An American Plague by Jim Murphy

NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
2004 Robert J. Sibert Informational Book Award
2004 Newbery Honor Book Award

1. Bibliography
Murphy, Jim. 2003. AN AMERICAN PLAGUE: THE TRUE AND TERRIFYING STORY OF THE YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMIC OF 1793. New York: Clarion Books.

2. Summary
In 1793, a killer holds Philadelphia hostage. It is yellow fever. In the heat and the humidity of late summer, the fever flourishes, but no one knows what is causing it or how to stop it. While half the residents flee and those who stay die by the dozens daily, the city flounders.

3. Critical Analysis
Based on numerous primary sources, Murphy's account is well-researched and well-written. Without sacrificing accuracy, he recreates the horror of 1793 Philadelphia through narrative rich with imagery that transports readers back in time: "Dead fish and gooey vegetable matter were exposed and rotted, while swarms of insects droned in the heavy, humid air." First-hand accounts blend perfectly with Murphy's text to emphasize the humanity of the victims and make them real for readers, rather than just a list of names.

In addition to the compelling text, AN AMERICAN PLAGUE is full of pictures that help readers imagine what the city was like back then, including contemporary portraits of key people, facsimiles of newspaper articles of the time, engravings of Philadelphia prior to the fever, and a map of 1793 Philadelphia. Murphy provides an extensive bibliography in the back, arranged by subject, to facilitate readers' researching further the aspects they want to know more about, and an index for finding information quickly.

4. Review Excerpts

The Washington Post--"Nobody does juvenile nonfiction better than Murphy."

Kirkus Reviews -- "A mesmerizing, macabre account that will make readers happy they live in the 21st century. Powerful, evocative prose carries the compelling subject matter. Stellar."

School Library Journal -- "Murphy chronicles this frightening time with solid research and a flair for weaving facts into fascinating stories."

5. Connections
*Fiction
Anderson, Laurie Halse. 2002. FEVER, 1793. ISBN 0689848919. Historical novel based on the actual yellow fever epidemic of 1793.

*Other historical nonfiction by Jim Murphy:
Murphy, Jim. 2000. BLIZZARD: THE STORM THAT CHANGED AMERICA. ISBN 0590673092. The blizzard that hit the northeast in 1888.
_____. 1995. THE GREAT FIRE. ISBN 0590472674. The fire that almost destroyed Chicago in 1871.

Leonardo da Vinci by Diane Stanley

1. Bibliography
Stanley, Diane. 1996. LEONARDO DA VINCI. New York: Morrow Junior Books. ISBN 0688104371.

2. Summary
Born the illegitimate son of a leading citizen of Vinci and a peasant girl in 1452, Leonardo da Vinci grows up under the tutelage of his Uncle Francesco, who encourages his fascination with nature. Deprived of a formal education because of his illegitimate status, Leonardo becomes the apprentice of a noted Florentine artist and is eventually accepted into the painters' guild. From there, he serves under the patronage of several influential leaders of the time as his artwork gains acclaim. But painting is not his only talent. Over his lifetime, he delves into sculpture, mechanical innovations, and anatomy research (through dissection of human corpses). He is THE Renaissance man.

3. Critical analysis
Beautifully illustrated and well-written, Diane Stanley's LEONARDO DA VINCI paints the Renaissance artist, engineer, and scientist as a brilliant yet fallible human. Her conversational tone and informative, narrative style are sure to keep children's interest. Drawing on various sources (noted in the bibliography), including Leonardo's own writings, she clearly distinguishes between fact and fiction, certainty and surmise: "There is a story that...," "It is said that...," "In fact...." A pronunciation guide in the front of the books helps young readers with the Italian words and names.

Stanley's full-page illustrations complement Leonardo's story. Prepared using watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil, they portray Leonardo in his various endeavors through the very tones prevalent in Leonardo's artwork. She seamlessly blends minatures of Leonardo's most famous pieces using photo collage, allowing readers to see Leonardo creating his masterpieces. At the top of each text page is a different image from Leonardo's notebook. The gold knotted border, adapted from a design by Leonardo, captures the mood of the era.

Stanley has produced an intelligent, captivating account of Leonardo da Vinci's life.

4. Review Excerpts
Publishers Weekly--"A virtuosic work."
School Library Journal--"...gives readers a fascinating portrait of the Italian genius. "
New York Times Book Review--"... is a first class production in every way."
ALA Booklist--"This is the best of the many children's books on Leonardo."

5. Connections

Marshall, Norman V. 1981. LEONARDO DA VINCI. Ill. by Aldo Pipamonti. ISBN 0382240073.
McLanathan, Richard. 1990. LEONARDO DA VINCI. ISBN 0810912562.
Muhlberger, Richard. 1994. WHAT MAKES A LEONARDO A LEONARDO? ISBN 0670857440.

Other biographies by Diane Stanley:

BARD OF AVON: THE STORY OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. 1998. ISBN 0688162940.
CLEOPATRA. 1997. ISBN 0688154808.
CHARLES DICKENS: THE MAN WHO HAD GREAT EXPECTATIONS. 1993. ISBN
0688091105.

GOOD QUEEN BESS: THE STORY OF ELIZABETH I OF ENGLAND. 2001. ISBN 0688179614.
JOAN OF ARC. 2002. ISBN 0064437485.
MICHAELANGELO. 2003. ISBN 0060521139.
PETER THE GREAT. 1999. ISBN 0060521139.

Cats by Seymour Simon

1. Bibliography
Simon, Seymour. 2004. CATS. New York: Harper Childrens. ISBN 0060289406.

2. Summary
CATS provides basic information about cats including history, physiology, kittenhood, types of cats, and pet care.

3. Critical Analysis
Detailed photographs, many of them close-up and full page, show cats in a variety of colors and fur lengths, and in a variety of situations: acrobatic play, nursing kittens, and sleeping, for instance. The extraordinary clarity of the photographs makes the pictured cats practically jump off the page. Even individual fur hairs stand out, inviting the reader to touch their fuzziness.

Simon's writing is engaging. He gives just the right amount of detail about cats to be informative and appropriate to the target audience. Varied sentence structures and length keep the large-font, double-spaced text flowing, and with three or four short paragraphs to a page, there is plenty of white space to keep the text visually friendly.

4. Review Excerpts
School Library Journal--"Readers will thoroughly enjoy every word and every photograph..."

5. Connections

Simon, Seymour. 1994. BIG CATS. ISBN 006446119X. Discusses the big cats--lions, tigers, leopards, etc. Students can compare and contrast the big cats with domestic house cats.

Simon, Seymour. 2004. DOGS. ISBN 0060289422. DOGS is the companion book to CATS. Together, they make a great set about the world's most common house pets.

My Man Blue by Nikki Grimes

1. Bibliography
Grimes, Nikki. 1999. MY MAN BLUE. Ill. by Jerome Lagarrigue. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.

2. Summary
Young Damon makes a new friend, Blue, when he and his single mom move into Harlem. An old friend of Damon's mother, Blue spends lots of time with Damon, shooting hoops, sparring, sharing hot dogs, and more. Blue teaches Damon valuable lessons about staying off the streets.

3. Critical Analysis
Through poetry, Nikki Grimes tells

The Dragons Are Singing Tonight by Jack Prelutsky

1. Bibliograhpy
Prelutsky, Jack. 1993. THE DRAGONS ARE SINGING TONIGHT. Ill. by Peter Sis. New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 068809645X.

2. Summary
This is a collection of poems about dragons, including small ones, secret ones, amiable ones, and even mechanical ones.

3. Critical Analysis
Prelutsky gives readers a collection of superbly fun poems rull of rhythm, rhyme, and word play. Lots of alliteration and onomatopoeia make these poems a blast for children and adults to read aloud. The humor is appropriately subtle for the topic yet engaging enough to hook young readers: "Once upon a happenstance/ I met a knight in armor./ I fixed my flame upon his lance--/ It was a four-alarmer!"


Peter Sis's illustrations complement the dragon poetry. Rich colors--deep golds, reds, greens, and blues-- set the mood, yet the portrayal of the dragons is playful. Viewers will love finding the household items that make-up the mechanical dragon and giggle at the tanker trunks full of "turpentine/ And phosphorus and gasoline--"prescribed for the sick dragon in "My Dragon Wasn't Feeling Good."

4. Review Excerpts
School Library Journal--"the richness of [Prelutsky's] language and the playfulness of the imagination are abundant; and Sis's illustrations are charmingly unique, sometimes deceptively simple, and certainly filled with the kind of playful wizardry that invites viewers to return again and again to these pages."

5. Connections

*Other poetry books by Jack Prelutsky

AWFUL OGRE'S AWFUL DAY. Ill. by Paul O. Zelinsky. ISBN 0688077781.
THE BABY UGGS ARE HATCHING. Ill. James Stevenson. ISBN 0688009220.
BENEATH A BLUE UMBRELLA. Ill. by Garth Williams. ISBN 0688064299.
THE FROGS WORE RED SUSPENDERS. Ill. by Petra Mathers. ISBN 0688167195.
THE GARGOYLE ON THE ROOF. Ill. by Peter Sis. ISBN 0688096433.
THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN RIDES TONIGHT: MORE POEMS TO TROUBLE YOUR
SLEEP. Ill. by Arnold Lobel. ISBN 0688802737.
IF NOT FOR THE CAT: HAIKU. Ill. by Ted Rand. ISBN 0060596775.
THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK. Ill. by James Stevenson. ISBN 0688022715.
NIGHTMARES: POEMS TO TROUBLE YOUR SLEEP. Ill. by Arnold Lobel. ISBN 0688840531.
A PIZZA THE SIZE OF THE SUN. Ill. by James Stevenson. ISBN 0688132359.

*More Dragon Poetry

Nash, Ogden. THE TALE OF CUSTARD THE DRAGON. Ill. by Lynn Munsinger. ISBN
0316598801.
Nash, Ogden. CUSTARD THE DRAGON AND THE WICKED KNIGHT. Ill. by Lynn Munsinger.
ISBN 0316598828.

*Other poets children enjoy
Douglas Florian
X.J. Kenndy
Shel Silverstein

Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy

1. Bibliography
Sones, Sonya. 1999. STOP PRETENDING: WHAT HAPPENED WHEN MY BIG SISTER WHEN CRAZY. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 0060283874.

2. Summary
Thirteen year-old Cookie's older sister has a mental breakdown, throwing her life into a tailspin as she must deal with life without her friend and confidante. In the end, she and her family find the middle ground where they can accept her sister's illness, move beyond it, and even find recovery.

3. Critical Analysis
Told in a series of brief free-verse poems, STOP PRETENDING: WHAT HAPPENED WHEN MY BIG SISTER WENT CRAZY packs a powerful punch of huge emotion. Each poem is another kick in the gut.

Adolescents will identify with the doubts and fears the protagonist faces. She misses her sister as she used to be. She's afraid of her friends' reactions if they find out about her sister. She fears that since her sister went from normal to crazy so unexpectedly, it could happen to her, too.

Through straightforward yet vivid language, Sones gets to the core of human experience, those moments so universal, we all have them, yet so private, we feel we are the only ones to experience it: "there's/ this golden moment/ when the sun/ licks through the gauze/ fluttering at my window/ warming my eyelids to opening/ this golden moment/ when I'm not yet awake enough/ to remember/ that there are things/ I would rather/ forget." Readers will say to themselves, "Yes! I know exactly what she means!"

The poetry itself is unintimidating and serves the story well. Sones effectively conveys abstract emotions through concrete imagery and easily understood figurative language ("I blink/ and there you suddenly are/ inhabiting your eyes again/ and I'm feeling all lit up/ like a jar filled/ with a thousand fireflies"), allowing insight into a very difficult topic without the deeply couched meaning that often keeps young readers away from poetry.

4. Review Excerpts
School Library Journal--"An unpretentious, accessible book that could provide entry points for a discussion about mental illness - its stigma, its realities, and its effect on family members."

Kirkus--"Individually, the poems appear simple and unremarkable, snapshot portraits of two sisters, a family, unfaithful friends, and a sweet first love. Collected they take on life and movement, the individual frames of a movie that in the unspooling become animated..."

Booklist (starred review)-- "The poems - some as short as five lines, none longer than three pages - have a cumulative emotional power that creeps up on the reader..."

5. Connections

*This book is sure to open up discussion about various topics: mental illness, being shunned by friends, what it's like when parents fight, and sibling relationships, to name a few.

*Other verse novels by Sonya Sones:

WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW. ISBN 0689855532. Adolescent Sophie is not boy crazy, just confused, and trying to figure out the difference between love and lust.

ONE OF THOSE HIDEOUS BOOKS WHERE THE MOTHER DIES. ISBN 1416907882. Ruby's mother dies and she must move 3000 miles away from her friends and boyfriend to Los Angeles to live with her father, who divorced her mother before she was even born and whom she despises.

*Verse novels by other authors:
Carvell, Marlene. WHO WILL TELL MY BROTHER? ISBN 0786816570.
Creech, Sharon. LOVE THAT DOG. ISBN 0064409597.
Hesse, Karen. OUT OF THE DUST. ISBN 0590371258.
Johnson, Lindsay Lee. SOUL MOON SOUP. ISBN 1886910871.