novel in verse: the crossover

Meghan Kemp

            The Crossover, written by Kwame Alexander is a novel written in verse that received the honors of 2015 Newberry Medal Winner and the 2015 Coretta Scott King Honor Award.  The story is written from the perspective of a twelve year old boy named Josh Bell.  Josh, along with his twin brother Jordan, are talented basketball players who live with their parents, who also double as their assistant principal and a former professional basketball player.  Although both boys seem equally talented on the basketball court, Josh excels in all of the academic fields at school and also is skilled in speaking in verse, as if telling his family’s story along to a beat.  Josh, also known as Filthy, takes us through his daily life which many pre-teens would be able to relate to.  We learn of his competitive streak with his father and brother, the jealousy he feels because his twin spends a great deal of time with his new girlfriend, of health concerns of the father, and other matters such as getting in trouble at school and having to complete chores before the day’s end.  As the audience reads Josh’s story in verse, they can’t help but become connected to his honest interpretation of life, as well as feel empathy as he grieves the loss of his idol, his father.

            I would recommend this book for middle school or high school students.  Reluctant readers may be attracted to this story, as there is not an overwhelming amount of text present in the novel.  The book was certainly an easy read and was a quick read as it was formatted in verse, making it seem as if I were reading short poems rather than lengthy paragraphs.  The story itself would be very relatable for teens as common themes were present throughout the novel.  Students may relate to the love of athletics and competition, a desire to have a boyfriend or girlfriend, fitting in with peers, getting along with parents that sometimes seem to be out to get you, as well as grief and loss.  This was a powerful novel as the author made the main character, Josh, truly open up about his honest feelings of jealousy, selfishness, as well as feelings of betrayal.  Josh also spoke in a way that would appeal to many young students, and myself included as he states, “At the top of the key, I’m MOVING & GROOVING, POPping and ROCKING- Why you BUMPING?  Why you LOCKING? Man, take this THUMPING.  Be careful though. ‘Cause now I’m CRUNKing CrissCROSSING FLOSSING flipping and my dipping will leave you SLIPPIN. G on the floor, while I SWOOP in to the finish with a fierce finger roll… Straight to the hole: Swoooooooooooosh.”

 

Alexander, Kwame. 2014.  The Crossover.  New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Marvin - Brown Girl Dreaming (Novel in Verse)

Marvin Tiller, Jr.

“Novel in Verse”

I found it amazing that a Jacqueline Woodson book would show up in this course of study. I was first introduced to Jacqueline Woodson my first semester at Notre Dame and have really become fond with her books and the way that she articulated her stories. “Brown Girl Dreaming” is a memoir by Jacqueline Woodson. In this memoir, Woodson tells of her childhood as an African American in the American Northeast and South in the 1960s. Born in Columbus, Ohio, to the descendants of former slaves, Jacqueline is named after her father, Jack, much to the chagrin of her mother, Mary Ann. Jacqueline soon comes to be called Jackie. While Jackie’s early years are spent in the North, frequent trips are made to the South for Mary Ann to visit her parents as well as Grandpa Gunnar and Grandma Georgiana, who live in the Nicholtown area of Greenville, South Carolina. Mary Ann deeply loves the South, but Jack cannot understand why she feels that way. The region is segregated and the people are racially-charged. Their very different feelings about the South causes arguments between Jack and Mary Ann. Eventually, Jack and Mary Ann split, and Mary Ann and her three children, Hope, Odella, and Jackie, move south to live with her parents.

In South Carolina, Jackie comes to love the land, the air, her neighbors, and her grandparents all very much. While racism and segregation exist there, the place is still home to Jackie’s grandparents. They will not leave it for anything. They are totally in favor of peaceful protest marches for civil rights. They know that God will bless them for doing the right thing.

Despite animosity which was spread a long ways, there are white people in Greenville who are respectful and treat Jackie and her family like actual human beings, rather than dirt. One such woman is the never-named owner of the local fabric store, who has known Grandma Georgiana for years. Mary Ann, however, decides she wants to move back North. So, she travels to New York City to get settled. Jackie and her siblings stay on with their grandparents, relishing the time they have with them, until Mary Ann comes to retrieve her children, with a brand new baby boy in tow.

Jackie becomes best friends with a Puerto Rican girl. She also decides that she wants to become a writer. It is the one thing she loves to do, and she knows that she is good at it. Each summer, Jackie and her siblings return to South Carolina to visit their grandparents. However, each time finds Grandpa Gunnar, a heavy smoker, less and less healthy. In New York, the afro have come into style, and Mary Ann’s baby brother, Robert, sports one. He ultimately gets in trouble with the police. He is sent to prison. He returns to society as a Muslim. About the same time, Jackie and Maria come to admire Angela Davis of the Black Panther movement. They imitate Angela, though they have no real idea about the revolution in which she is involved. Grandpa Gunnar ultimately dies of cancer, and Grandma Georgiana moves up to New York to be with Mary Ann and the grandchildren. At school, Ms. Vivo tells Jackie that she is indeed a writer. Jackie is thrilled as she makes plans to fulfill this dream.

 I would honestly say that this book could be good for higher level middle school students. They have no clue of some of the experiences that African Americans experience and this book brings a form of awareness to it and would be a good conversation starter for the students.

 

 

Film Review - Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Lisa

                Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a first-person narrative of three classmates during their senior year of high school. Greg is an awkward, self-deprecating loner who strives to be on low key, good terms with everyone but is unwilling to become close to anyone. Although he refers to him as his co-worker, Earl is Greg’s best friend who helps him create parodies of classic films while challenging him to truly connect with others. Rachel is a popular, though quirky, student who withdraws after being diagnosed with leukemia. When Greg’s mother insists that he spend time with Rachel, the classmates embark on a journey that neither of them signed-up for and yet one that would be a turning point in their lives. As their friendship develops and deepens, Rachel pushes Greg to let down his guard, recognize his talents and plan for the future. Greg makes Rachel laugh and shares the previously “unreleased” parodies which serve as an escape from her grueling treatment regimen. As her disease progresses, Greg spends less time at school; spending more time with Rachel while he and Earl struggle to produce a film dedicated to her. Ultimately, Rachel loses her battle, but leaves behind evidence of her own hidden talent, the impact of her friendship with Greg, and a friend who has grown from “invisible, detached and self-hating” (Gomez-Rejon, 2015) to someone that looks towards the future.

                Virtually everyone can relate to the themes in this poignant movie about family, friendship and the fear of failure & rejection which is based on a novel by Jesse Andrews. Greg’s character is authentic as he struggles with issues of self-confidence, vulnerability and the frustration of not being able to change the circumstances that a friend or loved one faces in their life. At times touching, at times funny, viewers will be drawn into this story, rooting for Rachel’s recovery and Greg’s discovery of his talents – and his feelings. The power of friendship transcends all circumstances and all ages, but is especially evident during the formative high school years. And yet the characters in this story reveal that a true friendship is not always easy or smooth. It is a balance of supporting and challenging each other to becoming the best possible version of ourselves & open to all the possibilities that life has to offer. Readers and audiences in middle school and above will appreciate this winner of the 2013 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults and 2015 Sundance Grand Jury Prize.

Gomez-Rejon, A. (Director). (2015). Me & Earl & the dying girl [Motion picture on DVD]. United States: Fox Searchlight.

Related websites:

http://www.jesseandrews.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/5227163.Jesse_Andrews/questions

http://teenslivingwithcancer.org/

http://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/teens/resources-teens

Marvin - The Fifth Wave (Film Review)

 

Marvin Tiller, Jr.

“The Fifth Wave”

 

The Fifth wave had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to the very end. The film sees the Human race being on the brink of being no more. There was a series of alien attacks (known to the Humans as “The Others”) that devastate and shake the planet like never before which were in the form of 5 waves:  The first wave, an EMP strike which eliminated every form of technology and things that ran on electricity; which also resulted in cars crashing into each other and buildings, and planes that were in the air, crashed from the sky. Cassie lets us know that this wave killed around ½ million people. The second wave, were in the form of earthquakes and tsunamis which wiped out the coastal cities on every continent. This wave, according to Cassie, took the lives of billions of people. The third wave, “The Others” came up with a virus that if contracted, you were guaranteed to die from it which was contracted from bird droppings. This wave killed about 97% of those that were left.  The fourth wave was when “The Others” began to make their presence known on the earth. This wave made it difficult for the remaining humans that were around to trust anyone because you could not tell who was human or who was the silencer. The final (5^th) wave saw “trained child soldiers” finishing what The Silencers could not finish in the previous wave. Separated from her family, Cassie must do whatever it is that she has to do in order to reunite with her brother whom went on the school bus, Sam. She ends up forming an alliance with Evan who is the young guy she met that could be her only hope. Being that it was difficult for them to trust each other, they end up fighting in order to survive during the fifth assault from “The Others”

Before viewing this movie, I honestly expected something that would catch my eye and this film certainly did just that. This movie reminded me of those movies that give you a feel of what the end of the world may be like. If I were watching this earlier in my life and ministry, I would be very leery of watching it because even after looking at the trailer, I was concerned about what I viewed. Now that I have grown and matured in life and ministry, movies such as these don’t concern me nor does it make me afraid of what the future will be like. Overall, the movie kept me on the edge of my seat and I am actually looking forward to hopefully seeing a sequel of the movie because it did leave me hanging.  

Me, Earl and the Dying Girl

Torri

Me & Earl & the dying girl [Motion picture]. (2015). 

Touching story about to misfit male teens who have been friends since they were in grade school. they consider themselves coworkers because they  make movies. They really don't fit into any "nation" in high school. The main character, Greg, is urged by his parents to hang out with a girl who is dying from leukemia. Once discovering how cool a person Rachel is and his feelings for her, Greg is urged once again to honor Rachel with what he does best; a movie.

This movie was bitter sweet for me. I have a girlfriend who is battling colon cancer and daily our "sister circle" deals with her triumphant "ups" and tearful "downs.This film made the reality of Trina's cancer more painful to bear. However, I did watch this DVD with my daughter who, constantly, compared it to her feelings toward "Aunt Trina". I thought that my daughter and I  would be sad and depressed after viewing the movie, however, that was not thes case. We decided to celebrate Trina's life by hanging out and going to dinner with our personal international model, single mother and colon cancer ambassador, Trina Issac. I believe this movie would be great  for middle and high school students dealing with diversity. Whether it may be dealing with race, different social group and/or dealing with death of a friend, this movie handles those aspects as for teens to understand in the 21st century.

Erin

4/25/16

Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl

 

Gomez-Rejon, A. (Director). (2015). Me, earl, and the dying girl [Motion Picture].

 

                Greg is a senior in high school. Over the past 4 years he has worked to carefully craft an ‘in’ with every social group on campus – just enough so people know him, but nothing more. His only real friend is Earl his “business partner” who has known him since he was 4 and makes movie spoofs with him in their free time. When Rachel, one of Greg’s acquaintances, is diagnosed with leukemia, Greg’s mother pushes him to reach out to her and spend time with her. Reluctantly Greg does so, but slowly finds that Rachel is something special and could become a true friend. As their friendship grows, Rachel’s cancer worsens. As she becomes sicker, Rachel’s friend, Maddie, seeks out Greg and Earl to have them make one of their movies for Rachel. Reluctantly, they agree but can’t find the right story to give her. Months roll by and Rachel’s chemo is not making her better. She decides to stop her treatment, urging Greg to quickly complete the movie for her. On prom night, Greg goes to see Rachel at the hospital. He shows her the film and as she watches she slips into a coma and then dies. But in the wake of her death, Greg learns that he can still discover more about their friendship and Rachel’s support of his future.

              Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s film was beautiful. Both comical and dramatic, Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl captures the themes of friendship and loyalty as well as portraying a realistic view the high school world. The pressures that the three main characters face are real and raw. It was very easy to connect to Rachel, Earl, and Greg.  High schoolers would thoroughly enjoy this film and it would make a great compliment for the novel it is based on.

film review of Mockingjay: Kelsey

Film Review: Mockingjay

Review by Kelsey

Jacobson, N. (Producer), & Lawrence, F. (Director). (2015). The hunger games: Mockingjay part 2  [Motion picture on DVD]. United States: Color Force.

           Based on the book with the same title by Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay is the third installment of a three book series. Due to the complexity of the final book it was divided into two parts for the movie. This review is focused on the second part of the story. What stood out to me was the amount of the book that was included in the movie. Although I read the book some time ago, I did not notice a large disparity between the book and the film. Mockingjay starts after Peeta attacks Katniss because he has been brainwashed by the Capitol to believe that she is the reason for all the bad things that have happened. The Capitol set him loose hoping that he would kill her in his unhinged state. He was unsuccessful and over time Katniss with the others is able to free him from his delusional state. While this is going on district 13, which no one knew stil existed, is using Katniss as the face for a revolt to take over the Capitol and rock the foundations of Panem. Katniss is not one to be used, and to the dismay of Coin who wants the rebellion to go her way. As the story goes on, Katniss discovers that she is being used to meet a specific agenda and that none of this will ever end because Coin is as sedistic in many ways as the current leader, President  Snow. Her way of creating friction and dismantling all support for Snow is through the merciless killing of women and children with the appearance of being done by the Capitol. After fighting through the entire rebellion in support of Coin, in a quick moment Katniss realizes that for all of this to end both of them have to be stopped. She hopes to one day be pardoned for her actions, but every action she takes her goal is to protect Panem. In the final moments of the story, she and Peeta have made a life together on the outskirts and had children together. She tells the children that she plays games with her memory in order to remember all the people who are gone; then in a brilliant final line she states “I make a list in my head. Of all the good things I've seen someone do. Every little thing I could remember. It's like a game. I do it over and over. Gets a little tedious after all these years. But there are much worse games to play.”

     Throughout the movie I felt that the storylines matched up closely; however, the intensity seemed to be lacking in the movie. Due to the movie’s rating of pg-13 the amount of violence and gore had to be lessened. The main character in the film also seemed to be portrayed as a hero which is not the way she imagines herself in the books. She seems much more even tempered and steady minded in the film than she did in the story as well. Overall, I felt this is one of the better films I have seen that are taken directly from a book. Many of the important details were not lost and I enjoyed comparing my imagined version of the story with the film makers version.

Novel In Verse: Brown Girl Dreaming

                                                              Carrie

                                                      

                                      

                                   Photo Credit: http://www.google.com/

Brown Girl Dreaming  by Jacqueline Woodson is memoir of Jacqueline’s childhood told in verse. Jaqueline is born in Ohio in 1963, a time she describes as “caught between black and white.” (Woodson p.1.) She begins her life in Ohio, where the treatment of blacks is better. When her parents get a divorce, she moves with her mother and siblings to South Carolina to live with her grandparents. Despite the fact that she must now sit on the back of the bus and be followed in stores, she chronicles what is a beautiful childhood.  She is proud of who she is, and her extended family gives her a sense of belonging. Her grandmother tells stories in the evenings and cooks delicious southern food, and her grandfather, who she calls Daddy, swings with her on the front porch. As she gets older, it is clear that Jacqueline has a gift for making up stories, and for retelling stories she hears.  As young as five years old, Jaqueline longs to write. A blank composition book she receives is a prized possession; although she has a hard time committing the first word to the page.  She wants more than anything to be a writer, and her longing is palpable. What we already know as the reader is that her dream will be realized.

I would recommend this book for strong readers in late elementary school (4^th grade+) through adult. While the content of the book is accessible to elementary readers, Jacqueline’s unique voice and lyrical writing style requires a lot of inferencing. For example, on page 32, Jaqueline personifies “a front porch swing thirsty for oil.” (Woodson, 32.) On page 22, she describes her mother’s grief as “a hollowness where only minutes before she had been whole.” (Woodson, 22.) These, and many other passages may be challenging for younger readers.  Yet to older readers, the visual imagery she presents and the rhythm of her writing is beautiful.

Works Cited

Woodson, J. (2014.) brown girl dreaming. New York, NY. Penguin Group.

 

YAL Film: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl - Kate

Kate

 

 

 

 https://events.ucsb.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/me-and-earl-and-the-dying-girl.jpg 

 

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xm6gvcyfzU8/maxresdefault.jpg 

 

           The film, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is based on the young adult novel by Jesse Andrews and tells the story of a high school student, Greg and how he becomes friends with a classmate named Rachel, who has just been diagnosed with cancer. He initially makes a deal with his mom to hang out with Rachel for one day, but their friendship grows and they continue to watch the forty-two movies that Greg created with his best friend, Earl. However, as times goes on, Rachel becomes more quiet and unhappy and Greg has stopped completing his school work, which costs his him admission to Pitt State. Then, Rachel decides to stop treatment, which enrages Greg to the point that he stops visiting Rachel for a few weeks. When Rachel ends up back in the hospital, Greg brings her the movie that he and Earl had been trying to create for her for months. As Greg and Rachel watch the movie together, she begins struggling to breathe, goes into a coma and passes away ten hours later. At the gathering following her funeral, Greg is given a card from her and she explains how much his friendship meant to her and that she wrote a letter to Pitt State asking them to reconsider his admission. The final scene shows Greg printing an essay for the Pitt State Admissions Department and placing that in an envelope along with the video he made for Rachel with a homemade warning label stating that the last person who watched it went into a coma and died.

The screenplay and book author, Jesse Andrews and director, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon did an incredible job weaving comedy into this film that had the potential to be quite a depressing journey. Early on in the movie, Greg’s mother has been going through Greg’s things and he says to her, “I’m going to start going through your stuff” (Gomez-Rejon, 2015). His father matter-of-factly replies, “I hope you like tampons” (Gomez-Rejon, 2015). The movies that Greg and Earl make are parodies based on classic films with titles like “7 Deadly Seals, Senior Citizen Cane, and Rosemary Baby Carrots.” I appreciated that Greg was the narrator as he was a complex character to understand with his artificial relationships with the many cliques in school and referring to his best friend as a “co-worker.” Although, I was upset that Greg lied to the audience and told them that Rachel didn’t die and would get better. Yet, that helped to keep this movie from being one where you’re just waiting for the sick person to die. This film is rated PG-13 and calls for a recommended audience of students in middle school, high school, and adults as it has themes that can be relatable to anyone.

Website Links:

Amazon - provides a review of the book by Jesse Andrews and a list of recommended books if you liked Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. http://www.amazon.com/Me-Earl-Dying-Girl-Revised/dp/1419719602 

Quotes from the movie - some funny and some dramatic - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2582496/quotes 

 

 

Bibliography

Gomez-Rejon, A. (Director). (2015). Me and Earl and the Dying Girl [Motion Picture].

 

 

 

 

 



YAL Film: He Named Me Malala

Carrie

Photo Source: http://www.traileraddict.com/he-named-me-malala/poster/1

Malala Yousafzai was destined to greatness. Her father named her after Malalai of Maiwand, a young woman from a nearby village in Afghanistan who inspired fearful soldiers to defend their homeland by standing on a mountain top and giving a moving speech. In an ironic twist of fate, Malalai was shot and killed for displaying bravery against enemies who sought to destroy her homeland. Malala Yousafzai was born in Swat Valley, Pakistan, a conservative region where many females, including her mother, were illiterate. Her father was dedicated to education, and held the progressive belief that Malala’s gender would not inhibit her learning. He ran a school for boys and girls, and was a passionate teacher. Even as a small child, Malala was drawn to school and she soon became the top student in her school. When Taliban forces entered Swat Valley from nearby Afghanistan, everything changed quickly. Soon the tyrannical forces insisted that girls should not be educated, and began destroying schools. Any opposition to the Taliban was met with swift and brutal punishment. Malala’s father was a vocal opponent to the Taliban, and the family lived in constant fear of retaliation. Still, swayed partially by the belief that the Taliban would not harm a child, her father allowed Malala to speak out publicly as well: first through pseudonymed BBC interviews, and then on television using her real name. A Taliban soldier sought her out for execution on her local school bus. She managed to survive the ordeal, and exiled in the UK, she awkwardly adapts to the foreign world with her family. Now a vocal advocate for girls’ education all over the world, Malala was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize (which she lost in the movie, but was awarded later.)

I would recommend this movie for middle and high schoolers. The violence portrayed in the movie is often animated, but is still powerful. It will be eye opening to young viewers to see the price a 15 year old paid simply for wanting to learn. Education is not revered and often taken for granted in this country. The bravery and forgiveness that she displays are truly inspirational. Her dedication to peacefully protesting injustice will be empowering to young students who seek to change the world.

Works Cited

Parks, W. (Producer), & Guggenheimn D. (Director).  (2015.) He Named Me Malala [Motion Picture]. United States: Fox Searchlight Pictures.

 

Website Links

BBC Highlights from Malala’s Diary http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-29565738

Malala’s Nobel Peace Prize Lecture https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2014/yousafzai-lecture_en.html

 

 

 

 

 

YAL Film: He Named Me Malala

Meghan

Guggenheim, Davis. (Producer) (2015). He Named me Malala. [motion picture].  United States: Fox Searchlight Pictures.

            He Named me Malala is an unbelievably powerful documentary chronicling the courageous life of Malala Yousafzai.  The film recounts significant moments in her life in Swat Valley, located in Pakistan.  At the age of fifteen years old, Malala was targeted by the Taliban along with her father, Zia.  The two traveled to nearby areas in Pakistan, advocating for girls’ education and the hope for their neighbors to not live in fear of the Taliban.  They modeled living their days as if they were their last, regardless of an impending attack by the growing forces of the Taliban.  Due to the messages she shared throughout Pakistan and the world, Malala was shot on bus as she returned from school.  She was seriously injured, and her family was left questioning first her survival, and the degree to which she could recover.  Miraculously, Malala fully recovered, making her opinion and voice even stronger than it was previously.  According to Malala, “One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.”  With this belief, Malala went on to become a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and created a global campaign for girls’ education known as the Malala Fund.

            This film offers an opportunity for high school age students to see examples of tolerance, peaceful protest, and the ability to forgive the unthinkable.  Malala offers inspirational words to live by as she explains that we must not be silent because of fear, and instead demonstrate what we believe in at all times.  I believe this film would offer a commanding addition to lessons on history, conflict, or the importance of education for all for example.  The film makes Malala easily relatable as we see her playing card games with her family, discussing her grades in school which may not be the best, or showing pictures of celebrities that she has crushes on.  While Malala seems like any other teenage girl in a way, we are reminded of her exemplary character as she speaks before thousands of reporters, president Obama, and the people of the United Nations.  She speaks eloquently and confidently, as she strives to push the world from intolerance to acceptance for all people.  I was left speechless at the end of this film by David Guggenheim.