Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
In the novel Ship Breaker, the main character, Nailer, has a near-death experience that clearly changes his life. He describes his impoverished life, his back-breaking work, and his desire to get out of this place and strike wealth. We can see the metafiction technique as the author tells us Nailer’s thoughts. In the middle of his struggle to save himself from the oil pool he has fallen into, he tells himself to “Don’t Panic. Think.” As the story continues, Nailer’s thoughts are revealed and the reader knows what he is thinking. There are also unbelievable characters such as his abusive father and his cronies who are fierce killers like Blue Eyes and half-men which are beasts that protect their patron to their deaths. Nailer’s attempt to save Nita and himself leads them both through a dangerous journey. This thriller adventure will grab the attention of young readers and adults with its drama and suspense.
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
Adam Gidwitz captures readers with his unusual and interesting twists in every tale. A Tale Dark and Grimm introduces the twins, Hansel and Gretel, as the protagonists of the story moving from one gruesome tale to another. Gidwitz even brings back a character into the story after being dead. Throughout the story, we can see how Hansel and Gretel show great courage and devotion to each other as they search for a good home. This book is uniquely humorous and retells the Brothers Grimm classic tales. Metafiction is sensed in this book as Gidwitz’s clever style alerts readers about the terror and bloody scenes coming. One example is when he tells readers, “the one true tale in Tales of Grimm, is as violent and bloody as you can imagine. Really. So if such things bother you, we should probably stop now.” This book will be appealing to boys and girls who love to laugh and those who love blood, gore, and adventure. I enjoyed reading these bloody funny tales and will recommend this awesome book to adults and teachers to read aloud to students. They will love it!
Interrupting Chicken is an amazing book that received a 2011 Caldecott Honor Medal Award. It boasts vibrant and dramatic illustrations that capture the reader. The little red chicken in this story is constantly interrupting her Papa while he tries to read her a bedtime story. Papa is having a hard time and is getting frustrated of her enthusiastic interruptions. The little red chicken then composes her own book with pre-school style drawings and handwriting and begins to read to Papa. The story is reversed when Papa interrupts her with his weariness and snoring. David Ezra takes the reader through a unique style as he differentiates between scenes taking place in other folktales and then returns to the main story. I highly recommend this humorous picture book to be read to children as a read aloud. Nonetheless, its humorous tone will also make it an enjoyable independent read. It is a remarkable and funny book; teachers and parents can use it to teach children about listening skills and manners. Readers of all ages will be fascinated with the rich color characters and backgrounds as they turn every page.
If you are a dreamer, you’ll love this story. In The Dreamer we meet a character that is full of hope and dreams. This story is based on a real life Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda. Pam Muñoz pulls the readers into Neftali’s world of limitless imagination and dreams through a poetic style and fascinating illustrations by Peter Sís. Neftali Reyes is a collector of odd-shaped items and loves reading books, but his father disapproves of his reading and the treasures he stops to pick up wherever he goes. Neftali tries very hard to please his father in everything he does, but just seems to disappoint him. Despite of his father’s mistreatment, Neftali continues to wonder and dream. The story has an awesome magical twist in the Forest scene when Neftali discovers a rhinoceros beetle. He questions, “How can something so small overcome and carry a burden so large? What magic does it possess? With an imagination so immense, Neftali “climbs onto its sturdy back, and rode it through the forest, harnessing all of its strange strength.” This is an example of how we can see metafiction style in this story. Pam also captures readers in each chapter with poetic verses, outstanding onomatopoeia, and questions in the form of Neruda’s own. This style intrigues the reader. I recommend this book to all ages. It will also inspire young readers to never give up and to always fulfill their dreams. I will recommend it to teachers in both book and audio format to join together with a language arts lesson. I give this book five stars.
Alchemy and Meggy Swann is a story that takes place in London during Queen Elizabeth’s reign. Cushman captures the reader and brings the Middles Ages scenery to life in a vivid and realistic way. Meggy is a disabled young girl who was born with a hip disorder. She “waddles” and uses sticks to help her walk. Meggy has always been under the care of her loving grandmother, but when she dies her mother sends her off to live with her father, an alchemist, who abandoned her before she was born. Meggy feels abandoned and hopeless in the streets of London, but she is able to gain strength and courage. She opens up and finds a true friendship in Roger. Cushman pulls the reader in to want more with its astounding descriptive detail and sounds that surround Meggy. Cushman captures readers with voices of children mocking her as she explores the streets of London. The author’s notes at the end of the novel certainly make it educational for middle age students and adults by giving us a look into a very different world. Students can visualize and learn of a time and place so different from anything they have experienced. It is also a great opportunity to teach students about courage and hope. I highly recommend this story audio format and as a read aloud.
Officer Buckle and Gloria is a funny story about a police officer who travels to schools to give speeches about safety tips. No one ever listened to his speeches until he brought Gloria, a police dog. Gloria mocks Officer Buckle by imitating him, jumping in the air, and standing on her head. These antics gain the attention of the audience and the reader. As the story progresses the vibrant illustrations show the reader what Gloria is doing and how Officer Buckle had no idea why the audience is laughing. All along Officer Buckle thinks the audience is listening to him, but in fact it is the dog who is stealing the show. Peggy Rathmann creates a magnificent piece that many children will enjoy through read alouds. Readers of all ages will laugh and chuckle as they learn about a safety tips and the message of teamwork. This book received a Caldecott Medal Award for its five star bright illustrations in 1996.
It's a Book by Lane Smith
It’s a Book is a “book about a book”, an example of metafiction style. Lane Smith portrays a sense of humor with dialogue throughout the book and a unique font type and color to identify each character. The three characters in the book are: the donkey (jackass), the mouse, and the monkey. The monkey is reading a book when he is continually interrupted by the donkey with questions about what he is holding in his hands. The donkey asks,” Can you blog with it? Can it text? Can you make the characters fight?” The monkey soon becomes annoyed and responds, “It’s a book!” He hands over the book and soon the donkey is hooked and captured by the story. The point is, the donkey doesn’t know what a book is. In today’s electronic world, books have gone unnoticed. This book, teaches donkey what a book is and what he is missing out on by not picking up a book to read. Children and adults will appreciate the stylish drawings and the facial expressions of every character. This is an excellent book to read aloud to young groups, especially the tech-savvy ones.
A 2011 Newberry Medal Winner, Moon over Manifest, is an excellent story that takes some shifts in time and keeps you turning the pages. Vanderpool does an outstanding job as she connects present and past events in a clever and smooth way. She uses believable dialogue and well developed characters to captivate readers. The story takes place in 1936 and presents a young girl named Abilene Tucker, who has lived most of her life on the move with her father. She is witty and curious and determined to find out about her father’s past and the town where he grew up, Manifest, Kansas. Abilene discovers an old cigar box with letters and newspaper articles that take the reader to the year of 1918. At this point another character, Miss Sadie, becomes the narrator. This shift in the storyline is an example of metafiction. As the story progresses young readers and adults are captured by intriguing historical events. Readers will not only enjoy this story but learn about World War I, the influenza epidemic, coal mining, and the Ku Klux Klan. Young readers and adults who love mystery and love to learn about historical events will appreciate this book. I will recommend this book to teachers to use as an extension to history lessons and language arts.
In the book, Countdown, author Deborah Wiles tells the story of Franny and her struggles at her new school, at home and the eminent danger of an atomic attack that was so present during the 1960s. Franny narrates the story and vividly describes everything around her; from her family, friends, and teacher to the school she attends. As the story unfolds, we see what was going on in the world during this time in clips from the past presented in black and white pictures and quotes or descriptions. We see the U.S. and Russian leaders boasting about how many nuclear bombs each had in their arsenal; Bert the Turtle teaches us to “duck and cover” and we see school children under their desks; we know what is going in sports, entertainment world, social segregation, the war, and daily life. In essence, there are two main stories being told simultaneously. This is book is very clever and a great read.
The Freak Observer by Blythe Woolston
Freak Observer is a clever well-written story that truly captivates the reader with Loa’s unique narration of troubling nightmares, vivid flashbacks and hope. The young teenager witnesses the tragic death of her friend, Esther, which brings back memories of the death of her younger sister. The image of the “Bony Guy” continuously haunts her every time she closes her eyes. Each chapter begins with a question or a scientific statement of an assignment for Loa. This metafiction style of questioning used by Woolston makes a connection to Loa’s struggles the chapters. For example, chapter 22 begins with the questions “Why do we dream in the first place? Why did dreaming evolve?” In the end, Loa is able to find a satisfying solution through her dedicated sense of observation. This book will grab the attention of teens that may be experiencing a situation like Loa’s. It may just save a life and give the readers an inspiration of hope.
