Watermark Teacher Feature – April 11, 2007

In this issue:

BOOK NEWS
Fresh Titles

UPCOMING EVENTS
Lois Ruby to visit Wichita this Saturday
Shakespeare Aloud April 18 (NEW!)
Longitudes Book Club April 20 (NEW!)
Anna Quindlen comes May 3
KMUW Literary Feast May 4
Khaled Hosseini coming June 27

BOOK REVIEWS
* New DK “See For Yourself” science books on energy and water
* “Beowulf” graphic novel by Gareth Hinds
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I definitely sense spring in the air (along with the occasional snow flurry).

I’m always excited about new books, but this issue boasts an especially fine
crop: a funny comic for kids, a really good new fantasy for all ages, two
genuinely exciting youth science books, an awesome new version of a literary
classic, and some of the best teen novels I’ve read in months (and I’ve devoured
quite a few).

Also, Watermark has a new book club and a new Shakespeare reading group on
offer: send your older students our way for some extracurricular fun, or come
join us yourself and give Teacher an evening of enjoyment.

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FRESH TITLES

“Sardine in Outer Space 3” by Emmanuel Guibert & Joann Sfar (First Second,
ISBN 1596431288, $12.95) If your young readers haven’t yet discovered the
adventure and hilarity of the French graphic-novel series “Sardine in Outer
Space,” boy are they missing out! Sardine and her family (Uncle Yellow Shoulder
and her cousin Little Louie) are space pirates who champion the right of children everywhere to be goofy and to have madcap escapades. They visit planet after whacky planet, where they take part in disco dancing, boxing matches, and fast-food jailbreaks. If you have fans of Jeff Smith’s “Bone” series, you should introduce them to “Sardine”--tout de suite! (“Sardine” is translated to English and recommended for ages 6 and up) Read a review here: http://www.watermarkbooks.com/review0407-001.html


“Atherton: The House of Power” by Patrick Carman (Little, Brown Young Readers, 0316166707, $16.99) Author of the recently concluded “Land of Elyon” series, Patrick Carman has begun a smart and engaging new fantasy story with “Atherton: The House of Power.” It’s set on a stratified floating island where farmers toil below to feed mysterious aristocrats living up on high. As the world shifts and the highlands begin to sink, young Edgar uses all his daring to undertake secret climbs to search out the mysteries hidden atop the forbidden cliffs. Edgar is plucky and sympathetic, and Atherton is a fantasy realm with clear parallels to our real world of unequal wealth and opportunity. “Atherton” is very well executed, with the all-ages appeal of Chris Paolini’s “Eragon” and “Eldest” books or T. A. Barron’s “Great Tree of Avalon” series--and with better writing and more original ideas, to boot.
(Ages 9 and older)
 

“Boy Girl Boy” by Ron Koertge (Harcourt Paperbacks, 0152058656, $6.95)
Author of “Stoner and Spaz,” Ron Koertge writes teen novels that are funny and
thoughtful and wise. New to paperback, “Boy Girl Boy” is the story of three best
friends perched at the edge of high school graduation. For years, they’ve
planned and plotted to abandon their small hometown together, but as the fateful
date approaches, each one begins to wonder if there isn’t more to life than
rejection and rebellion. The almost-basketball star starts to find his smarts;
the girl with “food issues” begins to forgive the mom who left her; and the town
weird kid learns that even he can find love. Together, in rotating narration,
they tell a quick story about how sometimes growing up means staying put. It’s all honest and totally on the level. (Ages 13 and up--includes mild mention of marijuana use)


“Twisted” by Laurie Halse Anderson (Viking Juvenile/Penguin, ISBN 0670061018,
$16.99) Laurie Halse Anderson made her name with “Speak,” a teen novel that delved into the world of an outcast girl who had suffered abuse. “Twisted” covers similar terrain but with--wait for it--a twist: its protagonist, Tyler, is an unpopular
guy who has gained notoriety (and probation) from pulling a destructive prank.
Months later, he’s struggling to live down his reputation while being blamed for
all sorts of things he wouldn’t consider himself capable of. Tyler is clever and
observant but still utterly bewildered as he tries to learn what everyone means
when they sternly tell him to “be a man.” Anderson puts her readers in Tyler’s
very confused shoes and runs them over the many emotional hurdles that can make a young person feel like life is just too, too much to handle. “Twisted” is a darkly funny look at the pressures of being a teen guy. (For older teens) Read a review here: http://www.watermarkbooks.com/review0307-012.html

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UPCOMING WATERMARK EVENTS


Lois Ruby coming this Saturday, April 14

Youth author and former Wichita resident Lois Ruby will host writing workshops
for teens and adults at the main branch of the Wichita Public Library this
Saturday. Ruby is the author of “Steal Away Home” and the new book “Shanghai
Shadows.” Interested folks should contact the library by telephone at (316)
261-8500. ((To order her books, call Watermark at (316) 682-1181 or send an
e-mail to lisa.johnson@watermarkbooks.com)).

Look here for Carolyn’s review of Lois Ruby’s new young adult novel “Shanghai
Shadows”: http://www.watermarkbooks.com/review0307-011.html


Shakespeare Aloud reading group, Wednesday, April 18, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

This new reading group will meet every other Wednesday in the Watermark basement to read Shakespeare's works aloud together one hour at a time--no experience or skill required. The group is led by Mark Bradshaw and will
begin April 18th with the opening acts of "The Two Gentlemen of Verona,"
preferably in the Pelican edition.


“Poets on Painters” Poetry Reading, Friday, April 20, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Wichita State University faculty members and students will read poetry for the
public in this event as part of the "Poets on Painters" exhibit hosted by WSU's
Ulrich Museum of Art. Come browse and enjoy the verse!


Longitudes Book Club, Tuesday, April 24. 6:30 p.m.

Watermark’s newest book club reads novels with international flavor and
multicultural flair. This month's book is “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” by
Lisa See, which follows the story of two life-long friends in
19th-century China. The club is led by Shelly Walston and is open to all.


Anna Quindlen coming Thursday, May 3, 7:00 p.m.

Novelist and Newsweek columnist Anna Quindlen will visit Wichita on Thursday,
May 3 for a 7:00 p.m. Watermark reading and signing at the WSU Metroplex.
Tickets are $5 or free with the purchase (or paid preorder) of the book.
Pencil the date into your calendars, ring the friends in your phone tree, and
plan an outing for your student group or book club. Quindlen is touring to
support her latest novel, the bestselling two-sister story “Rise and Shine,”
which follows a popular television host who falls from grace after September 11
and turns to her estranged sibling to help her pick up the pieces of her
life. Call us at (316) 682-1181 to pre-order.


KMUW Literary Feast, Friday, May 4, 7:00 p.m.

The May book will be “Sacred Games” by Vikram Chandra. Literary Feast
participants will enjoy dinner together, with a menu specially created by our
Watermark chef, then take part in a book discussion over dessert.

Tickets are available at the Watermark book counter or by calling (316)
682-1181. Places are limited, and we recommend purchasing your ticket well in
advance. Read more about the book, author, and menu on the KMUW Web site:
http://www.kmuw.org/LiteraryFeasts.html


Looking ahead: Khaled Hosseini coming Wednesday June 27

Watermark will host novelist Khaled Hosseini, author of “The Kite Runner,” at
the WSU Metroplex at 7:00 p.m. He'll read from and sign copies of his new novel
“A Thousand Splendid Suns,” due out May 22. Call us at (316) 682-1181 to
pre-order copies of the book. The event will be co-sponsored by the Wichita
Public Library and the Friends of the Library. More details to come.


For a full listing of Watermark events, including book clubs and art openings,
visit the Events page of our Web site at:
http://www.watermarkbooks.com/events.html

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REVIEWS


“Water: See for Yourself” by DK Publishing (DK Children, 9780756625627, $14.99)
“Energy: See for Yourself” by DK Publishing (DK Children, 9780756625610, $14.99)

Dorling Kindersley regularly produces great reference titles and non-fiction
books for young readers, including the popular DK Eyewitness books, which
capably cover everything from mummies and world religions to plant life and the
Titanic. Just last month, the publisher released its first two “See for
Yourself” volumes in a new line of youth reference books that explore important
elements of the natural world. And they are fantastic!

In about sixty photograph-heavy pages each, the books give the basics on the
structure, properties, and inner workings of water and energy. “Water: See for
Yourself” treats the different states of matter, gives a tour of the
water cycle, and covers the presence of water in living beings and as a major
component of the Earth itself. Most fascinating are the book’s many unusual
details and examples: in its passage on urban water, it describes
German-built sewer robots that look like remote-controlled cars and are sent
into tight pipes to check for blockages. In the section on water in the human
body, it doesn’t just mention the obvious hide-outs like blood and saliva but
also peers into unthought-of crannies like the stomach’s
digestive juices and the lubricating fluid of joints.

Similarly, “Energy: See For Yourself” is a treasure chest of excellent teaching
examples. The book uses rollercoasters to illustrate potential and kinetic
energy and talks about a car crash to explain how energy is never
created or destroyed, just converted: some of the kinetic energy in a collision
becomes heat and noise, while some of it causes a fender crumple. Firecrackers,
fossil fuels, afternoon snacks, and jet-powered drag-racing cars are all shown
to have important relationships with energy--earthquakes, too! The book also
easily handles technical topics like solar cells and electricity generation, and
it contains the single clearest explanation ever seen for how nuclear power
works.

These “See For Yourself” titles are fun, smoothly written, intensely visual, and
incredibly informative. The back of each book also features a timeline of
scientific discovery on the topic covered and includes a useful glossary of
terms that will help young learners keep their definitions of friction and
fusion straight. If we’re lucky, DK will continue full steam ahead with more
volumes; a “Microbiology: See For Yourself” would be really, really
cool.

(Recommended for ages 9 to 12)

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“Beowulf” adapted by Gareth Hinds (Candlewick, 0763630225, $21.99 in hardcover
and 0763630233, $9.99 in paperback)

“Beowulf” is a classic epic poem and one of the oldest works of literature
written in any form of the English language; since its rediscovery in the
nineteenth century, it has had enormous influence on books and film: it was
a major source of inspiration for J. R. R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,”
and there have been no fewer than six live-action and animated movie versions
made in just the last three years.

In his newly published graphic novel adaptation of “Beowulf,” illustrator Gareth
Hinds presents the age-old story in a form that’s sure to capture the
imaginations of young-adult readers thrilled by Tolkien and stirred by the
martial beat of the movie “300.” Hinds uses a paraphrased but loyal version of
the poem that makes Beowulf’s adventures easily readable while still
keeping the flavor of a former age.

A perfectly weighted tale of heroism and tragedy, “Beowulf” adapts easily to
comic-book form; indeed, its protagonist is like an ancestor to modern super
heroes: Beowulf, it’s said, “has in his grip the strength of thirty men,” and he
engages in three heroic feats to halt evil and protect the defenseless. Best of
all, Hinds’s painted artwork conjures just the right mix of firelight and shadows to bring the warrior’s ancient world to ominous, flickering life.

The story begins when the newly built hall of a great king is terrorized by a fell beast-thing that comes in the night to devour its inhabitants. For his first deed, Beowulf meets the creature, called Grendel, in unarmed single combat that no one expects him to survive. While Hinds depicts Grendel as ape-like and feral, he uses his long study of martial arts to give Beowulf’s movements the look of realistic fighting techniques. It’s a gripping and kinetic portrayal in which one can almost hear bones cracking.

Hinds paints this and Beowulf’s two subsequent battles with unique color palettes suited to different moods: the hero fights Grendel in a familiar world shaded in browns and black, but to face that creature’s wily, ancient mother, he descends into an underwater cavern of sickly puce and malevolent red. It’s only after he removes her head with the great-sized sword of a forgotten giant that Beowulf is once again able to catch a glimpse of blue. His ultimate battle, an encounter with a destructive, fire-spitting dragon, comes when Beowulf is an aged king, and Hinds renders these scenes in cool grays and washed-out India blacks--as though the champion walks his last days in a world leeched of heroic colors. It’s moving and grandly somber.

Hinds’s “Beowulf” is a great introduction to one of the treasures of world literature, and it comes in a form that especially engaging to young readers--particularly many reading-averse boys. From there, it’s an easy next step to Seamus Heaney’s full and hearty translation of “Beowulf,” to Tolkien’s “Hobbit,” or to John Gardner’s monster-protagonist novel “Grendel.”

(“Beowulf” is especially recommended for readers 12 and older—and to those as
young as 9 with a caution for martial violence.)

For another high-quality sword-and-hero youth graphic novel, read about “The
Hedge Knight” by George R. R. Martin here

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Past reviews and archived issues of Teacher Feature can be read on-line on the
Watermark Web site at: http://www.watermarkbooks.com/teach.html

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I’m looking forward to May flowers (and Pilgrims?)

Mark David Bradshaw

 

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