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This weekend has been about me floating on Cloud Nine! First we heard about NCTE. Then, this evening I found out my proposal to present at the Fall 2008 NEATE (New England Association of Teachers of English) Conference was accepted. The Fall 2008 Conference theme is: “Who Is Responsible?” Literacy and Education [...]

Mass, Wendy. 2007. Heaven Looks A Lot Like The Mall.

When sixteen-year old Tessa suffers a shocking accident in gym class, she finds herself in heaven (or what she thinks is heaven), which happens to bear a striking resemblance to her hometown mall. In the tradition of It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol, Tessa starts reliving her life up until that moment. She sees some things she'd rather forget, learns some things about herself she'd rather not know, and ultimately must find the answer to one burning question--if only she knew what the question was.

Dodgeball. It all starts with a game of dodgeball. Tessa, our narrator, finds a dodgeball heading straight for her head, and instead of ducking, she finds herself philosophizing about life in general and dodgeball in particular.

I could say, in my defense,
the dodgeball is made of rubber.
How much damage
could a rubber ball do?
I am sixteen.
My head is hard.

And who thinks aiming balls
at someone's head is a healthy pursuit
for teenagers hyped up on caffeine?
Apparently dodgeball is banned
in most schools now,
but our principal does not believe
in banning. Our school library
takes pride in its collection of books
that have been banned
elsewhere.

I'll pick up the text a few pages later...

I know the girl on the floor, the one
with her neck bent all weird,
I know the girl is me.
But I'm too busy soaring
toward Heaven to care.

And the thing that is most surprising,
the thing you might not know,
is that in the right light,
Heaven looks a lot like the mall.

Her "guide" whom she calls Nail Boy is going to show her her life through stuff...beginning with a tiny pink shoe....

A Barbie doll in a purple swimsuit
A princess costume
A white fluffy teddy bear with a red bow around the neck
A yellow plastic cup with a daisy on the side
A box of assorted crayons
A hairbrush
A plastic pencil box with Lisa Simpson on it
A small address book with a rainbow on it
A memo pad with my mom's name on it
A glass bowl
A bicycle horn
A Playboy magazine
A brown plastic barette
A sticker that says "I gave today"
A pack of Parliament Menthol Lights
An apron that says "Kiss the Cook"
A red bra
A bear slipper
A red t-shirt
A tube of cheesecake flavored lip gloss
A turquoise tank top
A pair of pink flip-flops
A roll of toilet paper
A large cookie
A bottle cap
A pair of ski goggles
A light blue prom dress

These items will be the medium through which we see Tessa as a person in her own story. What we learn, what she learns, is that she's not a good person. She repetitively has made bad decisions--decisions that subconsciously at least she's not proud of--bad mistakes. She's not nice. She's quite manipulative. The reader sees her--the good, the bad, the ugly--as she sees herself for perhaps the first time in a really long time. I think in part the reason she's reminded more of the negative choices, the negative character traits, is that those are the parts she's ashamed of deep down. (As opposed to her carefree, bubbly, happy times. And isn't it true that we as individuals dwell more on the negative than the positive??? At least when we're having a crisis of conscience???)

Her time in "heaven" may just teach her how to live the rest of her life as someone she can respect and love.

I have this to say about Heaven Looks A Lot Like The Mall. I may not "like" the narrator. I might find her a mean, manipulative person. But I cannot deny that she's human, authentic. No one is perfect. And this fictional character is quite fleshed out with strengths and weaknesses. So you've got to give credit where it's due.

I didn't love, love, love it. But I did enjoy this one. I liked it thoroughly.

Sandell, Lisa Ann. 2007. Song of the Sparrow.

Song of the Sparrow is a wonderful verse novel that retells the story of Elaine the Lady of Shalott. While the literary tradition has her as beautiful but essentially weak and desperate, Sandell's Elaine is strong, brave, and while she, for a time, is lovesick on Lancelot, she is not too desperate or clingy. (Not, I'll die without his love desperate.) Meet Arthur, Elaine, Gwynivere, Lancelot, Tristan, and Gawain in this new telling of love and war. The poetry is powerful and quite effective in communicating the behind the scenes emotions as well as capturing the senses--especially the sights and sounds of battle camps and war.

Here is a snippet from the tenth chapter:

I wish I could go back to that time,
when my mother would smile
the gentle smile that told me,
all is right and well.
Back to that time when I was
young
and loved
and safe.
When we were all safe.

That things change,
that people change,
and die,
that we grow older,
that life brings the unexpected,
the unwanted,
oh,
some days it feels me with
a measure of lightness, for
I will be a woman soon.
But other days,
the very thought
of growing older,
of not being that small girl
who danced over river rocks,
whose brothers held her hands,
whose mother lived,
the very thought of it
crushes me,
till it is stopped,
by the world
outside
my memories.

Testa, Maria. 2003. (Paperback 2007) Almost Forever.

At just 70 pages, Almost Forever is a short but incredibly powerful read. It's a verse novel about a young girl--a first grader--whose father is sent to Vietnam in February of 1968. The story is about her family--her mom, her brother, and herself, of course. About what changes, and what doesn't when someone you love--someone you depend on--is far from you. The emotions are powerful. And this is one I highly recommend. This book isn't about politics--if war is wrong or right--it's about love and family. Highly recommended.

One Year (Not Such A Long Time) pp. 13-14

The four of us
gathered
with other families,
we all gathered
in a building
on the Army base,
all in a special room
set aside
for saying goodbye.

One year
is not
such a long time,
Daddy said,
kneeling on one knee
in front of me,
squeezing
my shoulders.

In one year, Baby,
you'll be in
second grade,
not first,
and you'll be
seven years old,
not six,
and then
I'll be home.
One year
is not
such a long time.

I did not
tell Daddy
that he was wrong--
that second grade
was half a hallway
and a whole world
away from first,
that seven
was everything
six was not,
and that one year
was forever.