Once

Once

Historical Fiction

Author: Morris Gleitzman

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company, LLC

Copyright: 2005

"Once I was living in an orphanage in the mountains and I shouldn't have been and I almost caused a riot. It was because of the carrot."

This book grabbed my attention from the first line and never let go. This is the story of Felix, a boy caught in 1942 war-torn Poland. Felix is a storyteller, on a quest to find and save his parents. He experiences many adventures, meets interesting people, and of course, tells a lot of stories. The style of this book is similar to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, in that much of the information of Felix's story is inferred rather than directly stated. This gives the story more poignancy and gives special insights into Felix's character. This aspect of the story also provides a wealth of teaching opportunities for the classroom. This book is great for students who want to read more about World War II or the Holocaust on their own or as a class novel. It is well written and captivating the whole way through. I will be reading the rest of the books in this series.

There are many thoughtful quotes in this book that would lend themselves to some great discussion. Here is one example:

“Sometimes...parents can't protect their kids even though they love them more than anything in the world. Sometimes, even when they try their very hardest, they can't save them.”

Related Links:  

• Book Profile on Goodreads.com - This social media site contains more reviews by readers and information on the author.
• Then - The next book in this series.
• The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - This is a link to the free lesson plans provided by the Holocaust Museum to teachers.

When My Name Was Keoko

When My Name Was Keoko

Multicultural

Author: Linda Sue Park

Publisher: Clarion Books

Copyright: 2002

"If a war lasts long enough, is it possible that people would completely forget the idea of beauty?"

This is a question asked by ten-year-old Sun-hee. She and her thirteen-year-old brother, Tae-yul, are growing up in Japanese occupied Korea during World War II. As Koreans, they experience many different types of oppression by their Japanese rulers. Among these are the requirement that Koreans take Japanese names (hence, the title of the book). The narrative alternates back and forth between the perspectives of Sun-hee and Tae-yul. It details what life was like in Korea during the war and highlights various aspects of both Korean and Japanese culture. Based on the experiences of the author's parents, this novel tells of the struggles faced by one family and by a nation in their struggle to survive. The themes of identity, loyalty and courage are central to the telling of this story.  

This novel could easily be used to teach multicultural themes, showcase the different cultures of Japan and Korea, and the struggle of identity. In history courses, this could be used to teach students about non-U.S. or European aspects of World War II, as well as the general ideas of occupation, assimilation, and resistance. With connections to current controversies, this novel also opens up many possibilities for discussions on how we view our past and how we want others to view our past. The Korean and Japanese perspectives on this time period are very different and can be used in teaching many important historical concepts.

Awards:

• Publishers Weekly - Best Books of the Year
• School Library Journal - Best Books of the Year

Related Links:  

• Book Profile on Goodreads.com - This social media site contains more reviews by readers and information on the author.
• Linda Sue Park - The author's official page.
• A Long Walk to Water - Another good YA book I've read by Park.  It's based on a true story about a girl and a boy in Sudan.
• In New Jersey, Memorial for 'Comfort Women' Deepens Old Animosity - This New York Times article from this past spring shows how the topic of WWII Korean "comfort women" is still a controversial topic.  While this topic is included in Park's book, it is addressed very indirectly.

Phineas Gage

Phineas Gage: 

A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science

Non-Fiction

Author: John Fleischman

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Copyright: 2004

“Phineas should have been dead long before this.  A thirteen-pound iron rod through the head should kill a person instantly.  Surviving that, he should have died of shock soon after...”

...but miraculously, he didn’t.  In 1848, a railroad worker named Phineas Gage survived a freak accident in which a 3 foot long, 13 pound metal rod passed through his skull.  While Mr. Gage healed well physically, his personality changed and it was as if he became a different person.   This book takes a look at the details of the accident, the impact of Mr. Gage’s injuries, and what doctors learned from his unique circumstances about how the brain functions.  Filled with informative illustrations, this book is a good introduction to neuroscience and filled with tidbits on the history of medicine.  While it can have a lot of technical language at times, the book tries to explain each term and includes a glossary.  This telling of the tale of Phineas Gage could be used in many ways in both science and history classrooms.  This true story of Mr. Gage’s accident and resulting injuries is fascinating and would intrigue many a student interested in the grosser side of science.

eReader Note:  While reading this book on an eReader, I had to frequently flip back and forth between pages when there was an illustration.  It was difficult to differentiate between the captions for the illustrations and the regular text of the book.  This led to frequent rereading to decipher which was which.

Mr. Gage's skull, alongside his infamous tamping rod. 

Related Links:  I had a lot of fun looking at this topic on the internet.  Here are some of the things I found.

• Book Profile on Goodreads.com - This social media site contains more reviews by readers and information on the author.
• MedicalInfo.asia - A medical blog post on the case of Phineas Gage, including a short video simulation of the injury to his skull.
• An Odd Kind of Fame: Stories of Phineas Gage - A non-YA literature book on Phineas Gage.
• The Phineas Gage Project - An acoustic cover band in the New England area.  You can listen to some of their music at this link.