Module 4/SLIS 5420: Newbery and Printz Award Winners

A Year down Yonder

Written by Richard Peck

2001 Newbery Award
2001 ALA Best Books for Young Adults







Bibliography

Peck, Richard. A Year Down Yonder. Penguin Group, 2000. ISBN: 0803725183

Summary

Mary Alice has grown up in Chicago, and is not thrilled that she must spend an entire year in Grandma Dowdel's hick town while her parents weather out the Depression. Grandma Dowel's big-heartedness and crazy antics are enough entertainment to get her through the year, however, and in the end, the country girls decide that Mary Alice isn't a rich city girl after all. Mary Alice learns how to play pranks on Halloweeners, trap foxes, and find true love. She grows closer to her grandma, and finds that in many ways, they are very much alike.

My impressions

A Year Down Yonder is the sequal toPeck's Newbery Honor book, A Long Way from Chicago. The books are collections of stories about two kids’ adventures with their Grandma during the Depression. The writing is very clever and some of the stories are hilarious. Peck does a great job fleshing out his characters; especially in A Year down Yonder, which offers a more cohesive story line. A Year Down Yonder is poignant, funny, and manifests darn good storytelling.

Reviews

Grandma Dowdel's back! She's just as feisty and terrifying and goodhearted as she was in Richard Peck's A Long Way from Chicago, and every bit as funny...Peck is at his best with these hilarious stories that rest solidly within the American literary tradition of Mark Twain and Bret Harte. Teachers will cherish them as great read-alouds, and older teens will gain historical perspective from this lively picture of the depression years in small-town America. (Patty Campbell, Amazon.com Review)

A small masterpiece of storytelling... the novel reveals a strong sense of place, a depth of characterization, and a rich sense of humor. (The Horn Book)

Activities

Here is a great site with activities for A Year Down Yonder:
http://eduscapes.com/newbery/01a.htm



Monster

Written by Walter Dean Myers
Illustrated by Christopher Myers

2000 Michael Printz Award
2000 Coretta Scott King Award





Bibliography

Myers, Walter Dean. Monster. HarperCollins Publishers, 1999. ISBN: 0060280778

Summary

Monster is a gritty and realistic tale of sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon, who is going to trial for murder. Most of the book is told as though the protagonist was filming his life story, with occasional memories or conversations interrupting the trial proceedings. As the trial runs its course, it is clear that Steve may not get off, and will probably serve up to 25 years of jail time. His own lawyer doubts his innocence, and the book leads up to a harrowing climax as the jury decides the verdict.

My Impressions

The plot of Monster is very open-ended—is he really innocent? Steve has convinced himself that he is, but Myers leaves the truth out of the picture. Monster is also very unique in its journal/film script format. A likely comparison to this book would be to a gripping, prime time TV drama. It holds interest the same way a sensationalized, morbid news story would. Many of the “images” are graphic and disturbing. The characters’ conversations include a lot of street slang, which adds an edgy, realistic element. It is brilliantly presented, and displays how quickly one teen's life falls to shambles as he winds up with the wrong kind of friends.

Reviews

Filled with ambiguity, this fast-paced nail-biter will have you at the edge of your seat unable to put it down. Perfect for teens and adults alike, Monster raises interesting questions about the path to crime and our judicial and prison systems. (Tammy L. Currier, Teenreads.com)

Steve Harmon, 16, is accused of serving as a lookout for a robbery of a Harlem drugstore. The owner was shot and killed, and now Steve is in prison awaiting trial for murder. From there, he tells about his case and his incarceration. Many elements of this story are familiar, but Myers keeps it fresh and alive by telling it from an unusual perspective... Monster will challenge readers with difficult questions, to which there are no definitive answers... It's an emotionally charged story that readers will find compelling and disturbing. (Edward Sullivan, New York Public Library, for School Library Journal)

Activities

If reading this aloud in a classroom, have the students keep daily journals that record the court proceedings. Each day, have the students record whether they think Steve is guilty or innocent, and why.

Use the story as a vehicle to teach the students about the judicial system. Explain how long the process takes, and discuss jury selection, plea-bargaining, prosecuting and defending attorneys, conviction, and sentencing. Have the students hold a mock court trial.