![]() Takedown by Laura Shovan is one of the novel choices I gave my students this school year. From a teacher perspective it contains some concepts I wanted to highlight - point of view, dynamic characters, figurative language, a male and female protagonist, and different perspectives; plus, it is a good story, Overall I feel like my students enjoyed this read that highlights two wrestlers (Lev and Mikayla) who become training partners and form a strong bond as they learn to stand up for each other and themselves while navigating the often difficult world of becoming a teenager. I also enjoyed that this novel highlights a sport that is not often presented in fiction - wrestling. My students seemed to be interested in learning about the sport and the moves mentioned within the book. They also related to the characters and the difficult decisions they had to make for themselves. As an added bonus, Lev is Jewish while Mikayla is not, so the reader was introduced to some religious and cultural elements of each protagonist. Approximate Grade Level - (5th-7th grade) Although students younger than 5th grade can most certainly read the book, I do not feel they will yet be able to fully relate to the eleven/twelve year-old-protagonists who are on the cusp of becoming teenagers. Be forewarned that there is a lot of "girl power" in this novel, as well as, some religious references (to people in the Bible and Jewish customs).
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![]() I chose this as one of my books to read because I do not usually enjoy graphic novels; however, many of my students do. I will say, I was pleasantly surprised with Catherine’s War. The fact that the story is based upon Billet’s own experiences in the war as a hidden child in France gave some authenticity to the storyline. The storyline not only follows Cohen’s journey throughout France, but it also parallels her journey as a photographer. Through her inner dialogue, the author gets her thoughts on what is happening to her as well as how she begins to evolve as a photographer with the different techniques and items she photographs. Flauvel’s illustrations are expressive and do not detract from the message of the story. They allow the reader to better understand what Rachel and her fellow characters must have been thinking and feeling along their journey. The book definitely provides a window into the harrowing time in France and allows the reader to get a glimpse of what it would have been like to be a child during this time period. I believe that students will be able to find a mirror, perhaps not in Rachel’s physical journey, but in her emotional journey and her growth as she adapts with each of the situations she faces. In the book, photography seems to be the anchor that allowed Rachel to be able to deal with the turmoil in her life, and I am certain many students will be able to relate to having something that is their calm in the storm as well. The only “issue” I have with this book is simply that it is another representation of Jewish life as is centered around the Holocaust which seems to be the theme for the majority of Jewish books I have encountered. While WWII and the Holocaust are defining moments in this culture, they do not define the culture, and I believe students would benefit in representation of Jewish life from other perspectives as well. As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie discusses in her Ted Talk, there is a danger in viewing ethnic groups and cultures from a “single story” and I believe the single story of the reaction or happenings to WWII is often the single story for the Jewish culture. Approximate Reading Level: 4th-7th grade (no war scenes but children are uprooted from their families) |
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