Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices form a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz

Schlitz, Laura Amy. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village. Illustrated by Robert Byrd. Candlewick Press, 2008. 96 pages. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-4332-4.

Annotation: A collection of monologues from a variety of children living in and around an English manor in 1255.

Summary: In this collection of twenty-two monologues, English medieval children from all classes and backgrounds, describe their daily life. From a plowboy to a shepherdess and from a knight’s son to a half-wit, children accurately and realistically portray their life style and culture. The portrait of life in the Middle Ages is revealed as each child describes his or her vocation, class, attitude, family life, religion, and social practices. Relevant essays are scattered throughout the monologues to give extra background information.

Evaluation: The text is in both prose and verse. The interconnected monologues are written in varying poetic styles from a medieval child’s perspective and the essays in prose contain interesting historical background information. The ink drawings fused with watercolors works well with the text and give a sense of medieval art. Historical notes are added in the vertical margins. Recommended for ages 6 to 13.

Genre / Subject: Juvenile Non-Fiction, History, Plays, Poetry, Medieval England, Middle Ages

Awards: 2008 Newbery Medal Award Winner, 2008 ALA Notable Children’s Book

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Selznick, Brian. The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Scholastic, Incorporated, 2007. 544 pages. Tr. $24.99. ISBN 978-0-439-81378-5.

Annotation: Hugo, an orphan boy, who lives within the walls of a busy train station in Paris secretly works as a clock keeper while trying to fix a robot invention found by his father.

Summary: Twelve year old Hugo lost his father in a fire and is forced to secretly live and work as a clock keeper within the walls of a Paris train station. He finds an automaton that his father was fixing and decides to work on it himself. Using his father’s diagrams and stolen supplies from an old toymaker Hugo starts to repair it. Hugo befriends Isabelle, a spirited girl who is the adopted daughter of the toymaker. She inadvertently supplies Hugo with the key to start the automaton. Hugo and Isabelle discover that the toymaker is the famous French movie pioneer, George Melies, who was thought to have died. Hugo renews George’s interest in films and becomes a part of his family.

Evaluation: Brian Selznick successfully combines a telling narrative, detailed black-and-white charcoal drawings, and expert cinematic technique to form a captivating tale of mystery set in Paris in the 1930’s. His ability to tell this story equally well in both pictures and words is amazing. Inventions, secrets, dreams are slowly revealed in first-rate storytelling. Recommended for ages 7 to 14.

Genre / Subject: Juvenile Fiction, Historical, Clocks, Robots, George Melies, Film-Making, Persistence, Orphans

Awards: 2007 National Book Award Honor Book – Young People’s Literature, 2008 Caldecott Medal Winner, 2008 ALA Notable Children’s Book, 2008 ALA Best Books for Young Adults

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose

Hoose, Phillip. Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2009. 144 pages. Tr. $19.95 ISBN 978-0-374-31322-7.

Annotation: Before Rosa Parks became famous for refusing to give up her bus seat, Claudette Colvin, a black teenager, initiated the protest that led to the Montgomery Bus boycott and the desegregation of public areas by first refusing to give up her bus seat to a white person. This is the story that history missed.

Summary: Fed up with the injustice that accompanied Jim Crow segregation, Claudette Colvin was an early civil rights pioneer. Only fifteen years old, she was the first person to refuse to give up a bus seat to a white person. Rosa Parks did a similar thing about nine months later and was hailed as a hero. Unfortunately, for Claudette, after she was arrested, she was spurned classmates and ignored by community leaders. Later Claudette championed for equal rights when she was a key plaintiff in Browder v. Gayle, a landmark case that struck down the segregation laws of Montgomery. But Claudette was again largely disregarded for her heroic efforts, probably as a result of her unplanned pregnancy and expulsion from school.

Evaluation: The author has done excellent research for this book taking an in-depth look at Claudette’s life; he conducted many personal interviews with Claudette. Phillip Hoose wove together a gripping story with Claudette rightfully playing a central role in Montgomery’s civil rights drama. This informative book is replete with black-and-white period photographs and reprints of newspaper articles and other documents making it a visual historic treat. Recommended for ages 9 to 16.

Genre / Subject: Juvenile Non-Fiction, Racism, African Americans, Biography, History, Civil Rights Movement

Awards: 2009 National Book Award Winner - Young People’s Literature, 2010 Newbery Medal Honor Book, 2010 Robert F. Sibert Informational Honor Book Award, 2010 ALA Notable Children’s Book, 2010 ALA Best Books for Young Adults, 2010 ALA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Honor Book

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson

Nelson, Kadir. We Are the Ship: The Story of the Negro League Baseball. Disney Press, 2008. 96 pages. Tr. $18.99. ISBN 978-0-7868-0832-8.

Nelson, Kadir. We Are the Ship: The Story of the Negro League Baseball. Narrated by Dion Graham. Brilliance Audio, 2009. CD, 120 minutes. $19.99 ISBN 978-1-4233-7536-4.

Annotation: The history, life style, challenges, discrimination, and popularity of Negro League Baseball from the 1920’s until 1947 is explored through text and paintings.

Summary: This is a fitting tribute to Negro League Baseball. It describes the beginning and history of the leagues, the players, the style of play and the league’s ultimate collapse when Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947. An elderly fictional baseball player gives an insider account of what is was like to experience segregated baseball. Since blacks were banned from playing in the major leagues, Rube Foster organized the Leagues and offered African Americans the chance to earn a living playing baseball. The accounts of great players like Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige are detailed. The impact of racism is discussed as well as how the League ultimately enabled black players to be given the chance to play in the major leagues.

Evaluation: This history book reads like a compelling story. Nine chapters (or innings) are chronologically presented with beautifully vivid muscular oil paintings spread throughout. The conservational text and the larger-than-life illustrations complement each other. The history of the Negro leagues and the discrimination that the players endured are brought to life. Recommended for ages 6 to 16.

Genre / Subject: Juvenile Non-Fiction, Sports, Baseball, African Americans, History, Racism, Discrimination

Awards: 2009 Coretta Scott King Award Winner – Author, 2009 Coretta Scott King Award Honor Book – Illustrator, Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Winner- Children’s Book, 2009 ALA Notable Children’s Book, 2010 Odyssey Honor Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production, 2010 ALA Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults Award

Jazz by Walter Dean Myers

Myers, Walter Dean. Jazz. Illustrated by Christopher Myers. Holiday House, 2006. 44 pages. Tr. $18.95. ISBN 978-0-82-341545-8.

Myers, Walter Dean. Jazz. Narrated by James “D-Train” Williams and Vaneese Thomas. Live Oak Media, 2007. Cd with Hardback book, 43 minutes. $28.95. ISBN 978-1-43-010022-5.

Annotation: The history and feel of jazz music is presented beautifully in both poetry and picture.

Summary: An introduction to American jazz music is given through both pictures and words. Through varied poetic forms, the history, technical background, major musicians, styles, and influences are presented. The pulsating acrylic illustrations compliment the upbeat text. A jazz glossary and historical timeline add to the exploration of this important musical style.

Evaluation: Word and picture combine wonderfully to give the feeling and rhythm of American jazz music. The deeply rich and expressionistic illustrations flow like melodic music over the pages. The poems read like jazz music is played. Recommended for ages 4 to 9.

Genre / Subject: Juvenile Non-Fiction, Music, Jazz, Musicians, Stories in Verse, Poetry

Awards: 2007 ALA Notable Books for Children, 2007 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award, 2007 Golden Kite Award Winner – Picture Book Text, 2008 Odyssey Award Winner for Excellence in Audiobook Production