the uses people had for mummies, like medicine, paper, and paint.  Thankfully these practices didn’t last long, as mummies aren’t the most sanitary objects lying around.

Critical Evaluation:   How They Croaked is a perfect read for anyone who enjoys reading gorey details about death.  Each entry is written in an objective point of view to recount the simple facts about nineteen celebrity deaths.  One common thread between many of these deaths is the irresponsible medical treatment many of them had, but it really isn’t their fault.  Medicine in the 1800s is not what it is today, so it was normal to drain blood from the body when it was thought a patient’s ailments originated from bad blood.  The history behind each tale is intriguing, and often not commonly known.  For instance, Cleopatra’s demise is reminiscent of the last scene in Romeo and Juliet, although many people believe she died from a snake bite.  The book does a good job dispelling rumors about the celebrity figures, and maintains a dry humorous tone at times.  The trivia facts at the end are informative and connect to the story in some way.  Overall, this is an informative compilation on death stories and kid would find interesting.

Reader’s Annotation: George Washington is famous in history as the first President of the United States, but did you know he died from an infection in his mouth?  Read How They Croaked: Awful Ends to the Awfully Famous to learn about other unglamorous endings of famous people from history.

Information about the authors: Georgia Bragg grew up in a family of artists, so her talent for printmaking, painting, and storyboarding were no surprise.  She’s had five different careers, never went to college, and wrote one other book titles Matisse on the Loose.  She has a husband, two children, two cats, and they live in L.A (Bragg, n.d.).

Kevin O’Malley’s first published book was Froggy Went A-Courting.   He is passionate about drawing and shares that passion on school tours where he talks about his career to young kids.  He is humorous and full of life, and shares some of his drawing talents on his blog (Coutrot, 2012).

Genre: Non Fiction, Biography

Curriculum Ties: History, Health

Booktalking ideas (one or two):

1. Ask group if they know how George Washington died.

2. Describe some of the medical techniques attempted to heal people.

Reading level/Interest age: 12+

Challenge Issues: The novel contains graphic descriptions of death.

To defend challenged material I would:

1.    Read/watch/listen to the material to become familiar with the content.

2.    Familiarize myself with the Arizona Common Core curriculum standards http://www.azed.gov/azcommoncore/teacher/ to defend how the material can support the learning of these standards.

3.    Refer to the Library Bill of Rights: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill

4.    Refer to the collection policy of my library.

5.    Collect reviews from staff/students/patrons who have used the material.

Why I chose this book:  I chose this book because it adds humor to my non-fiction collection.  It offers biographical facts about famous people from history, and is a quick read.  Young adult patrons who enjoy gruesome, gory details will love this book.

References:

Bragg, G. (n.d.). About. Georgia Bragg. Retrieve 6 May from

http://georgiabragg.com/aboutpage/.

Courtot, M. (2012, February 20). Kevin O’Malley. Children’s Literature Author and Illustrator

    Booking Service. Retrieved 6 May from

http://www.childrenslit.com/bookingservice/omalley-kevin.html#bio.

I Can't Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous + Obscure

Bibliographic Information: SMITH Magazine (Editor). (2009). I can't keep my own secrets: Six-word memoirs by teens famous and obscure. New York: HerperTeen.

Plot Summary: I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets is a compilation of six-word memoirs, a concept made famous by Ernest Hemingway.  The six-word memoirs in this book are written by teens, and they share stories of love, error, happiness, self-discovery, anger, sadness, hope, imagination, and many other journeys and emotions experience during adolescence.  Each memoir contains a byline, and the three sub-sections at the end of the book contain six-word memoirs from teen stars, Teen Nick winners, and teen Web stars.  The book begins with an introduction of the six-word memoir concept, and explains that more than 600 memoirs from teens aged thirteen to nineteen are featured in this book.

Critical Evaluation: The six-word memoir has proven to be a powerful means of expression in I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets. The stories behind each memoir are dripping with emotion, and tell a tale much greater in meaning.  Simple six-word memoirs like “Daddy issues are all I know” paint a picture of a child battling abandonment.  Many memoirs are deep, and others are humorous, like “I never got my Hogwarts letter.”  Some shed light on the ubiquitous societal imperfections of the adolescent world: “Three high schools. Only uniforms change.”  Heartbreak, an emotion often experienced by teens can be felt in memoirs like “He said bye in YouTube links,” or “Don’t leave me; daddy already did.”  No matter their life story, teens will find something to relate to in this book, because it is written by their peers who see and experience the tough and joyous realities of life.

Reader’s Annotation: Everyone has a story to tell.  Now tell yours in six words.

Information about the author:  I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets is one of currently nine Six-Word Memoir books published by SMITH magazine.  The founders of SMITH magazine, Larry Smith and Tim Barkow, wanted to create a place for storytelling, and so on January 6, 2006 (which also happens to be National Smith Day), SMITH was born.

SMITH Mag, and it’s teen version, SMITH Teens are devoted to all forms of story telling.  Other story projects sponsored by SMITH are  “The Moment,” “My Life So Far,” “Freeze Frame,” “Brushes with Fame,” “My Ex,” and “Pregnancy.”  Larry Smith travels for many speaking engagements focused on story telling, and has spoken at companies like ESPN, Google, and Twitter, all of which utilize storytelling (SMITH, n.d.).

Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir

Curriculum Ties: English (writing)

Booktalking ideas (one or two):

1.    Read some samples six-word memoirs.

2.    Introduce six-word memoir concept, invite the group to brainstorm their own six-word memoir, and share with the group.

Reading level/Interest age: 15+

Challenge Issues: Book contains suggestions to drug use, sex, teen pregnancy, abortion, HIV, drinking, and family dysfunction.

To defend challenged material I would:

1.    Read/watch/listen to the material to become familiar with the content.

2.    Familiarize myself with the Arizona Common Core curriculum standards http://www.azed.gov/azcommoncore/teacher/ to defend how the material can support the learning of these standards.

3.    Refer to the Library Bill of Rights: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill

4.    Refer to the collection policy of my library.

5.    Collect reviews from staff/students/patrons who have used the material

Why I chose this book: This book is a great addition to the non-fiction section of my collection.  the six-word memoir concept challenges writers of any age, and the story each memoir tells is deep and emotional.  This book can also serve as motivation for young adult patrons to write and submit their own six-word memoirs.  It can serve as a great unit in a writing class.  

References:

SMITH (n.d.) SMITH Mag. Website. Retrieved from

           http://www.smithmag.net/

The Pregnancy Project

Bibliographic Information: Rodriguez, G., & Glatzer, J. (2012). The pregnancy project. New York: Simon & Schuster. 

Plot Summary: Gaby Rodriguez needed an idea for her senior project, an assignment meant to demonstrate her skills learned from the past twelve years of school.  She thought long and hard about the topic for her senior project, and during a discussion in her Biology class the idea struck her: she would fake a pregnancy.  All seven of Gaby’s siblings became parents as teenagers, following in the footsteps of their mother, who gave birth to her first child at fifteen.  Gaby watched her siblings struggle through relationships, dead-end jobs, addiction, and rearing children, so she vowed that she would never make the same mistake.  Gaby was an honors student and involved in various extracurricular activities, which made her scenario perfect.  She wanted to see how people would react to her pregnancy.  Gaby firmly believes that no one should live down to the negative expectations others have for them- something she felt her siblings did all the time.  After receiving clearance to complete her project, and asking permission from her mother and boyfriend, it was time fake her pregnancy.  Gaby had no idea what kind of effect she would have on her community.  

Critical Evaluation:  What Gaby does well in her memoir is explore the theme of stereotypes.  In the book she mentioned that daughters of teen mothers are three times as likely to become teen mothers themselves, and that girls without fathers start having sex earlier and are more likely to become teen moms (22).  So far, her sisters have proven that statistic true.  In one heartbreaking experience Gaby recounts the night of her Quincenera when she was supposed to dance with her oldest brother Genaro, but he was too drunk to fulfil her request, and she was crushed.  Genaro blames his alcoholism on her father, to which Gaby replies, “Just because people expect something of you doesn’t mean you have to give them what they expect” (58).  Genaro was a classic example of living down to the expectations others had of him.  Gaby suffered stereotyping as well when she started dating. People told her she was going to end up pregnant like her sister Jessica.  Gaby was able to tell a story about fighting stereotypes, fighting rumors, and fighting for what you want in life.   

Reader’s Annotation: Gaby wanted to learn how to live beyond stereotypes, so what did she do?  She faked a pregnancy.

Information about the author: Gaby Rodriguez grew up in a family plagued by teen pregnancy.  Her mother became pregnant the first time at age 14.  All seven of her brothers and sisters became teen parents, and as she grew up and entered adolescence, they warned her to avoid their mistakes and focus on her studies.  

Rodriguez’s goal during her fake pregnancy was to experience what her mother and sisters went through when they became teen mothers.  She wanted to teach her community about stereotypes and making the most of a bad situation.  Rodriguez, this first child in her family to graduate from high school, is now in college studying psychology and wants to focus on child development.  She and her boyfriend Jorge are still together after four years (Cohen, n.d.).

Genre: YA Non-fiction

Curriculum Ties: Psychology

Booktalking ideas (one or two):

1. Teen pregnancy statistics

Reading level/Interest age: 14+

Challenge Issues: This book talks about teen pregnancy.

To defend challenged material I would:

1.    Read/watch/listen to the material to become familiar with the content.

2.    Familiarize myself with the Arizona Common Core curriculum standards http://www.azed.gov/azcommoncore/teacher/ to defend how the material can support the learning of these standards.

3.    Refer to the Library Bill of Rights: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill

4.    Refer to the collection policy of my library.

5.    Collect reviews from staff/students/patrons who have used the material

Why I included this book: The Pregnancy Project is a great non-fiction recount of Gaby Rodriguez's senior project to fake her own pregnancy.  The memoir provides insight into the stereotypes and struggles teen moms experience, and encourages young adults to ignore the low expectations people have of them.  Gaby's story was featured on the Today show, TIME magazine, and made into a Lifetime Original Movie.  

References:

Cohen, R. (n.d.) An interview with Gaby Rodriguez. Lifetime. Retrieved 7 May 2013 from

http://www.mylifetime.com/movies/the-pregnancy-project/article/gaby-rodriguez-interview

Titanic: Voices from the Disaster

Bibliographic Information: Hopkinson, D. (2012). Titanic: Voices from the disaster. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN: 0545116740

Plot Summary: The tragic story of the sinking of Titanic appeals to readers of all ages. In Titanic: Voices from the Disaster, we read several first-hand accounts from passengers and crew aboard the doomed ship about her descent into the depths of the Atlantic.  There are many photos of the ship before it set sail, and each chapter brings to light the luxurious nature of the ship.  The first-hand accounts tell of ship life, the collision with the iceberg, the ensuing moments when danger was looked over, and finally, when the realization hit when the ship was going down.  The voices of the story are from those who were fortunate enough to either get in a lifeboat, or hold onto wreckage from the ship until they were rescued.  They tell about watching the last bit of the ship sink beneath the water, about the screams and cries from those left bobbing in the frigid sea, about waiting for hours in the cold darkness for a rescue ship, and finally about the kindness shown them from the passengers and crew aboard the Carpathia.   

Critical Evaluation: The fate of the Titanic is known by anyone who picks up a copy of Titanic: Voices from the Disaster.  The Titanic, said to be unsinkable, sank four and a half days after setting sail on it’s maiden voyage.  Using points of view from Titanic survivors makes the story feel more sad, more tragic, and more real.  The pictures interspersed through the pages, some including the survivors described therein, serve to showcase the beauty and majesty of the doomed ocean liner. Other pictures of passengers and crew who did not survive the sinking add a sense of eeriness and mourning.  Reading the firsthand accounts leads us to conclude that the tragedy of the Titanic was a combination of small errors.  Some points of interest lead to what if questions, like what if the message from the Mesaba warning of ice directly ahead of the Titanic had reached the captain?  What if more effort was made to fill the lifeboats to capacity?  What if regulations were in place to require enough lifeboats for the number of passengers?  What if  the men aboard the Californian acted when they saw the first distress signal from the Titanic?  These questions have haunted us for over 100 years, along with the senseless loss of life.  

Reader’s Annotation: What really happened the night the Titanic sank?  Titanic: Voices from the Disaster gives first-hand accounts from the maiden voyage of the doomed ship.

Information about the author: Deborah Hopkinson enjoys bringing history to life for young readers.  She has published over forty books for young readers, and often speaks to students at school.  She has won many awards and earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Massachusetts, and a Master’s degree in Asian studies from University of Hawaii at Manoa.

    Hopkinson serves as the Vice President for College Advancement for the Pacific Northwest College of Art.  Her works include short fiction, non-fiction, and pictures books about ordinary people in history (Hopkinson, 2010).  

Genre: YA Non-fiction

Curriculum Ties: History

Booktalking ideas (one or two):

1. List of facts about the sinking (number of people who perished, time it took for the ship to sink, distance from nearby ships, etc.)

2. Description of the ship’s final moments.  

Reading level/Interest age: 14+

Challenge Issues: N/A

Why I included this book: The intrigue and curiosity still surrounding the tragic demise of the Titanic makes this books a great addition to my collection.  According to Publishers Weekly, "Hopkinson puts a human face of the Titanic's sinking" through the retelling of passengers' and crews' stories (Publishers Weekly, 2012).  

References:

Hopkinson, D. (2010). Deborah Hopkinson biography. Deborah Hopkinson. Retrieve 7 May

from http://www.deborahhopkinson.com/bio.html.

Publishers Weekly. (2012, February 20). Titanic: Voices from the disaster. Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-545-11674-9