Bronx Masquerade

 Bibliography: Grimes, N. (2002) Bronx Masquerade. Dial Books. ISBN 9781432863982

Plot Summary: The novel in verse is told by 19 characters, all voiced by Grimes. They are all students in an English class, taught by Mr. Ward. Throughout the year, Mr. Ward turns their study of the Harlem Renaissance into a poetry lesson which turns into "Open Mike Fridays". Through their own stories and  poetry, we learn more about each character's personal struggles, and they learn more about each other through the process.

Critical Analysis:  The story follows the characters of an inner city (New York) high school with a mostly minority student population. Each character is distinctive and unique.  Grimes does a fantastic job of giving each character his/her own voice in the novel. She connects the characters through his/her personal story before sharing his/her own poem. She further connects them through Tyrone, who shares his and the group's understanding of each other as the poems become more honest and open. Grimes uses the character's vernacular in both the narrative and the poem. The alternating between the narratives and the poetry gives the story a unique flow. Each poem has a unique format (one even shapes the words to form the letter "Z") and no two are exactly the same. The story gave insight into life of an inner city high school student, and the reader and the characters develop the knowledge, that though cliché, is true: "You can't judge a book by its cover".  Thoughtful and honest storytelling, well-deserving of all its awards. 

Reviews:

CommonSenseMedia: "Thrilling, fast-paced, and heartfelt, this novel shows that with the right opportunity, students can take power over stereotypes..."

Goodreads:  "A deserving winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, Grimes' Bronx Masquerade is a poignant book that takes much effort to create eighteen distinct voices."                                                               

Awards:

Coretta Scott King Author Award, 2003
Best Book for Young Adults, 2003
Children's Literature Choice, 2003
Quick Pick for Young Adult Reluctant Readers, 2003
Junior Library Guild Selection, 2003
New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, 2003
Notable Books for a Global Society, 2003

Connections:

Use for a study of poetry in an English class. Follow up with students writing their own poems and sharing in an open-mike format, similar to the book's story.

Use in a Sociology class to analyze various stereotypes Use in a high school Sociology class to analyze various stereotypes through case studies.

Use in a high school Sociology class to analyze various stereotypes through case studies.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Lion and the Mouse

  Bibliography: Pinkney, J. (2010). The Lion & the Mouse . Little, Brown & Co. ISBN 9780316013567 Plot summary  Retelling of Aesop’s fable of the same name, but without words.  The story is of a lion who comes upon a mouse and rather than eating it, lets it return to its family.  Later, when the lion is caught in a trap, the mouse returns the favor by freeing the lion from a trap.  Critical Analysis Pinkney did an amazing job of being able to tell this story without using any words. Using only illustrations, Pinkney brilliantly retells one of Aesop’s fables. The illustrations carried the entire weight of the storytelling in a very thoughtful way. The animals are illustrated realistically with great attention to detail. Color is also important as it is used to draw attention to the characters and their natural surroundings. Pinkney is also able to show the animals’ emotions in a way that is not cartoonish or too human either, holding on to their animal na...
Read more

Boy Meets Boy

         Bibl iography:  Levithan, D. (2003). Boy Meets Boy . Ember. ISBN:  9780375824005             Plot Summary: Paul is a normal high school boy in a school that's not quite normal. The cheerleaders ride motorcycles into the gym. The quarterback is a drag queen. He hates his ex-boyfriend and wants nothing more than to move on.  And when he meets Noah, he thinks he has.  But when Paul makes a stupid mistake, he needs to decide what's really important to him, and what he can do to fix things with Noah.           Critical Analysis: Regardless of sexuality, any teen reader can relate to this book.  Gossip, ex-boy/girlfriends, high school drama, a broken heart and stressed frienships are all things teenagers go through. Though the characters ethnicities are never discussed, the book still demonstrates diversity in orientation with gay, straight, bisexual and drag characters....
Read more

The Book Thief

  Bibliography:  Zusak, M. (2006). The Book Thief . Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN: 9-780375-831003 Plot Summary: Just before World War II ,  on a train ride with her mother and brother, Liesl loses her brother.  At the end of the ride, her mother leaves her with a foster family as she can no longer care for her.  This is when the book stealing starts. Often, it is the books that save her and keep her moving forward. Then she meets Rudy, a boy her age from school, and they begin stealing more than books. She soon learns that her foster parents, who she has grown to love, have a secret that she must help hide. Through all this, Death seems to follow her everywhere she goes, but somehow she survives.  Critical Analysis:  The story is narrated by Death, who is privy to all of the events of Liesl's life as he does seem to follow her. He takes almost everyone she loves.  The use of foreshadowing throughout the book is well done. When Death speaks of Hans' pendi...
Read more