TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA

a. Bibliographic data:

Tan, Shaun. TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA. New York, New York: Scholastic Inc., Arthur A. Levine Books, 2009. ISBN 9780545055871

b. Plot summary:

         Shaun Tan takes his readers through 15 illustrated stories that portray a normal society with some peculiar additions. These beautifully disturbing stories will allow us to discover the world unseen of the out suburbia, a place not so far off from normal. From the adorable alien exchange student to a demanding reindeer to a map that leads to the end of the earth, TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA will ignite a childlike wonder from its captivating pages. 

c. Critical Analysis:

         Shaun Tan has created a fantastic graphic novel of the most random occurrences amongst the most mundane suburb. The way he begins the book and follows throughout makes the reader believe that everything is completely commonplace and that nothing is out of the ordinary… not even a talking buffalo or an alien exchange student. His tone is what makes the story because without it, this book would seem much more far off into the fictional realm. One of my favorite quotes from the book that really represents Tan’s nonchalant way of describing daily occurrences was when he said, “It's funny how these days, when every household has its own intercontinental ballistic missile, you hardly even think about them." The town, normal and average, has quite a few missiles decorated in between houses. Each page contains a new way to make the strange seem quite ordinary.  

         The artwork in this book is very detailed and has different styles. Since there are 15 different short stories in this book, each one has its own unique color scheme and mood. The change between stories is not always a flow but I think that is quite intentional because this book is just so different than anything I have ever read. The characters are relatable in a sense that they are curious, adventurous, experience, anger and sadness just as any other human, but it is difficult to attach to any of them since they are briefly mentioned and do not go into much detail. There was an alien exchange student that stole my heart though! He was quite polite and left a sweet treat for his host family after he left. Although I wouldn’t recommend this book for children, I think its still a great read for young adults and even older adults because of the wonder and curiosity that it unlocks within us as we read.

d. Reviews:

The thoughtful and engaged reader will take from these stories an experience as deep and profound as with anything he has ever read."

-Booklist

Ideas and imagery both beautiful and disturbing will linger." -Publishers Weekly

In some stories, Tan has replaced the sparse, atmospheric text entirely with pictures, leaving the reader to absorb the stunning visual impact of his imagined universe. Several poems—and a short story—told via collage are included. Graphic-novel and text enthusiasts alike will be drawn to this breathtaking combination of words and images.”- Kirkus Reviews

Fifteen short texts, each accompanied by Tan’s signature black-and-white and full-color artwork, take the mundane world and transform it into a place of magical wonders.” - School Library Journal

“Strip away the banalities at the center of contemporary suburban life and you’ll find wonder at its edges—that would seem to be the common theme that connects these richly illustrated short stories and vignettes by Australian author/ illustrator Tan… the craftsmanship is impeccable; here the combination of words and visuals creates a stunning overall effect, inviting lingering and many return visits.” -Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“The real story here is the pictures. Some display the somber polish of the Arrival vignettes, others are full-color, full-page fantasies; each one has more than enough power to seduce the browser into looking closely into its mysteries.” -Horn Book

“Tales from Outer Suburbia is not quite like anything else, and that's perhaps the best thing of all about it, opening up reading as a sort of strong, wild and individual activity.” -Chicago Tribune

“Tan’s mixed-media art, with its surreal landscapes, rescued turtles, and decorated missiles, both illuminates the text and highlights the strange beauty of the ordinary.” -Washington Post

“At times touching, at times absurd, this book of stunning illustrations explores surreal suburban landscapes.” -San Francisco Chronicle

Awards/Honors:

Spring 2009 Kid's Indie Next List
Best Artist, World Fantasy Awards 2009
CBCA Book of the Year, 2009
Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2009
New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books, 2009
BCCB Blue Ribbon Book 2009
Washington Post Best Kids' Books of the Year
Booklist Editors’ Choices for 2009
A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults, 2010
An ALA Notable Book for Children, 2010
USBBY Outstanding International Book, 2010
LA Times Book Prize, Finalist

e. Connections:

Students can attempt their own graphic novel with limited word allotment. I think they will find it is harder than you might think to create a novel without so many words.

This book can be compared with Tan’s other very famous graphic novel, THE ARRIVAL. Or it could be compared with one of his other books such as THE BIRD KING: AN ARTIST’S NOTEBOOK, RULES OF SUMMER, or LOST & FOUND.

Students can read the short interview with Shaun Tan and respond to it using some from of writing tool.

Interview: http://blog.artandwriting.org/2011/04/27/talking-with-shaun-tan-on-the-arrival-tales-from-outer-suburbia-and-inspiration/

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

a. Bibliographic data: Green, John. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. New York, New York: Penguin, 2012. ISBN 9780525478812.

b. Plot summary:

         Hazel Grace Lancaster has been living with cancer for a few years and knows that the end is near. She attends a support group one day, forcibly by her mother, and surprisingly meets the love of her life, Augustus Waters, who also has cancer. Soon, they are inseparable and their lives align with love, laughter, tears, and travels. Their obsession with an author of a book they both adore has set them off in search of answers and adventure. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS gives its readers a raw insight into young love and its many ups and downs. Follow these two star-crossed teens as they live life together, coping with cancer and taking advantage of the many perks. 

c. Critical Analysis:

         THE FAULT IN OUR STARS hooked me quickly and only took me about two days to read. I could not stop! Hazel, the main character tells the story through her perspective, somewhat like a journal entry. The plot was a slice of life that was relatable to my own as I also battle a severe illness. I was able to recognize some of my own growth as a teen and then young adult in this book. Hazel Grace Lancaster, a smart, sarcastic, and relentless teen fights lung cancer and finds life quite meaningless… until she meets a boy at one of her group sessions that she grudgingly attended. After they meet, they become inseparable and spend the rest of their short lives together living with great purpose.

         This book takes place in a quite suburban town. The most descriptions that are given occur when the teens travel to Amsterdam to complete their mission of uncovering mysteries in their favorite book. Green uses imagery and other descriptive words that allow the reader to feel as though you can look around and see the place yourself. I read that Green spent some time in Amsterdam in order to best describe it, which is evident in his writing.

         The themes in this book are plentiful. My favorite theme in this book is friendship. There is so much conflict in friendship in this book because Hazel struggles with being friends with people when she knows she is dying, even amongst her mom and dad. She tells them, “I’m like. Like. I’m like a grenade, mom. I’m a grenade and at some point I’m going to blow up and I would like to minimize he casualties, okay?” (p. 99). She believes the more people she befriends, the more fragments she will leave behind.

         Hazel Grace and her beloved friend Augustus Waters both love to read book and they share books together, which they relate their lives to use to feel connections. They end up almost obsessing over Peter Van Houten’s book AN IMPERIAL AFFLICTION (which is not a book in real life). They desperately seek answers that are left untold in the book and use this to drive their purpose for the rest of the book. The plot revolves around this book and whether or not the author will provide them with answers.

         The author, John Green, uses quite a bit of dialogue throughout the book to express the thoughts of the characters, allowing us to feel as though the conversation is being had right in front of us. There are very humorous sections of the book and then it can quickly bring you to tears in just a few short words. The descriptive style of the author and his ability to grab at your emotions is what had me reading for hours on end.

d. Reviews:

“In its every aspect, this novel is a triumph.”—Booklist

“This is a book that breaks your heart—not by wearing it down, but by making it bigger until it bursts.”—The Atlantic

“A story about two incandescent kids who will live a long time in the minds of the readers who come to know them.”—People

“Remarkable . . . A pitch-perfect, elegiac comedy.”—USA Today

“A smarter, edgier Love Story for the Net Generation.” —Family Circle

“The greatest romance story of this decade.” —Entertainment Weekly

“[Green’s] voice is so compulsively readable that it defies categorization. You will be thankful for the little infinity you spend inside this book.” —NPR.org

“[Green] shows us true love—two teenagers helping and accepting each other through the most humiliating physical and emotional ordeals—and it is far more romantic than any sunset on the beach.”

—New York Times Book Review

Awards/Honors:

#1 New York Times Bestseller
#1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller
#1 USA Today Bestseller
#1 International Bestseller
#1 Indie Bestseller

Goodreads Choice Awards Best Young Adult Fiction

Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books of 2012

SLJ Best Children’s Book 2012

IRA Young Adults’ Choices, 2013

YALSO 2013 Best Fiction for Young Adults

Hornbook Fanfare 2012

TODAY Book Club Pick

Time Magazine’s #1 Fiction Book of 2012

e. Connections:

Since the students that would be reading this book would be in high school, I would suggest using a great deal of technology to create their own book review. This could be with a Prezi or any other source available to them. This would also be a good chance to make a book trailer.

The students could reflect on how different their life and outlook would be if they knew they only had a very short time to live.

The students could make a book club, having consistent meetings and deep discussions about the several themes in THE FAULT IN OUR STARS.

Students could write down new vocabulary words from the book and create flashcards for these that are discussed as a class and referred to often.

Students can compare the book with the movie or this boo with another one of his novels, such as PAPERTOWNS.

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK

a. Bibliographic data: Gaiman, Neil. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. Ill. by Dave McKean. New York, New York: HarperCollins, 2008. ISBN 9780060530938.

b. Plot summary:

         Bod (short for Nobody Owens) is raised by ghosts in a graveyard that he calls home. At the age of two, he wandered up the hill to the graveyard, leaving his murdered family behind and the murderer in pursuit of him. He is given freedom of the Graveyard, which means Bod can hide from humans and have almost all of the powers that ghosts can have. As Bod grows, he faces many of the normal everyday challenges that boys his age will face, but handles them by taking advice from ghosts who are hundreds of years old. He learns to read, write, and gains knowledge of the outside world. Among those in the graveyard that he trusts deeply, besides his adopted mom and dad, is his guardian Silas, who is neither dead nor alive. This book is full of mysteries, excitement, tears, and very much worth the adventures. Bad guys are demolished and the hero is revealed! Will Bod live in the graveyard forever?...

c. Critical Analysis:

         The Graveyard book is one of the most exciting books I have read in a while. I admit… I was hooked from the very first page when a man named Jack murders a young, innocent 2-year-old’s mom, dad, and young sister. As this young boy, soon named Nobody Owens by his new graveyard family, lives life; the reader gets to live it with him. Although narrated in third person, the reader is still given enough insight into the child’s life that they can feel what Bod feels. The relationship between Bod and his many “family members” allows the reader to grow an attachment, especially with his protective guardian, Silas. This book is not for young children!

         There are so many running themes throughout this book, many of which involve family, friends, free will, young love, trust, and the search for one’s identity in life. Bod grows up in the graveyard, receiving instruction from all walks of life, yet never gaining any real world experience at all.

         As a normal young boy, his curiosity overrides the rules and he goes out to experience things on his own. As I read these parts of the book, I felt alone and lost when Bod would travel outside and felt so victorious and loved when he was rescued by those who care so greatly for him.

         The plot begins with Jack, the murderer, and brings us through Bod’s life of escaping his killer’s efforts to finish the job. As the curious boy grows, he gets to know every inch of that graveyard, all of which come in handy for him when he eventually has to fight for his life against the evil Jack of all Trades group out to kill him. We find out later in the book that the boy named Bod is actually a very important piece to this puzzle of mysteries. If he is killed, the Jacks shall live on. If he is not, the Jacks will see their end. In between all of the crazy mess, he meets a young girl (who thinks he is make believe at first) that he thinks about very often. The book shows Scarlett as a good girl that follows most of the rules of her mother. Later in the story when she comes back, she is shown again as somewhat ignorant for believing Jack’s lies and a scaredy-cat for being terrified of Bod after his brave acts. The other main girl characters are seen as strong and brave though, such as one of Bod’s “babysitters” who is actually a large Hound of God and fights to the death for Bod.

         The setting in this book is my absolute favorite part of it all. If I were put in the town where this book takes place, I believe I would be able to find my way around. From the hill to the graveyard to the bench and the chapel, there is not one detail left out. I listened to the audiobook for this and the accents made a world of difference (as well as some mild sound effects). I also rented the book, which was equally as enjoyable to read because of the style of the author and the descriptions on every page. The illustrations are few and far between and are not needed to add meaning to the book but still give the reader insight into the setting. They are not so detailed that it ruins the reader’s chance to design their own setting based on the words of the book. The illustrations are appropriately grim and colorless, using only black to characterize the chapters.    

         At the beginning of the book, Scarlett mentions to Bod, “Well, you can’t stay here all your life. Can you? One day you’ll grow up and then you will have to go and live in the world outside” (p. 60) I think this helped the reader prepare for what was to come, which still was a surprise to me when it happened. Bod eventually lost his “freedom of the graveyard” and was quickly removed from what he called home into a world of unknown. Did I cry? Absolutely, but I still cannot wait to recommend this book to someone!

d. Reviews:

Childhood fears take solid shape in the nursery-rhyme–inspired villains, while heroism is its own, often bitter, reward. Closer in tone to AMERICAN GODS than to CORALINE, but permeated with Bod’s innocence, this needs to be read by anyone who is or has ever been a child.” –Kirkus Reviews

Washington Post

“Like a bite of dark Halloween chocolate, this novel proves rich, bittersweet and very satisfying.”- Washington Post

 “The Graveyard Book, by turns exciting and witty, sinister and tender, shows Gaiman at the top of his form. In this novel of wonder, Neil Gaiman follows in the footsteps of long-ago storytellers, weaving a tale of unforgettable enchantment.”- New York Times Book Review

 “The Graveyard Book confirms what I’ve always thought: Neil Gaiman is a literary genius!”- James Herbert

 “It’s hard to think of a more delightful and scary place to spend 300 pages.”

-The Guardian

“The Graveyard Book feels like the careful work of an old craftsman.” - Newsday

Awards/Honors:

John Newberry Medal 2009

Carnegie Medal 2010

Hugo Award for Best Novel 2009

Locus Award for Best Young-Adult Book 2009

Cybils Award for Fantasy and Science Fiction 2008

SFX Award for Best Novel 2010

Hornbook Fanfare 2008

VOYA Best Science Fiction

Boston Globe-Horn Book Award

ALA Best Books for Young Adults

e. Connections:

In the acknowledgements, Gaiman mentions that his favorite book that greatly inspired this one was THE JUNGLE BOOK. I think it would be great for students to make a deep comparison of the two books. They could even discuss why THE GRAVEYARD BOOK would be born from reading THE JUNGLE BOOK. (Gaiman admits he was actually raised by librarians, which also might be an interesting way to go with this).

Students can talk about how they would feel if they were raised by ghosts. What would they do?

Students can view this book trailer narrated by Neil Gaiman himself and try to recreate their own. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_UUVwTaemk#t=14

Students can choose people from certain time periods discussed in the book and give a synopsis of what a day would be like for them in their time. For example, what would a day look like for Mr. and Mrs. Owens when they were alive over 100 years ago? What would they have seen? What would they have done?

Students can learn how to take a rubbing of some other objects, just as they did with the gravestone in the book.

It would be fun to have students make their own gravestones for people they are researching. What would it say? How would you sum up their life into one line? Years alive? Etc.