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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Rowling, J. K. 1997. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. New York: Listening Library. ISBN: 0807281956
Read by Jim Dale. Seven Compact Discs. Total playing time 8 hours and 17 minutes. This is an unabridged version.
Harry Potter, a British import that swept America and the world, is a modern high fantasy with all the basic fantasy
motifs. There are magical other worlds: Diagon Alley in London accessed through a magic wall and Hogwarts the magic school
modeled on a typical British boarding school accessed through platform 9 ¾. There are good witches and wizards and the evil
wizard Voldemort. Harry, on a typical heroic quest, was called to adventure by Hagrid, crossed into magical world of Hogwarts
through platform 9 ¾, survived various trials including a bewitched broomstick, a mountain troll and a three-headed dog, and
was assisted by Dumbledore and his friends Ron and Hermione. Through the course of the book, Harry becomes more familiar
with his magical powers and his adult responsibilities. At the end of the book, he returns to the real non-magical world.
Various special characters, goblins, trolls, dragons, three-headed dog etc. and magical objects including wands, flying motorcycles,
invisibility cloak, etc. are a part of the story.
The book begins “Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal,
thank you very much.”… “but they also had a secret.” (p.1) Mrs. Dursley’s sister was a witch
and had an infant son, Harry Potter. The Dursley’s “didn’t want Dudley mixing with a child like that.”
(p.2) Because of an event that caused the entire wizarding world to celebrate, the infant Harry Potter was taken to the Dursley’s.
Life was not easy for Harry. He was given the cupboard under the stairs for a bedroom and was picked on by Dudley, the Dursley’s
son.
All of that changed on Harry’s eleventh birthday when he was invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
and was whisked off by Hagrid to the world of magic, a world in which Harry was famous. He was the only know person to survive
an attack by Voldemort, the powerful evil wizard. This attack, which killed Harry’s parents, left him with a scar on
his forehead. On the train to Hogwarts, Harry meets Ron who becomes his friend. Hermione, also a Hogwarts student was disliked
at first by Harry and Ron (“she’s a nightmare, honestly.” (p. 172)) but soon became fast friends with Harry
and Ron. The three students along with surviving their first year at Hogwarts try to solve the mystery of what was hidden
in the forbidden corridor and who was trying to steal it. Along the way Harry finds clues to his past and story behind his
lightening-like scar.
Throughout the book Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, and Hagrid watch over the three students. Professor Dumbledore
is a wise leader and imparts wisdom to Harry. “Fear of a name increase fear of the thing itself.” (p. 298)
“After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” (p. 297).
Harry, Ron and Hermione learn various magic skills throughout the book but often things go awry. Because he is famous, Harry
is under pressure by the professors to be better, “Tut, tut –fame clearly isn’t everything” (p. 137),
but he is just an average student, except for his flying ability. He becomes an expert at Quidditch, a magical soccer like
game played on broomsticks with flying balls. Hermione, because she comes from a non-wizarding family is discriminated against
by some of the students.
Jim Davis does an excellent job reading Harry Potter. “His pace is brisk without being hurried: his voices are
clearly created without being exaggerated….His accent is Brit-light” (Beavin 1999). From the stuttering of Professor
Quirrell “D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts” (p. 70), to the hoarse accent of Hagrid “Just yer wand left
– oh yeah, an’ I still haven’t got yeh a birthday present” (p. 81), and the Scottish burr of Professor
McGonagall , the different characters in the book are given appropriate accents adding to the pleasure of listening to this
engrossing tale. “If ever there was a perfect choice for an audiobook, this is it: an off-to-the-races beginning, a
plot that leaves you breathless, a fully realized original world, a cast of colorful characters –some with scales and
fangs—and the wholly satisfying spectacle of good winning out over evil.” (Beavin 1999)
This book is a page-turner with the reader anxious to find out what catastrophe will happen next and how Harry, Ron and Hermione
will survive. “A charming and readable romp with a most sympathetic hero and filled with delightful magic details.”
(Horn Book 1999) “It’s a classic British boarding school fiction with the delicious twist of magic…”
“Yet the real draw is Rowling’s language, her grasp of character (and caricature), and her ability to write humorously
without being slapstick or cynical.” (De Lint 2000). This book is recommended for ages 10 and up.
Bevin, Krisit. 1999. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. (Review) (Children’s Review) (Brief Article).
Horn Book Magazine 75(6): 764.
DeLint, Charles. 2000. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. (Review)(Book Reviews). Magazine of Fantasy and
Science Fiction 98(1): 35.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. (Review) (Children’s Review) (Brief Article). 1999. Horn Book Magazine
75(1): 71.
Make lemonade
Wolff, Virginia Euwer. 1993. Make lemonade. New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN: 0805022287
This sometimes tearful, sometimes hopeful story of 14-year old LaVaughn and the seventeen year-old mother Jolly she befriends
begins:
“I am telling you this just the way it went
with all the details I remember as they were,
and including the parts I’m not sure about.
You, know, where something happened
But you aren’t convinced
You understood it?
Other people would maybe tell it different
But I was there.”
LaVaughn, looking for a job to make money for college, takes the slip of paper that says “BABYSITTER NEEDED BAD”
because “nobody else had.” Jolly needs a babysitter for her two kids, Jeremy age 2 and baby Jilly, while she
works at a night job in a factory. The apartment is a mess and the kids “sloppy and drippy” but LaVaughn takes
the job and begins to help Jolly with both her kids and her life. The four become a temporary family each helping the other
toward a better life.
Jolly lived on the streets in a refrigerator box as a child and now “needs as much help and nurturing as her two neglected
children” (Fader 1993). Being an unwed mother with no parents and no education, Jolly struggles to survive. She is
determined to make it on her own without the help of Welfare. “Welfare! Not in my life, never no Welfare ever again!”
(p. 67) When Jolly loses her job, LaVaughn convinces her to join the Moms Up Program, which provides Day Care and classes
for moms.
LaVaughn has the benefits of college driven home to her constantly when she experiences firsthand how difficult it is to support
yourself and two children with no education and no job skills. She continually saves her money and keeps her grades up so
that she can be the first in her building to go to college. “In 64 apartments nobody ever went to college”. (p.
10) Sometimes she fails, “In social studies I got a whole country wrong.” (p. 26) When her mother questions whether
she should continue helping Jolly, LaVaughn thinks
“You should always finish what you start.
You should help the ones that need you.” (p. 42)
This story is set in the inner city where buses and gangs are a part of life and where they need Tenant Councils to keep the
bad elements out of the apartment buildings.
Make lemonade is a first person narrative story that teens of all backgrounds can relate to. “Words arranged
on the page like poetry and sometimes composed of ungrammatical sentences, perfectly echo the patterns of teenage speech.”
(Fader 1993). The characters are believable, the settings realistic. Many bad things happen to both girls and many mistakes
are made but with hard work and determination to “make lemonade” the book creates a feeling of hope. “Radiant
with hope, this keenly observed and poignant novel is a stellar addition to YA literature.” (PW 1993). This book is
recommended for ages 12 and up.
Fader, Ellen. 1993. Make lemonade. (Young Adult Review) (Brief Article). Horn Book Magazine 69(5): 606.
Make lemonade. (Young Adult Review) (Brief Article). 1993. Publishers Weekly 240(22): 56.
The house of the scorpion
Farmer, Nancy. 2002. The house of the scorpion. New York: Simon Pulse. ISBN: 0689852231
The house of the scorpion is the story of Matt, the clone of Matteo Alacran (El Patron) a powerful drug lord that
ruled over a large poppy growing estate in Opium, a country on the border between the United States and Aztlan (once called
Mexico). Citizens from both the United States and Aztlan cross the border into Opium in search of a better life, only to
be caught by the farm patrols and turned into “eejits” (humans who have computer chips in their brains controlling
their every move) who worked the poppy fields. “They’d go on weeding until the foreman told them to stop.”
(p. 148) This futuristic novel is the story of Matt’s childhood, from his beginnings in a petri dish to his eventual
freedom.
Celia, the cook for the Alacran estate, raised Matt. He lived in a house in the middle of the poppy fields, was fluent in
English and Spanish and forbidden to go outside while Celia was at work in the big house. Celia told him stories of the children
in the estate and when Matt spied them outside the house, “He was shivering all over, as though he’d just met
one of the monsters Celia told him haunted the world outside….But he liked the girl.” (p. 10) Through the children,
Matt learns that he is a clone, considered to be not human, without a soul, without a mind, just an animal. Matt moves to
the big house and is badly treated until Matteo Alacran learns of his plight. Although Matteo Alacran treats him kindly and
educates him, the rest of the household, except Celia and Tam Lin (the bodyguard assigned to Matt) shuns Matt. “For
the first time he saw a huge difference between the way the bodyguard (Tam Lin) treated him and how everyone else did.”
(p. 138)
Matt has the run of the estate and finds out that there are many deplorable things occurring. The workers in the field, eejits,
will work until told to stop even to the point of death. Their housing, “low, dark dwellings…that were no better
than coffins” (p.202), is often subject to “bad air” and they are left to sleep in the fields. Matt also
discovers that clones are raised to provide “spare body parts” for the wealthy. Matteo Alacran appears to love
and dote on the boy, but shows no compunction in harvesting Matt’s body parts to increase his own live span. When Matt
finds out that this is to be his fate, he with the help of Celia and Tam Lin, escapes to Aztlan only to find that orphans
are mistreated there.
The house of the scorpion is set in the near future and raises some of the questions modern technology faces. Is
it ethical to create human clones and if so how should they be treated? It also raises “questions of what it means
to be human, what is the value of life, and what are the responsibilities of a society.” (PW 2002). Even in Aztlan,
the land that Matt dreamed would be a better place to live; the orphans are subjected to inhumane living and working conditions.
The house of the scorpion is engrossing and children will be able to identify with Matt, his longing for love and
friendship, and his desire to be treated like any other child. “This is a powerful, ultimately hopeful, story…”
(Estes 2002). It is a “thought-provoking piece of science fiction” (Scotto 2002) and a “futurist coming-of-age
story with a science-fiction twist” (Jackson 2002). This book is recommended for ages 12 and up.
Estes, Sally. 2002. The house of the scorpion. (Young Adult Review) (Brief Article). Booklist 99(2): 232.
The house of the scorpion. (Fiction) (Young Adult Review) (Brief Article). 2002. Publishers Weekly 249(26): 80.
Jackson, Richard. 2002. The house of the scorpion. (Children’s Books)(Young Adult Review) (Brief Article). Kirkus
Reviews 70(13): 954.
Scotto, Barbara. 2002. The house of the scorpion. (Book Review)(Young Adult Review) (Brief Article). Horn Book Magazine
78(6): 753.
The first part last
Johnson, Angela. 2003. The first part last. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN: 0689849222
Bobby, a sixteen-year old father tells the story of his life with Feather his newborn daughter in The first part last.
This contemporary realistic fictional book is divided into short chapters alternating between “Now” his current
life caring for Feather and “Then” his life with Nia his girlfriend during her pregnancy. Bobby is a typical
teenage boy growing up in New York City. On his sixteenth birthday, he skipped school “with my running buddies”,
went to the movies, went to top of Empire State Building, and returned to his father’s restaurant for his favorite meal
of “cheese fries and ribs.” At his father’s restaurant, his girlfriend told him she was pregnant and Bobby’s
life changed forever.
In the “Now” Bobby struggles to care for Feather and tries to continue his schooling. Just taking Feather to
the sitter so he can attend school involves changing the subway twice, but the love and affection Bobby has for his daughter
and the effort he makes trying to do the right thing is evident. Bobby longs for the simpler life before Feather. “My
bones ache tired…”(p. 14) “I just want a note to get me out of it.” (p. 25) “I can hardly keep
my eyes open in Brit Lit. I got so much drool on my arm I can’t even try to wipe it on my shirt.” (p. 41) The
tension builds as Bobby becomes more and more tired and overwhelmed with the responsibility of caring for a newborn infant.
Finally, he takes a wrong turn abandoning all of his cares and getting into trouble with the law.
This parallels the “Then” story as Nia, his girlfriend progresses through her pregnancy. Bobby’s carefree
days of school and hanging with his friends are replaced with visits to the obstetrician and coping with the mood swings of
a pregnant girlfriend. With pressure from a social worker, Nia makes the decision to put the baby up for adoption but circumstances
change. The tension builds in both stories reaching a climax when Nia begins to have problems with her pregnancy and Bobby
realizes he has taken on more than he can handle and reaches out to his father and then to his brother for help,
The first part last is a poignant story of a teen father trying. The joys of a new child, the responsibilities, the
lost childhood, are presented in a realistic page-turning way. The novel ends on a hopeful note as Bobby realized neither
his father nor his mother’s place is the best place for him. He starts over in a new town, Heaven. Although there
is a picture of a young black man with a tiny infant on the cover, this could be the story of any teen boy.
“Her young people are thoughtful, conscientious, and loving—certainly with failings, but trying to do better.”
(Rosser 2003) “Johnson makes poetry with the simplest words in short, spare sentences that teens will read again and
again.” (Rochman 2003) and “skillfully relates the hope in the midst of pain” (PW 2003). This book is
highly recommended to Young Adults ages 12-18. It does contain some references to abortion and teen sex.
The first part last. (Fiction)(Book Review) (Young Adult Review) (Brief Article). 2003. Publishers Weekly 250(24):
73.
Rochman, Hazel. 2003. The first part last. (Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review) . Booklist 100(1): 122.
Rosser, Claire. 2003. The first part last. (Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review). Kliatt 37(3): 10.
Kira-Kira
Kadohata, Cynthia. 2004. Kira-Kira. New York: Atheneum. ISBN: 0689856393
Kira-Kira is the story of two first generation Japanese-American sisters, their mother and father and their life in
a small town in Georgia in the 1950’s. The Takeshima family moved to Georgia to work in the hatchery and poultry processing
factories when their “Oriental foods grocery store” in Iowa went out of business. Katie almost five and Lynn almost
nine had a close relationship. “Both our parents worked. Officially, I stayed all day with a lady from down the road,
but unofficially, Lynn was the one who took care of me.” (pp. 2-3) When Katie was in the first grade, Samson Ichiro
Takeshima her brother was born.
The story is told through the eyes of Katie. Katie admired and looked up to her big sister and Lynn took good care of Katie.
“Sometimes older kids didn’t like me around, but Lynn always made them play with me.” (p. 39) Lynn also
prepared Katie for the discrimination that occurred in their school. “Well, some of the kids at school may not say
hello to you either.” (p. 50) The town of over 4000 people contained only 31 Japanese people and the family faced discrimination.
“Haven’t you noticed that Mom and Dad’s only friends are Japanese?” (p. 50)… “That’s
because the rest of the people are ignoring them. They think we’re like doormats…”(p. 51).
Their parents worked long hours at the hatchery and poultry processing plant leaving Katie and Lynn to take care of themselves
and their brother. “We were poor, but in the way Japanese are poor, meaning we never borrowed money from anyone, period.”
(p. 16) The dream of the family was to own their own home. Even Katie and Lynn saved money for their own house.
All changed when Lynn became ill and Katie began to take care of her. “Every day I sat by her bed and fed her rice
and liver.” (p. 129) Lynn began to rely on Katie much as Katie had relied on her.
Set in the 1950’s this is the story of a hardworking Japanese-American family’s struggle to survive in the prejudiced
world of the American south of the 1950’s. The parents worked long and hard under inhumane factory conditions to save
the money to be able to purchase a house and care for their family. Working conditions were extremely poor but neither parent
complained, just did what they had to do for their family.
Many Japanese words are scattered throughout the text: oni – ogres, ochazuke – green tea mixed with rice, Shizukani
– Hush. Aspects of Japanese culture are described including the food eaten, and celebration of New Year’s customs.
Kadohata “weaves details of life for a Japanese-American family into the narrative” (Kirkus 2003).
Kira-Kira is “true to the child’s viewpoint in plain, beautiful prose that can barely contain the passionate
feelings.” (Rochman 2004) “The family’s devotion to one another, and Lynn’s ability to teach Katie
to appreciate the “kira-kira,” or glittering, in everyday life makes this novel shine.” (PW 2004)
As Katie said at the end of the book, “My sister had taught me to look at the world that way, as a place that glitters,
as a place where the calls of the crickets and the crows and the wind are everyday occurrences that also happen to be magic.”(pp.243-4)
This book is about hope and sorrow and looking for Kira-Kira, “glittering,” in everyday items like the blue sky,
butterflies and colored Kleenex.
This book is recommended for ages 10 and up.
Kira-Kira. (Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)(Children’s Books). 2003. Kirkus Reviews 71(24):
1451.
Kira-Kira. (Brief Article)(Young Adult Review). 2004. Publishers Weekly 251(6): 81.
Rochman, Hazel. 2004. Kira-Kira. (Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review) . Booklist 100(9-10): 858.
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