Fiction, Fantasy and Young Adult

Fantasy
Graphic novel





Bibliography
Holm, Jennifer L. & Holm, Matthew. 2005. Babymouse Queen of the World. New York: Random House. ISBN 978037583229

Summary
Babymouse dreams of being queen of the world. She also dreams of being invited to Felicia Furrypaws slumber party "the real queen" and most popular kid at school. Her friend Wilson Weasel, whom she's been friends with forever, invites her over to his house on Friday night for movies and Babymouse accepts his invitation. But Babymouse still wants to be invited to Felicia's slumber party. Babymouse has a list of ways to try and get an invitation to Felicia Furrypaws slumber party. She finally gets inivited when she gives Felicia her book report when Felicia forgets her own and asks Babymouse for her book report. Babymouse imagines all the fun things they will do but is dissapointed when Felicia and her friends simply want to play with make up and watch romantic movies. Babymouse tries to fit in but makes a mess of everything. She misses her friend Wilson and realizes she is already "Queen of the World" because she has a friend who doesn't boss her around and accepts her for who she is.

Critical Analysis
This graphic novel is very cute and girly. Tween girls will quickly identify with Babymouse and her struggles to be accepted by the popular girl at school and laugh at her wild imagination and zany daydreams. The illustrations are simple but capture the emotions and antics of Babymouse so well. Babymouse's reality is illustrated in black and white with a touch of pink. Her fantasies are colored with a lot more pink to set them apart. She has a very vivid and wild imagination that helps her deal with her little dilemas. The crazy adventures Babymouse creates in her mind helps her deal with the everyday struggles of school, friends and growing up. It is through her daydreams that Babymouse realizes that she has more fun being herself and hanging out with her true friend Wilson who accepts her for who she is. Babymouse finally realizes she already is the "Queen of the World" because she has "cupcakes, exciting books, sassy style and good friends." Those are all the things a girl needs to be "Queen of the World."

Awards
2006 - Gryphon Award
2006 - ALA Notable Children's Book
2006 - New York Book Show Awards

Reviews
The Horn Book v. 82 no. 1 (January/February 2006) p. 80-1
"Babymouse faces the challenges of a sometimes-cruel world that await her each morning when she reluctantly emerges from under her heart-covered duvet. Each challenge brings its own accompanying daydream, rich in pink hues and dramatic overtones. . . . Babymouse is here to stay, and fans of Fashion Kitty and Captain Underpants will now add her to their collection of well-thumbed volumes to read over and over again."

"Emergent readers will cheer "Babymouse!"-Kirkus Reviews

Connections

website
http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/babymouse/

read other books in the series Babymouse by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

Create a mini graphic novel about a daydream adventure Babymouse has while in school.





Fantasy
young adult







Bibliography
Gaiman, Neil. 2008. The Graveyard Book. ill. Dave McKean. New York: Harper Collins Publications. ISBN 9780060530921

Audiobook: unabridged read by Neil Gaiman
Format: CD

Summary
A toddler unknowingly escapes a murderer named Jack who has just killed his entire family. The baby walks into a graveyard and his dead mother's ghost implores the ghosts that reside in the graveyard to protect her son. The ghosts that live in that graveyard decide to take care of him and raise him as one of their own. They give him the "Freedom of the Graveyard" and name him Nobody Owens.

Nobody, or Bod for short, has many adventures while growing up in the graveyard. He has been granted the "freedom of the graveyard" and can do most things that ghosts can do such as talk to all the ghosts, see in the dark and fade to make himself unseen. As a young boy he meets a little girl and together they explore the graveyard and the mysteries under the hill. A few years later he winds up getting sucked down a ghouls-gate but manages to get out. The ghosts do their best to educate Bod but he is eager to learn about the world so they reluctanly agree to let him go to school. While there he tries to help some kids who are being bullied and gets noticed in a world that is still dangerous for him. Bod's childhood friend returns to the graveyard and unwittingly takes Bod to Jack. Bod learns who he is and why his family was murdered and uses his wits, what he has learned by experience and what the ghosts have taught him to save himself and his friend. Now that the world is safe for him and he has grown into a young man Bod must leave the graveyard and go out into the world to live his life.

Critical Analysis
"It takes a graveyard to raise a child." A graveyard full of ghosts from different time periods raise an orphaned little boy whose family is just murdered. The story begins with the gruesome murders of a family. The graveyard setting and characters of ghosts, ghouls, and monsters might at first seem scary and creepy but quickly the story shows how much "life" there is in the world of the dead. This book is a mix of fantasy and horror and has the universal themes of good versus evil and about growing up and finding your place in the world. The story is also about the power of love and family. Although this family consists of ghosts, they clearly love and care and protect Nobody Owens as though he were one of their own.

Gaiman has such a witty and wicked sense of humor and writing style. He has created a wonderful cast of characters who are very alive, despite the fact that most of them are dead. The ghosts are the good characters in this story, even the witch ghost. Even though they are dead they still have their human personalities and quirks both good and bad. The ghouls were just bunch of bumbling creatures who are dammed to live a life similar to a vulture, feeding off those unlucky souls who stumble through the ghoul-gate. The Sleer, the scary monster in the hill, is neither good nor evil but simply looking for a master. It is the living who are scary, a greedy pawnshop owner, school bullies and the group that the murderer Jack belongs to, the Jacks of All Trades.

The story has a lot of foreshadowing yet it is full of mystery and suspense. The reader knows that Bod will eventually meet up with Jack but is kept in suspense as to who Jack is and why he killed Bod's family and must finish the job and kill him. While the reader waits for that climatic scene to come, the reader gets to know Nobody Owens and the adventures he has while living in the graveyard.

The story comes full circle at the end as Bod sets out to live his life in the world after having lived in a graveyard amongst the dead. The reader is left feeling sad he is leaving his home and family yet happy that Bod is finally safe to go out into the world and live his life.

Audiobook:
The unabridged audiobook is read by Neil Gaiman himself. His British accent is clear and pleasing to listen to. He reads at an nice even pace with changes in his tone and accent for the diaglogue between characters and the emotions they are experiencing. As the suspense in the story builds so does his suspense in his voice. Each CD begins and ends with music. The music is "Danse Macabre" by Bela Flack on the banjo. The song plays an important part in the chapter "The Danse Macabre" as Bod participates in a dance between the living and the dead and then later realizes that even though he lives amongst the dead, he is really alive. Gaiman's mesmerizing voice and British accent will draw listeners in to the suspense of this fantasy/horror book.

The ghostly illustrations in the book are done by Dave McKean and add a visual element of the graveyard and its inhabitants. The audiobook provided the musical number that plays an integral part in the chapter "The Danse Macabre". Reading and listening to the story in both formats added a multisensory experience to the story and made the fantasy come alive.

Awards
Newberry Award 2009
Hugo Award for Best Novel 2009
Carnegie Medal 2010
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book
Best Indie Young Adult Buzz Book
Audiobook of the Year
ALA Notable Children's Book
ALA Best Book for Young Adults
ALA Booklist Editors' Choice
Horn Book Fanfare
Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book
Time Magazine Top Ten Fiction
Cooperative Children's Book Center Choice
New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
New York Public Library Stuff for the Teen Age
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (Vermont)

Reviews
The New York Times Book Review v. 114 no. 7 (February 15 2009) p. 15
"While ‘The Graveyard Book’ will entertain people of all ages, it's especially a tale for children. Gaiman's remarkable cemetery is a place that children more than anyone would want to visit. They would certainly want to look for Silas in his chapel, maybe climb down (if they were as brave as Bod) to the oldest burial chamber, or (if they were as reckless) search for the ghoul gate. Children will appreciate Bod's occasional mistakes and bad manners, and relish his good acts and eventual great ones. The story's language and humor are sophisticated, but Gaiman respects his readers and trusts them to understand."

The Horn Book v. 84 no. 6 (November/December 2008) p. 703-
"Lucid, evocative prose . . . and dark fairy-tale motifs imbue the story with a dreamlike quality. Warmly rendered by the author, Bod's ghostly extended family is lovably anachronistic; their mundane, old-fashioned quirks add cheerful color to a genuinely creepy backdrop. McKean's occasional pages and spots of art enhance the otherworldly atmosphere. . . . Gaiman's assured plotting is as bittersweet as it is action-filled—the ending, which is also a beginning, is an unexpected tearjerker—and makes this ghost-story-cum-coming-of-age-novel as readable as it is accomplished."

Connections

other books by Neil Gaiman
Gaiman, Neil, and P. Craig Russell. Coraline: The Graphic Novel. ISBN 9780060825454

Gaiman, Neil. M is for Magic. ISBN 9780061186479

Compare and contrast The Jungle Book and The Graveyard Book
Kipling, Rudyard. The Jungle Book. ISBN 1110013258






Contemporay realistic fiction
young adult






Bibliography
Anderson, Laurie Halse.1999.Speak.New York:Farrar,Straus,Giroux.
ISBN 0374371520

Summary
A traumatic experience during the summer before her freshman year has rendered Melinda Sordino practically mute. She starts of the school year with all her friends hating her because they thought she had called the cops on them during a party. The only friend she has is a new girl to the school. Melinda goes through the motions and attends school but the only thing that interests her is her Art class. She is failing her classes, she starts to skip school, she dresses in baggy clothes, and she loses her only friend. Her only interest is the tree she is trying to create into a work of art for class. When her old friend might possibly suffer the same thing that happened to her, Melinda gets the courage to finally admit to herself what has happened and say something to save her friend from it. She finally begins to heal within herself and slowly speak about what has happened.

Critical Analysis
This contemporary realistic fiction novel is dark, brooding, depressing, funny and hopeful.
The protagonist, Melinda, tells her story through her thoughts and emotions even though she hardly speaks. Melinda's downward spiral into depression and eventual healing takes course over a school year from the first day of 9th grade to the last day of the school year. The book is organized in to four parts, one for each marking period and shows Melinda's grades as they go down as the year progresses.

The high school setting is realistic and sterotypical at the same time. It is those stereotypes that bring a touch of humor to Melinda's story. The teachers are typcial as the weird English teacher, free spirited art teacher and the social studies/coach who yells a lot. The high school officials try to be politically correct in trying to find a proper mascot for the school. The clans or cliques are typcial of most high schools: Jocks, Cheerleaders, Thespians, Goths and Marthas just to name a few. Melinda is the outcast of the school, most people hate her for what they think she did and do not take the time to notice that she is suffering from depression.

Anderson's writing style is bit different than a typical novel. Most of the novel takes place inside Melinda's head. The dialogue that does take place is written like a script. A blank line is left after "Me: ______________________ " to show Melinda's inability to speak her thoughts and emotions. The reader gets to experience all of Melinda's pain with her but does not know the source of it. Melinda refers to her attacker at IT and it is not until Melinda is able to admit to herself about what has happened to her that the reader knows the cause of her depression.

The symbolism of the tree in Art and the tree in Melinda's yard symbolizes her inner turmoil and eventual healing. The only thing Melinda likes about school is her Art class. She is assigned to create a tree into a work of art. It is through Art and a real tree that Melinda slowly tries to work through the immense pain she is suffering. At first she has a hard time time trying to create a work of art that is tree. Then as she slowly comes to terms with her pain she is able to create that tree into a work of art. Anderson spells it out for young readers when the teacher "Hairwomen" talks about symbolism in books. It is easy for young readers to understand the symbolic meaning of Melinda cleaning the tree in the front yard of her home and creating trees as works of art with her depression and healing.

This book is a must read for young adults. It gives a voice and hope to those teenagers who have not found their voice yet to speak out about depression, rape and isolation.

Awards
ALA Best Book for Young Adults
ALA Top-10 Best Book for Young Adults
ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults
Edgar Allen Poe Award finalist
IRA Young Adult Choice
Junior Library Guild Selection
Michal L. Printz Honor Book (American Library Association)
National Book Award Finalist
New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
New York Times Bestseller List
SCBWI Golden Kite Award
YALSA Popular Paperback for Young Adults

Reviews
School Library Journal v. 45 no. 10 (October 1999) p. 144
"This powerful novel deals with a difficult yet important topic—rape. . . . Anderson expresses the emotions and the struggles of teenagers perfectly. Melinda's pain is palpable, and readers will totally empathize with her. This is a compelling book, with sharp, crisp writing that draws readers in, engulfing them in the story."

Booklist v. 96 no. 2 (September 15 1999) p. 247
"Anderson perfectly captures the harsh conformity of high-school cliques. . . . Melinda's sarcastic wit, honesty, and courage make her a memorable character whose ultimate triumph will inspire and empower readers."

Connections

*view the movie version of the novel "Speak" 2004 compare and contrast the book and the movie

*The last line of the book is spoken by Melinda to Mr. Freeman "Let me tell you about it." after he asks her "You've been through a lot, haven't you?" Write what you think Melinda would tell Mr. Freeman .

other books by Laurie Halse Anderson

Anderson, Laurie Halse. 2007. Twisted. New York: Viking.ISBN 0670061018

Historical Fiction

Bibliography
Erdrich, Louise. 2006. The Game of Silence. New York. HarperCollins. ISBN 0064410293










Plot Summary
Omakayas is a 9 year old Ojibwe girl living on an island in Lake Superior in 1850. A group of people arrive on her island frightened, starved and weather-beaten. They have been displaced by the chimookomanag, or white people, who have run them off their homes and lands. Omakaya's community begins to fear that they are next to be run off their lands. The children play "The Game of Silence" so that their elders can discuss what they need to do to stay safe and keep their lands. Four messengers are sent to further investigate and the book chronicles the year the tribe anxiously awaits their return. During this time Omakayas discovers she has a unique gift and she learns to accept it. Their messengers return and their worst fears are confirmed, they must move to new lands. The Game of Silence is no longer a game, it is a matter of life or death as Omakayas and her family now have to cross enemy territory to reach their new homes.

Critical Analysis
This is the sequal to The Birchbark House. Lousie Erdrich is planning to write a series of books about Omakayas and her family that will span several decades. This book is the second in the series. The story is set in 1850 on an island on Lake Superior. Omakayas is "9 winters old" and white settlers are forcing the Native Americans to move from their lands. The story is rich in culture and what life was like for the Ojibwe nation as they struggled to keep their way of life as white pioneers were overtaking their lands.

The story is third person narrative and told from the viewpoint of Omakayas. The everyday life of Omakayas and her family is described using authentic Ojibwe language and clear details that depict the clothing, food and customs of the Ojibwe people. The book avoids sterotyping all white people as greedy settlers. There is a young girl that Omakayas is friends with, the "Break-Apart Girl", despite a difference in culture and language. There is a good balance of adventure, humor and historical details that tells the fictional story of Omakayas' during this turbulent time of change for Native Americans. The story ends with hope so that the reader will want to continue reading about the life and adventures of Omakayas. "Here, after all, was not only danger but possibility. Here was adventure." Omakayas is ready for the next stage of her life and the reader is ready to read more about it.

Pencil illustrations drawn by Erdrich are sprinkled throughout each chapter depicting the objects, clothing and physical characteristics of the Ojibwe people in the mid 1800's. Erdich is an Ojibwe descendant and this story is a "labor of love" for her as she states in her letter from the author. A glossary and pronunciation guide of Ojibwe terms is included at the end of the book with references provided for further study of the Ojibwe language. The end of the paperback book contains EXTRAS such as a letter from the author, a map of Omakaya's adventures and a guide for readers to create their own family tree.

For young readers in grades 5-8.

Awards
*Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction 2006
*Kirkus Editor’s Choice
*Horn Book Fanfare
*ALA Notable Children’s Book
*ALA Booklist Editors’ Choice
*New York Times Notable

Review Excerpts
The New York Times Book Review v. 110 no. 25 (June 19 2005) p. 14
"Louise Erdrich, the author of many acclaimed books for both adults and children, has embarked on a series nearly parallel to [Laura Ingalls Wilder's ‘Little House’ series] and for the same audience of middle grade readers, but told from an altogether different angle. . . . The first book in the series, ‘The Birchbark House,’ was published in 1999 and covered Omakayas's seventh year. . . . In ‘The Game of Silence,’ the second book in the series, Omakayas discovers with some dismay that she has a special connection with the spirit world. The connection will shape her destiny. . . . In these first books, has Louise Erdrich matched Laura Ingalls Wilder's achievement? I think so. She has created a world, fictional but real: absorbing, funny, serious and convincingly human."

The Horn Book v. 81 no. 4 (July/August 2005) p. 469
"On one tense night, when she has a powerful dream that saves her father's life, Omakayas finally starts to understand her destiny and her gifts. Erdrich's own gifts are many, and here she has given readers another tale full of rich details of 1850s Ojibwe life, complicated supporting characters, and all the joys and challenges of a girl becoming a woman."

Connections
*read other books about Omakayas and her family by Louise Erdrich
Erdrich, Louise. 2002. The Birchbark House. New York. HarperCollins.
ISBN 0756911869

Erdrich, Louise. 2010. The Porcupine Year. New York. HarperCollins.
ISBN 9780064410304

*read "The Little House on the Prairie" series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
compare and contrast the lives of Omakayas to that of Laura Ingalls.

*research the history and culture of the Ojibwe nation

*create a family tree of your own family





Bibliography
Schmidt, Gary D. 2007. The Wednesday Wars. New York. Clarion Books. ISBN 0618724834







Plot Summary
Holling Hoodhood is a seventh grader living in Long Island growing up in the 1960's. Holling is a normal 13 year old boy, he has family pressures, sibling rivalry, he has run ins with bullies, he expereinces his first crush, he thinks his teacher hates him and he has to take a standarized state test.

Intially Holling thinks his teacher Mrs. Baker hates him because he is the only student left on Wednesday afternoons because the rest of his classmates have to attend religious education classes and he doe not. She starts off giving him mundane cleaning chores but then introduces him to the world of Shakespeare. She becomes his mentor and close confidant as she helps him out throughout the school year with the various struggles he encounters. He learns to like reading Shakespeare, he joins the track team, saves his sister a couple of times and comes of age during his seventh grade year.

Critical Analysis
This realistic fictional novel is historical fiction in the sense that it is set during the school year of 1967-1968. Historical people such as President Lyndon Johnson, the Beetles, Bing Crosby and Walter Cronkite are mentioned several times throughout the novel. The assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr, atomic bomb drills and the Vietnam War play minor parts of the story that makes it historical as well. Although prominent historical people are mentioned throughout the novel and the Vietnam War does have an effect on the lives of some of the characters in the story, they could easily be replaced with contemporary counterparts of today. Politicians, musicians, celebrities, newscasters, sports players, color coded terror alerts and the war in the Middle East today can replace the historical ones and the basic plot and the theme of the story would not change.

It is simply a story about a seventh grade boy growing up and learning how to deal with the problems that come up in his life. This story is also about the difference a teacher can make in a young person's life. Mrs. Baker is that teacher that has a huge impact on Holling's life. The relationship between Holling and Mrs. Baker is what drives the story. She is there for him when his parents are not and she helps him deal with dating issues and coaches him in running. She introduces him to the world of Shakespeare and Hollings relates the plays to what is going on in his life. Most middle school boys and even girls can relate to some of the experiences Holling has during his seventh grade year. Holling has a very sarcastic sense of humor and it is cute how he uses curses from the Bard. "Toads, beetles, bats" and "pied ninny" are a couple of his favorite ones. It is a clean wholesome coming of age story that young readers will find both funny and poignant.

Awards
*Newberry Honor Book 2008
*ALA Notable Children's Book 2008
*ALA Best Book for Young Adults 2008
*Booklist Editors' Choice 2007
*National Parenting Publications Book Award 2007
*NY Public Library, 100 Titles for Reading 2007
*Book Sense Award Finalist 2007

Review Excerpts
The New York Times Book Review v. 112 no. 50 (December 16 2007) p. 23
"While ‘The Wednesday Wars’ was one of my favorite books of the year, it wasn't written for me. Sometimes books that speak to adults miss the mark for their intended audience. To see if the novel would resonate as deeply with a child, I gave it to an avid but discriminating 10-year-old reader. His laughter, followed by repeated outbursts of ‘Listen to this!,’ answered my question. Best of all, he asked if I had a copy of ‘The Tempest’ he could borrow."

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books v. 61 no. 1 (September 2007) p. 52
"Mrs. Baker would feel right at home in the same faculty room with other such 1960s paragon teacher types as Sandy Dennis and Sidney Poitier, and it's no surprise that Holling comes to appreciate Shakespeare as deeply as he does Mrs. Baker, but running plotlines of both the manic and tender varieties—from rats behind the ceiling tiles to strained attitudes toward a Vietnamese classmate—keep the story racing along. Fans of the author's Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy may be pleasantly surprised to see Schmidt's lighter, even sillier side."

Connections
*read plays by Shakespere
--The Tempest
--The Merchant of Venice
--Macbeth
--Julius Cesear
--Romeo and Juliette
--The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
--Much Ado About Nothing

*research the historical people and events mentioned in the book
--The Vietnam War
--Mickey Mantle
--Martin Luther King Jr.
--Walter Cronkite
--Bobby Kennedy
--The Beetles
--Bing Crosby Christmas Special
--President Lyndon B. Johnson
--Atomic bomb drills





Bibliography
Napoli, Donna Jo. 2006. Bound. New York. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0689861753






Plot Summary
A Cinderella story set in the Northern Provinces of China during the Ming dynasty.

Xing Xing lives with her Stepmother and half sister Wei Ping. Her parents have passed away and Stepmother is desperately trying to find a husband for her daughter Wei Ping. After the girls father's death, Stepmother has decided to go against his wishes and bind Wei Ping feet so she would be suitable for marriage. Stepmother has no intentions of finding Xing Xing a husband because she is not her biological daughter. Xing Xing is a strong girl who can complete the chores of both girls since Wei Ping cannot due to her foot binding and the pain and infections it has caused her.

Xing Xing finds a little white fish in a nearby spring which grows to be a beautiful white carp. The beautiful fish always goes to her when she goes to the spring and seems to follow her when Xing Xing has to travel to another village to sell dates as medicine to a wandering doctor. Xing Xing believes that the fish is the reincarnated spirit of her mother, who has come to watch over her.

Then the step mother commits an act that dearly hurts Xing Xing so they can attend a local cave festival to find Wei Ping a husband. Xing Xing finds some treasure her mother left behind for her and pretends to be ill so as not to attend the festival with her stepmother and sister. She puts on the green dress, pearls and gold shoes her mother has left behind and decides to attend the fesitval on her own. Fearing she has been seen by her stepmother and sister, Xing Xing runs off and loses a shoe as she flees from the festival. The shoe is discovered and rumors abound that it belonged to a beautiful young girl. The prince hears the rumors, buys the shoe and searches for it's owner and plans to propose marriage to the one whom it fits. He arrives at Xing Xing's cave home, she presents the other shoe and it fits and the prince proposes marriage and Xing Xing accepts.

Critical Analysis
The story follows the basic plot of a typical Cinderella story. Deceased parents, Step mother, step sister, forced to complete manual labor, fairy godmother, (reincarnated spirit of mother), big celebration, from rags to beautiful dress, missing shoe and prince in search of the owner of the shoe ready to propose marriage.

But there is so much more to this Cinderella tale that makes it it's own story. The setting for one is distinctive and rich in the description of the Chinese culture and customs of the time period, the early Ming dynasty in the 1300's. The characters are fully developed characters and not typecast as the typical characters in a Cinderella story, but instead bound by the time and place of the setting of the story. The stepmother is not evil, she is only following the customs and tradtions of her culture and society. The respect for their ancestors spirits and elders and the status of women shows the beliefs of the Chinese culture and the reasons why the step mother is the way she is and the choices she makes. Nor is the step sister bad, she is suffering from the pain of the binding of her feet. Xing Xing and Wei Ping have a close sister relationship and clearly care for each other. Their conversations and the things Xing Xing does for her sister show how much love she has for her. Xing Xing wants to ease her sister's pain and tries to bring joy to her when she brings in the beautiful white fish in a bowl as a pet.

This retelling is also a coming of age story as Xing Xing finds herself and her strength through her experiences. A postscript from the author, Donna Jo Napoli, is included that explains her inspiration and how her version differs from traditional Chinese Cinderella tales in setting and time. She wanted to include the cave homes, foot bindings and "social revolutions of the first Ming emperor". This version is a very interesting retelling of the classic Cinderella tale and introduces readers to a different culture and time through a familiar story.

Awards and Nominations
*ALA Best Books For Young Adults
*CCBC Choices (Cooperative Children's Book Council)
*Charlotte Award Suggested Reading List (NY)
*Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best
*Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award Master List (VT)
*Kansas State Reading Circle Middle School Titles
*Kentucky Bluegrass Award Master List
*Kirkus Editor's Choice NYPL "Books for the Teen Age"
*PSLA Fiction List Publishers Weekly
*Best Books School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
*Thumbs Up! Award Master List (MI)
*Westchester's Choice

Review Excerpts
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books v. 58 no. 5 (January 2005) p. 222
"A retelling of one of the oldest tale types, this deftly written novel creates a unified set of folklife rhythms and nuances and makes them accessible to the modern reader. Xing Xing is a dutiful, honorable daughter who does not think to question most of the customs that bind her to her fate; even when she speaks out for her own welfare in the final scene, her bid for freedom is a moderate one, limited by the opportunities given women in her world. However, her bravery and intelligence, couched in the author's lilting prose and the absorbing details of the historical period, will win her many fans among today's readers."

School Library Journal v. 50 no. 11 (November 2004) p. 150, 152
Gr 5-9-Napoli takes the elements of the traditional Chinese version of "Cinderella" and creates a powerful and moving story........ Napoli retains the pattern of the traditional Chinese tale with only a few minor changes: she sets the story in the northern province of Shaanxi during the Ming dynasty rather than in a minority community in southern China. She fleshes out and enriches the story with well-rounded characters and with accurate information about a specific time and place in Chinese history; the result is a dramatic and masterful retelling.

Connections
*read picture book Cinderella stories of different cultures
* research the Ming Dynasty of China
*research the practice of binding feet in ancient China
*write your own version of a Cinderella story set in modern times or based on your cultural heritage.