Book Review: Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Krosoczka, Jarrett J. 2009. LUNCH LADY AND THE CYBORG SUBSTITUTE. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN: 9780375846830

2.    PLOT SUMMARY

When one of the favorite teachers doesn’t show up to school one day, the Lunch Lady becomes suspicious of the new substitute. Betty and the Lunch Lady decide to spy on the substitute and figure out what is going on. During the same time, several students Dee, Hector and Terrance want to find out what the Lunch Lady does after school so they decide to spy on her. After school, the lunch lady and follows the substitute home and finds out that he isn’t an ordinary substitute. He’s a cyborg substitute! Will the Lunch Lady and students be able to get away in enough time or will the robots take over? 

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In this graphic novel we meet a super heroin, the Lunch Lady. She is a wonderful character that you wouldn’t expect to be a super hero, which makes this a hilarious story. Between the Lunch Lady’s getaway car, a vespa, and her secret lunch tray laptop all of the details used throughout the novel are laugh out loud. I loved Krozoczka’s creative use of café items, my favorite was the chicken nugget bombs! The Lunch Lady is extremely nosy and loves adventure and you can see that from the beginning. The story takes place in the school where the Lunch Lady works and this is a setting that kids can really relate to. The Lunch Lady immediately decides that there is something up with the new substitute and the journey begins from there. The novel takes us from all of her spying tactics to her finally following him home and discovering that she was right. 

Krosoczka did a wonderful job with the graphics, they were detailed and easy to follow. I liked how he only used three colors throughout the entire story, it gave the story more a of a comic book feel than a normal book. I enjoyed how Krosoczka varied the format throughout the story by using only pictures on some pages and including dialogue on others. This change up is a great way to reel in young readers and not overwhelm them with too much text. I think that students of all ages would love this book and even students who love comics. This is a wonderful book that keeps you guessing and begs you to read the entire series. It’s silly, fun and mysterious all at the same time!

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

WINNER 2010 Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices

WINNER IRA Children's Choices

BOOKLIST: This tongue-in-cheek superheroine graphic novel will hit the spot for chapter-book readers. Lunch Lady and Betty, her assistant in both the cafeteria and her role of wrong-­righting supersleuth, investigate the strange case of an absent teacher, his creepy substitute, and a plan to grab the Teacher of the Year Award by truly foul means. Three little kids join in the action as Lunch Lady, equipped with a variety of high-tech kitchen gadgets like a spatu-copter and a lunch-tray laptop, tracks a cleverly disguised robot to his maker’s lab, where a whole army of cyborgs require kicking, stomping, and the wielding of fish-stick nunchucks. Yellow-highlighted pen-and-ink cartoons are as energetic and smile-provoking as Lunch Lady’s epithets of “Cauliflower!” and Betty’s ultimate weapon, the hairnet. There is a nice twist in the surprise ending, and the kids’ ability to stand up to the school bully shows off their newfound confidence in a credible manner. Little details invite and reward repeat readings with visual as well as verbal punning.

5. CONNECTIONS

*There is a teacher’s guide for lesson ideas and activities on Random Houses website: http://www.randomhouse.com/book/95917/lunch-lady-and-the-cyborg-substitute-by-jarrett-j-krosoczka#reader%27sguide

*Check out the book trailer: http://www.randomhouse.com/book/95917/lunch-lady-and-the-cyborg-substitute-by-jarrett-j-krosoczka#relatedvideos

*For more Lunch Lady Books check out these:

Krosoczka, Jarrett J. LUNCH LADY AND THE LEAGUE OF LIBRARIANS. ISBN: 9780375846847

Krosoczka, Jarrett J. LUNCH LADY AND THE AUTHOR VISIT VENDETTA. ISBN: 9780375860942

Krosoczka, Jarret J. LUNCH LADY AND THE SUMMER CAMP SHAKEDOWN. ISBN: 9780375860959

Book Review: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

 

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lin, Grace. 2009. WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON. New York: Little, Brown. ISBN: 9780329776237

2.    PLOT SUMMARY

This story is about a little girl, Minli, who lives in a poor village. Growing tired to seeing her family saddened by the lack of wealth, Minli decides to go see the Old Man on the Moon who can answer all questions . After running away, she meetings a friendly dragon and they become fast friends and travel together. On their journey to find the Old Man on the Moon, Minli and the dragon come across many obstacles but also make great friends along the way. Minli must find the borrowed line and the Never Ending Mountain in order to meet the Old Man on the Moon. When she finally arrives at the mountain and meets the old man, she is allowed to ask one question and one question only. What will that question be? You will have to read to find out!

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Lin does a wonderful job creating this fantasy story based off of Chinese folktales that were told to her as a little girl. Where the Mountain meets the Moon is a enchanting story of a little girl, Minli, who is brave and persistent with a touch of kindness. Minli is a very lovable character who has a strong will and throughout the story, the reader is rooting for her to be successful on her long journey to meet the Old Man on the Moon. The story takes place in a poor village on the Fruitless Mountain, where Minli’s family works hard and does not have a lot of food. Lin describes their village and home in a way that realistically sets the story and allows the reader to understand why Minli goes on this adventure in search of fortune for her family. 

Lin’s writing style is easy to read and exciting as well. Each chapter ends with a small cliffhanger and switches off between characters stories. For example; one chapter will follow Minli and the dragon and the next chapter will follow her parents Ba and Ma. Lin also cleverly weaves in various Chinese folktales throughout the story, which add to the understanding of the storyline.  This a feel good story that all readers can relate to but also has fun fantasy touches such as dragons and stairways to the moon. I would highly recommend this book to students ages 8 and up, this is a must read!

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

2010 Newbery Honor

NY Times Bestseller 

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Starred Review: Living in the shadow of the Fruitless Mountain, Minli and her parents spend their days working in the rice fields, barely growing enough to feed themselves. Every night, Minli's father tells her stories about the Jade Dragon that keeps the mountain bare, the greedy and mean Magistrate Tiger, and the Old Man of the Moon who holds everyone's destiny. Determined to change her family's fortune, Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the Moon, urged on by a talking goldfish who gives her clues to complete her journey. Along the way she makes new friends including a flightless dragon and an orphan and proves her resourcefulness when she tricks a group of greedy monkeys and gets help from a king. Interwoven with Minli's quest are tales told by her father and by those she meets on the way. While these tales are original to Lin, many characters, settings, and themes are taken from traditional Chinese folklore. The author's writing is elegant, and her full-color illustrations are stunning. Minli's determination to help her family, as well as the grief her parents feel at her absence, is compelling and thoroughly human.

BOOKLIST Starred Review: In this enchanted and enchanting adventure, Minli, whose name means “quick thinking,” lives with her desperately poor parents at the confluence of Fruitless Mountain and the Jade River. While her mother worries and complains about their lot, her father brightens their evenings with storytelling. One day, after a goldfish salesman promises that his wares will bring good luck, Minli spends one of her only two coins in an effort to help her family. After her mother ridicules what she believes to be a foolish purchase, Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the Moon, who, it is told, may impart the true secret to good fortune. Along the way, she finds excitement, danger, humor, magic, and wisdom, and she befriends a flightless dragon, a talking fish, and other companions and helpmates in her quest. With beautiful language, Lin creates a strong, memorable heroine and a mystical land. Stories, drawn from a rich history of Chinese folktales, weave throughout her narrative, deepening the sense of both the characters and the setting and smoothly furthering the plot. Children will embrace this accessible, timeless story about the evil of greed and the joy of gratitude. Lin’s own full-color drawings open each chapter.

5. CONNECTIONS

*For fun activities to go along with WHERE THE MOUTAIN MEETS THE MOON, check out Grace Lin’s website at http://www.gracelin.com/content.php?page=wherethemountainmeetsthemoon&display=activities

*Showcase this book trailer on school announcements or in the library, to motivate students to check out this book: http://www.gracelin.com/content.php?page=wherethemountainmeetsthemoon

*For book celebrations check out Grace Lin’s blog: http://www.wherethemountainmeetsthemoon.com/

*For more books by Grace Lin be sure to read:

Lin, Grace. DUMPLING DAYS. ISBN: 9780316125901

Lin, Grace. YEAR OF THE DOG. ISBN: 0316060003

Lin, Grace. YEAR OF THE RAT. ISBN: 9780316114264

Book Review: I am the Messenger

 

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Zusak, Markus. 2002. I AM THE MESSENGER. New York, NY. Knopf Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0375830995

2.    PLOT SUMMARY

This story takes place in Australia where we meet a character named Ed Kennedy. Ed is 19 years old and has a life that is going nowhere fast. Until one day, Ed finds himself caught in a bank robbery and ends up saving the day by catching the robber. After that incident, Ed starts receiving mysterious cards that lead him to addresses of people that he is supposed to help. The tasks that he has to take on seem daunting and impossible at times, but Ed is forced to complete the jobs. Will Ed be able to solve all of the problems that he comes across?

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Markus Zusak has created a realistic story of a “lost” teenager who is lacking motivation in life. The protagonist main character Ed, has no drive in life and no desire to change anything about it. Ed is a very real character and older readers can easily relate to him. Throughout the story, Ed learns that there is more to life and starts to see the purpose of his life through the various jobs he is assigned. The story is a bit slow at the start but once Ed starts receiving mysterious cards in the mail it really starts to picks up. The reader will face growing excitement with each card and the problems and solutions are creative and not always expected.

The setting of this story takes place in a foreign country, Australia. Zusak’s lingo and vocabulary can sometimes be hard to read and understand from an American standpoint, but they are true to the setting and allowed the reader to step into the book. Zusak also piques the reader’s interest by cleverly naming the chapters after the playing cards and discreetly slipping clues into the chapter titles. For example in chapter 3 of diamonds, the chapter title is called the ace of diamonds. In this chapter, the reader learns that Ed received the ace of diamonds in the mail and what he will do with it. The chapters are reasonably short and split up the story nicely, which helps the reader easily stay on track with what is going on in the story.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Winner 2006 Texas TAYSHAS High School Reading List

Winner 2006 ALA Best Books for Young Adults

Honor 2006 Michael L. Printz Honor Book

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: Grade 9 Up - Nineteen-year-old cabbie Ed Kennedy has little in life to be proud of: his dad died of alcoholism, and he and his mom have few prospects for success. He has little to do except share a run-down apartment with his faithful yet smelly dog, drive his taxi, and play cards and drink with his amiable yet similarly washed-up friends. Then, after he stops a bank robbery, Ed begins receiving anonymous messages marked in code on playing cards in the mail, and almost immediately his life begins to swerve off its beaten-down path. Usually the messages instruct him to be at a certain address at a certain time. So with nothing to lose, Ed embarks on a series of missions as random as a toss of dice: sometimes daredevil, sometimes heartwarmingly safe. He rescues a woman from nightly rape by her husband. He brings a congregation to an abandoned parish. The ease with which he achieves results vacillates between facile and dangerous, and Ed's search for meaning drives him to complete every task. But the true driving force behind the novel itself is readers' knowledge that behind every turn looms the unknown presence - either good or evil - of the person or persons sending the messages. Zusak's characters, styling, and conversations are believably unpretentious, well conceived, and appropriately raw. Together, these key elements fuse into an enigmatically dark, almost film-noir atmosphere where unknowingly lost Ed Kennedy stumbles onto a mystery - or series of mysteries - that could very well make or break his life.

BOOKLIST Starred Review: Gr. 9-12. Ed is a 19-year-old loser only marginally connected to the world; he's the son that not even his mother loves. But his life begins to change after he acts heroically during a robbery. Perhaps it's the notoriety he receives that leads to his receiving playing cards in the mail. Ed instinctively understands that the scrawled words on the aces are clues to be followed, which lead him to people he will help (including some he'll have to hurt first). But as much as he changes those who come into his life, he changes himself more. Two particular elements will keep readers enthralled: the panoply of characters who stream in and out of the story, and the mystery of the person sending Ed on the life-altering missions. Concerning the former, Zusak succeeds brilliantly. Ed's voice is assured and unmistakable, and other characters, although seen through Ed's eyes, are realistically and memorably evoked (readers will almost smell Ed's odoriferous dog when it ambles across the pages). As for the ending, however, Zusak is too clever by half. He offers too few nuts-and-bolts details before wrapping things up with an unexpected, somewhat unsatisfying recasting of the narrative. Happily, that doesn't diminish the life-affirming intricacies that come before.

5. CONNECTIONS

***Recommended for students ages 17 and up.

***Start a secret helper club in your classroom. Pass out a secret envelope to a student each day where they have to help someone out in the classroom without letting them know they are the “secret helper”. The envelope can be returned to the teacher when the secret task is complete, then the teacher can continue to pass it around to the other students.

***Other books by Markus Zusak

Zusak, Markus. THE BOOK THIEF. ISBN: 9780375842207

Zusak, Markus. UNDERDOGS. ISBN: 9780545354424

Zusak, Markus. GETTING THE GIRL. ISBN: 9780439389501

***For a teacher guide about this book check out http://www.randomhouse.com/book/196151/i-am-the-messenger-by-markus-zusak#reader%27sguide