Modern Fantasy Book Review: Ella Enchanted

Ella Enchanted

"...the fairy touched my nose. ‘My gift is obedience. Ella will always be obedient. Now stop crying, child.’ I stopped.” - Ella Enchanted

Author: Gail Carson Levine

Publisher: Harper Collins

Copyright Date: 1997

Number of Pages: 232 pages

Reading Level: Grades 4-6, Grades 7-8

Genre: Modern Fantasy
Awards: Newbery Honor (1998), ALA Notable Children’s Book, Arizona Young Reader’s Award, Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award, Iowa Teen Award, Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award, Publishers Weekly Best Book

Cost: $11.89 (Amazon)

Rating: ★★★★★

In Ella Enchanted, a fairy gave Ella the gift of obedience as an infant. The fairy, Lucinda, thought this was a wonderful gift because it stopped Ella from crying as a baby, but, in reality, it was a curse that Ella was forced to live with. This curse forced Ella to do as others said - no matter who gave the order or what the order was. Being subject to this curse put Ella in danger several times, and she lost much. Throughout this book, you will see how she tries to fight against the curse, and how it defeats her at times, such as when people steal from her or when she comes across ogres and is ordered to stay there. There is a way for Ella to defeat the curse, but it must come from within her own strength. Will she be able to overcome the curse, or will she have to live with it forever?

Ella Enchanted is a book filled with magic, fairies, ogres, giants, humans, and so much more, but, at its core, it is another Cinderella story. This story could be used in the classroom while talking about classic fairy tales and how people have retold or rewrote the stories in their own ways over the years. Students could read Ella Enchanted, as well as other Cinderella stories, then compare and contrast the stories. After reading the stories, they could write their own story, then everyone in the class could compare their stories to those that they read. 

This book could also be read by students individually, then have them do a literature circle where each student performs a different role, such as discussion director or illustrator, as they go through the book. 

Book Rating:

	★★★★★	★★★★	★★★	★★	★	COMMENTS
PLOT	Plot is well developed with all five elements of a good plot structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution).	Plot is developed, but lacking one of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a decent plot, but is lacking two of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a weak plot that is lacking three of the five elements of plot structure.	This book does not have a defined plot, and is lacking four or more of the five elements of plot structure.	★★★★★ I give Ella Enchanted five stars for its plot because it tells an intriguing story about Ella and the struggles she faces as a result of the curse of obedience that is placed upon her. This book uses all five elements of good plot structure to catch the readers' attention and tell the story.
CHARACTER	The characters are well developed, have personality, and are believable.	Characters are well rounded, but lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	Characters are somewhat developed, and lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	The characters are underdeveloped, lack in depth and are not believable.	The characters are not developed   so the readers cannot connect to the book.	★★★★★ I give Ella Enchanted five stars for its characters. The main character, Ella, as well as some of the other primary characters, such as Hattie, Mandy, and Char, are all well-developed and believable characters who each have unique personalities.
PACING	The story flows freely and is not rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for the most part, but there are a few spots where it feels rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for about half of the book, but the other half is rushed or slow.	The story often moves too fast or too slow and does not move freely.	There is no pacing in the story, which makes it difficult to read.	★★★★★ I give Ella Enchanted five stars for pacing because the story has no parts that feel slow or rushed. The plot is engaging and freely carries the reader throughout the entire book.

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Modern Fantasy Book Review: Zathura

Zathura: A Space Adventure

"A buzzing sound came from the board and, with a click, a small green card popped out of the edge right in front of him. He picked it up and read, "'Meteor showers, take evasive action.'" 
'Hey Walter,' Danny started to say, "what does eva-' when he was interrupted by a noisy rat-a-tat-tat sound coming from the roof." - Zathura

Author/Illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company

Copyright Date: 2002

Number of Pages: 32 pages

Reading Level: Pre-K, Grades 1-3

Genre: Modern Fantasy

Cost: $13.98 (Amazon)

Rating: ★★★★★

Zathura is the second book in the Jumanji series by Chris Van Allsburg, and it tells the story of two young boys who find a boring, old board game, but under that game they find another board. This board is about space, and the map goes from Earth to a planet called Zathura, then back to Earth. The younger brother, Danny, decides to play, and soon Walter is playing too. This game is unlike any other that they have ever played - the cards pop out of the board, and whatever the card says actually happens! The first event is a meteor shower, then Walter loses his gravity, and with every move the boys make, something different happens to them while they are in space. They continue to play in hopes of making it back to Earth, but things don't look good for them as the play continues on. To find out if they make it back to Earth or not, you'll have to read this book!

Zathura tells a fun, interesting, and creative story, and it would be a great book to use in the classroom. One way that this book could be used is for a creative writing activity. The teacher could read this book to the class, then tell the students to come up with their own game and write a story about people playing it, just as Danny and Walter played the game in the book. This activity would be fun for the students because they get to come up with their own game and tell a story about the adventures that occur as people play their game. It would also give the teacher a better insight about each student based on the games that they create. 

Book Rating:

	★★★★★	★★★★	★★★	★★	★	COMMENTS
PLOT	Plot is well developed with all five elements of a good plot structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution).	Plot is developed, but lacking one of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a decent plot, but is lacking two of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a weak plot that is lacking three of the five elements of plot structure.	This book does not have a defined plot, and is lacking four or more of the five elements of plot structure.	★★★★★ I give Zathura five stars for its plot because, even though the ending felt rushed, all five elements of good plot structure were included. Using those elements helped get the readers attention and keep them engaged throughout the story.
CHARACTER	The characters are well developed, have personality, and are believable.	Characters are well rounded, but lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	Characters are somewhat developed, and lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	The characters are underdeveloped, lack in depth and are not believable.	The characters are not developed   so the readers cannot connect to the book.	★★★★★ I give Zathura five stars for its characters. Both of the main characters are developed, and the audience can relate to the relationship that the two brothers have throughout the book, which is what makes the characters believable.
PACING	The story flows freely and is not rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for the most part, but there are a few spots where it feels rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for about half of the book, but the other half is rushed or slow.	The story often moves too fast or too slow and does not move freely.	There is no pacing in the story, which makes it difficult to read.	★★★★ I give Zathura four stars for pacing. This book it a short picture book, but it felt rushed the end. The story caught my interest and I wanted to keep reading, but I felt that the story was cut short at the end.

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Folklore Book Review: The Legend of the Poinsettia

The Legend of the Poinsettia

"'Ah, Lucida, any gift is beautiful because it is given,' the old woman told her. 'Whatever you give, the Baby Jesus will love, because it comes from you.'" - The Legend of the Poinsettia

Author/Illustrator: Tomie dePaola

Publisher: The Putnam & Grosset Group

Copyright Date: 1994

Number of Pages: 32 pages

Reading Level: Pre-K, Grades 1-3

Genre: Folklore

Cost: $6.88 (Amazon)

Rating: ★★★★★

 

The Legend of the Poinsettia is a story about a young girl, Lucida, who does her best to help her parents and siblings. Her mother is asked to weave a new blanket for the Baby Jesus to be wrapped in during the Christmas ceremony at church, and Lucida helps her dye the wool and weave it together. They make part of the blanket together, but Lucida's mother gets sick and will not be able to finish in time. Every family brings the Baby Jesus a gift on Christmas, but, now that the blanket is not finished, Lucida does not know what her family will give. Lucida is heartbroken, and throughout this book you will see who she meets and what she does when she does not have a present on Christmas. 
 

The focus of The Legend of the Poinsettia is on Christmas and giving gifts to the Baby Jesus. Not all people are religious, nor do all people celebrate holidays, so this book would not be used in the classroom to discuss those topics. However, it tells a legend and has a good moral story about the meaning of gifts. So, this book could be used in a unit about legends where the students are asked to write their own legend about an object or symbol and how it came to be or how it got its meaning. This book could also be used to talk about culture.

 

Book Rating:

	★★★★★	★★★★	★★★	★★	★	COMMENTS
PLOT	Plot is well developed with all five elements of a good plot structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution).	Plot is developed, but lacking one of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a decent plot, but is lacking two of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a weak plot that is lacking three of the five elements of plot structure.	This book does not have a defined plot, and is lacking four or more of the five elements of plot structure.	★★★★★ I give The Legend of the Poinsettia five stars for its plot because all five elements of good plot structure are incorporated and they tell the story about how the poinsettia came to be the Christmas flower.
CHARACTER	The characters are well developed, have personality, and are believable.	Characters are well rounded, but lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	Characters are somewhat developed, and lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	The characters are underdeveloped, lack in depth and are not believable.	The characters are not developed   so the readers cannot connect to the book.	★★★★★ I give The Legend of the Poinsettia five stars for its characters. The main character, Lucida, is well developed throughout the book, and her personality can be seen as she tries to figure out a present for Baby Jesus on Christmas.
PACING	The story flows freely and is not rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for the most part, but there are a few spots where it feels rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for about half of the book, but the other half is rushed or slow.	The story often moves too fast or too slow and does not move freely.	There is no pacing in the story, which makes it difficult to read.	★★★★★ I give The Legend of the Poinsettia five stars for pacing. It is a short book, but it has a good plot that helps it move freely throughout the entire story.

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Folklore Book Review: Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale

"I will be pleased to serve you. But why do you say such things? You are clever and strong and beautiful. Why are you so unhappy?" - Nyasha

Author/Illustrator: John Steptoe

Publisher: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books

Copyright Date: 1987

Number of Pages: 32 pages

Reading Level: Pre-K, Grades 1-3

Genre: Folklore
Awards: Caldecott Honor (1988), Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator (1988)

Cost: $8.55 (Amazon)

Rating: ★★★★★

 

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters is a retelling of the Cinderella story, and it is based on a traditional African folktale. Mufaro has two beautiful daughters, Manyara and Nyasha, both of whom he believes are worthy of marrying the king. When the king decides he wants to get married, both girls go to meet him. They leave at different times, but take the same path; and along that path, they both make small decisions that have a major impact on their future. Two beautiful girls, but only one will become queen - who will the king choose?
 

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters tells a captivating story based on the theme of good versus evil. This book could be used in the classroom while discussing folktales and/or the theme of books. For this type of lesson, the students could come up with a theme, then find a folktale that corresponds to it and write their own version of the story. Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters demonstrates how folktales can be retold and have the same theme, but a new story, which would make it a great book to use while discussing folktales and/or themes. 
 

Book Rating:

	★★★★★	★★★★	★★★	★★	★	COMMENTS
PLOT	Plot is well developed with all five elements of a good plot structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution).	Plot is developed, but lacking one of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a decent plot, but is lacking two of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a weak plot that is lacking three of the five elements of plot structure.	This book does not have a defined plot, and is lacking four or more of the five elements of plot structure.	★★★★★ I give Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters five stars for its plot because, using the five elements of good plot structure, it tells a compelling story about good and evil.
CHARACTER	The characters are well developed, have personality, and are believable.	Characters are well rounded, but lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	Characters are somewhat developed, and lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	The characters are underdeveloped, lack in depth and are not believable.	The characters are not developed   so the readers cannot connect to the book.	★★★★★ I give Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters five stars for its characters. Both Manyara and Nyasha are well developed throughout the book, which allows the reader to see what their personalities are like and that they are believable characters.
PACING	The story flows freely and is not rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for the most part, but there are a few spots where it feels rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for about half of the book, but the other half is rushed or slow.	The story often moves too fast or too slow and does not move freely.	There is no pacing in the story, which makes it difficult to read.	★★★★★ I give Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters five stars for pacing because the story moves freely and has no parts that feel slow or rushed. The good plot structure and story line make the reader want to continue reading to find out what happens in this book.

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Poetry Book Review: Where the Sidewalk Ends

Where the Sidewalk Ends

"Can anyone lend me 
Two eighty-pound rats?
I want to rid my house of cats." - Drats

Author/Illustrator: Shel Silverstein

Publisher: Harper & Row

Copyright Date: 1974

Number of Pages: 176 pages

Reading Level: Pre-K, Grades 1-3

Genre: Poetry
Awards: ALA Notable Children's Book, New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year, New York Times Notable, George C. Stone Center for Children's Books Recognition of Merit Award,  Golden Archer Award (Wisconsin)

Cost: $11.99 (Amazon)

Rating: ★★★★★

Where the Sidewalk Ends is a book filled with poems and drawings by Shel Silverstein. There are poems in this book that range from one about children not taking the garbage out, to another about how to make a hippopotamus sandwich. Some poems are sad, some humorous, and yet others teach a lesson. There are a wide range of lengths for the poems in this book, some being a couple lines, whereas others are a couple pages long. The variety of poems, as well as the drawings that compliment them, make this poetry book enjoyable for people of all ages.

Where the Sidewalk Ends could be used in the classroom in many ways. It could be used as comic relief throughout the day, to compliment other lessons about specific topics, or it could be used to teach poetry. The teacher could read a few poems to the class and then have the students write their own poem that teaches a lesson. The poem they write could be a humorous lesson, or they could write one that was more serious. It is important to encourage students to be creative as they write poetry, and Where the Sidewalk Ends provides several different poems that express a variety of lessons or emotions, which would demonstrate that creativity to the students. 

Book Rating:

	★★★★★	★★★★	★★★	★★	★	COMMENTS
PLOT	Plot is well developed with all five elements of a good plot structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution).	Plot is developed, but lacking one of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a decent plot, but is lacking two of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a weak plot that is lacking three of the five elements of plot structure.	This book does not have a defined plot, and is lacking four or more of the five elements of plot structure.	★★★★★ I give Where the Sidewalk Ends five stars for its plot because there are a variety of poems in the book, some of which are narratives that have
CHARACTER	The characters are well developed, have personality, and are believable.	Characters are well rounded, but lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	Characters are somewhat developed, and lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	The characters are underdeveloped, lack in depth and are not believable.	The characters are not developed   so the readers cannot connect to the book.	★★★★★ I give Where the Sidewalk Ends five stars for its characters. There are several poems that have developed characters, as well as those that have characters with personality who are very believable to the reader.
PACING	The story flows freely and is not rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for the most part, but there are a few spots where it feels rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for about half of the book, but the other half is rushed or slow.	The story often moves too fast or too slow and does not move freely.	There is no pacing in the story, which makes it difficult to read.	★★★★★ I give Where the Sidewalk Ends five stars for pacing because the poems are a variety of lengths, and several of them are humorous, which makes the reader want to continue reading.

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