Rules

                   Lord, C. (2006). Rules. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. 

Rules is a story about a girl, Catherine, who wishes she has a normal life but instead she has a brother with a mental disability. She feels like everything revolves around her brother David, and she feels left out. Catherine goes with her brother to occupational therapy and while there she makes a friend, Jason, who is severely handicapped but is able to communicate with a picture book. Her and Jason become close but Catherine is afraid that her new friend Kristi would judge her for being friends with the mentally handicapped. Catherine must decide if her friendship with Jason is worth the trouble or will she lose her friendship with Kristi. 

I loved the book Rules because I felt that Catherine was struggling to figure out how to handle her life with a brother who has disabilities. I believe that families who have a child with a disability struggle to find a even ground with their other children. Catherine felt neglected in some ways because her parents were always consumed with David's life. Catherine could also be portrayed as being jealous of David. Young children who have siblings like David could possibly relate to Catherine and her struggles. I'm just glad Catherine decided to accept her brother and her friend, Jason, for who they were and love them all the same.

El Deafo

       Bell, C., & Lasky, D. (2014). El Deafo. New York, NY: Amulet Books.

El Deafo is a story about a young girl, Cece, who became deaf after a illness and how she tries to fit into the world of hearing. Cece faces challenges as see goes from a deaf school to a public school. She begins to worry how the students may see her and she feels very insecure about her bulky hearing aid that she has to wear. Not only does she have to wear a hearing aid she must also have her teachers speak into a device that transmits what they say to her, and sometimes the teachers forget to turn off the device when they're outside the classroom. Of course, school is nothing compared to making friends and having her friends understand how Cece feels. Being deaf doesn't make Cece incapable of doing anything, and that is what Cece realizes in the story.

This book is a great way of introducing young children to the world of people with disabilities and how they might feel about their differences. I love the illustrations of the book, because it was setup like a comic book and the color made everything pop out even more. This story is also similar to books like, George by Alex Gino and Rules by Cythia Lord. These books offer chances to accept people for their differences and acknowledge the fact that even though they are different they are not handicapped or incapable of doing what others can. 

 

The Graveyard Book

 Gaiman, N., & McKean, D. (2008). The graveyard book. New York, NY: HarperCollins Pub. 

The Graveyard Book  is about a boy, Nobody Owens, who lives in the cemetery and has been raised by the spirits of the cemetery. Nobody Owens is a living boy who has some of the abilities of the dead, and he lives in the cemetery to avoid the evil man who killed his real family. As the story progresses Nobody Owens begins to feel caged in and he begins to beg his guardian to go to school. It's not too long though that he has to stop going to school, because people begin to notice him and that's not good. Nobody Owens returns to the cemetery and is visited by a old friend who tries to help find his true identity, but in doing so it causes the murderer to find Nobody. Now Nobody and his friend must find a way to survive without being the next victims. It's a deadly game of cat and mouse, and who will live to see the next day?

Personally, I felt the story was longer then it should be and I often lost interest while reading. Some readers might find it interesting the Nobody Owens can fade into the shadows like a ghost and haunt people's dreams. I did at least find that interesting enough to keep reading. Young readers might find it interesting or too drawn-out, but it was good enough to finish. 

Crenshaw

 Applegate, K. (2015). Crenshaw. New York, NY: Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. 

Crenshaw is a story about a boy and his family who are struggling to make enough money to pay their rent. The boy, Jackson, begins to see his old imaginary friend, Crenshaw, who is a giant talking cat. Crenshaw is there to help Jackson talk to his parents about what is going on. At first, Jackson believes he's going crazy,  but he soon realizes that Crenshaw is there to help him be brave through this difficult time. Jackson soon finds the courage to tell his parents that he hates not having money, being hungry, and how he feels about losing his home. 

When I read Crenshaw for the first time it made me think about my own students who may not have enough money for food and clothing. Homelessness is a reality that many families face in the United States. I believe many young readers could relate to the character Jackson, and how he struggled to come to terms with the fact he may be homeless again for the second time in his life. As a reader you empathize with the character and you're hoping that there's light at the end of the tunnel.

The Nest

Oppel, K., & Klassen, J. (2015). The Nest. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster.

The Nest, is about boy, Steve, whose been overlooked by his parents, because his new baby brother is severely ill and optimizes his parents time. While feeling  neglected Steve begins to have strange and peculiar dreams about angels, which turns out to be bees. During one of these dreams, Steve agrees to allow these bees to help "heal" his baby brother, but what Steve doesn't realize is how the bees will "fix" his brother. As the story progresses Steve realizes these bees aren't going to save his brother, but replace him instead. It's up to Steve to remedy the problem and save his brother from being taken away and devoured by the Queen and her worker bees. Will Steve be able to save his little brother from the evil Queen bee?

When I read this story I was blown away by the idea of a evil "Bee Queen," who could build/make a new baby. Throughout the story I wondered why the parents didn't try to spend  time with their other healthy children, but I suppose if I had one child who was terribly ill and close to dying then I would dedicate my time to my sick child. I could empathize with the character Steve, because he thought he was being helpful and he was doing this for the right intentions. Perhaps the readers who have been in similar situation where someone in their family was sick could relate to how Steve felt, or even the case of the middle child could be left out because their other siblings need more attention.