Module 15: Scary Stories

Citation:


Schwartz, Alvin. Scary stories to tell in the dark. HarperCollins, 1981. Print.


Summary:


This is a collection of short stories, poems and songs that all focus on the macabre.  They are originally legends and folktales collected mainly in the U.S. but from around the world as well.  The author's intent is to collect them in one place and pare them down into tales that kids can enjoy and use to scare one another for fun.  There are even directions in parentheses within the tales telling the storyteller what to do when to make them scarier. 


Personal Impression:


This collection and the one that follows were published in the early '80s.  It has been challenged quite often since then.  It even made the ALA's Top Ten most challenged list in 2008 and earlier.  Reasons: occultism, violence, religious viewpoint, insensitivity, unsuited to age group.  It topped the 100 most challenged books between 1990-1999.  Why? The drawings are creepy, the writing is truly suited to the age group, and the subject matter is something kids have flirted with from time immemorial though they were told orally.  So, obviously the objection is to the stories being written down in a permanent format.  Furthermore, the fact that modern parents are STILL challenging the book is ridiculous in my opinion.  They let their children watch shows, movies, and cartoons all depicting "occultism" and violence on a regular basis.  Not to mention the video games that are popular now make the type of violence in this book look like...well, child's play.  The amusing thing is that the book I borrowed from the library had been checked out by kids that obviously thought the same considering the notes that had been made in the margins.


Reviews:


From School Library Journal, January 1, 1982


Gr 3-8 - This folklore collection is unusually good.  True to the genre, the stories contained are suitable for telling, particularly at Halloween and around the campfire.  Contemporary and humorous stories are blended with spooky ones.  The scholarship in the source notes and bibliography will be useful to serious literature students.  Although the cover art is not charming, it hints at the peculiarly macabre, shadowy black-and-white illustrations inside.  The stories are not unbearably grotesque; they are suitable even for the low elementary grades. -- Leslie Burk Chamberlin, Napa City-County Library, Calif.


Retrieved from UNT Electronic Resourses, Ebsco Academic Search Complete database; http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2104/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=112&sid=adf4de62-8a39-4091-be77-a908b3b21a0f%40sessionmgr115&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=a9h&AN=5572422

From World's Strongest Librarian Blog:


"my theory on why Scary Stories is always on somebody’s hit list: it makes these fun, scary folktales seem plausible...The Verdict: If somebody tell me that The Handmaid’s Tale

is going to corrupt our children because it’s irreligious, I get bored quickly. If somebody says The Chocolate War can’t be on our library shelves because it’s full of cruel teenagers and sexuality, I think: “Get a hold of yourself and go splash some water on your face.”

If someone says “Scary Stories is full of disgusting and scary pictures and stories,” I’m going to agree. But then I’ll say, “Isn’t it great! If there’s a heaven for deviant author/illustrator combos, I hope that I’m allowed to go visit Schwartz and Gemmel” on a field trip.”

Be aware of what you can handle and stay within your limits. Your limits are yours. Quit trying to ban books."  -- Josh Hanagarne, May 23, 2009

Retrieved from http://worldsstrongestlibrarian.com/1814/book-review-scary-stories-to-tell-in-the-dark-series/

Use in a Library Setting:


A Halloween program would benefit from the use of this series;  at night, in the dark, with flashlights pointed at their faces while each child takes a turn reading a story or poem.  Which would be fun if parents would allow such a thing to take place.  Another use could be in a book club that focuses on controversial books or in a display or separate section in the library that focuses on banned and challenged books.

Module 14: Moccasin Thunder

Citation:


Carlson, Lori Marie. Moccasin Thunder: American Indian Stories for Today. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children's Books, 2005. Print.


Summary:


This is a collection of ten stories from a variety of authors.  Their common thread is the fact that the main characters are all American Indian.  These are modern tales that address modern problems that the members of this ethnic minority face everyday.  The stories are from a variety of backgrounds from the desert to Canada and the subjects include group identity as well as the normal teenage angst as well as participation in the drug culture.


Personal Impression:


Since this is a collection of short stories, the writing is not the same for every tale.  Some are better than others.  I happen to like short story collections because if there is one that is not to your taste then you can skip over it but still keep reading the book.  There was one tale in this particular set that almost physically hurt to read.  Not that it was written badly but because it was such a painful tale to witness that it was hard to finish.  All in all I enjoyed the book.  I think it is necessary that the world see that Native Americans or American Indians if you will, are not the stereotypes that many people imagine; dwelling on the past, surviving the present drunk, and all hating outsiders.  Young adults have the same types of problems the world over.  Its called growing up and finding yourself.


Reviews:


From School Library Journal:


Starred Review. Grade 9 Up–The young people's experiences in these 10 short stories will resonate with Native readers and inform and affect non-Natives as well. Joy Harjo writes about a boarding-school experience. Sherman Alexie talks about the slow painful separation and divorce of parents, and the needs of a boy to be seen/heard/taught by his father. Cynthia Leitich Smith shows an example of the everyday struggles Native people have with stereotypes, and the pain it causes on all sides. Richard Van Camp offers a glimpse into a life of addiction, loss, and the struggle to overcome poverty. Linda Hogan demonstrates the pride, generosity, and determination of an elder living on the reservation selling eggs and grain to make ends meet. Lee Francis shares a story of self-realization, oral tradition, and ways things are passed from one generation to the next. This distinguished anthology offers powerful, beautifully written stories that are thoughtful and important for teens to hear.–Marlette Grant-Jackson, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist:


Gr. 8-11. Ten stirring contemporary short stories by Indian writers, including Linda Hogan, Louise Erdrich, Sherman Alexie, and Susan Power, show teens--lost, loving, funny, uncertain--coming of age on the reservation and in the city. Joseph Bruchac's Abenaki youth mocks the "noble" tourist stereotypes of beads and feathers; he is bitter because he is "a homegrown immigrant in his own land." Richard Van Camp tells of a high-school dope dealer who wants to be a teacher but messes up. In Joy Harjo's story, two girls at boarding school go wrong, but the principal helps them. Often tempering the harsh realism of poverty, drink, drugs, racism, and, sometimes, sexual abuse in the stories is often a grandmother, a source of hope--not perfectly wise, but a caring link with rich tradition. Resentful of patronizing charity as well as prejudice, these strong older women help move the characters toward a deep spiritual connection. Readers will welcome the change from generic reverential images of primitives stuck in the past. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Retrieved from Amazon.com; http://www.amazon.com/Moccasin-Thunder-American-Indian-Stories/dp/0066239575

Uses in a Library Setting:


A program or club that focuses on short stories would benefit from the use of this book.  A program bringing attention to the lives of American Indians would also benefit from using this book, even if just in the display.  In a school library setting for older students, this book would be an excellent accompaniment to a lesson focusing on American Indians or modern problems for youth.

Module 13: The Dreaming

Citation:


Chan, Queenie. The Dreaming. Scholastic Exclusive. Los Angeles, CA: Tokyopop, 2006. Print.


Summary:


Amber and Jeanie are twins who have recently transferred to an exclusive boarding school out in the bushlands of Australia.  For some reason they are asked by their aunt, the headmistress, to not reveal the fact that they are twins.  Even more mysterious, their aunt leaves immediately after their arrival after a few cryptic remarks about rumors concerning the school.  Soon, they discover a dark past filled with missing girls.


Personal Impression:


I was not one of those readers who bought into the Japanese anime and manga craze though many of my friends did.  I like this story though sometimes the illustrations confused me enough sometimes that I had to re-read a page or two in order to make sure I was understanding things correctly.  I do want to finish the three book series in order to see what the ending is though I might prefer this as a standard book.  However, I can understand why some people might prefer it as a graphic novel with the illustrations.  The illustrations add much to the story detail though as I said they sometimes confused me because I could not follow which twin was saying what so that their characters because confused in my mind.


Reviews:


From Booklist:


Gr. 9-12. In the first volume of a three-book manga series, identical twins Jeanie and Amber arrive at their new boarding school on the edge of the Australian bush to find it steeped in mystery. Vague rumors of students disappearing, sealed rooms, tight-lipped teachers, and a collection of disturbing paintings have the girls unnerved, and when they start experiencing the same nightmare, they really begin to worry. The subtle buildup of spooky tension culminates when one of the girls' friends goes missing, only to turn up dead. The art is traditional manga, but Chan effectively tweaks the style to create an eerie atmosphere--creepy, but not graphic or deeply scary. Readers may initially connect this to DC's Sandman graphic novels, but they'll soon find that Chan's story has a personality and direction all its own. Tina Coleman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Retrieved from Amazon.com; http://www.amazon.com/Dreaming-Vol-1-Queenie-Chan/dp/1598163825



Use in a Library Setting:


Manga often receives a bad reputation because of the well-known perversions that exist within some of the titles from Japan, occasionally.  This title would go a long way to easing parents fears about the inappropriateness of their child reading a manga.  This title could also encourage younger readers becoming interested in genre reading as this is obviously a mystery, an apparently paranormal one at that.  A third use that this title could be put to would be as part of a showcase of multinational graphic novel titles.  This has become a large market over the last few years and the titles originate in a variety of countries, not just the U.S. and Japan.  This particular manga is written and takes place in Australia. 

Module 12: Our Eleanor

Citation:

Fleming, Candace. Our Eleanor: a scrapbook look at Eleanor Roosevelt's remarkable life. AtheneumAnne Schwartz Books, 2005. Print.

Summary:

Eleanor Roosevelt is undoubtedly one of the most influential women of the 20th century.  In this biography, Fleming relates the sad story of her childhood along with tales of her marriage, friendships, and voyage of self-discovery and self-improvement.  This particular biography is presented in scrapbook format; meaning that it presents information in boxes along with pictures.  This allows the reader to gloss over that information that really doesn't interest him/her and focus on what does.

Personal Impression:

I have always admired both Roosevelts, Eleanor and Franklin.  However, I only knew the political side of both people.  This book provided me with a lot more insight into the First Lady. I had no idea of the personal battle she fought to become the woman we all know and respect.  I enjoyed the scrapbook effect.  It added a personal nature to the story; making it more intimate.  It was obvious this book was well researched.  I am very impressed.

Reviews:

FLEMING, Candace. Our Eleanor: A Scrapbook Look at Eleanor Roosevelt’s Remarkable Life. S & S/Athen­eum/An Anne Schwartz Bk. Tr $19.95. ISBN 0-689-86544-9.
Gr 4-8–A candid biography of an unhappy child who grew up to become an American icon. Chock-full of details and enhanced with news clips, quotations, photos, and more, this is an up-close-and-personal look at a private woman who was truly a citizen of the world. (Nov.)

Retrieved from School Library Journal, "Best Books 2005"; http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6286432.html

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. As in Fleming's Ben Franklin's Almanac: Being a True Account of the Good Gentleman's Life (2003), which was a 2004 Booklist Top 10 Biography, this takes a pastiche approach to humanizing a legendary life. Through anecdotes and archival photos drawn from an assortment of sources, Fleming invites readers into a camaraderie with the timid, neglected little girl who grew up to become the woman many nicknamed "copresident," and whose flouting of accepted gender roles earned her admiration and ridicule in equal measure. The details of Roosevelt's life are certainly riveting; however, Fleming's jigsaw-puzzle approach is probably best suited for use in conjunction with more traditional narratives, such as Russell Freedman's Newbery Honor Book Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery (1993). In terms of Roosevelt's sexuality, for instance, the frank details about Roosevelt's bonds with known lesbians appear 15 pages before a segment that asks "Was She Or Wasn't She?" (Answer: who knows?)--a structural choice that seems to encourage assumptions rather than heading them off. That said, a broad audience, including many adults, will be intrigued by the volume's photo-album immediacy. Those eager to gain perspectives from other biographers may be frustrated by a list of related books primarily geared to younger children, although multimedia resources and exhaustive source notes offer plenty of opportunities to extend this intimate, unvarnished, and ultimately deeply moving portrait. Jennifer Mattson

Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Retrieved from Amazon.com; http://www.amazon.com/Our-Eleanor-Scrapbook-Roosevelts-Remarkable/dp/0689865449/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304560185&sr=1-1

Uses in a Library Setting:

This would be an excellent book to use for Women's Studies and History as Eleanor Roosevelt had a huge impact on the women's movement.  This is also a good example to use for scrapbooking ideas for those who want an informative scrapbook.