Odder and other books by Katherine Applegate

 When my daughter was doing online school in  fourth grade she was given a copy of The One and Only Ivan as a Christmas gift by her teacher. We read it together and watched the movie starring Bryan Cranston. We loved it so much I gifted her with The One and Only Bob- a brilliant sequel.

Thus began our reading of Katherine Applegate- an author who takes an animal (or plant in Wish Tree) and tells a story from its perspective. It’s a clever technique and creates an impactful story impossible to tell from the human perspective.

I bought The One and Only Ruby and tried reading it out loud to the girls - but they have outgrown this practice and that particular book is a little slower and less engaging than the others. I checked Wish Tree out from the library when I discovered it was assigned sixth grade reading at a local school. I had taken down an art project related to the book and it inspired me to read it- I actually downloaded the audio and listened to it.

Odder was a lucky find - displayed at the library. I read it and will return it with misty eyes after reading the account of an otter introduced to an adopted pup after both are displaced from their natural habitat. It is Monterey Bay attempting to pair up injured adult otters with orphaned pups- definitely worth a read.

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

 

As a guest teacher in five different districts around San Diego, I enter many different classrooms of different level, age group, and even native language. Across all of these categories I find this book (or its sequels) usually left by the teacher as a read aloud. It covers a subject that is relevant for the technological level of our society and seems common in young adult literature- one example being that in fourth grade my daughter was introduced to the audio play called “Six Minutes” in which a displaced, disoriented girl turns out to be a robot who is passed off as a human. Certain topics mark certain generations- this topic seems to be one of the definers of Generation Alpha.

The tale begins when a hurricane shipwrecks a cargo ship full of robots off the coast of an island. All of the robots are destroyed except one- with the name of Roz.  Roz awakens and finds herself alone on the island, she realizes she must survive. She has initial adventures and troubles with climbing, camouflage, bad weather and then experiences a downpour that washes her off a cliff and she crashes into a goose nest. In this nest is the lone baby who survived the accident- and Roz adopts it as her own son. 

The middle portion of the book develops this relationship between the robot and the goose- and opens up questions about how a robot could use its programmed data to acquire the skills to keep a child- even a child that is a goose.  But over time the attachment grows and Roz and her son Brightbill function as a modern day family.

Of course as Brightbill reaches adulthood he realizes he is not a robot- he identifies with the geese and decides to fly with them to a warmer climate for the winter. Roz survives by building herself an insulated cave with a fire- and many animals (even predatory/prey groupings of animals) take refuge and are saved by the heat of the cave- so she builds more caves. She saves more animals from the bitter cold of winter.

And when they celebrate the winter ending- a huge bonfire alerts a passing ship that Roz is on the island- and soon three RECO robots arrive to collect her and redirect her to do the work her original factory instructions required.

Roz by now has many friends, including Brightbill who has returned from his winter migration. The ending is an exciting cat and mouse chase in which they locate, target and kill the three capturing robots and then Roz gets on their ship to fly to where she can get reprogrammed, repaired and repurposed from her makers.

This charming tale explores what it means to be a robot- and at what point the experience of a robot goes beyond simple computer programming- is it possible for the robot to feel human feelings and experience human attachment.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien

 

This timeless classic is a wonderful read for the young mind exploring science- possibly their first real book of fiction with elements of hard science woven throughout the theme. But- definitely still fantasy and very fictional. Copyright 1971. I remember this on the shelves of my elementary school and remember liking it as a child.

The book begins with the story of a widowed field mouse, Mrs. Frisby, and the tale of her sick son Timothy. The Frisby family, minus the father who died the year before, is currently living in their winter home which is a cinderblock in the middle of a dormant vegetable patch. The leftover vegetables and scraps are enough to feed the family until plowing time again when they must move further away from the farm to their summer home. Unfortunately, Timothy is too sick to move and when Mrs. Frisby hears Farmer Fitzgibbons plow, she knows she is running out of time.  With the help of a crow who owes her a favor and a wise owl in the forest, Mrs. Frisby learns that her late husband's deeds earned her enough respect in the community to warrant a visit to the rats. 

Who are the rats? All that Mrs. Frisby knows at that point is that a large group of rats live in a nearby rosebush, but she never knew that her husband had any dealings with them. 

Her introduction to the rats opens the story of their origin, what happened to her husband and why, their plan for the future- and most importantly to her, a way to move her house away from the danger of the plow so her son can survive without a move that will surely cause his death.

It turns out that the rats came from a lab focused on improving the intelligence of animals. Little did the researcher know that he was training his rats to escape and survive on their own with the use of electricity and other sophistication. 

Upon escape, the rats used their enhanced brains and knowledge from the lab to create their own sophisticated society living within the protection of the thorns of a rosebush near a farm.  From this farm they were able to steal what they needed to create quite a beautiful home complete with decor, an elevator and modern conveniences traditionally used by humans. But they know their time is limited in the rosebush- rumor has it their home is in danger.

When Mrs. Frisby goes to sedate the farm cat so the rats can move her house from the dangers of the plow she overhears conversations about the arrival of exterminator for the rats in the rosebush. All plans are accelerated, and the rats must leave immediately.

This is a fast-moving tale with excitement and suspense and well-worth reading during the school year as a required fictional book or during the summer. Highly recommended.

Survivors: A Hidden Enemy (Book 2) by Erin Hunter

 

In my job as a guest teacher I am often assigned the task of shelving books in the school library. It is in this role that I first found this book- or rather its sister series called “Warriors.” In my other role as library mom (to my own children) I peruse the shelves of the used books at our local library. These are sold for 1$ each generally and sometimes there are real gems on the shelf (like the hard copy of Williams Sonoma Slow Cooker cookbook- I told my family someone got that for Christmas years ago and finally donated it to the library after using it once at most) This book was purchased for 1$ from our library “recycled” books. That is why I am reading book #2 before book #1. And- in this series that seems to work. There is some of the back story I am missing but it isn’t critical to understanding the major plot and theme of this book.

This book follows mainly two packs of dogs- the leashed dogs and the wild dogs. Both packs are trying to forge for food and water in a part of the forest infected by some contaminant. Lucky is a dog with ties to both packs- he considers himself a lone dog. His litter mate is part of the leashed dogs- former city dogs who have come together in the wild. This group of dogs doesn’t have a strict hierarchy and they seem to live together in harmony without much structure. 

In the opening scenes of the book the two packs of dogs are fighting over clean water. The wild dogs attack the leashed dogs who are drinking in what they deem their territory. It is in this fight that Lucky and Sweet reunite. Their connection was a “Trap house” in which they both escaped as lone dogs- and Lucky states he thought Sweet would never find a pack. But yet there she is fighting with one of the toughest and wildest packs around- and they are winning.

The plot of the book moves fast and would seem appealing to a young reader- Lucky is enticed into spying for his litter mate Bella of the leashed dogs. He joins the wild dogs and becomes part of their hierarchical structure.   All seems well until Lucky is blackmailed about his double role by a wild dog at the bottom of the hierarchy and Sweet betrays him by using the information he supplied to attack the wild dogs in retaliation for their previous defeat. 

Especially at the end the plot is grippingly a page turner and ends with Lucky’s ultimate betrayal to the alpha member of the wild dogs- and surely death. But…..we end on a cliffhanger not really knowing what happens to Lucky and wanting to purchase the third book in the series.

Dangerous Journeys- the picture book version of Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

 

This book was highly cited by the renowned pastor Earl Palmer at University Presbyterian Church back in the late 90’s when I attended church there in the years after college. He loved to weave the journey of Christian into his sermons.

My daughter brought this home from school because it is part of their fourth grade reading curriculum. She loved it- and I love it so I bought her a copy of it. The photo on the front is the main character carrying his burden on his back and walking the narrow path to the Celestial City. The book chronicles his journey through swamp, forest, mountains and with a variety of companions along the way. An emphasis is placed on the narrow nature of the path and the idea that most people get swept off of it. And it shows how Christian’s “armor” aids him along the way. (Direct reference to the Ephesians passage of the Bible that describes the elements of armor that we all wear)

It is so refreshing to see a book about hardship and religion read at school. It is unfortunate that this book could never be included in a public school curriculum. They can choose books with hardship- like pioneers and Vikings- but they cannot choose a book with a religious theme. I hope my daughter uses this in her own life when she encounters challenges and hardships as we all do- I hope she chooses to stay on the straight and narrow path to the Celestial City.

The Night Diary by Vera Hiranandani

 While guest teaching at an elementary school last year I stumbled upon this book. Often I come home from work after shelving books in the school library and purchase or order from the public library a copy of what I have shelved. This time, however, the book was the assigned reading project of the entire sixth grade. Apparently all students were “very engaged” in the project and the book very popular amongst the students in general.

It is written in the popular style modeled after Anne Frank’s diary. Many series seem to take this approach. Some examples include the popular Diary of a Wimpy kid, and the series more for girls called Dork Diaries. Each entry narrates the story from the perspective of a 12-year-old girl sharing about her experiences in the diary gifted to her on her twelfth birthday by their house cook Kazi, a single Muslim man. The book opens with Nisha sharing about her 12th birthday with her twin brother Amil and expressing regret that their birth caused her mother’s death.

Trouble begins when strange men come to the house and Kazi hides with Nisha and Amil while Papa talks to the men. They know it is related to India being freed from British rule and they can tell Papa is worried by his demeanor and his change in behavior. “Remember when Papa used to tickle us?…..He hasn’t done that in a long time.”

We find out Nisha’s deceased mother was Muslim. “Nobody ever mentions the fact that you were Muslim, Mama. It’s like everyone forgot.” Nisha and Amil live with their Hindu father (Papi) and his mother (Dadi)

Hiranandani shows the reader what relationships are like between Muslims and Hindus through Nisha’s diary entries. She tells of  Amil being chased after school by bullies and subsequently ending up at Papa’s hospital for a scorpion bite during the pursuit. And instances of hiding in the pantry while people searched their house. It’s obvious that post British rule in India is far from ideal- and while it has liberated India from their oppression this doesn’t necessarily mean peace between the Hindus and the Muslims.

Eventually a party is organized for close friends and family because Nisha and her family must leave. Their town will no longer be part of India but part of the new Pakistan- a place for Muslims. Nisha’s struggle with her own identity helps the reader understand the deep division between the ethnic and religious groups involved. She is speaking to her mother when she writes in her diary, “If you were alive, would we have to leave you because you are Muslim? Would they have drawn a line right through us, Mama?”

Then the family escapes on foot. They are unsafe, sleeping outside and eventually quenched to the point of near-death. A timely rain saves them. 

For the rest of the book Nisha writes about identity struggle of being a mixed race Hindu/Muslim surrounded by seemingly pureblooded Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs. They temporarily hide with a relative while on the run and she secretly befriends a neighbor child. When Papa discovers the affair they are whisked away in fear of being discovered- they are truly running for their lives. 

Eventually they settle in the Hindu designated part of India. The closing scene is of a seemingly homeless man crouched outside their house who turns out to be Kazi, their Muslim cook. He ran after them despite being Muslim in the new Pakistan. He ran toward Hindu India to rediscover the only family he had ever known.

This book is obviously written by someone with similar experiences and highlights middle eastern culture beautifully. An emphasis on food preparation and consumption, family dynamics and closeness, a sense of identity tied to religion and a sense of community. It is also historical fiction about world politics and events in a post-war world reconstructed by politicians to solve international conflict. 

 A recommended read for all tweens and maybe even their parents!

The 21 Balloons by William Pene du Bois

 The 21 Balloons by William Pene Du Bois was a favorite book at my house growing up in the 80s. When I was cleaning out and donating old childhood books this is one of the few that I kept. I now have it at my house and recently reread it at the suggestion of a child.

I was sitting at the first grade tables reading about volcanoes to a troubled first grader. Nothing seemed to interest this kid- except maybe nonfiction science. That day, it was a book about the island of Krakatoa. When this island exploded in 1883 it was the loudest explosion on record. Before reading this National Geographic children’s book about volcanoes I had not realized there really was an island called Krakatoa or that it actually exploded in real life. But I immediately remembered The 21 Balloons and when I got home that night I pulled it out a reread it. The short-term assignment at that school ended- but I made sure to send along the link to this book in the hopes that the troubled first grader might find a moment of entertainment related to his interest in volcanoes. I hope he got to read it with an adult.

The book begins with Professor William Waterman Sherman, recently retired from teaching, preparing and then executing a trip in a basket house held by a hot air balloon. Sherman has packed food and other supplies to last a year and hopes to spend that time relaxing and loafing in his ethereal surroundings. And for the first week of his trip that is exactly what he does until a seagull fight pops his balloon and he is forced to cut off his basket house into the ocean and make an emergency landing on the island of Krakatoa. While he initially finds no one and believes he has found an uninhabited island, he is surprised to be greeted by a well-dressed gentleman who shows him the hidden society of the island of Krakatoa. A small civilization has been built around the wealth of a huge diamond mine on the island. With the diamonds, the citizens of Krakatoa have built houses and a society based on rotating restaurants of different ethnic identities. Their entertainment revolves around balloon merry go rounds and the undulations of the earth as the famous Krakatoa volcano is preparing to explode. Of which it does during the first week of Professor Sherman’s stay- so soon that they haven’t sewn him a parachute to use on their emergency evacuation contraption designed for a quick get away in the event of an explosion. This is why he is found on a platform of 20 balloons floating in the Atlantic Ocean alone- everybody else jumped off in their parachute on land while he was forced to crash the platform in the ocean and hope for rescue. 

And rescued he was- and taken to the Western American Explorer’s Club in San Francisco to tell his story in front of a huge crowd- it is this story that comprises the majority of the book.

I am even more in awe of this book now that I know the part about the volcano is actually true.