Book Review: Larklight by Philip Reeve

This is one of my son's FAVORITE books (actually, it is the first of a trilogy).  It is set during Victorian England times, with the premise that Sir Isaac Newton discovered not only gravity, but also space travel.  With that technological advantage, not only did England win the American Revolution, so that America remains a British colony, but it has extended the British empire into space as well as across the globe.

Therefore, the story is told by two main protagonists:  a young boy and his older sister, who are trying to grow up as proper Victorian citizens, but while living in a mechanical house in space where their father conducts scientific research.   They are attacked by giant space spiders, which sets off a chain of events that ends up with Victorian England facing the biggest challenge imaginable.

However, the books are more comical than horrific, so they are suitable for middle schoolers who don't like stories that are too dark, gory, or intense.  And this book has something for everyone--monsters, a plot to take over the universe, space ships, pirates, spies, all sorts of creatures--some adorable, some not so much--plus, of course, plucky adolescent leaders who save the day!

The book is written as a kind of diary, with the two siblings taking turns writing their version of what is happening in their separate voices (with sister Myrtle still trying to be a proper Victorian lady, even when fighting off space aliens, while brother Arthur prefers telling a ripping adventure).  Their language is not too obscure, but tries to evoke the Victorian style.  For example, here are some chapter titles:

• Chapter Three:  In Which We Make Good Our Escape, but Find Ourselves Cast Adrift upon the Uncaring Aether
• Chapter Five:  In Which We Find Ourselves Imprisoned on the Plain of Jars and Contemplate a Ghastly Fate (Again!)
• Chapter Fourteen:  Another Dip into My Sister's Diaries, Which May be Welcomed by Readers of a Sensitive Disposition as a Sort of Break or Breathing Space from My Own Almost Unbearably Exciting Adventures

(And just FYI, Reeves wrote Larklight several years before Riordan used a similar storytelling technique in his Kane Chronicle books.)

There are a lot of little touches like that--subtle ways that Reeves incorporates information about Victorian culture--that I think lifts this series above the generic space adventure books that have proliferated for this age group.  The book is also enhanced by the delightful illustrations by David Wyatt, which also have a Victorian flare to them, whether they show a steampunky 19th century space ship, one of the imaginative denizens of other planets, or a faux advertisement for a Victorian-era space product.  Finally, there is some actual historical content incorporated into the story.  For example, one climactic scene takes place at the opening of the Great Exhibition in the Crystal Palace in London! 

So we've really enjoyed all three of these books.  They aren't fine literature, and may seem too light for those who prefer some of the more intense series for this age (which my son and I tend to find too dark for pre-teenagers).  But if your children are fans of the Percy Jackson or Kane Chronicle books, they would probably like Larklight, if you can convince then to give Victorian England a try as a break from ancient mythology.

UPDATE:  Oh, and I forgot to mention that they are making a movie of the book.  The director is critically-acclaimed Shekhar Kapur, who led such films as Four Feathers, Elizabeth (the one with Cate Blanchett), and Elizabeth:  The Golden Age....which bodes well for the quality of this cinematic adaptation.

Curriculum Resource: 19th Century American Industrial Revolution

We've now reached the point of our 19th Century American history studies where we are researching the full-fledged Industrial Revolution in the US, often referred to as the Gilded Age.  We think we are living in a time of change, but between 1870 and 1900 (a mere 30 years), the United States went from a primarily rural and agrarian culture to a primarily urbanized and industrialized nation.  I don't think that even computers have changed us that much in that short of a time.

The History Channel has a short video with a nice overview of this period:


Here is a short video showing the growth of the railroads (one of the largest factors in our rapid industrialization) in the US:



The History Channel also has an interesting video explaining the history and the significance of the development of the steam engine:



Richard Byrne of Free Technology for Teachers (a GREAT site!) provided this document on running a "Captains of Industry" game for a class of students.

Finally, the Library of Congress has put together a website of other achievements and activities during that timeframe, such Edison's early "moving pictures" of a sneeze, Billy the Kid escaping from jail, the completion of the Washington Monument, or the date that the first icy-cold Coca-Cola was served.  If you have children like mine, who likes random trivia, they will enjoy the tidbits this site offers.  I think it is useful to pinpoint when some of these cultural phenomenon took place along with the major themes of this era.

Teaching and Parenting Lessons from Peter Jackson and Martin Luther

Recently, I had one of those times where I had to prepare to teach a class on a topic that I knew I could find an already-written lesson plan on the Internet, download it, read it, and be done in 15 minute, 30 minutes tops.  But that's not what I did.  I looked at a couple of existing lesson plans, but then I started to research the topic myself.  I found some interesting leads, and followed them for a while, and then got an idea for something I thought would be a great way to present it.  But that idea required props, which required a trip to a couple of different stores the next day.  Props, alas, don't make themselves, so once I got my materials, I started downloading graphics and such, but I didn't like the first set, nor the second set....let's try a different search term...oooh, that's better....needs a little manipulation...then printing and cutting out, then some crafting, and of course I have to make enough for the entire class.....  Needless to say, several hours later, when everyone else in the house had gone to bed and I'm still working on this project, I think to myself, "Is it worth it?"

I know that every teacher and every parent has been there.  Whether it is staying up late preparing a lesson for the next day, or driving our children here and there to lessons and sports and scouts and theater, or even if it is a single parent working two jobs who is up at midnight debating whether to spend the time to prepare the children's school lunches for tomorrow or just let them buy them at the cafeteria, we all wonder if we need to be spending this time on our children or students or if it matter if we just give it up and take the easier, less time consuming path.

In my case, at least in this example, the answer popped into my head from an unusual education source:  Peter Jackson, the director of the Lord of the Rings movies.   Everyone in our house LOVES those movies, so we have the super-extended-Directors-special editions of the DVDs that not only have the movies in their 4 or 5 hour forms with all the stuff Peter Jackson REALLY didn't want to cut, but an additional 24 hours or so of special features, Director's comments, actors' comments, background videos, etc. etc. etc.

I remembered one of those background videos we watched when we first got the movie (which was a while ago, so the following specifics may be wrong, but it is the gist that matters).  Anyway, there was one bit about some of the music that was playing behind a fight scene or something like that.  It turns out that it was an original song composed for a poem that Tolkien had written in the original books.  However, before writing the music, someone with the movies translated into Elvish or Dwarf language or something...which took some doing, since I'm not sure how much of that language has ever been, well, let's call it "discovered."  Then Peter Jackson had this notion that he wanted it sung by a big, all make, all Polynesian choir.  Nothing like that existed, so they had to advertise, audience, choose, teach, rehearse, and record this big group of Polynesian men singing this song.  All for something like 30 seconds of background music for one scene in this multi-hour epic.

Did that matter?  Was it worth all that effort for just that one little addition to that scene?  Maybe, maybe not.  What does matter, though, is having that level of commitment and attention to detail and creativity and--here's my big word--PASSION for this project.  Someone who cares that much--someone who would do all that for just one blip in his entire project--is someone who is going to make a fantastic rendition of this beloved tale.  So while that one detail may not have been "worth it," that level of passion elevates the film from the ordinary to an exemplary piece of movie-making.

The same is true for me.  I could have taken an existing lesson plan and the class I taught would certainly have been fine, and probably would even have been good (given the years of experience I have in teaching).  But I would never have had the passion for that lesson than I have for the one I developed.  Would the students tell the difference?  Again, maybe, maybe not.  But over the long haul, I know that having a teacher (or a parent) that is passionate enough to spend the time doing things that outsiders might consider excessive or rediculous or "a waste of time" is going to make more of an impact on children that one who always takes the path of least effort.

Now, before parents and teachers start freaking out about the incredible bar I've set--I'm not saying we ALWAYS have to make this choice or expend this level of time, energy, or commitment.  There are times when that just isn't possible.  Earlier in the semester, when I was teaching more classes simultaneously and had writing commitments and all this stuff going on, I had to be better at budgeting my time.  And there were times in my life, such as the last year of my mother's life when she was going downhill rapidly and we were spending lots of time just taking care of her, when my teaching has been bare bones.  So I'm not saying AT ALL that our students or children have a RIGHT to expect this level of work on each and every lesson, activity, celebration, sports event, or whatever.

So here is my balancing mentor--a Reformation era priest by the name of Martin Luther (at least I seek guidance from all sorts of sources!).  My favorite Martin Luther quote (at least as it was taught to me--researching it, there seems to be all sorts of divergent translations, since I guess he was writing in German at the time) is "Sin and Sin Boldly."  I think Luther's point was no matter how bad we were, God would forgive us and redeem us, but I don't bring it up as a religious statement.  

I think Luther's thrust was that we are human, so we aren't always perfect.  My interpretation is that whatever we do, we should embrace it.  If we are going to spend time and energy and money to do something that other people think is an incredible waste of time like...well, I'm not going to specify the many examples I have in my own life, but I'm sure you've got your own....don't worry about, just do it and be proud of your passion.  But if you are going to do something that you think is "wrong" or not-good or sub-par, well, embrace that as well.  If you are going to do it, do it with verve and PASSION!

So, for example, every now and then when I can't seem to deal with normal life, my son and I may have ice cream for lunch (ONLY ice cream, I mean) or spend the entire day in our pajamas reading.  Or, as I said, we had a year where our focus was on my mother's care and not our educational achievements.   But when we have these events, we make them special and kind of celebrate them as a departure from our routine.  What is the point of doing what we know we shouldn't do--whether it is is eating what we shouldn't eat, or slacking off from our work, or teaching a class without being prepared, or taking the easy way out in a class when we know there is a better way--if we are just going to feel guilty about it?  I believe in being passionate about what we are doing--hopefully, most of the time for positive things, but those few times when we are "breaking the rules,"well, let's enjoy them as well.  (Of course, I'm just referring to those things that can seem like a BIG DEAL to us at the time, but are not huge issues in the long run--I'm not advocating abandoning our moral or breaking civic and moral laws or anything along those lines.)  Likewise, we shouldn't spend lots of time working on a lesson or project for our children if, instead of feeling proud and excited, all we feel is tired and resentful.

So tonight I give my thanks to two very diverse men--Peter Jackson and Martin Luther.  The lesson I have gotten from them is that it doesn't matter whether I stay up half the night working on some obscure aspect of a class or activity I'm doing for my students or child, or whether I spend 15 minutes on someone else's lesson plan and go to bed early.  What really matters is the kind of energy I get from my choice and the energy I then convey to my students or children.  If it depletes my psychic energy (not necessarily my physical energy), then don't do it.  But if it makes a difference to the passion I bring to the subject, even if nobody else seems to notice or to care--well, then, indeed, to me at least, it is "worth it."

Book Review: Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman? by Eleanor Updale

We are moving into studying Victorian England, and I was looking for a historical fiction set in those times that would be appropriate for my son to read.  However, at least our library system's holdings had quite a few Young Adult novels set in that period, but most of them had a female protagonist and seemed to revolve more around domestic and/or romantic situation, which are not the kind of books that grab my 12-year-old son's attention.  The one title I found that I thought might capture his attention was Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman? by Eleanor Updale.  I actually read it before I gave it to him, and I can recommend it as a good fictional novel that describes a lot of the culture of the time but still has a plot that can appeal to both boys and girls.

The story begins in 1875 with a career criminal in jail whose live was saved when the grievous injuries he suffered when trying to flee from police during a burglary were stitched together by a brilliant new surgeon using state-of-the-art techniques (like washing his hands frequently).  The trade-off, however, is that the highly-scarred prisoner is often trotted out to various scientific and academic meetings and put on exhibition to display the success of these new medical procedures.  But at one of these meetings, the thief gets an idea that will transform his life forever.  He comes up with a plan to turn himself from an impoverished common criminal to a posh member of Victorian society, thanks to another of the new innovations of late 19th century London.

The novel is really great, I think, because it has some of that Upstairs/Downstairs approach to it.  Parts of the book describe what it like to be poor in the London of that times--the perspective of Eliza Doolittle, say (although she actually comes later), or Fagin, Nancy, and the Artful Dodger from Oliver Twist (although they actually come earlier).  The other part describes the lives of rich and aristocratic, who were flowering since England's power in the world was at its height.  So it raises issues about the class consciousness that existed in that time in England (the remnants of which we've seen this weekend when such a fuss is made about the Prince marrying a "commoner"-- but whose parents' Internet-based party business is valued over $50 million and who spent an estimated $500,000 on her private schooling and bought her an apartment in one of the best parts of London that is supposed to be worth $1.5 - 2 million).

It introduces other new technologies of the times and the indulgences of the rich, some very proper (such as attending the opera) and others less so (such as the popularity of Turkish opium).  There is theft and there are veiled references to prostitution, but no explicit sexual scenes.  There is also a spy plot and a little bit of political content.  Finally, as a couple of the school reviews remark, it is that rare phenomenon of a teen novel that doesn't contain any teens at all; all the characters are adults.

So it is definitely for the strong middle school reader and up.  But it really fits the bill for what I was looking for--a Victorian England young adult novel with a plot that is adventure-oriented-enough to interest our young men, but with a good bit of content that helps capture the feel of that era.

World Religions: Animal Spirit Guide Collages

We had a treat this week in our World Religions class.  Our guest teacher was the Reverend Donna Belt, who is not only an ordained Interfaith minister, but is an art educator/art spiritual therapist through her work at Spirit Work Studio.  Miss Donna led a class based on discovering animal spirit guides through art.

First, Miss Donna discussed the role of animal spirit guides as teachers, mentor, supporters, guardians, etc. in many of the Earth-based religions.  She then led a guided meditation that was geared to having the students meet their animal spirit guides and hear what message that animal was bringing.  Then the students created a collage based on the animal picture that spoke to them (whether or not that was the same animal they discovered through the meditation).  Finally, everyone shared their collages and we discussed among ourselves the lessons we thought the collages contained.

Here are the artworks that were created and the names and messages that the artists assigned them (well, my version of them, based on my memories of the class, since I wasn't taking notes at the time):

"This is Blacky.  He embodies love.  He is standing in front of mountains, that stand for obstacles that we must face.  The journey over the mountain may be tough, but we can make it if we keep our love and our faith and our perseverance."

"The fawn's name is Spring.  Her message is that I am graceful and beautiful."

"I have three animals--three walruses.  They are based on an old Beatles' song that my mom likes.  The walruses' names are Koo, Kooka, and Choo.  The wave is cut out of a photograph of a butterfly.  The walruses just ride the waves and enjoy life."

"The fish's name is Crystal.  Her message is that we just glide through a world of beauty and color and wonder and life, and enjoy it as we go."

"The leopard's name is Jerod.  His message is that it is good to sit back and observe and to focus on one thing, even one small thing.  Because we can always spring into action, but our action is more purposeful  if we have studied and figured it out first."

We always love our classes with Miss Donna--she makes them very special!

Curriculum Resource: Dimensions

Dimensions is a great web resource that I've discovered lately.  It is a website developed by the BBS that helps us actually visualize the size of events or sites in recent (the Twin Towers that were destroyed by terrorists), modern (the Gulf Oil Spill or the Exxon Valdez Spill), historic (the blast radius of a World War II bomb), or Ancient (the length of the Great Wall of China or the destructive range of Mount Vesuvius) by superimposing the distance over modern maps.  Even better, it allows you to put your zip code in the epicenter of these events.

This allows you to present the information to your children/students in a way that is extremely personal.  So, for example, when I was teaching about the Civil War, I could tell my students that the average size of a 19th Century slave plantation in Alabama was about 1,000 acres.  But do they know what that means?  I doubt it, since I don't know what that means (I'm not great at distances, so some of them may have been better than I am).  But with this website, I can tell them that the average slave plantation stretched from close to the intersection of High House Road and Chatham Street to Coronado Village off of Walnut Street on one side, and from almost Cary Elementary School to Wake Med Hospital in Cary along the other dimension.  THAT, I think, will mean something to them.

Curriculum Resource: Reconstruction

As I said earlier this week, teaching about the Civil War is tough for us.  It is also hard to teach about Reconstruction, which was another non-stellar point in our history.  However, in some ways Reconstruction is even harder because of the paucity of resources, especially compared to all the stuff that is available for the Civil War.

Here are some of the curriculum resources we found useful in covering the Reconstruction with our middle schoolers:

A History of US:  Reconstruction and Reform 1865-1870 by Joy Hakim is a great overview of the specific time of the Reconstruction.  This is a good book for middle schoolers.

Reconstruction and the Rise of Jim Crow  1864-1896 by Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier.  This one covers a longer time span and is at a bit higher level, so it would probably be appropriate for high school as well as middle schoolers.

They Called Themselves the K.K.K.:  The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.  This is an excellent book that I reviewed last year when it came out; you can read the full review here.  But the short version is that the book describes the evolution of the Ku Klux Klan from its earliest days as sort of a informal frat for ex-Confederates trying to feel better about their defeat to the powerful hate organization it was up through the 1960s, told mostly from first-hand reports.  It is appropriate to both middle and high schoolers.

Black Voices from Reconstruction 1865-1877 by John David Smith.  While not as engaging as the previous book, this one also contains personal and first-hand sources and covers some broader subjects of the time than were left out of the KKK book.  Again, this could be used by middle and higher schoolers.

Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule by Harriette Gillem Robinet.  A bit different from the previous titled, this is a fictionalized account of what life might have been like for a small group of freed African Americans, written by an author whose ancestors had been slaves of Robert E. Lee's.    This is a middle school level book.

The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow is the website for an award-winning educational documentary series that explores segregation from Reconstruction through the modern Civil Rights movement.  I haven't seen the videos themselves, but they sound like they would be really good to watch.  However, on the website, you can view a timeline of major events from Reconstruction up to the mid-20th Century, interact with maps and other online resources, read the stories of some significant black leaders from the Reconstruction on, and access lesson plans for both middle school and high school grades.

As always, if someone has some other good resources to add to this list, please put them in the comments below.