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Breaking Ground/Breaking Silence
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From: Dean Schneider <schneiderd>
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 15:56:49 -0600
I thought Breaking Ground/Breaking Silence by Joyce Hansen was one of the best books of the year, one I'll be using with my 8th grade English class this year. We read The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, so Breaking Ground will add a new dimension for my students. 8th graders, at least in Nashville, tend to think of slavery as a strictly southern, mid-nineteenth century institution, so Ms. Hansen's descriptions of the colonial life of African Americans in New York City will be a revelation (or shock). Along with other treasures from my personal collection - Tom Feelings's Middle Passage and Julius Lester's To Be A Slave (in new, beautiful anniversary edition) - Breaking Ground is a special part of my library and of my curriculum. Also: Bound for America by James Haskins and Kathleen Benson (illus. by Floyd Cooper),
From Slave Ship to Freedom Road by Julius Lester (paintings by Rod Brown), and Band of Angels by Deborah Hopkinson.
I connect the above unit with my Holocaust unit, linking the survival stories of Elie Wiesel and Frederick Douglass, and the ethical or moral ramifications thereof. Hazel Rochman's recent series of articles in Book Links is a great place to start for anyone wanting to create a similar unit.So many great books out there!
Other CSK award books I especially liked:
I, too, enjoyed The Other Side: the kind of poems I really like
- narrative poems rooted in place and memory.
The Skin I'm In: Maleeka Madison's voice is what drew me in from page one. A strong, first-person narrative that somehow reminded me of Belle Prater's Boy in its theme of identity and the need to go beyond appearances. It is a book that works on various levels and with various themes, and Maleeka is a character I came to care about for all her sassiness and self-protectiveness and vulnerability (which she'd probably never admit to).
Jazmin's Notebook: This was on my personal shortlist for the Newbery award. I love Nikki Grimes's poetry, and I love how she combines narrative and poetry in this wonderful story, set in Harlem, of a smart,strong-willed girl.
It was such a great year for children's and young adult literature; it's nice to see these great books get the attention they deserve through the CSK awards.
Dean Schneider Ensworth School 211 Ensworth Avenue Nashville, Tennessee 37205
Received on Fri 12 Mar 1999 03:56:49 PM CST
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 15:56:49 -0600
I thought Breaking Ground/Breaking Silence by Joyce Hansen was one of the best books of the year, one I'll be using with my 8th grade English class this year. We read The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, so Breaking Ground will add a new dimension for my students. 8th graders, at least in Nashville, tend to think of slavery as a strictly southern, mid-nineteenth century institution, so Ms. Hansen's descriptions of the colonial life of African Americans in New York City will be a revelation (or shock). Along with other treasures from my personal collection - Tom Feelings's Middle Passage and Julius Lester's To Be A Slave (in new, beautiful anniversary edition) - Breaking Ground is a special part of my library and of my curriculum. Also: Bound for America by James Haskins and Kathleen Benson (illus. by Floyd Cooper),
From Slave Ship to Freedom Road by Julius Lester (paintings by Rod Brown), and Band of Angels by Deborah Hopkinson.
I connect the above unit with my Holocaust unit, linking the survival stories of Elie Wiesel and Frederick Douglass, and the ethical or moral ramifications thereof. Hazel Rochman's recent series of articles in Book Links is a great place to start for anyone wanting to create a similar unit.So many great books out there!
Other CSK award books I especially liked:
I, too, enjoyed The Other Side: the kind of poems I really like
- narrative poems rooted in place and memory.
The Skin I'm In: Maleeka Madison's voice is what drew me in from page one. A strong, first-person narrative that somehow reminded me of Belle Prater's Boy in its theme of identity and the need to go beyond appearances. It is a book that works on various levels and with various themes, and Maleeka is a character I came to care about for all her sassiness and self-protectiveness and vulnerability (which she'd probably never admit to).
Jazmin's Notebook: This was on my personal shortlist for the Newbery award. I love Nikki Grimes's poetry, and I love how she combines narrative and poetry in this wonderful story, set in Harlem, of a smart,strong-willed girl.
It was such a great year for children's and young adult literature; it's nice to see these great books get the attention they deserve through the CSK awards.
Dean Schneider Ensworth School 211 Ensworth Avenue Nashville, Tennessee 37205
Received on Fri 12 Mar 1999 03:56:49 PM CST
