“Vitus” directed by Fredi M. Murer

 

Neracher, Cristof; Davi, Christian, and Murer, Fredi M (Producers).  Murer, Fredi M.  (Director).  Vitus.  (2006).  France:  Ocean Films.  100 Minutes.  Rated PG.  Genre:  Drama, Music

At six Vitus was deemed a “wonderchild” for having an exceptionally high IQ and an ability to play piano concertos flawlessly.  At twelve he attends high school, yet is ostracized by both teachers and classmates because of his age, intelligence, and wit.  Vitus yearns for a life of his own and not the ones his parents have fabricated for him.  Then, an encounter with a world renowned pianist ironically presents Vitus with the opportunity to begin living according to his own plans- which are, shall I say, absolute genius!

Image from IMDB, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478829/

“Tuck Everlasting” directed by Jay Russell

Startz, Jane and Abraham, Marc (Producers).  Russell, Jay (Director).  (2002).  Tuck Everlasting.  USA:  Walt Disney Pictures.  90 Minutes.

Genre:  Drama, Romance, Fantasy, Family

Rating: PG

Winnie can no longer endure the restrictions imposed on her by her parent’s traditional, formal, Edwardian principals so she runs away into the woods.  Losing her way, she finds Jesse Tuck beside the Tuck family secret- a spring whose water grants the drinker eternal life.  Fearful that Winnie will reveal the Tuck’s secret, the family brings her in to their secluded home and promise to return her home but do not specify when.  Winnie soon loses track of time and falls in love with Jessie as he shows her the world that was right outside her home.  Their romance, as well as the Tuck’s safety is threatened as the town searches for Winnie. 

A classic story about immortality, independence, and love. Based on the book by Natalie Babbitt.

Image from IMDB:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283084/fullcredits

“About a Boy,” directed by Chris and Paul Weitz

Lynn Harris and Nick Hornby (Executive Producers), and Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz (Directors).  (2002).  About a Boy (Motion Picture). England:  Universal Pictures. 101 Minutes.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Rating: PG-13

Was there ever an adult that you knew with awesome pad and all the cool music, clothes, and fun that you wished you had? Twelve-year-old Marcus has attached himself to shallow, mid-thirty-year-old Will who- for the moment- eases Marcus’ troubles with bullies, his suicidal mother, and recently deceased duck. When Will is unable to see past his own problems to help Marcus the two go their separate ways, until Marcus makes a decision that will be sure to end in his own social suicide.  This movie was based off the book by the same name by Nick Hornby.

Image from Google

Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley’s “It’s Perfectly Normal”

Harris, Robie H. and Emberley, Michael (illustrator).  (2009).  It’s Perfectly Normal.  Somerville, MA:  Candlewick Press.  ISBN:  978-0-7636-4483-3

Where’s all this hair coming from?  What is homosexuality?  Why do I feel this way whenever I see that special someone?  It’s perfectly normal to have questions, and it’s perfectly normal to want to know about the changes your experiencing as a tween.  Actually, you can find all your answers in It’s Perfectly Normal, a book all about puberty and sexual health.  Informative but comprehendable explanations, detailed illustrations, and humorus interludes between a bird and a bee cover everthing from making babies to healthy relationships to the first armpit hair.  The authors provide scientific and factual information without sounding too “academic,” and offer useful advice to help readers feel clued in to what’s going on with themselves and others around them.  The book is comprehensive and open-minded but most of all it helps tweens understand that what they are experiencing is perfectly natural and there is no need to be embaressed by their bodies. 

Book cover art from Robie Harris’ website, http://www.robieharris.com/work_book-normal.html

Harriet S. Mosatche and Karen Unger’s “Too Old for This, Too Young for That!”

Mosatche, Harriet S. and Unger, Karen.  (2000). Too Old for This, Too Young for That!:  Your Survival Guide for the Middle School Years.  Minneapolis, MN:  Free Spirit Publishing, Inc.  ISBN:  1-57542-067-8

Eventually, we all have to go through it- middle school!  Such a place can send chills running down the spine, but with a little bit of preparation and much appreciated advice middle schoolers can survive, even thrive.  Each chapter focuses on important topics that effect tweens, such as changing bodies, self-esteem, friendship, family, and feelings.  The authors have included quotes from middle school students, activities, and even reproducable handouts for educators.  I wish I had had this book when I was a tween.  Ages 10  and up.

Book image from kid source, http://www.kidsource.com/Books/too_old_too_young.html

Linda and Tosh Sivertsen’s “Generation Green”

Sivertsen, Linda and Tosh Sivertsen.  (2008).  Generation Green.  New York, NY:  Simon Pulse.  ISBN:  1-4169-6122-4.   

                Linda and Tosh are a mother and son green team that have taken what they have learned from each other to create Generation Green.  Linda and Tosh cover all topics that are important to teens and yet can still be made greener, including hygiene, jewelry, and picking a career.  This book is written in plain, easy to comprehend English, it offers insightful tips to how teens can effortlessly change or develop habits so that their actions reflect their green values, it discusses environmental crisis, and provides additional resources- book and web accessible- to turn to for further exploration.  What makes it unique is Linda’s connections to the celebrity world.  Readers can find out what famous actors and authors, like Ed Begley, Jr. and Darryl Hannah, do to reduce their carbon footprint.  Another special feature is their last chapter, titled, “a day in the life of green.”  The authors take you through what the typical teen may do in an average day, including getting dressed, eating meals, cleaning up; and offers ideas to how to make these routines more sustainable.  Scenarios of these routines are judged by these terms: typical, green, greener, and greenest.  While this book can seem a little preachy and sometimes a little too green (check out what they have to say about showering) it’s delightful to see a mother-son team working towards a comon goal.  Ages 12 and up

Cover art from Simon ans Schuster, http://books.simonandschuster.com/Generation-Green/Linda-Sivertsen/9781416961222

Ann Jaramillo’s “La Linea”

Jaramillo, Ann.  (2006).  La Linea.  New York, NY: Roaring Book Press.   ISBN:  0312373546.  

                Miguel is 15 and lives on a rancho in San Jacinto, Mexico with his grandmother and sister, Elena.  It has been so long since he has seen his parents that he can barely remember how they look, but he wants more than anything to see them again and to join them in California.  On his birthday a letter from his father ignites Miguel’s desire to embark on his journey.  All he has to do to cross la linea is hop a reputedly lethal moving train, traverse the desert, avoid border patrol and any other human dangers, and endure extreme thirst, hunger, and exhaustion.  The tasks ahead of him are no match for having to watch out for his younger sister, Elena, who invites herself along on the voyage.   Miguel and Elena shed sweat and tears as they undertake the massive obstacle, la linea, which lies between them and their parents, but will it all be worth it?  Ages 12 and up

Cover art from Macmillian, http://us.macmillan.com/lalinea

Bette Bao Lord’s “In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson”

Lord, Bette Bao.  (1984).  In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson.  New York:  HarperCollins Publishers.  ISBN:  0-06-024004-0.  

 It’s the year 1947.  Bandit, Sixth Cousin of the Wong Clan, lives a life of comfort and predictability, surrounded by relatives in her family’s compound in Chungking, China.  The first day of the year of the boar, Bandit chooses her American name, Shirley Temple Wong, which will follow her and be part of her identity when she and her mother journey 10,000 miles to New York to join her father.  Knowing no English, Shirley begins school and is eager to make friends, however, her classmates do not share her enthusiasm and exclude her from their games and activities.  Then, one of Shirley’s classmates, Mabel, has an unexpected change of heart and introduces Shirley to the game of stickball, or baseball.  Shirley spends the following summer listening to radio broadcasts of baseball games, paying close attention to her favorite player Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers.   Although the excitement of baseball and having friends fulfills Shirley, she still misses her large extended family in China and wonders if she will ever see them again.  Through triumph and defeat Shirley becomes greater entangled in American culture and finds that many Americans, even the famous ones, have endured long journeys just as she.  Ages 9 -12

Cover art from Scholastic, http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/book.jsp?id=1202

“A Mango-Shaped Space” by Wendy Mass

Mass, Wendy.  (2005).  A Mango-Shaped Space.  Little, Brown and Company.  ISBN 0-316-05825-4

                “My sister doesn’t have a disease, she has a gift,” says 11-year old Zack, coming to his sister Mia’s defense.  Mia’s gift is being able to sense colors and shapes when she reads letters and numbers and hears words and noises.  He has a condition called synesthesia, a condition where one involuntarily experiences several senses at once, such as seeing swirls of color all around the room when a certain song is playing.  Due to a humiliating event in the third grade, Mia denied the colors and shapes she saw and never discussed it with anyone.  However, as the pressure to do well in school mounts she knows she must seek her family’s acceptance in order to get the help she needs.

Reading Mia’s inspiring journey of self discovery makes it easy to understand why A Mango-Shaped Space won the ALA Schneider Family Book Award, which awards artists who portray the disability experience.  Mia tells her story from the first person, and from her humorous and emotional narration readers get to know her as a very resilient, creative, bold, and independent character.  The attitudes of the characters in Mia’s life- family, friends, teachers, and strangers- convincingly reflect real attitudes of frustration, mockery, and encouragement that occur when someone displays an unusual quality.  To prevent herself from experiencing more humiliation, like most teenagers she holds things from those she loves for different reasons, but she ultimately comes forward to help another that can benefit from her experience.     As one reader came to understand, there is no reason to hide from who you are, especially when the key to your happiness lies exactly in what you are running away from.  Mass has included a seven question reading guide at the end of the book, which gets readers to think about questions raised in the book and their own experiences.  Ages 10 and up

ALA Schneider Family Award

Book cover art from Wendy Mass’ website, http://www.wendymass.com/mass-mango.htm

“Punkzilla” by Adam Rapp

Rapp, Adam.  (2009).  Punkzilla.  Somerville, MA:  Candlewick Press.  ISBN 978-0-7636-3031-7

                Jamie Wyckoff, aka Punkzilla or Zilla, has seen a lot more than most fourteen-year olds have.  After dropping out of military school in Missouri he hitch hikes to Portland, Oregon to set up a new but temporary life of theft, drug use, and occasional camaraderie with other runaways.  When he receives a letter and $200 from his 27-year old brother Peter, P, who is dying of cancer in Memphis, Punkzilla hits the road again, this time on a Greyhound.   P is the only family member that understands Punkzilla, and vice versa, but the conditions Punkzilla encounters on his journey make it seem less and less likely that he and P will have their final reunion.

    Adam Rapp enlivens Punkzilla’s knack for writing in the stream of conscious by not only writing a novel composed entirely of letters, but presenting these letters unchronologically.   The reader gets the exciting challenge of reconstructing events from his inglorious past that have lead up to his current road trip.  Readers may also be surprised to find that there is much more intellect and depth to Punkzilla than one would expect to find in a fourteen-year old runaway.  Perhaps because he is a drifter he is able to trust and occasional sympathize with the cast of wanderers he meets while traveling.  Rapp has succeeded in bringing a different, more enlightening description of running away, or rather running towards a glimmer of hope.  Experienced readers may find Punkzilla to be reminiscent of other classics like Jack Kerouac’s On the Road and Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon.  Ages 13 and up.

Book cover art from Candlewick Press, http://www.candlewick.com/cat.asp?mode=book&isbn=0763630314&browse=Author