CONTEMPORARY
REALISTIC AND FANTASY FICTION BOOK REVIEWS
1.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Medina, Meg. 2018. MERCI SUAREZ CHANGES GEARS. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763690496
2. PLOT SUMMARY
This is a heart-warming
story about a sixth-grade girl named Mercedes Suarez. Merci as she is known by
everyone lives at what she calls Las Casitas.
Las Casitas is three small pink houses where her and her extended Latin family
live. Merci navigates between two worlds,
school and home. She attends an exclusive
private school where she is on scholarship and lives in a neighborhood that is
very different from the one her school is located in. With the love and guidance of her family and
the support of her friends, Merci soon discovers that she can accomplish
anything.
3.
CRITICAL
ANALYSIS
Meg Medina
writes a contemporary realistic fiction novel that revolves around a Latin
family in Florida. The story gives a peak inside life for a hard-working Latin
family who value each other. She writes
about the foods, television shows, holidays, celebrations and music that they
love. In Merci’s family every Sunday they have what they call” Sunday
Dinner”. The author writes from Merci’s
point of view “It’s almuerzo cena, which I think should be called lunner or
dinch, because we eat at around 3’oclock -and just have a snack before
bed.” The dialogue is written in both
English and Spanish. The characters
speak English and then say some words or phrases in Spanish if they are
speaking to another Spanish speaking individual. The author also switches from English to
Spanish in the narrative when describing some family gatherings such as
“almuerzo cena”and “Noche-buena party”.
In this
story the main character Merci struggles to find her role in her extended
family. She feels that she is not a
little kid any more and yet at times her family treats her like one. Merci’s grandfather “Lolo” has been doing
strange things and no one would explain why.
When she finds out that he has Alzheimer’s she is very upset because she
felt that they were keeping it from her because she is too young.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Newberry
Medal Book
Starred
review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL review: “The
realistic portrayal of a complex young Latina’s life is one many readers will
relate to as she discovers that change can be hard, but it’s the ride that
matters.”
Starred
review in BOOKLIST review: “Medina capably gets to the heart of middle school
experiences in this engrossing story of a kid growing into herself.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Students
should spend time exploring the Alzheimer’s web site www.alz.org to learn more about the disease
that the character Lolo suffers from.
*Other heart-warming
books from the author about Latin families:
Medina, Meg. MANGO, ABUELA, AND ME. ISBN 9780763695132
Medina, Meg. TIA ISA WANTS A CAR. ISBN 9780763641566
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alexander, Kwame. 2014. CROSSOVER. Prince Frederick, MD: Recorded Books. ISBN 9781490627571
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Twins,
Jordan (also known as JB) and Josh (also known as Filthy Mc Nasty) love the
game of basketball. Coached by their
father Chuck “Da Man” Bell, a former professional basketball player, the twins
are all consumed by the game. Both boys
are excellent athletes who lead their team to victory after victory. Over the course of the season they face
challenges in their family that for the twins are hard. Those challenges bring about big changes but
the one thing that does not change is their love for the game.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The CD
format audiobook is unabridged. The story is narrated by a single gentleman in
a clear distinct voice. No background
sounds were present. The narrator Corey
Allen changes his voice with each character.
This contemporary realistic novel written in verse is brought to life by
Allen as he keeps in rhythm and rhyme with the flow of the words on every page. In “Dribbling” the first poem of the book,
Alexander uses descriptive verbs to describe Josh’s game on the court and Allen
narrates it beautifully.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Coretta
Scott King Honor Book
Newberry
Medal Book
Starred
review in BOOKLIST review: “The impact on the reader could not
be more powerful. A memorable debut novel.”
Starred
review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Alexander has crafted a story that vibrates
with energy and heat and begs to be read aloud.
A slam dunk.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Students
should research basketball terms used in the book and demonstrate.
*Other realistic
fiction books about basketball include:
Alexander,
Kwame. REBOUND. ISBN 9780544868137
Myers,
Walter Dean. GAME. ISBN 9781410407245
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Krosoczka, Jarrett J. 2014. LUNCH LADY AND THE SCHOOLWIDE SCUFFLE.
New York, NY: Random House. ISBN 9780385752794
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Several of
the teachers and staff have been let go at Thompson Brook School including
lunch lady and Betty. The Breakfast
Bunch notice that they are replaced with some unsavory characters. They look to Lunch Lady and Betty for help.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This book
is the tenth in this popular series. It
is a fantasy graphic novel of a super hero lunch lady and her side kick
Betty. Ultimately this is a classic tale
of the strong saving the weak however in a surprising turn the weak which are
the students of the school become very determined and can help save themselves.
The author
writes in a comic book style incorporated with pictures and conversation
bubbles. Right before the big fight
between the evil school staff and the lunch lady crew the author draws a
sequence of pictures showing clocks in each panel depicting the passing of time
and what is going on at that time showcasing one of the evil school staff
members. Then the last panel in the
sequence shows Dee and she says “Ready, set…” starting the fight. This more than predictable story ultimately
depicts the battle of good versus evil and good ultimately triumphs.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
SCHOOL
LIBRARY JOURNAL review:
“The only downside to this book is
that it’s the last in the series.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*After
reading the book, students should read other books in this book series and look
for similarities and differences between them.
*Other books
in this book series include:
Krosoczka, Jarrett J. LUNCH LADY AND THE VIDEO GAME VILLIAN. ISBN 97803007980793
Krosoczka, Jarrett J. LUNCH
LADY AND THE MUTANT MATHLETES. ISBN
9780375870286
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Telgemeier, Raina. 2010. SMILE.
New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 9780545132053
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Raina is a
sixth grader who has an overbite and needs braces. Before she can get her braces, she has an
accident that changes her smile forever.
This is the story of the evolution of that smile.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This
realistic graphic novel is technically not fiction. It is the story of the author’s life from
middle school to high school. She tells
the tale of how loosing her front teeth changed her.
The
illustrations show detail of expressions and emotions. The author also describes the setting of the
story quite well. The reader can imagine
what it is like to go through the various experiences with the orthodontist
appointments, the relationships with family and friends and what it is like to
live in San Francisco. The author gives
a vivid depiction of a San Francisco earthquake. The illustrations along with the dialogue
allow the reader to see the emotions and physical actions that one experiences
during an earthquake.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Dorothy
Canfield Fisher Award
Eisner Award
Kirkus
Best Book
Honor
Book: Boston Globe-Horn
ALA
Notable Children’s Book
Maine
Student Book Award
KIRKUS
review: “Telgemeier
has created an utterly charming graphic memoir of tooth trauma, first crushes
and fickle friends, sweetly reminiscent of Judy Blume’s work.”
SCHOOL
LIBRARY JOURNAL review: “In Smile
she uses her own history to talk to young teens and by doing so, creates a
level of authenticity which is hard to match.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Students
should discuss a time in their life when they had an accident and how it
affected them.
* The
companion realistic graphic novels to SMILE include:
Telgemeier,
Raina. SISTERS. ISBN 9780545540599
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