Whale Rider (DVD)

Caro, Niko (2002). Whale Rider [Motion picture].  New Zealand:  Appollo Media.

Summary:  Set in picturesque New Zealand, Whale Rider tells the story of 12-year-old Pai.  Pai's twin brother died at birth along with their mother, which devastated Pai's grandfather who believed that her brother was destined to be the incarnation of a Maori hero and the chief who would save their traditional ways and beliefs that are disintegrating in modern times.  Pai yearns to please her grandfather by learning sacred traditions, but her grandfather only gets angry because the traditions are strictly for boys and her efforts offend the ancestors.   But, can her persistence and achievement of challenging feats make him change his mind?

Additional comments:  The beautiful cinematography, the visual capturing of Maori rituals, such as the haka, and the enchanting songs to the ancestors that are echoed by eery whale songs all combine to make the movie possibly a better option than the book (with exception of the Hollywood ending).  The strong themes of the "Whale Rider" are the loss of ancient cultures in modern, oppressive societies as well as the inequitable treatment of girls in a male-dominated culture.

Trino's Choice, by Diane Gonzales Bertrand

Bertrand, Diane Gonzales (1999). Trino's choice.  Houston: Pinata Books.  ISBN: 1558852689
/ 978-1-55885-268-6

Summary: When Trino witnesses a crime and ducks into a bookstore to hide from the perpetrator, Rosca, a tough eighth grader, Trino meets Lisana and her "school-type" friends, which introduces him to different activities and ways of interacting.  Trino is pretty miserable, living in a small trailer with his hard-working mother, three brothers, lazy cousin and never with enough food to eat.  When his mother loses her cleaning job and his baby brother gets ill, Trino has to make a difficult decision about how to get money to help the family.

Additional comments: Trino's Choice is a quick read that is fast-paced and moving.  The story provides a glimpse into a very difficult home-life without any father figure, supervision, and without consistent nutritious meals.  Trino's Choice is a great book to show life in a poor barrio and the hard life of low-waged jobs.  However, the characters are not very well developed, and although tragedy strikes at the end, the book doesn't have the emotional impact it could have if more connection were created with the characters. But, reluctant readers will be drawn into Trino's world and challenges.

The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros

Cisneros, Sandra (1991). The house on mango street. New York: Vintage Contemporaries.

ISBN: 0679734775

Summary:  Cisneros’ beloved, classic novel is a collection of lyrical vignettes about Esperanza Cordero, a Mexican American girl in a Latino neighborhood in Chicago. Each section is brief yet emotionally poignant, such as Esperanza’s embarrassment about her rundown home, her loneliness and desperation for a friend, her empathy for Sally, whose father is abusive, and her sense of victimization after a sexual assault. Cisneros draws from her own experiences growing up Latina in Chicago to create a glimpse into the Latino American experience.

Additional Comments:  The House on Mango Street is a poetic reflection from an adolescent girl's viewpoint, providing insight into the sensitivity of a lonely, self-conscious girl.  

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares

Brashares, Ann (2001). The Sisterhood of the traveling pants. New York: Delacorte Press. 

Summary: Four best girlfriends spend their first summer apart from each other. On the eve of their separation, they ceremoniously designate a pair of "magical" jeans that fit all four of them perfectly as a way to connect them despite the distance.  They agree to take turns wearing the jeans and to mail the jeans along with a letter.  The story follows different plot lines to follow each girl's adventures:  Bridget falls for a soccer coach at her camp in Mexico, Lena tries to avoid a handsome young Greek man while staying with her grandparents in Greece, Tibby stays home in Washington, D.C. to work at a drugstore and surprises herself by befriending a young girl who is dying of leukemia, and Carmen's greatly anticipated summer alone with her bachelor father in Charleston is destroyed when she learns upon her arrival that her father is engaged and is living with his new fiancee and her two children.  

Additional comments:  Don't be turned off by the silly and melodramatic list of rules for the jeans at the beginning.  This "chick lit" gets better as it goes until you're flipping through the pages without pause and with tears streaming down your cheeks.  The well-developed characters show raw emotions and unpredictable behaviors as they are put into sad, challenging situations. Readers can continue on the characters' journeys by reading the three sequels in this series and catching the recent movie versions on DVD.

Sloppy Firsts, by Megan McCafferty

McCafferty, Megan (2001). Sloppy firsts. New York: Three Rivers Press. 

Summary: Jessica Darling is devastated that her best friend, Hope, moved away from Pineville, New Jersey shortly after her brother's drug overdose.  Jessica struggles with intense emotions and depression as her relationship with her family is strained, as she secretly loathes her friends at high school and chooses to sit with them in high school only to avoid being alone, and as she harbors a strong crush on an upperclassman on her track team. Her life takes a bizarre upswing when she begins a secret friendship with a "Dreg", who was friends with Hope's older brother.

Additional comments:  Jessica is an intelligent girl who wallows in her misery that her best friend is no longer in her everyday life, and she feels misunderstood and excluded by everyone else, particularly her family.  Jessica must come to terms with the way others--and herself--can be fake to others and can, thereby, be hurtful.  You might as well find a copy of the sequel, Second Helpings, because their is no real resolution at the end, only another dissatisfying problem. 

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez

Alvarez, Julia (1992).  How the Garcia girls lost their accents.  New York: Plume. 

Summary:  How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents tells the story of four Dominican sisters whose family moves to New York City when their father is suspected as being part of the underground opposition to the dictatorship, Trujillo.  The young women find themselves navigating an ambiguous path of cultural assimilation, caught between Dominican traditions enforced by their father and a new American lifestyle introduced to them at school. 

Additional comments:  How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents is told in sentimental vignettes that reveal the hardships and mistreatment they faced as immigrants learning to speak English and struggling financial. Their relationship with their home country also evolves.  Female readers will enjoy the dynamic relationships between the contrasting personalities of the sisters.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Smith, Betty (1943).  A Tree grows in Brooklyn.  New York:  Harper Collins.

Summary: The Nolan family struggles in the slums of Williamsburg, Brooklyn from 1902 until 1919. Francie's father is an alcoholic who has difficulty holding a steady job as a singing waiter, and Katie's mother provides enough food for her family to survive through her job as a scrubwoman.  Francie and her younger brother, Neeley, grow up collecting garbage for small change and believing that education is the key to their future. 

Additional thoughts: Francie's insights and observations about society, school, family, and the ethical values of the people around her are endearing and ring as true today as they undoubtedly did fifty years ago. Female readers will especially connect with the strong Rommely women.