Lost in the River of Grass by Ginny Rorby

I've been lost three times in my life. Once was with my friend when I was in 6th grade. We were riding our bikes and took one too many unknown turns and ended up in a field on a gravel path. It wasn't really that scary we'd packed a lunch, had planned on having an adventure and, in my small home town, all we had to do was pedaled to the top of the hill (hard on gravel, but not impossible) to see in what direction we needed to pedal to get back to town.

The second time involved my sisters and my grandparents house in the country. It was a little dicer, but still not that bad. We'd been walking in the fields and ended up walking to a creek out of sight of the house. We sat under a shady tree to cool down and tried to walk back the way we came, but ended up at the bottom of an, I swear, 90 degree hill. At the top of the hill we could see the house. Without food or water it was kind of hard to get up the hill and about half-way up we sat down...bad idea if you are trying to climb a vertical hill in the summer heat. but, we crawled up encouraging each other to get to the flat surface where the fence and yard were. Right when we thought we couldn't go any farther we heard our aunt calling us. She could see us and lifted the barbed wire to let us in. We were scolded with kisses and kool-aid and cold baths. She hadn't thought we were lost at all as she could see us from the dining room window the whole time.

The third time was something else entirely as it involved hiking in the dark unknown. It was my second year of teaching and a group of us had gone hiking. We left early and got to the natural bridge and creek at a wonderful time of day. The only problem was the seed ticks in our socks. We tried to follow the same path back, but it started getting dark and we lost our way. We were in a national park, but hadn't signed the post to say we were going to be in there. It grew pitch black and we didn't have any flashlights. We were not prepared for a night hike. It felt like we were going in circles and the seed ticks didn't help either. We ended up hiking up a hill in the dark straight into someone's back yard. These people were kind enough to take us to our cars.

After reading the book Lost in the River of Grass by Ginny Rorby I realize I've never been lost at all, and I'm not sure I could survive if I were left to my own devices in some sort of wilderness.


Sarah is a misfit at her preppy school. The girls make fun of her clothes, her mom works in the cafeteria and her dad isn't really in construction, he's a construction worker. She goes on the class field trip to the Everglades to hopefully get to know the students in her class better. Her hand-me down clothes and old camera just make her more out of place and when it's only her teacher giving her the time of day. She decides to take the scary advice of a local boy; she decides to go in an airboat into the Everglades. 


There are so many aspects of this book that are just beautiful, will do an excellent job of reeling in reluctant readers and are honest and real. Ginny makes a point to give us clues into Sarah's life but not everything comes to light until the end. Each chapter is divided up into how many days the kids are in The Glades. In Andy, we find a character who's life seems to mirror Sarah's own, however, Andy doesn't have the kind of parental support and therefore doesn't have the same opportunities. However, Andy is more than just your typical boy and Sarah isn't that 'fraidy cat girl she seems to be at the beginning. Finally, we have the Everglades. In this forest of water and trees we find all that is wonderful about nature and all that is deadly. There are gators and gator-crushing pythons, poisonous snakes, fire ants, Palmetto bugs (which I guess is a fancy Florida word for large roaches) and a baby duck named Teapot. 


In the end, I forgot all about how a stupid mistake got them into this mess and I forgot to think of the wilderness as scary instead I focused on the social and emotional issues of being a teenager and of being true to who you are. Rorby doesn't fail in giving us much to talk about at the end and over at YA Reads, we've talked about everything from the baby duck, to believable characteristics, to the wilderness, to what it means to be a teenager, to the cover of the latest edition. Yes, this book is that good and has that much going on. I loved every breathless minute!

5 Stars

I know enough about this girl, the country and boys like Andy to make this book so much more than enjoyable. If you read it and don't smell the swamp by the end you're doing something wrong.


Teacher Advisories 

Sex 1/5

Hand-holding, first kiss kissing

Language 0/5

If there was a cuss-word at all I missed it.

Substance Abuses 1/5

They allude to Andy's father drinking.

Violence 4/5

Lots of stuff goes on, but it's written in such a way that I feel it would only be a 4 or 5 if maybe a young kid was reading this book. I can't get the water-logged cracked peeled foot skin out of my head, there's also a scene with a python crushing the life out of an alligator that is just disturbing in its truthfulness, Palmetto bugs crawl all over them *pauses to scratch cheek*, an alligator snatches a bird taking flight, dead fire-ant rafts, fire ants, snakes, a pretty intense scene were one is wrapped around Andy's leg and there's lots and lots of mud. Ick.


Touchy Subjects

Race
There are two questions that Ginny ask be thought about when reading this book:

1. Do you think there is a reason the author put a Confederate flag in the garage? How does Andy feel about the flag? How does Sarah? What is its significance to you?

2. There is a quote in the author’s notes by John Dufresne. Why is that quote significant to what you know about Sarah?

As a person of mixed heritage, I think discussion of race in the novel is tantamount to discussing the book itself. Be prepared for race dialogue, to discuss the context of the Confederate flag et cetera.

Stereotypes
Sure, some of the characters in the novel act stereotypically, but is this a good or a bad thing. What are stereotypes and how do we overcome them?
Social Class
Separation because of wealth status. Does being poor really matter?


How this book is used in the classroom

1] Independent Read option (although this book would make an excellent addition to school curriculum)
2] Links for:
Ginny's spoiler alert
Topics for discussion
3] I'm going to see if Lit Muse, my lit club at school, wants to read it

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo (Guest Post by Kate Sutter)

***contains spoilers***


I am a High School American History teacher, and when I as approached about writing for the blog, I decided I wanted to pick something that was related to my content area.  I perused the school library one afternoon and, spotting the librarian’s Veterans Day display, was interested by Morpurgo’s War Horse.  After I started to read, I realized it was on the lower end of “young adult” but thought I would finish it anyway.

War Horse is a children’s fiction novel about World War I written by Michael Morpurgo in 1982, and it became a stage play in 2007.  It is being produced for the big screen by Steven Spielberg and is due to be released on Christmas 2011.  Since the movie will bring attention to the book, I felt an amateur review might be beneficial to at least someone. 

The book moves quickly and, and in most cases, lingers on few details after the opening chapters of Joey’s life on an English farm.  There are some issues that might give parents concern or children pause, but as with many heart-warming stories about animals, the happy ending may provoke a few tears of the good kind. 

The story opens at a horse auction in Britain where our narrator, a colt soon-to-be-named Joey, is separated from his mother when both are sold.  Purchased by a drunken farmer, he soon meets his new master, the farmer’s kindly teenaged son Albert.  At several points, Albert and his mother argue about the farmer’s drinking, the mood it puts him in, and the poor decisions he makes because of it.  On one occasion, the farmer comes to the barn drunk to talk to Joey, and frightened, Joey kicks him.  He’d made a bet with the neighbor about a task Albert must train Joey to do, but they are successful.  When Albert’s mother reveals that the farmer’s drinking is due to his financial problems, she foreshadows his decision to sell Joey to the British cavalry when WWI breaks out.  Albert’s last promise to Joey is to join the military someday and find him.

During the war, Joey meets a series of protectors - both the human and equine.  First it is his purchaser, Captain Nicholls, who is killed during their first battle, and another horse, Topthorn, who treats him kindly and calms Joey’s fears, especially as the troops are on board ship crossing the English Channel to war.   Some of the troops, including the horses, are captured by the Germans and ultimately, Joey and Topthorn are given the task of pulling ambulances of wounded soldiers from the front lines.  The horses are boarded with a French farmer and his granddaughter Emilie, who treat them well.  When the Germans leave the area, they leave the horses with them.  Soon though, another unit passing through takes the horses to pull artillery, and Emilie is devastated. 

They soon come under the care of “Crazy Old” Friedrich who is actually a kind soldier who knows horses.  He treats them kindly, but one day as they return from a drink at the river, Topthorn unexpectedly dies of heart failure.  A battle immediately begins, and Friedrich is also killed.  Joey stays next to the bodies of Topthorn and Friedrich for over a day when a tank comes into view.  It terrifies the horse, and he runs away, is injured in barbed wire,  and ends up in the middle of No Man’s Land.  Both sides try to call the horse, and ultimately a white flag is raised.  An older German and a young Brit meet and flip a coin for Joey.  He is won by the Brit and is taken back to the stables.  Working with the veterinarians is Albert, who has told everyone he knows about his goal of finding Joey.  They save him from tetanus and again put him to work pulling an ambulance wagon. 

When the war ends, the soldiers find out that the horses will be sold in France rather than being taken back to England.  They pool their money and try to buy Joey for Albert, but an elderly Frenchman calls out that he’ll pay as much as it takes to purchase the horse.  He does, and Albert goes to talk to him before they leave.  The man is Emilie’s grandfather, who is fulfilling her dying wish.  He’d promised to find the horse and bring him back to live on the farm for the rest of his life.  Knowing Albert will give him the same life, the Frenchman sells Joey back to Albert for an English penny and a promise not to let Emilie’s memory die. 

Joey and Albert return to the family farm, where Albert’s mother assures him that their father is a changed man and had stopped drinking after sending Joey off to war.  Albert takes over the farm and marries his sweetheart Maisie.  His father is said to treat both Joey and the grandchildren well.


2 Stars

As an animal-loving adult with a history degree, I was disappointed. It's been a while since I read a children's book, but I was hoping to like it more. I think it does lend itself to be a very good family tear-jerker though, because readers won't have a whole lot of details to argue Spielberg changed. Much can be added without violating the integrity of the story.

Personally, I give the book a 2 or 2.5 out of 5. For classroom use though, I don't think there's much historical fiction out there about WWI, and I didn't see any inaccuracies, so I do think it has value for students.


Teacher Advisories

Sex 0/5 

There's none.

Language 0/5 

Substance Abuses 3/5

Tobacco/Alcohol: At first it seems drunkenness will be an overarching theme, but is only rarely addressed after the first few chapters. Overall, the topic is probably a “2” but since it plays so prominently into the opening chapters, I ranked it higher given that it will be the reader’s first impression. Soldiers are also briefly described as smoking.

Violence 2/5

Fear/Blood: On several occasions, Joey’s terror is described, but human fear is not addressed often.  Descriptions of death in war are not given in detail though some of Joey’s friends are killed.


Touchy Subjects
Gambling
The farmers bet on whether Joey can pull a plow, and Albert trains him within a week.  Also, there is a coin flip in No Man’s Land for whether the Germans or the British will get to keep Joey.

How this book is used in the classroom
1] Independent Read option for lower level readers
2] Themes and/or topics for discussion

• Loyalty and devotion, keeping promises
• Poor decision making when impaired by alcohol
• Economic concerns and how they affect people
• When decisions made during war must come before personal preferences
• Giving your all to do jobs that you weren’t born, trained, or “bred” for
• How to treat animals
• Separation and union

3] Websites

Scholastic Lesson Plan
Facebook page about the film

A guide from Lincoln Center