Three Sacks of Truth: A Story From France (Adapted by Eric A. Kimmel and Illustrated by Robert Rayevsky)

Published in 1993 by Holiday House, Inc.
Picturebook

Kimmel's adaptation of Paul Delarue's French tale The Three May Peaches is a delightful story that has a happy ending and a moral to teach: Tell the truth, and in the end, everything will work out. Whether or not this adage is true, the story reminds us that people who attain things through dishonest gain, may pay a cost in the end, and in this story, this is certainly the case for everyone in this story who lies intentionally.

The opening lines set the tone for a classic tale: "Once upon a time there was a king who was a good deal less honest than a king ought to be. Whatever he gave with his right hand, he took with this left." The king is described as having a craving for peaches, but not just any peaches. He craves the "perfect" peach and announces that the man who brings him the perfect peach can marry his daughter, the princess. But in truth the king has no intention of following through on his promise; in fact, he has concocted the entire ruse so he can eat all the peaches he wants without having to pay for them. This king is greedy and selfish.

Enters a poor widow who lives in a far corner of the kingdom who has three sons: Pierre, Pascal, and Jean. Jean is called Petit Jean because of his small size. The widow has a garden, and every day she sprinkles her peach tree with holy water. However, this tree is unusual; it only blossoms once every ten years and brings forth only three peaches. . . .But they are "perfect" peaches, and it just so happens to be the tenth year.

When the widow hears of the king's decree, she sends each of her sons to the king with a peach in a basket in order to win the hand of the princess in marriage. Pierre, the oldest, is sent first, but he meets an old woman along the way, and when she asks him what he has in his basket, he lies. He tells her the basket is full of frogs and toads. Suddenly the peach in the basket magically changes, and when Pierre arrives at the king's castle, he is thrown out for presenting the king with a basket full of the hideous creatures.

The widow sends her second son Pascal with the second peach, but when he meets the old woman along the way, he tells her his basket is full of snakes and lizards. The same thing happens again. When Pascal presents his basket to the king, it is filled with snakes and lizards, and he is thrown out of the castle.

The widow plucks the final peach from her special tree and hands it to her youngest son Petit Jean. She tells him, "You are cleverer than your brothers. Keep your wits about you, be polite to all you meet, and sure luck will follow you." When Petit Jean meets the old woman, he is polite and honestly tells her what is in the basket: one "perfect" peach. They speak kind words to one another, and Petit Jean thanks the old woman. In turn, she hands him a silver fife and encourages him to play the fife if the king goes back on his word: "You will come to a good end if you keep your wits about you."

When Jean arrives at the castle and the king sees his peach, he cries, "I must have a taste. . . .It is perfection itself!" When he realizes what he has just said in front of his entire court, he knows he must give Petit Jean the right to marry his daughter. The king has no intention of giving his daughter to Petit Jean in marriage, so he comes up with a devious plan. He presents Petit Jean with the impossible task of herding 10,000 rabbits in a pen four straight days in a row. Each day the king sets the rabbits loose thinking Petit Jean doesn't have a chance of completing the task, but what he doesn't know is that Petit Jean has the silver fife that was given to him by the old woman.

Once again the king tries to deceive Petit Jean by first sending his daughter and then his wife the Queen in an effort to trick him; however, Petit Jean IS more clever than his brothers. When his plan doesn't work, the king decides to trick Petit Jean himself. In the end, the widow's clever son places the king in a very embarrassing situation, and in order to keep from being exposed, he consents to their marriage. Petit Jean and the princess are married before the entire court, and of course, they live happily every after.

I had never read this story before, and I loved it. Similar to other fairy tales, it begins with "once upon a time" and ends with "they lived happily every after." Robert Rayevsky's illustrations are reminiscent of a classic fairy tale and are appropriate for the genre. The moral of the story? Honesty is the best policy.

I highly recommend Three Sacks of Truth for any age.

Meet Eric Kimmel
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The Girl in Red (Story and Pictures by Roberto Innocenti, Written by Aaron Frisch)

Published in 2012 by Creative Editions
Picturebook

Roberto Innocenti's The Girl in Red is a modern-day version of the classic tale Little Red Riding Hood. The plot is the same, but the setting is different; the story takes place in the big city. There is still a deep forest, but in this version, it is called "The Wood." A little girl in a red coat still meets a wicked wolf; however, "a good story is magic." The endings can change.

The story opens with a group of children sitting in a room surrounded by toys. A granny-type figure, who seems to have come from another time and place, is sitting on the table: "Draw close, children, and I will weave you a tale. Toys can be fun. But a good story is magic. And there is no better time for one than when rain is tapping at your window. Know this, though, children: Stories are like the skies. They can change, bring surprises, catch you without a coat. Look up all you want, but you never really know what's coming."

The little girl is named Sophia. She lives with her mother and sister, and her grandmother lives on the other side of the forest, which is actually a large city. "Nana" is not feeling well and could use some company, so Sophia fills her backpack with biscuits, honey, and oranges, puts on her hooded, red coat, and heads for her grandmother's. The city is described as a big forest, and there are dangers everywhere. Sophia must learn the ways of the wilderness; she must learn how to survive. The illustrations are filled with evil images and graffiti and portray a city that is wasting away in crime and filth. The text of the story is separated from the illustrations in what appear to be text boxes. The illustrations are appropriate for the way the story is written. On her journey to grandma's house, Sophia takes in the forest's "wonderments" in the city: Music, a man playing a violin and begging for money; Magic, a man who appears to have had his head decapitated also begging for money (or is it a statue?); and Mysteries, a policeman standing near a murder scene.

Sophia finally reaches THE WOOD, the greatest wonderment of all, the heart of the forest. This illustration reminded me of New York's Times Square with lots of traffic, the subway, and people everywhere; I don't know if this was the author's intention or not. Sophia stops by her favorite shop, the window of wonders, which is filled with "monsters, princesses, dark fates, and happily-ever afters. Images of the past and the future." The toys are modern; the dolls are portrayed either voluptuous or violent, perhaps a sign of the times. Many of the dolls and toys are holding guns.

Sophia continues her journey towards Nana's house but meets the "jackals" who are watching and waiting to

take advantage of unsuspecting little girls. Suddenly a smiling hunter appears, who is really the wolf in disguise, to come to her rescue: "What big teeth he has. Dark and strong and perfect in his timing. Sophia tells him of her grandmother and her little home. Of the biscuits and honey." The hunter offers to take Sophia to her grandmother's on the back of his motorcycle, but drops her off right before they reach their destination. The hunter, or wolf in disguise, plans his evil deed.

The story shifts back to the children listening to the tale, and they all begin crying, but the old woman says, "Now, children, do not be ashamed of your tears! They are as natural as the rain. But they are not necessary here. . . . Stories are magic. Who says they can have only one ending?"

The color of the text boxes in the illustrations change from gray to bright orange: "Picture this instead, if you like. A woodcutter sees a wolf prowling about a home. He makes a call. The police are fast to appear, swooping in with the setting sun. The wolf is snared; a family is spared. The stars will shine on the forest tonight."

I enjoyed reading this modern-day version of this classic tale; however, I do not recommend it for young children. The illustrations are dark, sinister, violent, and often the images are not appropriate for a younger audience. I would recommend this book for older students, perhaps ages 11 and up. Like Grimm's classic fairy tales, perhaps this book would be better read by adults. This book must be read several times to be truly understood because there are so many images in the illustrations that have symbolic meaning.

Read this book! It is definitely different.

Roberto Innocenti's Official Website
Source of Images
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You Don't Even Know Me: Stories and Poems About Boys

Published in 2010
By Disney Jump at the Sun Books

Sharon Flake's book You Don't Even Know Me: Stories and Poems About Boys provides insight into the minds of young, African-American males who may often be misunderstood by people who don't understand

who they are or where they come from. The cover of her book is powerful and includes an image that readers would find very familiar; however, what lies beneath the image is what Flake really wants readers to grasp.

Flake's dedication reveals her reason for writing this book: "To my parents, Langston Hughes, and my neighborhood family, who showed me how beautiful I was; who reminded me what a great gift my neighborhood was to the planet, who taught me that the way I spoke was music to the ears and that it was okay to simply be me--a little black girl from the inner city of Philadelphia. To all who read and find my words, I give you the light that they all lit up in me. GO FORTH AND SHINE.

Other books Flake has written include The Broke Bike Boy and the Queen of 33rd Street, Bang!, Who Am I Without Him, Money Hungry, Begging for Change, and The Skin I'm In. You can tell by the titles what kind of background Flake comes from. This book is powerful because it

enables readers to have a glimpse into a world in which they may not be familiar, except for what they see on television, and the author reminds us that what we often see on television may not reveal the entire truth. Flake encourages her readers to venture inside the minds of young boys who may often be misunderstood and often underestimated because of their race, background, and life experiences.

Here are just a few lines of the first poem in her book "You Don't Even Know Me"; it speaks directly to teachers:

  I sit in your class
I play by the rules
I'm young
I'm fly
I'm black.
So of course I think I'm cool.
Geometry is my thing,
Physics is just a breeze.
So it bothered me last week
When you said I should be happy with that C.
You know,
I've been wondering lately,
Trying to figure out just how it could be
That you're around me so often
And still don't know a thing about me. . . .

As the poem continues, the young man provides examples of other ways he is often misunderstood and

reveals his thoughts and dreams in a way that I've never before heard expressed. "Scared to Death," a short story, is about a young man and young girl who decide to get married when she becomes pregnant. Other poems and short stories in this anthology such as "Getting Even," "Dying Before I'm Done," "Faking It," "Sixteen," "People Might Not Understand," and "I'm Not Supposed To" provide additional insight into the lives of young people who live in the inner city.

Sharon Flake won the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award for her first novel The Skin I'm In and has won the Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book Award twice. She has also written books about young girls and books for adults. I highly recommend this book for teachers who have the desire to understand students who may be sitting in their classrooms every day.

Sharon Flake's Official Website
Source of Images
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Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne (Author and Illustrator)

Published in 1998 by DK  Publishing, Inc.
Picturebook

Anthony Browne's Voices in the Park is an intriguing book that is told in first-person point of view from the perspective of four different characters from two very different families: (1) an unnamed, apparently rich, bossy woman, her son Charles, and their pedigree Labrador Retriever named Victoria (the first family) and (2) a sad man who is out of work and is trying desperately to find a job, his daughter Smudge, and their dog Albert, a mutt (the second family). The two families couldn't be more different in their characterization. The first family lives in a nice neighborhood and wears nice clothes. The second family lives in a poor neighborhood and appears "rough-looking." The illustrations throughout the story contrast the two families and each character's perspective as the story progresses.

Browne's picturebook is divided into four distinct parts that are titled: First Voice, Second Voice, Third Voice, and Fourth Voice. As the story unfolds from the perspective of each voice, the font is different, and it becomes clear that all four of the characters do not see their walk in the park from the same perspective.

The First Voice: The rich, bossy woman decides to take her son and dog for a walk in the park, but it seems she isn't enjoying herself. When she lets Victoria off her lease, she says, "Immediately some scruffy mongrel

appeared and started bothering her." She is referring to the second family's dog Albert. After all, he isn't a "pedigree." The expressions on her face in the illustrations characterize her as being snobbish and smug. She orders her son to sit on the bench beside her, but doesn't even look at him. They are looking in opposite directions. Charles decides to run off and play with Smudge, and when the woman realizes he is gone, begins to call for him. She says, "You get some frightful types in the park these days! I called his name for what seemed like ages." Then she sees her son playing with a "rough-looking child," Smudge, and orders him to "Come here. At once!" They walk home in silence.

The Second Voice is told from the perspective of the sad man. He is seen sitting in a chair dressed in overalls and has his hand pressed against his

face. He looks downcast and depressed. He says he needs to get out of the house, so he decides to take his daughter and dog for a walk in the park. As they walk along the road of their neighborhood, there is trash scattered on the ground and a man dressed like Santa who is holding a sign that says "Wife and millions of kids to support." There is a broken picture of the Mona Lisa in the illustration, but she is not smiling. Once they arrive at the park, the man lets his dog go and remarks, "I wish I had half the energy he's got." The dogs begin playing together, and the man sits on a bench and begins to look through the newspaper for a job. He says, "I know it's a waste of time but you've got to have hope, haven't you? When it is time to go, Smudge cheers him up and chatters all the way home.

The Third Voice is told from the perspective of the bossy woman's son Charles. He is seen all alone looking

out a window and says, "It's so boring." Then his mother says it's time for their walk. When he sees the dogs playing together in the park, he sees it from a totally different perspective than his mother. He describes Albert as being friendly and sees the dogs as racing around "like old friends" and being happy. Charles responds, "I wish I was." He doesn't see the girl (Smudge) in the park as being "rough-looking." She is friendly and they play on the slide, the climbing bars, and they climb trees together. Unfortunately, his mother calls him just when he begins having a good time and is finally happy, and they head home. Charles wonders if Smudge will be there next time.

The Fourth Voice is told from Smudge's perspective, a young girl who is friendly and pleasant despite her family's circumstances. She recognizes her dad is "fed up," and is happy when he said they were going to take a walk in the park. She remarks

about the dogs behavior as they greet each other (the way dogs do) and thinks Charles is a wimp at first, but as they begin playing together, they actually have fun. Charles picks a flower for her before his mother calls for him, and Smudge says, "[He] had to go. He looked so sad." When she gets home, she puts the flower in some water and fixes her father a cup of hot cocoa.

I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting to see the experience of a simple walk in the park told from four very different perspectives. The illustrations are brightly colored paintings in which the characters are portrayed as monkeys. I don't really understand the purpose of this portrayal unless it was to distance the characters from actual people. I believe this would be a good book to teach children that people view the world from different backgrounds, life experiences, and knowledge, but if I were to use it, I would avoid the typical stereotypes that rich people are cold and selfish and poor people are just victims of their circumstances. I'm not sure what would be the best age group for this book. Younger children might not "get" it, but perhaps the book could be used to engage older students in meaningful discussions. I would like for some of my classmates to read this book; it would be interesting to see if they would be willing to read it to their K-3 age students. Teachers should use caution as to how they present the text if they choose to use it in their classrooms; this book could unintentionally perpetuate the idea of class warfare if not presented in a way that avoids stereotypes.

Meet Anthony Browne: Children's Laureate 2009-11 (British Author)
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Africa Is My Home: A Child of the Amistad by Monica Edinger (Illustrated by Robert Byrd)

Published in 2013 by Candlewick Press
Historical Fiction

"I dreamed of Africa.
                                                                                     
     Of the people I loved and the country I admired.                                                                       
          I dreamed of Africa.                                                                                                                 
               I dreamed of home."  --Margru

Monica Edinger's book Africa Is My Home: A Child of the Amistad is one of the most impressive books I've read so far this semester. The author is an educator and reviewer of children's books for the New York Times, the Horn Book, and other publications. This is Edinger's first book for children, and she explains why she chose this particular topic, "So many of the stories we know about those who were taken from Africa during the time of the slave trade focus on adults who ended up staying in America. Margru's is the less familiar story of a child who went back home" (end dust cover jacket).

Edinger's book is based on the true story of one of the children, Margru, who is thought to have been pawned into slavery by her father in Africa, sold into slavery a second time in Cuba, and then brought to America aboard the Amistad. The name given to Margru by her parents was Magulu, but when she arrives in America, her name is mistakenly understood to be Margru. Margru later becomes known as Sarah Margru Kinson, adopting her Scriptural name. Yes, Margru does become a Christian after she comes to America, and this book does not hide that fact, like so many other books or films often do (e.g. Walt Disney's Pocahontas). I was surprised when I read that Margru assisted in founding the Christian mission of Kaw Mendi when she returned to Africa. I'm glad Edinger didn't leave this part of her story out.

This book is beautifully illustrated by Robert Byrd, whose work was done in ink and watercolor. As you can tell from the cover, the illustrations are authentic and artistic. Most of the illustrations are brightly colored drawings and paintings; however, one illustration stood out above all the rest. When Margru describes her trip on the ship from Africa, the two-page spread is solid black, symbolizing the darkness of the journey. The text reads in six simple sentences and is very powerful:

"It took seven weeks. 

     Seven weeks in a dark and airless hold. 

          Seven weeks of heaving ocean. 

               Seven weeks of chains and shackles. 

                    Seven weeks of sobs and cries. 

                         Seven weeks of pain and suffering." 

Finally, the ship arrives in Cuba. The author then describes Margru's time spent there and the decision made to take them to America, the mutiny aboard the Amistad, the case that goes all the way to the Supreme Court eventually allowing Margru to return home, and her time spent in America with a loving family who cared for her.

Although Edinger's intention was to write a nonfictional account of Margru's story, she decided this would be impossible. In the author's note at the end of her book, Endinger explains why she decided to write a fictional account based on historical facts and documents instead:

"Wanting to tell [Margru's] story as truthfully as possible, I tried for years to write it as nonfiction. However, while she did forcefully express her feelings in letters as a young woman, there are no firsthand accounts from her as a child, and so I had to use phrases such as 'Margru probably felt . . .' and 'Perhaps she missed her parents.' Finding this unduly awkward, I crossed the border to fiction, giving Margru a voice of her own. The story is still true; those instances where I have imagined her feelings, invented dialogue, or created scenes are based on my research and on firsthand experiences in Sierra Leone. For example, John Warner Barber, who interviewed her, wrote that she was 'put in pawn by her father for a debt, which not being paid, she was sold into slavery.' I researched pawning, and learning that it was often done in times of famine, invented that as the reason Margru's father pawned her. The final scene of Margru meeting emissaries of her father is something she mentioned in a letter. Whether they actually met we don't know. In fact, she and her husband left the mission not long after this and nothing further about her life is known."

I have great respect for this author for her desire to be as truthful as possible when recreating Margu's story and the amount of research she conducted to write this book. Her use of newspaper articles, journals, maps, engravings, and hand-written letters by Margru herself add credibility to the text, and her inclusion of several historical documents and photos in her book add even more credibility to her story.

I highly recommend this book for older students, perhaps 5th grade and up. Some high school students may even find this book interesting. Even as an adult, I enjoyed reading it.

The Amistad Case: National Archives
The Amistad Research Center
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Tell Them We Remember by Susan Bachrach, PhD.

Published in 1994 by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Nonfiction

              "The first to perish were the children . . .                                                         From these . . . our new dawn might have risen."                                                                         Yitzhak Katzenelson                                                                     poet, playwright, and educator (1886-1944)       

Yitzhak Katzenelson's words are the first words to appear on a page when the cover of this book is opened; his words are powerful and set the tone for the entire text. Tell Them We Remember by Susan D. Bachrach is a nonfiction/informational text that was published by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) in 1994. The book is divided into three parts: (1) Nazi Germany, (2) The "Final Solution," and (3) Rescue, Resistance, and Liberation. The primary purpose of the book is to educate middle and high school students about the story of the Holocaust. This book would be an excellent source that could be used in the classroom by humanities, social studies, religious studies, and sociology teachers.

Part One describes Jewish life in Europe before the Holocaust, defines Anti-Semitism, and describes how Hitler came to power, the impact that he had on Germany, the beginning of World War II, and the murder of the handicapped.

Part Two describes the expansion of Hitler's Third Reich and Hitler's occupation of Western Europe, the ghettos in Eastern Europe, life in the ghettos, the mobile killing squads, the Wannsee Conference, where the Nazis came up with the name "The Final Solution," the deportations to the camps, experiences on the trains, what took place at the extermination camps in Poland, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and what happened to the prisoners in the camps.

Part Three is about the many efforts of rescue and resistance that occurred throughout the war and the liberation. This was my favorite part of the book because stories were told of people who tried to make a difference during the Holocaust. Countless efforts of resistance did take place, and many Jews and non-Jews alike risked their lives to save others. This final section of the book includes topics such as the resistance inside Germany, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, killing center revolts, Jewish partisans, the death marches, the liberation, the Nuremberg trials, and what happened to the survivors after the war who had to remain in displaced persons (DP) camps because they had lost everything, including their homes and family members.

The Afterword is dedicated to remembering the children; this section includes a brief summary of Anne Frank's life, photos of art work created by children who either perished or survived the Holocaust, other artifacts and photos, and a beautiful picture of the Wall of Remembrance at the USHMM in Washington, D.C. This wall was created by children from around the country; each child painted a ceramic tile to commemorate the Holocaust, which was then brought to the museum and attached to the wall.

The illustrations in Tell Them We Remember are actual photographs that were taken before, during, and after World War II. The book is literally filled with these images; maps and time lines are also included to place the Holocaust within its historical context. The introduction of the book provides information about the USHMM in Washington, D.C. and has a picture of it. After the introduction there is a two-page I-D Photo Guide that lists 20 teens and young adults who either perished or survived the Holocaust. When visiting the Holocaust Museum, visitors receive a photo ID when they begin their tour. The stories that are told in this book are part of the story that is told at the museum; their stories are shared in various locations throughout the text, and at the end of the book, readers find out whether or not they survived.

This book would be an excellent text to use to teach students about the Holocaust. The structure of Bachrach's book is what makes it an excellent source. Most topics are covered on just one page, and every topic has several photographs to visually engage the reader. This makes it easy for students to read; the language is simple, easy to understand, and straight to the point. After reading this book, it would be difficult for anyone to deny that the Holocaust happened. There is just too much documentation; the section on the Nuremberg Trials is particularly powerful.

Also, because the book ends with a section on the rescue, resistance, and liberation, it gives the reader hope that even the best of humanity can be revealed during dark times. Many people were bystanders and did nothing; many people were collaborators, many were the perpetrators who committed the crimes, many were victims, but there were brave souls who took a stand, did what they could to help the victims, and risked their lives in the process. These stories make it easy for teachers to end their Holocaust or history unit on a more positive note. Although it is important to study the facts about what took place during the Holocaust, perhaps by focusing on the positive stories that took place during World War II, students will be inspired to make a difference in their world.

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me--and there was no one left to speak for me.
                                                          --Martin Niemoller

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Website
Meet Susan Bachrach, PhD
Meet Martin Niemoller (Poem Source USHMM)
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Looking for Alaska by John Green

Published in 2005
Realistic Fiction

John Green's Looking for Alaska is a novel about Miles Halter who leaves his home in Florida to attend the Culver Creek Boarding School in Alabama. His father attended the same boarding school when he was Miles' age, and before his parents drop him off, his dad warns, "Don't do anything stupid. . . .No

Miles' goal in life.

drugs. No drinking. No cigarettes" (Green, 7). As an alumnus of the boarding school, Miles' father "had done the things I had only heard about: the secret parties, streaking through hay fields (he always whined about how it was all boys back then), drugs, drinking, and cigarettes. . . .[H]is badass days were now well behind him" (Green, 7).

When I read the introduction to this book, I couldn't help but think, why on earth would a father send his son away to a boarding school that he knew might be unsafe? You would think his personal experience at the school would have made him cautious enough not to send his son into a situation where he might make the same mistakes he did. Even though this book is fiction, I thought Miles' father's error in judgement was unconscionable.

The book is divided into two parts: before and after. The story begins "one hundred thirty-six days before" something happens; the second half of the book is about what happens "one hundred thirty-six days after" this event. The way the book is structured creates suspense. I had to continue reading just to find out what was going to happen; however, I didn't know that this "event" would be a turning point in the story and would have a major impact on all the characters involved. I assumed that this "event," whatever it was, would occur at the end of the novel.

Soon after arriving at Culver Creek, Miles meets his roommate Chip "The Colonel" Martin, who nicknames him "Pudge," even though he is tall and thin; Alaska Young, Chip's female friend; Takumi Harihoto, a Japanese exchange student; Lara Buterskaya, a Romanian immigrant; Mr. Starnes "The Eagle", the dean of Culver Creek; and Dr. Hyde, the teacher of his World Religions class at school. Before long, Miles begins to understand what his father was warning him about. Miles' is instantly attracted to the beautiful but rebellious Alaska who smokes and drinks heavily and encourages him to do so as well. A battle begins between the "Weekend Warriors" and the regular students at the school, and soon Miles is drawn into compromising situations that could endanger his life.

Miles is hazed as an act of revenge toward his roommate and things begin to get out of control; he is taken from his room, tied up with duck tape, and thrown into a nearby lake where he almost drowns. One hundred

thirty-six days into the story, Alaska is killed in a tragic car accident, and Miles questions whether he is to blame or whether it was suicide. The story reveals both The Colonel and Alaska come from difficult and troubled backgrounds. Alaska dies a day after the anniversary of her mother's death, which took place when she was eight. It's obvious that drinking played a role in the tragic accident.

The next morning, all the students are called into the gym and are told about Alaska's death. I found the second part of the book rather boring and disappointing. After building up to the climax of the "event," the characters struggle to deal with what has happened. I felt the ending of the book leaves the reader hanging; there is no real closure to the story.

Green's book is realistic in its portrayal of young people who have no purpose or direction for their lives, and it reminded me of a tragedy that happened in my school when six of my fellow classmates were killed because they had been drinking, doing drugs, and illegally drag racing on a road near my home. I will never forget the parents who lost both their boys, twins, in the tragic accident. This event had an impact on our entire school, and I know I will never forget it.

While reading this book, I was also reminded of a tragedy that happened at a high school in the county where I taught in Tennessee. Four teenagers were out drinking; the driver lost control of the car and slammed into a tree. Two of the boys were killed

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instantly and one was paralyzed for life and suffered brain damage. The driver was blamed for the accident and was sued by the survivor's parents, even though all the boys were drinking and were responsible for what had taken place. The tragedy created controversy in our community as people took sides over who was responsible for the accident, even though all the boys had made a conscious decision to get into the car that night. Ironically, I felt sorry for the driver because everyone was placing the entire blame on him; this wasn't fair. What a heavy burden to place on a young man who made a terrible mistake and lost three of his closest friends.

Like Green's The Fault in Our Stars, I found this book rather depressing. I found it to be a solemn reminder of what can happen when young people have no purpose or direction for their lives, do not have a stable family environment, and become involved in risky behavior. Although the book is interesting and an easy read, I just can't understand why any young person would want to read this book. Green's book is a far cry from the classic literature students used to read in school. If this is the best we have to offer our young people, shame on us.

I may die young, but at least I'll die smart?

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