Horrible Harry

Series Title: Horrible Harry
Author: Suzy Kline
Book Series

     I read many books from the Horrible Harry series throughout this semester.  The series is about a young boy named Harry and his second and third grade years in school.  The stories are told from the point of view of his best friend, Doug.  These are easy reads for beginning chapter book readers.  Each book is a compilation of silly stories about Harry, Doug, their teacher Mrs. Mackle, and all their friends.  Some of the books I read include: Horrible Harry in Room 2B, Horrible Harry and the Ant Invasion, Horrible Harry's Secret, Horrible Harry and the Christmas Surprise, Horrible Harry and the Kickball Wedding, Horrible Harry and the Dungeon, and Horrible Harry and the Purple People.  However, Suzy Kline has written over thirty books in this series.  I tried my best to read the books in order of publication from the selection I had, but I would not say it is necessary.  I would describe these books as a comedy television show that you can turn on no matter what episode it is and know what's going on.  Of course some little things build on each other, for example, in the Secret book you first learn about Harry's big crush on a girl in the class named Song Lee.  Then later in the Christmas Surprise Harry gets Song Lee a Christmas present, and in Kickball Wedding, Harry and Song Lee get married on the kickball field at recess.  I would have to say Kickball Wedding was my favorite out of the few that I was able to read.  I liked the incorporation of Song Lee's Korean culture as the whole group of friends prepared for the spectacular wedding between Henry and Song Lee.  All to have them both run off to play kickball instead of staying with the rest of the children for the marriage arranged by the big tree.
     Though I do not think these are incredibly great books for children, providing little substance other than practice for reading, there are some elements that I did appreciate.  I think, especially for early readers, that these stories would be of great interest to students because they can relate to the everyday problems these students face in school.  Most if not all children can identify with the science projects, classroom pets, substitute teachers, bullies, recess drama, and friendship.  Another part I found interesting and positive about the stories is that in some ways they are open to more real life circumstances that kids really go through.  Sidney, (Harry's rival), goes through a tough time when his mom gets remarried to a new boyfriend.  Song Lee, brings the culture of her Korean family into holidays, and Ida confronts her unique heritage of Asian, African, and Indian.  These more cultural aspects along with the daily classroom drama of second grade, may help to interest students and encourage interest in reading.  This is a very popular series to have in around second grade classrooms.

Don't You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey

Title: Don't You Dare Read This Mrs. Dunphrey

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Author Study

     This is a book written in journal format by a teenage girl struggling though high school.  For her English class, she is required to keep a journal, making so many entries per week.  The teacher provided the students with the option of writing "Don't Read" at the top of entries they wanted to keep private and no one reading.  Tish lives with her younger brother, Matt, and her mother at the beginning of the story, and she really does have a rough home life.  She keeps most of the entries private, and the teacher respects this decision by not reading them.  This allows Tish to really take advantage of the journal and write about extremely personal things that she doesn't tell anyone else.  She talks about her dad, the many times he left the family or beat them, about her Granma's passing, the zombie-like state her mom is in most of the time, and how she works at a burger shop to help take care of her little brother.  She often expresses the reasons she is not focused in school and does not have time to worry about it, since she has many bigger issues going on in her life.  Once, she accidentally forgets to write "Don't Read" at the top and reveals a little more than she'd like about her family and Granma which starts to worry the teacher.  Tish is upset and instead writes a couple entries for the teacher to read that are extremely fake.

     A lot of the hard times that Tish and her brother go through may be relatable to some kids.  Otherwise, this is a great book to open up the minds of students, to a different perspective on school and the challenges some people have to overcome.  This book reminds me of the movie Freedom Writers because of the whole private journal aspect and newly innocent teachers learning the personal things about students lives.  However, in this book, it appears that Tish is the only one who writes such personal journals, and she doesn't allow Mrs. Dunphrey to read most of them until the end when she is in desperate need of help.  At that time, Mrs. Dunphrey is allowed to read the entire journal, and learns fast the struggles of Tish's life.  She offers Tish and her brother her home to stay in while DCFS works to find a foster home, their parents, or their long lost grandparents.  The story ends when the two kids move to Florida to live with their father's parents whom they never met.  Life starts to get a lot better and even their mother comes back from California to live with them.  Tish is seeing a psychiatrist and ends the book with a letter to Mrs. Dunphrey who really provided her with an outlet and a great help.  Upper elementary students might enjoy this book, particularly girls, to learn about the hardships some students must face on top of school.

Among the Hidden

Title: Among the Hidden
Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Author Study

     This is the first book in a series by Margaret Peterson Haddix about a boy in a futuristic society where there are strict Population Laws only allowing two children per family.  Luke is a third child which is also referred to as a "shadow child" because he must live in hiding for fear that the Government would punish him and his family for his existence.  Luke's family is a poor farming family that barley scrapes by.  However, living on a farm has allowed him to be adventurous outside like a normal child because of the woods surrounding his house.  Until the day that all the trees are cut down to make room for new large mansions for "Barons."  Barons are very wealthy people and often work for the Government.  As soon as the workers start to cut down the trees, Luke is forced to retreat to his attic, where he must stay indefinitely to keep hidden.  His family is very strict on what Luke can do because they hold big fears that the Government has extreme intelligences that could find out about their secret third child.  I really enjoyed this book and I think upper elementary students will as well.  The reader is really able to connect with the main character and feel the excitement and fear of his life of hiding.  One day, after spending hours observing the Baron houses, he finds evidence that another third child might life in one.  He risks his life out of boredom to find his new and only friend, Jen.  Jen leads a completely different lifestyle as a "shadow child," where her rich parents can sneak her out shopping, she is not afraid to use the computer, and she is very active in planning a revolution to take down the Population Police.  Jen tries to convince Luke to go with her and other "shadow children" to a rally asking for freedom.  However, when Luke is unable to go with, he is left alone after a great tragedy.  This book is written well and would really challenge students to imagine a different lifestyle like that of a third child.  It is exciting and unable to put down, I would encourage this to all upper elementary students to read the thrilling series.

The Girl with 500 Middle Names

Title: The Girl with 500 Middle Names
Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Author Study

     This is one of Margaret Peterson Haddix's first books for younger children.  It is a quick easy read but send a great message.  The story is about a third grader named Janie.  Janie's family is not very well off financially and she goes to a school that is falling apart, the kids beat each other up, and the teachers don't seem to care about their students or their grammar.  As soon as Janie's mother realizes this, she does everything she can to get Janie into a better school.  She works her but off working as a secretary and knitting specialty sweaters on the side.  After about a year the family is finally able to move to a small apartment where Janie can go to a new big school.  Janie is excited but she quickly realizes she doesn't fit in.  All the kids have brand new clothes everyday and have a lot more money.  When a financial crisis arises in the family to set them back, Janie must make some bold steps to help out her family and show everyone just how much her parents love her.  She takes a hand-me-down coat from a friend and wears her mother's unsold sweaters with other girls' names on them.  Though it is difficult, in the process Janie gains new friends, starts a trend, and inspires her mother to be brave and go for her dreams.  This is a great book for elementary students so they can try to understand the saying Janie's dad told her which she had to figure out to; that money isn't everything.  This is a short chapter book to get kids reading and there are a few pictures along the way to help support their reading skills.

Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver

Title: Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver
Author: E.L. Konigsburg
Historical Fiction, Intermediate to Middle Grade Level

     This story is about Eleanor of Aquitaine as she waits in Heaven for the arrival of her second husband, King Henry II.  As she waits with Abbot Suger, her mother-in-law Matilda-Empress, and William the Marshal, they discuss the events of her life to which they remember before dying.  I found this book very interesting in the way it is written and organized.  Each of the four characters in Heaven tell their own personal story of what they remember about Eleanor's life, and then in-between each story is their conversations in Heaven as they wait for King Henry II to come "Up."  Obviously this is the fictional element of the book as the author is also able to tell a great deal of history as well.  Konigsburg brings the characters to life, and there are many of them.  Abbot Suger discusses his first meeting of Eleanor of Aquitaine and her first marriage to King Louis VII.  Eleanor and Abbot Suger have a lot in common of their lavishing lifestyle and appreciation for beautiful and expensive things.  Abbot Suger, being a man of God, sees the good in Eleanor, her energy and passion for what is beautiful in the material world of Earth.  Matilda-Empress then takes over discussing Eleanor's recklessness, divorce, and deep love with her son King Henry II.  Matilda-Empress seems to not be too fond of Eleanor at first but I think she as the story progresses she begins to find a better understanding of her loud and never-tiring daughter-in-law.  William the Marshal takes over after Matilda-Empress' death to tell of the problems between Queen Eleanor and King Henry II and their children.  He tells as much as he can till King Henry II's death and Eleanor's release from prison where she takes over to end the story of her life.  This all sums up right in time to see King Henry II arriving in Heaven after 800 years.
     I really enjoyed this book and learning about life in the Middle Ages for the royalties of Europe.  I felt that I learned a lot of information that otherwise would have been uninteresting if it weren't for the format of this book.  The first person perspective and the drama and view from Heaven make the stories so much more inviting and fun to read.  I would recommend this to older students probably in middle school who are interested in this time period or European royalty in general.  Though they may be skeptical as I was to read about the time so long ago that is not often spoken of, this is a great book to encourage interest in subject, storytelling, and reading.