Escamilla Reads

*This book review was written for a MLS course at SHSU.* BIBLIOGRAPHY Young, Ed and Koponen, Libby. (2011). THE HOUSE BABA BUILT: AN ARTIST’S CHILDHOOD IN CHINA. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 9780316076289. PLOT SUMMARY As China was becoming in more danger as World War II went on, all Eddy’s Baba wanted to do was move his family to somewhere safe. As part of a compromise, he was allowed to build a huge house with various facilities. Over time, Baba’s own family, extended family, and others remained safe as they played games, eat, continued education, and so much more while together. The house is what they all had in common when it came to joy and hope, especially in the environment they were in. CRITICAL ANALYSIS This autobiography is an actual representation on how a parent can step up to make sure to protect their family from danger. Baba initially built the house for his immediate family; however, over time, others were invited to stay (even st...

* This book review was written for a MLS course at SHSU.* BIBLIOGRAPHY Kerley, Barbara. (2010). THE EXTRAORDINARY MARK TWAIN (ACCORDING TO SUSY). Ill. by Edwin Fotheringham. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780545125086 PLOT SUMMARY According to Susy Clemens, Mark Twain, the world-famous author and also her father, was seen quite differently through other people’s eyes than what she saw through hers. In order to capture his true essence, she began to write her own biography about him. She studied most of his internal characteristics and his daily moves regarding his work and other personal life matters, and then she would record them all in her journal. Twain eventually became aware of his daughter’s mission and appreciated how she did not “cover up one’s deficiencies but gave them an equal showing with one’s handsomer qualities”. Susy’s biography became more detailed over time, and when Twain published his autobiography, he made sure to include some of her journa...

*This book review was written for a MLS course at SHSU.* BIBLIOGRAPHY Jenkins, Steve. (2009). NEVER SMILE AT A MONKEY: AND 17 OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for Children. ISBN 9780618966202 PLOT SUMMARY We are all aware that there are many different animals that humans should definitely not mess with, especially the wild ones. However, there are many other animals in which people just assume are safe to be around and are completely harmless, but Steve Jenkins’  Never Smile at a Monkey: And 17 Other Important Things to Remember  proves this wrong. From venomous bites to being kicked with total might, it is important for everybody to recognize these different dangers to protect themselves if they ever encounter any of these species. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Steve Jenkins dedicates one to two pages per animal he describes in this informative book. Each of them gets a short little paragraph, which is more than enough whe...

*This book review was written for a MLS course at SHSU.* BIBLIOGRAPHY Tonatiuh, Duncan. (2015). FUNNY BONES: POSADA AND HIS DAY OF THE DEAD CALAVERAS. New York, NY: Abrams Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781419716478 PLOT SUMMARY The story of how the famous drawings of calaveras came to life is remarkably told in  Funny Bones . José Guadalupe Posada was the creator and was real known in Mexico for his various artistic skills. From working in a print shop, drawing political cartoons, writing calavera poems, and even opening up his own business, Posada has left many cultural influences behind, especially for Mexico’s famous holiday, Dia de Muertos. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Duncan Tonatiuh presents his information about José Guadalupe Posada’s life and successes from the beginning to end, making it seem more of a story rather than just a regular informational text. His style of writing covers the fact that Posada’s creation of the calaveras definitely deserves cre...

*This book review was written for a MLS course at SHSU.* BIBLIOGRAPHY Sidman, Joyce. (2014). WINTER BEES & OTHER POEMS OF THE COLD. Ill. by Rick Allen. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. ISBN 9780547906508 PLOT SUMMARY The season is now winter, meaning it is time for animals and plants up north to go into survival mode in order to protect themselves. Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold is a collection of poems that highlights how nature adapts to environmental changes and explains their various roles until spring time rolls around again. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Joyce Sidman incorporates various poetic elements within her poem collection, such as free verse, repetition, and rhyme. For example, in “Big Brown Moose”, the word “moose” is constantly repeated when describing its actions. This was probably done because moose are large and remain calm during season changes, for they most likely already know what to do. In addition to this, al...

*This book review was written for a MLS course at SHSU.* BIBLIOGRAPHY Frost, Helen. (2011). HIDDEN. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux. ISBN 9780374382216 PLOT SUMMARY Both at age fourteen, Wren and Darra attend Camp Oakwood, a summer camp in Michigan. They never personally met each other before then; however, their lives did connect at one point six years earlier. Darra’s father stole Wren’s mother’s car from a gas station, but he was not aware that Wren was actually still in the car. Frightened, eight-year old Wren hid in the back of the car so she wouldn’t be seen by her kidnapper, and when they arrive at his house, she stays hidden in the garage since there was no way to escape. Darra, who knows that her dad stole the car, hears from the news that Wren was missing, so she is convinced that Wren was somewhere in their garage, scared with no way out. Eventually, Wren gets out of the garage through a small pet door, and later on finds help. As a result, Darra’...

*This book review was written for a MLS course at SHSU.* BIBLIOGRAPHY Lewis, J. Patrick. (2009). COUNTDOWN TO SUMMER: A POEM FOR EVERY DAY OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. Ill. by Ethan Long. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780316020893 PLOT SUMMARY In this hilarious and whimsical book, J. Patrick Lewis provides an assortment of 180 poems and riddles for students. This collection includes topics about content area subjects, holidays, local places, and so much more, for they represent the time span between the beginning of the school year until the start of summer break. CRITICAL ANALYSIS J. Patrick Lewis created an individual poet compilation, meaning he is the only featured poet in Countdown to Summer: A Poem for Every Day of the School Year . In order to mix it up, Lewis’s collection includes many poetic structures and elements instead of just sticking to a standard one to get his messages across. There are some as free verses, shaped-poems (i.e. ...

*This book review was written for a MLS course at SHSU.* BIBLIOGRAPHY Salas, Laura Purdie. (2011). BOOKSPEAK!: POEMS ABOUT BOOKS. Ill. by Jos é e Bisaillon. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN 9780547223001 PLOT SUMMARY Laura Purdie Salas’s creative poetry collection is about books and how they use their “voices” to appeal to readers. In addition to this, the poems represent different literary elements and how books need them in order to completely fulfill their purpose in life. As time goes in life, readers need to be reminded about the endless possibilities that books can provide for them, if they only give the books a chance. CRITICAL ANALYSIS In BookSpeak!: Poems About Books , Laura Purdie Salas uses a heavy amount of personification in order to help make the books’ “voices” and literary elements more attractive, especially when they attempt to persuade individuals to pick them up and read them. For example, in “Conflicted”, Salas writes, “My characters hate me...