Wonder

Title of Book:  Wonder

Author:  R. J. Palacio

Publisher and Publication date:  Alfred A. Knopf, 2012

ISBN number:  978-0-375-86902-0

Audience: Ages 8 and up

Summary:  August Pullman is born with a severe facial deformity and is sheltered from the world and home schooled by his parents and sister until fifth grade when he begins middle school at a private school where he knows no one.  Making friends is hard enough in middle school, but when you look like Auggie, it’s nearly impossible.  He endures stares, ridicule, betrayal, loneliness and heartbreak before an overnight school field trip erupts in a group fight to protect him.  When the trip is over, most people at school realize he is just another kid like them and in fact a pretty terrific one.  This is a heartwarming story about courage and about judging people for who they are rather than what they look like.

Literary elements at work in the story:  This great story is broken into eight sections and told in first person from the view of six of the characters including Auggie, his sister, her former best friend, her boyfriend and two friends from his new school.  Each section has short easy to read chapters that express genuine feelings and allow the reader to experience the characters point of view and gain further insight into the story andits dynamics.  Each section of the story opens with a quote from a song, a movie or literature that relates to the section or character and ties into the story.  There is also mention of his English teacher’s precepts (defined as rules about really important things-like a motto) throughout the story and those are included at the end of the book in an appendix as well as those precepts written by the main characters.

Presentation of gender/race/culture/economic status/age/disabilities/etc:  The characters in this story are middle class and upper middle class white people living in New York City.  The main character is a 10 year old boy who has a severe facial deformity and a hearing disability.

Theological conversation partners:  1 Samuel 16:7-Humans looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart, Parable of the Good Samaritan, Matthew 7:1 (Do not judge others), 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (Love is…), Genesis 1-Created in God’s image-it is good, Shema/Mark 12:30-31 (Love your neighbor as yourself).  Karl Barth-The Judge who was judged in our place and was just.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. What story or character in the Bible does Auggie’s story remind you of and why?
2. How would you line up the characters in this story with the parable of the Good Samaritan? Why?
3. Who in this book do you think is the Good Samaritan?
4. What do you think it means to be created in God’s image?  What does that mean for people with deformities and/or disabilities?
5. What does it mean to judge other people?  How do we judge people?  How does God judge people?
6. What does it mean for us to love our neighbor?
7. Think of the ‘Auggie’ that you go to school with-How is he/she treated by other?  By you?
8. What can you do to love the “Auggie’ at your school?
9. How is courage displayed in this story?
10. What is Auggie’s source of courage?  What is yours?

This review was written by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Lisa McLennan.

Number the Stars

Name of Book:  Number the Stars

Author:  Lois Lowry

Publisher:  Sandpiper

ISBN:  978-0547577098

Audience:  Ages 10-14

Summary:  Young Annemarie Nielsen and her friend Ellen Rosen live in occupied Copenhagen in 1943. Though young, they understand that the occupation of their city by the Nazis is frightening and dangerous, especially for Jews like Ellen and her family. When the Nazis begin to relocate the Jews, Annemarie and her family take many risks to save Ellen and her parents. Faced with difficult choices, frightening truths, and hope for a time beyond war, Annemarie learns about her own strength and courage as she works to save her friend.

Literary elements at work in the story:  In very age-appropriate ways, this short novel brings to life the historical events of Europe during WWII. Lowry develops Annemarie’s character across the novel as she matures from a carefree school girl to a young lady burdened by the reality of war. Annemarie is insightful, intelligent, caring, discerning and brave. The novel’s action rises quickly as Annemarie’s family works to save their neighbors, the Rosens. While the plot is not complicated, the author slowly unveils the secret that Annemarie’s family must keep. This skillful plot development allows the reader to experience tension – and hope – alongside Annemarie. Additionally, as various family members come forward to help the Rosens, the author maintains her focus on Annemarie and the fears she must face, thus allowing a young reader to relate to this difficult period in history.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability: With a backdrop of Nazi-occupied Europe, this novel explores the treatment of the Jews at the hands of the Nazis. Through Annemarie, a Lutheran, and Ellen, a Jew, the author reinforces the idea that love and friendship are not bound by such distinctions as race or religion. Throughout the novel, in fact, the two families are shown to be loving neighbors who are respectful of their varied traditions. Annemarie and her sister Kirsti, in fact, are frequently invited to the Rosen’s home to see the lighting of the Sabbath candles. In terms of gender, Annemarie is depicted as a strong girl, capable of carrying out a dangerous mission. However, the author is also careful to be realistic in her characterizations for this particular time and place. When Annemarie and her mother visit Uncle Henrik, Annemarie’s mother notes the clutter and announces that Uncle Henrik needs a wife. Finally, while Annemarie must present herself as a “silly, empty-headed little girl,” the great irony is that this pretense is what allows her to be her most daring, brave, and quick-witted self.

Theological Conversation Partners:  Genesis 15:1-6; Psalm 147 (Quoted in the novel); Isaiah 41:8-13; Mark 12:28-34; I John 3:11-22

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Ask children to identify some of the things that frighten people. Ask them to consider why we become fearful in certain situations.
2. The novel makes the point that bravery is not the absence of fear, but the putting aside of fear for a greater good. In what ways were Annemarie and her family brave in the face of great fear?
3. Ask students to brainstorm for a list of examples from scripture that show bravery in the face of fear.
4. What do you think motivates people to set aside their fears and act bravely?
5. How does faith play a role in facing fears?  What are some examples of the role of faith in this novel?
6. The Rosens and the Nielsens are neighbors. What does scripture say about the relationship between neighbors? How is this lived out in the action of the novel?
7. Peter reads Psalm 147 during the dark and frightening night of the Rosens’ escape. How does this psalm offer hope to those gathered? How does it offer hope to us?
8. Abraham was promised as many descendants as there are stars in the sky. Consider the use of stars in this novel. How do Ellen’s necklace, the title of the novel, Psalm 147 and the story of Abraham in Genesis 15 work together to speak of hope in the midst of the persecution the Jews faced in Europe in 1943?

This review was prepared by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Catherine Lovejoy.

The Lions of Little Rock

Title: The Lions of Little Rock

Author:  Kristen Levine

Publisher:  Putnam Juvenile

ISBN:  9780399256448

Audience:  Ages 10 and up

Summary: In 1957 nine black students entered Central High School in Little Rock and President Eisenhower sent troops to protect them. The story was covered by almost every newspaper in the country.   Far less publicity was given to the following year, 1958, when schools were closed in Little Rock to prevent integration.  Cohen has chosen to set her story in this year, when the real struggle to integrate the schools took various forms and voices. In this year the friendship of Marlee, a silent, shy, math whiz and Liz, a confident, verbal leader begins.  When Liz invites Marlee to work with her on a history project, Marlee’s life begins to change.  Then suddenly, the day of the presentation, Liz is gone from the school. She, it becomes known, is a light-skinned African-American who has been “passing as white,” an action that can bring serious consequenses to her and to those who have associated with her. While Marlee and Liz seek ways to continue their friendship, meeting at the zoo, the adults in their lives are struggling to open the schools and to prevent violence. Marlee’s sister Judy has gone to Pine Bluff to stay with her grandmother so that she can finish high school and Marlee’s father loses his job because of his pro-integration activities. Marlee finds her voice in these struggles.  The schools will eventually open; Marlee and Liz will contact each other in the future only by phone.

Literary elements at work in the story: This is a multi-layered novel that is based on solid research. Though it is never didactic, it shows the complexity and the intensity of the integration crisis for both blacks and whites, young and old. The zoo is near Marlee’s house and the lions are literally and symbolically part of the story.  Voiceless Marlee is another symbol, a symbol of a city struggling to speak out against racial inequality.  The novel is peopled with real characters-parents, students, teachers and only one stereotype, Red, the violent racist. There is gentle humor here but only a muted happy ending.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story? Racial prejudice is clearly the major factor in this story but it takes a number of forms-violence, indifference, compromise, and growing understanding. Marlee, a gifted math student, knows that girls are ignored in the  emphasis on science in the Sputnik era.  Women, canny and courageous,  are the primary movers in the effort to open the schools.

Theological Conversation Partners: Marlee finds courage from a verse she hears at Sunday school, 1 Peter 3:14, a verse she later shares with her mother. Peter was encouraging the early church as it faced persecution in the Roman empire.  Scripture is filled with stories of people who courageously took unpopular stands from Moses through Daniel to Peter.  Jesus was nearly lynched when he included outsiders in God’s promises. (Luke 4:16-29) and faced criticism for his association with outcasts.  (Luke 5:27-32) Jesus, in fact, says that “persecution for righteousness sakes is a blessing. (Matt. 5:10). The church in this novel is a cautious seed bed for pro-integration activities, certainly not as central as it was in the Civil Rights movement throughout the south.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Prejudice is the driving force in this novel.  What do you know about prejudice? Have you experienced it?  Are there individuals or groups that experience prejudice in your school or community?
2. What do you know about the Civil Rights movement? About the desegregation of schools in the south?  Over a half century has passed since the events of this story.  Can you see changes?  Can you see things that have not changed?
3. Friendship is a major part of the story. At the very end of the book Marlee tells Liz that a friend is someone who helps you change for the better.  What do you think of this definition of friendship? How did Liz help Marlee change?  How did Marlee help Liz?
4. Marlee pursues her friendship with Liz despite both sets of parents forbidding it.  She thinks this is the right thing to do.  What are the consequences? Who was right, Marlee or the parents?
5. When STOP wins the election and teachers are rehired, Marlee is depressed. Why?  Her math teacher compares the world to an algebra problem with variables and changes. What does he mean by this? Have you tried to do something good or worked to solve a problem like world hunger or teen age drinking and found the problem too difficult to solve?
6. Have you faced an experience where it took courage to do or say the right thing?  Jesus promises that the Spirit will help you.  Choose some words from the Bible that could give you courage. A few suggestions: Philippians 4:13; Matt. 27:20 b; Ps. 138:3. Ps. 56:4.; 1 Peter 3:14
7. Identify the Little Rock Lions.

This review was prepared by regular reviewer Virginia Thomas.

Inkheart

Name of Book: Inkheart

Author:  Cornelia Funke

Publisher:  Scholastic Inc.

ISBN:  0439709105

Audience:  Ages 9 and up

Summary:  Twelve-year-old Meggie and her father Mo, a bookbinder, live a quiet life together until a stranger appears one rainy night, and Meggie learns of a complicated past which quickly envelops her family again.  Nine years before, Mo had been reading aloud to his family when several characters from the story of Inkheart leapt out of the fictional adventure and into the real world, while Meggie’s mother and a couple of cats disappeared into the pages of the book.  In the intervening years these evil characters – Capricorn and his band of followers – have continued wreaking the same sort of havoc which marked their fictional lives.  They have taken over a small Italian village, blackmailing or killing any who dared get in their way.  Now they want Mo to read aloud from Inkheart again, this time to draw the truly malevolent Shadow into the world.  They will stop at nothing to get what they want.

Literary elements at work in the story:  Like all fantasy, Inkheart requires the reader’s complete acceptance of unrealistic elements in the story.  In this case, the reader must consent to the notion that a particularly gifted storyteller can read book characters out of a book and into real life.  Most of Funke’s characters are so well developed that believing in them takes no great stretch of the imagination.  The only exception is Capricorn, whose maliciousness seems to come from the core of his being.  Narration is always in the third person, but the point of view skips around among several main characters, allowing the reader broad and deep insight into the action.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story?  Although the main character of Inkheart is a pre-teen girl, the real power in this novel is held by males.  Mo and Capricorn stand at opposite ends of the spectrum of good and evil.  Meggie certainly grows into a power that she didn’t know she had, but at the end of the story, after she has saved the day with extraordinary courage, Mo steps back into his paternal role of authority and begins to make plans again.  Further, the fact that Meggie’s mother has lost her voice in her transition from the storybook world of Inkheart back to the real world is a metaphor that may not serve young female readers well.

Theological conversation partners:  Inkheart is a post-Paradise story, in which evil has entered the world in the guise of Capricorn and his men.  As with all of Judeo/Christian history, the characters in Funke’s novel look toward a specific narrative as the entry point for returning to the world in which they want to live, a world without evil.  At the climax of the novel, Meggie vanquishes evil (at least until the next installment of the series) by being brave enough to tell a different story, one in which good triumphs.  It is not the story that Capricorn has commanded, but it is one that must be told.  This brave storytelling will resonate with those who tell Jesus’ alternative narrative as well.

Faith Talk Questions: 

1. Writers like Fenoglio (the fictional author of Inkheart in the novel by the same name) are creators of whole imaginary worlds.  How are they like God, the creator of the universe?  How are they different?
2. Are there people as evil as Capricorn in our world?
3. Meggie got rid of Capricorn by reading a different story when she was forced to read aloud.  What small irritations would you like to get rid of if you could rewrite your story?  What large evils would you like to rewrite?
4. Jesus often hung out with people whom the rest of the world avoided.  How is Jesus’ lifestyle like rewriting a story?

This review was written by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Beth Lyon-Suhring.

Every Soul a Star

Name of Book: Every Soul a Star

Author: Wendy Mass

Publisher:  Little, Brown, & Company, 2009

ISBN: 978-0-316-00256-1

Audience: Ages 10-13

Summary:  Three young teens become unlikely friends as they witness a solar eclipse.  Ally is homeschooled and lives with her family at the remote campground were thousands will gather to witness the solar eclipse.  Bree is a “typical” city teen only focusing on herself, looks, friends, her goal to be a model in the future, etc.  She doesn’t fit into her family of scientists who are going to take over management of the campground after the eclipse happens.  Jack is an artistic teen from a single parent home, who is invited to help his science teacher run a tour to the campground after he fails his science class that year.

Literary elements at work in the story:  This is a contemporary realistic fiction story set primarily in an out-of-the-way campground during the phenomenon of a solar eclipse. The characters belong to a wide social setting but become involved as an intimate group. This story is told in third person with an overall theme of friendship, growing up, courage and acceptance.  Other minor themes include developing empathy for others, reflecting on choices made, and feeling part of a group.

(How) does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story?  This story combines science, friendship, and growing up by three diverse teens. Students can relate to the teens and their siblings’ situations and the author engages discussions of relevant teenage situations that the characters discuss with various approaches of response.  These include cultural (home school to city), economic( having money or not), family dynamics(siblings, parental, adults to teens), as well as the teacher having the faith in the children’s ability to conduct an international space experiment without his presence due to a family crisis he has to respond to.

Theology:  The main concept that this book returns to again and again is the courage of individuals.  Giving confidence to young adults is imperative to their level of courage for the future.  Peterl lost his confidence, courage when Jesus asked him to walk on the water (Matthew 14:27-31). When we put our confidence in Jesus our courage can only multiply, and ultimately this will shine for others to see.

Respect is an important part of growing up today. Children need to learn respect of their elders, but on the flip side adults need to show respect to the younger generations as well.  Responsibility goes hand in hand with respect, and is paramount in growing older.  Responsibility to yourself, your family, your church, even society, all require a great moral accountability which can be hard as you face new situations.  The greatest source of permanent comfort and inner confidence against both irrational fears and real anxieties lies in the basic truths found in Scripture.

Faith Talk Questions:

1.  How would you feel if your parents told you you were moving the way Bree’s parents did?  How about not being told like Ally’s parents did?

2. Do you feel that their parents respected them?  Did the girls respect their parents’ situation?

3. When there was a crisis that almost stopped the experiment, the teacher put his confidence in Jack and the group of children to carry on.  Have you ever undertaken a task that you felt was overwhelming to do? Did you have confidence in the Lord to “have your back”?  Did it generate confidence in what you achieved?

4.  Why do you think Jack didn’t want to attend the solar eclipse even after he made friends with everyone?

5. Most of the suggestions that Bree made about moving to the city were about popularity.  Why do you think that Ally didn’t seem to care about this?  Which of the friends do you relate to the most?

6. Each day we must show our confidence or courage.  Do you trust God to guide you each day, more than anyone? How did the children show their courage?

7. How does the eclipse affect Ally, Bree, and Jack?  How does it change their attitudes and their outlooks for the future?

This review was prepared by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Cyndi Beerbower.

Hanne’s Quest

Name of Book: Hanne’s Quest

Author: Olivier Dunrea

Publisher: Philomel

ISBN: 978-0399242168

Audience: Ages 7 to 10

Summary:  Mem lives on a farm with her beloved speckled hens. When she receives a bill for back taxes, she confides to the animals that she will lose the farm. The hens secretly confer and learn, to their astonishment that one of their number, young Hanne, will be able to lay golden eggs if she has the courage to complete an ancient rhyme. Hanne does not know if she is up to the task, but she sets out to try as it is the only way to save the farm and her friends.

Literary elements at work in the story:  The magical elements and the quest provide a good structure for children moving from folklore to fantasy tales. Beautifully composed and often darkly atmospheric, the paintings add to the wonder of the story.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story: Hanne is a good female hero role model showing compassion and courage.  The concern for the animals and their home is something many can, unfortunately, relate to making this a timely choice.

Scripture: James 1:12

Theology: Hanne knows what this passage says, that trials are part of life. Our trials may not as dramatic as Hanne’s but they are ones that will nonetheless test us. Hanne did not have to face her trials alone. She had magical help. Thanks be to God that we do not need magic or self help books or otherworldly help. We have something so much better. We have God’s promise to always be there to help us through our trials. Love God, feel and look for God’s help and you will never be alone when trials come.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. How did Hanne overcome her trials?
2. Would you have gone on Hanne’s quest?
3. Have you ever faced a hard time?
4. How did you overcome it?
5. How could you help someone who is having a hard time?
6. God has promised that God will always be there for us.  Is it hard to “see” and “feel” God when we are having a hard time?
7. How can we get better at trusting in God’s promise?

Review prepared by guest blogger Janet Lloyd

If I Never Forever Endeavor

Title: If I Never Forever Endeavor

Author: Holly Meade

Illustrator: Holly Meade

Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2011

ISBN: 9780763640712

Audience:  Ages 4-7

Summary: A young fledgling perched on the edge of his/her nest looks down and has an inner debate: Shall I endeavor to fly.? If I try, I may fail. If I stay safely in my nest I may miss what it feels like to dip and glide and soar. On the one wing, I could try and look foolish.  On the other wing,  I could try and take flight.  Tentatively the bird tries, flaps and flutters.  In the last picture the fledgling sails toward the sun.

Literary elements at work in the story: The inner debate is poetry, using the phrase “If I never forever endeavor,” especially the word “endeavor”, frequently.   The bird’s soliloquy is rhythmic and memorable and will be picked up by the listeners by the second reading.  “Endeavor” may be a new word. .  This endeavor to fly is illustrated with water color and woodblock prints., a spacious sky and  a marvelous pine tree that are the perfect setting for an attempt to fly. The author/illustrator is a Caledcott honor winner. This daily, universal situation…”I can feel in the pit of my stomach: possible glory, possible failure,” says Meade. “This is a book about that choice.”

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story? The bird may be a male and the friend encountered may be a female but this is a guess.  Birds don’t seem to be bothered by these other perspectives.

Theological Conversation Partners:  A young child is required daily to try new things – make friends,  acquire skills, go to school, play a game, ride a bike, learn to swim.  Their lives are far more risky than we realize.  Adults face the challenge to try, to dare in their lives as well. Our faith affirms three things: God is present with us in each challenge; we can trust God to help us: a disciple’s life is one of risk-taking.  Biblical situations that could help us think of such risks are God’s call to Abraham, God’s call to Moses to face Pharaoh, Jesus’ call to Peter, Andrew, Matthew, Paul’s venture into Macedonia,  Childhood, indeed any age, is a perfect time to commit such verses as Ps. 27:1,  Phil. 4:13, Matt. 27:20  to memory. Psalm 56 is full of verses about trust that overcomes fear.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. What was the bird’s problem?
2. Of what was the bird afraid?
3. Think of times when you need to try something new.
4. How do you feel?
5. Have you ever failed to try something new?  Why?
6. Does God plan for us to try new things?
7. How does God help us?

Review prepared by guest blogger Virginia Thomas

Follow the Drinking Gourd

Title:  Follow the Drinking Gourd

Author and Illustrator: Jeannette Winter

Publisher: Dragonfly Books, (Division. of Random House)

ISBN:  0-978-1-4420-1461-9

Audience: 5-9 years as an easy reader.  Also useful for an adult faith discussion on Liberation Theology.

Summary: This is a story about the Underground Railroad in the pre-civil war days of 1840 when Africans began to break the cruel bondage of slavery.   The narrative starts with an old sailor called Peg Leg Joe who helped the slaves escape their masters and find their way to freedom in Canada.  Under the guise of an itinerant handyman he would hire himself to plantation owners, then secretly meet with the slaves to teach them a song. “Follow the Drinking Gourd” contained coded instructions on how and when to escape, and directions for traveling to safe havens along the way. The drinking gourd referred to the constellation known as the Big Dipper which guided them northward along waterways and mountain passes.  The narrative then focuses on one slave family, Molly, James and Isaiah, about to be broken up through the sale of their father. One night they hear a quail call (one of the song’s codes), they look up to see the Big Dipper, and take off with an older woman, Hattie and her grandson George. Hiding by day and moving my night, pursued by the master’s dogs, they press on with little sleep or food, sometimes lost on starless nights, until they reached Peg Leg Joe at the Ohio River.  The travel from this point on was less perilous through a network of safe houses, one of which was a Quaker community, and finally on a boat across Lake Erie.

Literary Elements: Compassion, courage and faith are the themes of this longer-than-usual picture book (44 pages).  The suspense and drama of this moving tale come to life in pictures with deep vivid colors and emotional impact. The heroes of the story are the slave family, whose perilous journey is brought to life through dark colors and expressive faces, especially their eyes which are always vigilant. With a face that resembles Abraham Lincoln, Peg Leg Joe characterizes an empathetic soul whose own handicap perhaps allowed him to understand the lives and trials of the powerless. The dominant emotion is not fear but courage, solidarity and determination.   Hattie holds George in her arms as they huddle in a tree trunk, James and Isaiah fight off dogs and wolves, the whole party embrace at the crest of a hill under the starry night sky. The background gradually lightens as they approach the Canadian border and disembark from the boat under a bright blue sky and pink clouds. These pictures of faith and love in the quest for freedom are so full of detail they could be used without the text as a story-building exercise.

Perspective on gender/race/cuture/economics: There’s no question about the social and political message, but it’s not about race. This is a story of triumph over cruelty and oppression.  Age and gender roles are of no consequence among the fugitives and their supporters.  The slave masters are all male but that, unfortunately, was the reality of the time.

Theological Conversation Partners:

True To Our Native Land, by Brian Blount, Fortress Press ISBN 9780800634216

Theology: This story is loaded with Biblical themes and imagery.  Parallels with the Exodus narrative are obvious, but it also contains much material for a discussion of New Testament liberation theology in the light of African American experience, which is examined at length in Dr. Blount’s book True To Our Native Land.  Peg Leg Joe could as well represent Jesus as he could Moses. Jesus came to help enslaved humanity escape the evils of the domination system. His parables were coded messages to those who had ears to hear just as the song contained the secrets that led the slaves to freedom. Like Peg Leg Joe, he moved from place to place teaching in stories and healings that revealed the truth of God’s kingdom of freedom. “Each successful escape was as damaging to the system of institutionalized slavery as each one of Jesus’ successful exorcisms or healings had been to the continued dominance of the realm of the “strong man.” (Blount, p. 253) African American and Anglo American children and adults need to hear this story about people of the kingdom: the slaves, the sailor, and the Quakers whose faith and compassion brought them together on the road to freedom.

Review prepared by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Susan Wills

Harvesting Hope

Name of Book:  Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez

Author:  Kathleen Krull

Illustrator:  Yuyi Morales

Publisher: Harcourt

Audience: 10+

Summary: At the age of 10,  Cesar’s family had to migrate to California in search of farm work after being displaced from their ranch in Arizona due to a severe drought which resulted in their inability to pay their bills.  Cesar quits school after the eighth grade to work on the farms and help support his family. The working conditions on these farms were harsh and poor with low wages.  Cesar feels that the workers are being treated as less than human.  When he could no longer tolerate the conditions, he organizes the first National Farm Workers Association and in a non-violent protest he fought for justice.  He organized a strike and a non-violent march from Delano to Sacramento the capital, a total of 340 miles to ask for government help.  As a result of the march, Cesar’s protest against the grape company became well publicized. The National Farm Workers Association was recognized and a promise of better pay and working conditions was the result.  Cesar celebrates this victory but he states that “it is well to remember that there must be courage but that in victory there must be humility.”

Literary elements at work in the story:

Genre: Picture book partial biography of a Mexican American Cesar Chavez

Setting: Inhumane working conditions on the grape farms in California during the life of Cesar Chavez

Characterization: Cesar Chavez portrays courage, determination and hope of changing the inhumane conditions in which the farm workers had to work. He organized the first farm workers union.

Plot: The author gives a chronological account of Chavez’ life to the point where he organizes a non-violent protest to bring about change and justice to a group that was disenfranchised by wealthy land owners.

Theme:  The theme of this book is centered in having the hope, determination and courage to bring about change and justice through a non-violent protest.

Point of View: Written from a third person point of view

Style: Beautifully illustrated with warm colors that draws the reader in and brings the story to life.

Perspective on:

Gender: No gender stereotyping; Story is specifically about Cesar Chavez;

Race: The main character is Chavez a Mexican America who sought change for Mexican American Farm Workers

Culture:  Mexican American working for predominantly white farm owners in California during a specific time period

Economic:  Suppress a specific ethnic group—Mexican American Farm Workers by wealthy land owners.

Ability:  No representation of anyone being handicapped

Scripture :  Jeremiah 33:15-16

Theology talk:

1)      The Lord raises people up for a purpose

2)      Righteousness and justice

Faith Talk Questions:

1)      How does it make you feel when certain people are treated incorrectly because of how they look?

2)      How does God expect us to treat each other?

3)      What other leaders or heroes used non-violent resistance to create change?

Review prepared by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Dee Osbourne-Smart

Almost to Freedom

Name of Book:  Almost to Freedom

Author:  Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Illustrator:  Colin Bootman

Publisher:  Scholastic Inc.

Audience:  ages 6+

Summary:  A rag doll tells the story of a slave family’s escape to find freedom “in a place called North.”  The doll tells of being sewn by a slave mother for her daughter.  The family must run away from their home.  Along the way they face dangers, but also find people who are willing to help them and to offer hospitality.  The people who offered this hospitality were often in danger themselves; they offered hospitality at great personal risk.  At one point, the doll is lost and left behind in the hiding place.  Later the doll is found and adopted by another little girl who is escaping to freedom with her family.  The story was inspired by an exhibit focused on the Underground Railroad.  While some of the harsh realities of the time and culture are depicted (the father is sold; the daughter is whipped), the rag doll’s point of view helps to soften the impact for younger readers.

Literary Elements at work in the story:

• Genre—Historical fiction
• Point of view—the doll tells the story.
• Style—written within experience of young children, makes impact without frightening or overwhelming young readers

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economic/ability:  Gender and race integral to story, reflect historical accuracy.  Caucasians are minor characters; some are cruel, some are kind.

Scripture:  Exodus, Matthew 25:31-46, Daniel 6:7-13, 1 Samuel 18:1-3, Proverbs 18:24, John 13:34-35, Romans 12:13

Theology:  Courage, hospitality, love, friendship

Faith Talk Questions:

• Who showed courage?
• Where was God in this story?
• What is a friend?
• Why did the woman put Lindy’s family in the dark basement?  Was she mean?  Why do you say this?

Review prepared by Union-PSCE graduate Mary Anne Welch.