Lincoln Through the Lens: How Photography Revealed and Shaped an Extraordinary Life. New York: Walker & Company. 97 pages.

ISBN  0-8027-96664

$19.99

Lincoln Through the Lens offers some needed variety in a plate of “Lincoln Lit” that has grown stale, and frankly, unappealing. Martin Sandler has laid out a visual feast and supported his argument that photography both revealed and shaped the life of Lincoln. 

 

Text that is accessible to a wide variety of readers is a rarity. When that type of access emerges in a worn out topic (sorry, but Lincoln and the Civil War are no longer fresh) there is reason to take note. Perhaps the accessibility lies within each page’s organization as the reader is presented with a menu of choices.  The choices include color, photos, and at least three different sizes and types of font. Or perhaps it lies within Sandler’s ample helping of quotations that further his point, or the meticulous inclusion of his sources and other helpful information in the appendices? Casual readers searching for morsels of information will be able to easily pick and choose the sections they like most. Other readers will find it necessary to complete the entire 97 pages. Others will enjoy the pictures and maybe even read the captions. All will benefit.

 

Sandler has a book that should be included in every public library collection as well as those of the middle and high school. A North Carolina teacher of U.S. History (an 11^th grade course) could easily take this book and use it as a vehicle to cover the period 1850- 1865. Yes, they would need to supplement, but this book is that well organized.

 

5 out of 5

 

John Parker

Media Coordinator

Andrews High School

50 High School Drive

Andrews, NC 28901

The Chosen One

978-0312-55511-5

Available May 2009 

 

Carol Lynch Williams’ The Chosen One might be what one gets when they throw the Duggars of TLC fame into a little darker environment. It is powerful, like a gruesome car wreck that has to be viewed again and again. It is a well told story and skillfully adapted to address a subject that is taboo for most readers. Thankfully, it is fiction, but we all know this has probably existed.

 

Kyra is thirteen and about to marry her uncle, but only because it is God’s will. Polygamy aside, violence and skewed religious views exact control over all who live within the compound. Outsiders are viewed as anathema.

 

Kyra’s curiosity leads her back to books, familiar and forbidden, that have been purged from the community when she was little. Toss in an adolescent boy along with a would-be-hero, who happens to drive a bookmobile, and the stage is set for violent and almost unbelievable conflict.

 

Teenage girls will make this book circulate, but reserve a few copies for the guys too. It is action packed in a refreshing way that makes several important points about basic human rights. The Chosen One will likely open discussions concerning a wide range of family dynamics. Encourage the conversation and know that this book will make a difference.

 

Lowboy, a novel by John Wray

Farrar, Straus and Giroux
On Sale: 3/11/2009
ISBN: 978-0-374-19416-1
ISBN-10: 0-374-19416-5

 

 

A sixteen-year-old boy is about to combust. The ever-increasing fever within his body needs to be released, but it is more than a story of a young man’s first sexual experience. It is a journey into another world; a world that is defined by schizophrenia, paranoia, and their interactions with society and themselves.

 

Will Heller’s life seems defined by the New York subway system. It is an apt metaphor for a predictable, and seemingly unchanging life that runs a parallel course to the burgeoning activity above ground. It is into this world that Will retreats, engages, and finally finds the purpose for his life.

 

Meaning for Will is obscured by the schizophrenia that has plagued both he and his mother. Other characters are skillfully brought into the pursuit of Will and the paranoia of the chase is what catapults readers through the story.

 

Schizophrenia is easy to talk about in a clinical manner. However, it takes great skill and a special sensitivity to communicate its nuances so that each of us can identify with the character. Indeed, each of us exhibits some characteristic others might consider strange enough to be labeled as dysfunctional. Wray has the insight and the self-imposed limits needed to develop believable characters who rival those of Ken Kesey’s.

 

Lowboy also creates a soundtrack of rhythms for the reader. From Will’s father and mother comes the meandering jazz influence. From the subway comes the precision of the door chimes and the clackety-clack of the trains. Will’s quest to cool himself also hints of Bruce Sprinteen’s I’m on Fire:

 

“And a freight train running through the

Middle of my head

Only you can cool my desire

I’m on fire”

 

All of the components assembled together in Lowboy make for an interesting read that is worth the risk of knowing more about something that we may not want to know about. It is safe, not to read, or add this to the collection. It is a risk that we may develop insight and empathy into the minute-by-minute struggle of our students and their families. How should the decisions about medication be made? Lowboy is a slice of reality that we all need to taste. It is most appropriate for high school students and those who work with them on a daily basis.

Well done. It is time to ring the dinner bell and have a feast with The Big Bell and the Little Bell. Alistair Graham’s visual interpretation of the Martin Kalmanoff song is simple, yet complex. From cover to cover, Graham’s skills and imagination are showcased in the carefully crafted cats that bring the song to life.
As a matter of fact, the characters that propel the story surpass both bells in terms of personality. While the bells remain rather plain (and most bells are, right?) the king and his company are focused on his upcoming wedding.

Readers will enjoy the book even more thanks to the included CD that contains two well-produced versions of the song. After listening to the song one may find a different rhythm for reading the book, and that is just fine. It is musical, lyrical, and fun-filled. It should be shared aloud with a small or large group. Teachers should make this selection a part of their classroom libraries and listening centers. Rich activities lie beneath the surface of this book just waiting to address social skills and group dynamics. Public and school librarians should also give due consideration to acquiring and highlighting this timeless story.

5 out of 5

Board books should be easy to handle, engaging, and fun. Listen, Listen fits that bill as Barefoot Books enters this market. Readers are encouraged to listen to the seasonal sounds around them, and there are plenty. From the newness of spring to the whispering snowflakes of winter, Alison Jay’s illustrations literally crackle with sound. The movement in the illustrations furthers the theme of listening and the characters are so generic that they overcome what some may interpret as a lack of multiculturalism.

The words are fun and can be easily matched to sounds and their illustrations. The cyclic nature the seasons was used to provide an ending that provided more confusion than clarity on a first reading. The point is necessary, but simplicity is essential.

There is no doubt about it, this is a fun book that can be shared together and then read again and again by a developing reader who embellishes the story with their own seasonal sounds. Add it with confidence to your collection, or buy a copy at any time of the year as a gift for a young reader.

4 out of 5

Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games” is a perfect read for the ultra competitive reality show generation. Part “Survivor,” part “Lost,” part “American Idol,” part conglomeration of every movie that pits random humans versus one another in front of a crowd of onlookers- it takes a well used concept and makes the most of it. Although it takes a few pages to crank up the story, it is well worth the effort.

One might expect the fiercely competitive nature of the “The Hunger Games” to warrant pages of gore and bloody description. Collins’ skills shine as she allows the reader’s interaction to formulate much of the scene without excess focus on the violence.

Many have called “The Hunger Games” an investigation into a young person’s world where violence is a contributing factor. Is this not also a social commentary on what might one day be demanded by viewers who have grown tired of the same old entertainment? While the book does address these issues and the depth of romance without sex the main consideration is the story and whether it works. It does.

Great stories are created and told again and again. They evoke vivid imagery and lure the reader or listener into the activity. They inspire readers to create their own continuation of the story and character’s lives. They demand sequels and screenplays. They also birth web sites http://www.scholastic.com/thehungergames… that carry the theme forward.

Every public and high school library should have at least one copy. Recruit one reader and prepare for an avalanche to follow.

5 out of 5