Summary: The book Mick Harte was Here, by Barbara Park, tells the story of a family that has to come to terms with the death of one of its members in a bicycle accident. The story is told from the viewpoint of Mick Harte's sister, Phoebe. Phoebe tells the story of the aftermath of Mick's death in a way that is both sarcastically humorous and heart wrenching. At the conclusion of the novel, Phoebe uses a stick to carve into a fresh concrete sidewalk at her school the words "MICK HARTE WAS HERE." These words are Phoebe's lasting tribute to her brother.
Point of View: This story is told from the first person point of view of thirteen-year-old Phoebe Harte. Phoebe is the sister of twelve-year-old Mick Harte, who was killed in a bicycle accident. Setting: This story takes place in a small suburban town. Themes: Helmet safety and dealing with the grief and loss of a loved one. Biographical Aspects: The biographical clues in this book that relate back to Barbara Park would be the emphasis on bike/helmet safety. Barbara Park is a mother to two sons (David and Steve Park) and like many other mothers, I'm sure she had trouble getting her sons to practice bike safety. Another biographical clue is the setting. The story takes place in small suburban town much like the one Barbara raised her sons in. My Response: I absolutely loved this book. I remember when my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Borry, read it to our class. We then were able to host our own bike safety assembly, like Phoebe, to promote the practice of proper bike safety. A closer look at The Kid in the Red Jacket ...
Summary: Howard Jeeter, the main character, is a fifth grade boy. He with his mom, dad and baby brother Gaylord, move from Arizona to Rosemount, Massachusetts for his father's job. His parents are thrilled about this "new adventure" but Howard isn't. He doesn't want to leave his friends and be the new kid in an unfamiliar school in an unfamiliar place. To make matters worse, Molly Vera Thompson, his 6-year-old babbling neighbor, cannot get enough of him. She has proclaimed herself his best friend. While Howard is desperate for a friend, he was hoping to find friends that are more like him. The story follows Howard as he adjusts to life in Massachusetts and learns that just because someone is different than you doesn't mean you cannot be friends. Minor Characters: There are several minor characters in this book. First there is Howard’s mother. There is also Howard’s dad. His dad tries giving him advice about making friends at his new school. He kind of acts old-fashioned and geeky when he gives Howard advice. He uses the term: “Hey, fellas” which Howard doesn’t like because he feels that it sounds "old-fashioned". Howard’s friends are also important in this book even though they are minor characters. Pete Jones is one of them. Howard meets Pete at school. Pete teaches Howard that it is okay to be yourself. For example, Howard wasn’t being himself when he passed Madeline with Ollie. He knew that this was mean but wanted to stay friends with Ollie. On the other hand, Pete calls the boys “jerks” and stands up for what he believes in. Another friend of Howard’s is Thornberry. Thornberry still lives in Arizona. Thornberry is very special to Howard because he isn’t scared and embarrassed to share his emotions. At the end of the book, Howard writes an “it's-the-truth” letter to Thornberry telling him everything about his new life because he had been embarassed to tell him what his new life was like. Setting: The setting is very important in this novel because Howard moves from Arizona to a new house cross-country in Massachusetts. Most of the novel has to do with Howard gradually adjusting to his new school and town. The setting of this novel is on Chester Pewe Street in Massachusetts in the late 1980s. The reader can tell this because the author makes references to Rambo and “The Simpsons”. Point of View: This novel is told from the first-person-point-of-view, with Howard as our narrator. This allows the reader to get a better feeling of Howard’s overactive imagination. A lot of his thoughts are funny and they add to the enjoyment of the book. Theme: The theme of The Kid in the Red Jacket is that even if someone is a different gender from you, you can still play with them. Howard thought that playing with Molly wasn’t good because she was younger and a girl, but Molly thought differently and saw Howard for the person he was, not his gender. Biographical Aspects: Reading this book you get biographical clues about Barbara Park through Howard. Like Howard, Barbara experienced packing up her life, moving cross country and starting over somewhere new. My Response: I really enjoyed this book! Howard's sarcastic humor is great and kept me chuckling. I also like this book because I believe it would be a great book to read aloud to a class in the beginning of the year because it has underlying themes of accepting differences and befriending all. I can relate to this book because I was the "new kid" in second grade when I transferred from private school to public school. I remember feeling like Howard; alone and awkward. Barbara really hit home for me with this one. 1. Beanpole - Thirteen-year-old Lillian, is terribly tall for her age, towering over the other girls. She feels like a loser, but dreams of joining the Pom Squad and being a cheerleader. Can she prove her skills to herself, and to her peers?
2. Don’t Make Me Smile- Charlie Hickles' parents are getting a divorce--and for some reason, they actually expect him to understand! But Charlie isn't going to take this divorce lying down. 3. MA! THERE'S NOTHING TO DO HERE! -A baby is beyond bored in his mother's womb. He's ready to play on the swingset, meet other boys and girls, and to canoe! But until then—what will he do to pass the time? 4. Mick Harte Was Here- How could someone like Mick die? This is the hilarious kid who freaked his mom out by putting a ceramic eye in a defrosted chicken, who did a wild solo dance in front of the whole school because the music got in his pants, and the kid who, if he'd only worn his bicycle helmet, would still be alive now. Phoebe has great memories of her brother, but cannot see how her family will ever pick up the pieces and move on. 5. My Mother Got Married (and Other Disasters)- In this sequel to "Don't Make Me Smile," Charlie Hickle's life has become a three-ring circus. Why did his mom have to get remarried anyway? He wants things back the way they used to be--right now! 6. Operation: Dump the Chump- Poor Oscar Winkle! Ever since his little brother, Robert (not-so-affectionately known as "Slobert"), showed up seven and a half years ago, he's been specializing in ruining Oscar's life. So he comes up with Operation: Dump the Chump, a brilliant scheme to get even with the pesky creep. 7. Pssst! It’s Me… the Bogeyman- It's the Bogeyman, and he's stew-spewin', gravel-chewin' mad. He's tired of all the nonsense people say about him. He doesn't say BOO -- that's a baby word. He doesn't want to "get ya" -- if he "got ya," what would he do "with ya?" His job is to scare you, and he's very good at it -- unless you happen to know the secret that will send the Bogeyman scrambling in terror to someone else's bedroom. 8. The Graduation of Jake Moon- This novel for young adults is mainly a first person narrative of how a middle school graduate comes to terms with the illness of his much loved grandfather. 9. The Kid in the Red Jacket- The kids in Howard's new town act as if he's totally invisible, except for his six-year-old neighbor, Molly Vera Thompson. True, Howard could use a friend, but an annoying little girl who talks nonstop and looks like a miniature Bozo isn't exactly what he had in mind! 1. Maxie, Rosie, and Earl: Partners in Grime (1991): Maxie, Rosie, and Earl have nothing in common. Maxie is too smart for his own good, Rosie is a tattle-tale, and Earl can't stop giggling when he reads out loud in class. However, when all three kids land outside the principal's office in disgrace, they can't help comparing notes. Just when they think there's no chance of a rescue, the fire alarm goes off! There's only one thing for three doomed geeks to do -- make a bee-line for for the exit and jump into the Dumpster!
2. Rosie Swanson: Fourth-grade Geek for President (1992): Average, plain-jane Rosie runs for class president against the two most popular kids in school. 3. Dear God, Help!!! Love, Earl(1994): Earl will do anything to avoid the big, mean bully at school; even playing dead. Skinny Bones Series:
1. Skinny-bones (1982)- For the smallest kid on the baseball team, Alex “Skinnybones” Frankovitch has a major-league big mouth! But when he brags his way into a pitching contest, this might be one mess that not even Alex can talk his way out of. 2. Almost Starring Skinny-bones(1989)- Alex “Skinnybones” Frankovitch is about to become a huge star—in his very own TV commercial! But Alex’s big plans for stardom go terribly wrong. Junie B. Jones books are a great way for young readers to get interested in reading. Junie B. Jones is an amusing and unique young girl, who learns many life lessons throughout her daily adventures in life. There are many interesting ways that teachers can incorporate the Junie B. Jones series into their classrooms through read-alouds and allowing students to select them for independent reading. Junie B. Jones is very relatable for young children, and it is intriguing to see how she does things. It is the perfect book for young children that are just starting to read on their own because it is an easier read, yet has the feel of a chapter book.
The Junie B. series is considered to be realistic-fiction. The books contain a realistic story line and any of the events could happen in real life. Junie B. is just a normal Kindergarten student (or first grade student if you reading Junie B. is a First Grader), who has loving parents, and has a big mouth that sometimes gets her into trouble . There are many interesting and lovable characters in the Junie B. series. The characters vary from book to book and are who Junie comes into contact with in her day-to-day life. Her best friends are some of the children in Room One; there is Herb, Junie’s best friend, who also is not very fond of May, some of her other best friends are Jose and Lennie. There is also Sheldon, who is the only person who also brings his lunch to school, although he tends to get on Junie B.’s nerves, because he is allergic to everything! Lastly there is May, a girl in her class, who Junie does not particularly get along with. The pair often gets into many arguments, which have to get broken up by their teacher. Junie B. Jones lives with her parents, Robert and Susan Jones, and her little brother Ollie. In the words of Junie B., “Ollie is ten months old. He cannot skip or play tag or color. So far, I am not that satisfied with him.” There is also her grandpa Frank Miller. Setting: The setting in the series changes from book-to-book. Sometimes the plot takes place in her classroom at school, her bedroom, various rooms in her home, the school cafeteria and her backyard. The series takes place where ever Junie B. Jones goes! Point of View: The narrative is in first person, from Junie B.’s point of view. The story would not be the same nor nearly as funny if it were in third person point of view. Junie B. Jones has such funny ways of saying things. Her mannerisms help make the stories relatable to kids and help her spunky personality shine through the text. Over the years, teachers and parents have had issues with the Junie B. Jones series. The American Library Association had it on its list of Top 100 banned or challenged books from 2000-2009. Some educators and parents are alarmed that the books contain improper grammar and spelling. Junie B. often says her adverbs without the suffix -ly and constantly forgets to add the -ed ending to past tense verbs, so they often come out like "funnest". However, one could use Junie's spelling mistakes as a teaching tool and opportunity to have the kids find the errors and correct them. Also, some parents have issues with Junie B.’s behavior. Junie, like many kids of the Kindergarten age, is constantly talking back to her teachers, calls people mean names such as "stupid" or "dumb", and gets in her fair share of trouble. Again, as a parent or educator, one can use Junie's actions as an opportunity to have kids talk about what they would do differently or have kids discuss what Junie B. should have done. One key characteristic of the Junie B. Jones series is the incorporation of some of Junie B.'s writing. The series showcases some of her diary in which she writes in a child-like style with stick-like letters. The Books: 1. Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus (1992) 2. Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business(1993) 3. Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth(1993) 4. Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying(1994) 5. Junie B. Jones and the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake(1995) 6. Junie B. Jones and That Meanie Jim’s Birthday(1996) 7. Junie B. Jones Loves Handsome Warren(1996) 8. Junie B. Jones Has a Monster Under Her Bed(1997) 9. Junie B. Jones Is Not a Crook(1997) 10. Junie B. Jones Is a Party Animal(1997) 11. Junie B. Jones Is a Beauty Shop Guy(1998) 12. Junie B. Jones Smells Something Fishy(1998) 13. Junie B. Jones is (Almost) a Flower Girl(1999) 14. Junie B. Jones And the Mushy Gushy Valentine(1999) 15. Junie B. Jones Has a Peep in Her Pocket(2000) 16. Junie B. Jones is Captain Field Day(2001) 17. Junie B. Jones Is a Graduation Girl(2001) 18. Junie B., First Grader (at last!)(2001) 19. Junie B., First Grader: Boss of Lunch(2002) 20. Junie B., First Grader: Toothless Wonder(2002) 21. Junie B., First Grader: Cheater Pants(2003) 22. Junie B., First Grader: One-Man Band(2003) 23. Junie B., First Grader: Shipwrecked(2004) 24. Junie B., First Grader: Boo… and I MEAN IT!(2004) 25. Junie B., First Grader: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells (P.S So Does May)(2005) 26. Junie B., First Grader: Aloha-ha-ha!(2006) 27. Junie B., First Grader: Dumb Bunny!(2007) 28. Junie B., First Grader: Turkeys We have Loved and Eaten (and other Thankful Stuff)(2012) 29. Junie B. My Valentine(2013) Biographical Aspects: Barbara Park shines through Junie B. Jones. In an article written by NY Daily News, Park is quoted saying "I don't have a problem being 6 years old in my head" when asked how she writes the series. Barbara also goes on to say, ""I find that when I'm struggling to think of how a 6-year-old would feel about something, I just have to go right down to the common denominator, find the simplest way that you can look at an object or a problem, and not muck it up with all of the stuff that adults do and over-analyze." My Response: I absolutely LOVE the Junie B. Jones series and it will forever be one of my favorite "beginner" chapter books. I love how quirky, sarcastic and sassy the Junie B. Jones character is and can relate to her because I too was like that growing up. Junie's extreme honesty and kindergarten/first grade humor never cease to make me giggle; even as a 22-year-old college senior! I can't wait to share Junie B. with my future students and laugh along with them. |