There are many wonderful connections to be made between those works of fiction that fall into the categories of either being "realistic", "historical", or somehow both. Two books I read over the summer provided a chance to write this compare / contrast post, and also to plug a couple authors I hope I will get to read more from!
Before I go any further, I will try to give credit to the sources of the images above. The books Heart Of A Shepherd (by Roseanne Parry) and Our Only May Amelia (by Jennifer L. Holm) are both worthy of following up on by reading better and more in-depth reviews than you'll find here. I got the images I am using from the blog by a YA author; her name is Cynthia Leitich Smith. Her official author site is listed below...
... and I made a link to her "blogspot" page (which is a tremendous resource) in the "Useful Ideas" sidebar of this blog. This link will also bring you to the source for the two images above.
That being said, the two books I mentioned are ones I would highly recommend, not just individually, but also as an interesting pairing. Both books feature very engaging characters of similar ages who are dealing with challenging demands made on them as they begin to come of age. The books are both set in different time periods, though they are both set in the far northwest of the United States, and the natural landscapes and landforms play major roles in each story's development. Each author makes clear references in "author's notes" or "about the author" blurbs which help the reader understand the connections and resources the authors had to bring their characters to life. Finally, it is each authors' ability to breathe life – through the language and authentic understanding of what a young person would perhaps struggle with in the stories each has created – into their respective characters that so thoroughly impressed me and caused me to write about these two books.
The characters of May Amelia (in Holm's book) and "Brother" (really named Ignatius, from Parry's book) are truly challenged to take on roles that seem contrary or just plain intimidating to each as the books open. May Amelia is as rough-and-tumble a child as you're likely to meet (her voice seems evident in some of the episodes of "Babymouse", which is another Holm creation), and the demands of growing up in a barely-tamed frontier setting, right around 1900 in the state of Washington, do not seem to be allowing her to begin in any way to live up to her father's wishes that she begin behaving "like a proper lady". She is the only girl ever born in her settlement, and she desperately hopes for a chance to have a new sister. Brother, on the other hand, is coming to the realization that he will be in charge of running the family ranch in eastern Oregon, once his father is sent of for a tour of duty in Iraq. With all of his brothers away at school or in the service themselves, Brother is not feeling up to the demands of the ranching responsibilities which, though he will have his grandfathers help with, he perceives as overwhelming when he considers some of his fears around the ways of handling life and death of animals in this setting. Both children struggle with parental figures that are either gone (Brother's mother) or distant and quite gruff (May Amelia's father), though each has close, yet complex, bonds with siblings among the large families they in fact grow up within. Both characters must deal with devastating family losses that arise in the course of the stories, though each does manage to find a means to grow from the difficult experiences. This is, to me, the main thing to seek out – character change and growth – while reflecting on the outcome of a realistic fiction story.
Well, so much for the opening paragraph's other items! Essays are truly challenging to compose at internet lounges like the one I am writing at now! The other points I might continue writing about must be done later. Any questions or comments? Please feel free to post... editing suggestions also welcome, as usual!
Finally, one last thing: The graphic novel titles are still "all the rage" in my book browsing. Kids in 4St are sticking with the "Bone" series, and these books need no extra publicity. I do hope to be able, some day, to get the books in the MouseGuard series out to interested readers in the classroom. Who knew it would be an NYT bestseller??!
In the meantime, please check out the author/illustrator's page – for some reason this image CAN be linked to the website "from whence it came" – Click On the Black Axe thumbnail below.
