Freak the Mighty

Author/Authors: Rodman Phillbrick

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: FRIENDSHIP, DEATH, INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

Year of Publication: 1993

Publisher & Location: Scholastic Paperbacks

ISBN #: 0439286069

Target Age Level: Upper elementary

# of Pages: 176

Quality of Illustrations: None

Brief Summary: Maxwell Kane lives with his grandparents after his father allegedly killed his mother. He is picked on and also is in special education which adds to his low self-esteem. He then meets Kevin (aka freak) who has a rare birth defect where his body does not grow like it is supposed to. Kevin is very smart and has a very active imagination. Max carries Kevin all over the place and Kevin is the “brain” of their duo friendship is called Freak the Mighty. In the end of the story, Kevin dies and Max is left with his memory of their friendship. Max’s dad also kidnaps his son and attempts to harm him as well. This story has multiple emotional/crisis issues that can be talked about.

Post reading activity:
I found a website that a teacher put together that has questions after every chapter or two. This would be a good guide to use when asking questions. There is also a Jeopardy game which would be fun to use. The link is http://www.cowden-herrick.k12.il.us/staff/burruscasey/elearning/ftm/activities.html .

Chilly Stomach

No Image Available

Author/Authors: Jeannette Caines

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: SEXUAL ABUSE

Year of Publication: 1986

Publisher & Location: Harper & Row, Publishers

ISBN #: 0-06-020976-3

Target Age Level: Lower elementary

# of Pages: 32

Quality of Illustrations: Colorful illustrations

Brief Summary: Whenever the girl’s Uncle comes over, she gets a chilly stomach. The book never specifically states the issue other than the girl does not like it when he kisses her on the lips or tickles her. She especially does not like it when he spends the night. The girl tells her friend about her chilly stomach and the cause. She hopes that her friend will tell her mom who will then call to tell the girl’s mom. However, she is afraid that her parents will not like her anymore. This story really hints around the issue and does not give a clear path to follow to resolve the problem. At least she tells her friend and it shows that it is serious enough that she is going to tell her mom. One thing I do like about this book is that it portrays the feeling a young child may have when there is abuse, and the conflicted feelings about what to do.

Post reading activity:
If using this book, a good activity would be to use puppets or toy figures to role play what happens next in the book. Role play the friend’s mom talking to the girl’s mom and showing that mom is not going to be mad at her. Role play a resolution and then talk about the child’s fears.

The Good-bye Book

Author/Authors: Judith Viorst

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: ANXIETY

Year of Publication: 1988

Publisher & Location: Atheneum, New York

ISBN #: 0689715811

Target Age Level: Lower elementary

# of Pages: 32

Quality of Illustrations: Good colored pencil drawings

Brief Summary: A boy’s parents are getting ready to go out for the evening. The boy does not want his parent’s to go and he throws a fit and tries to convince his parents not to go. He is also very anxious about the baby sitter and what the baby sitter will make him do. In the end, the baby sitter turns out to be nice and the boy is then able to say good-bye to his parents. The last few pages of the book do not have words but shows the boy relaxing and doing things with the baby sitter. These pages allows some dialogue about what is going on and talking about him discovering that the baby sitter is OK.

Post reading activity:
Talk about the ending of the book and how the boy decided that it was OK if his parents left. If working with a child and parents, have them come up with a leaving ritual they will do for when they leave their child. For example, it could be a special kiss or wave. They may also have a special activity that the child only gets to do when left with the baby sitter. Use puppets to role play the leaving ritual.

Bruises

Author: Anke De Vries

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Abuse

Year of Publication: 1992

Publisher & Location: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books

ISBN#: 188691009X

Target Age Level: Upper Elementary, Jr. High, High School

# of Pages: 172

Quality of Illustrations: none

Brief Summary: No matter what Judith does, she can’t please her mother. Her mother beats her whenever she is unhappy. Judith has come to expect the beatings. Her teacher gets suspicious due to Judith’s frequent absences and constant excuses for not participating in gym. Judith befriends Michael. She finds strength in their friendship. Judith’s mother moves to a differenty city when Judith’s teacher asks for a parent teacher conference. The story ends optimistic as Judith buys a train ticket back to the city they moved from.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: The beatings are pretty graphic at times.

Eclipse

Author: Kristine L. Franklin

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Parent with Mental Illness, Family Financial Difficulties

Year of Publication: 1995

Publisher & Location: Candlewick Press, Massachusetts

ISBN#: 0763602418

Target Age Level: Upper Elementary, Jr. High, High School, Young Adult

# of Pages: 160

Quality of Illustrations: None

Brief Summary: Trina’s father broke his back and is no longer able to work. He begins to suffer from depression. Trina’s world begins to unravel. She is also dealing with her 48 year old mother’s pregnancy.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: Trina is a little naive. Some things are little unrealistic, but there are good moments that could be beneficial for therapeutic moments.

Mama and Daddy Bear’s Divorce

Author/Authors: Cornelia Maude Spelman

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: DIVORCE

Year of Publication: 1998

Publisher & Location: Albert Whitman & Company, Morton Grove, IL

ISBN #: 0-8075-5221-6

Target Age Level: Pre-school

# of Pages: 24

Quality of Illustrations: Good colorful watercolor illustrations.

Brief Summary: This is a basic book about divorce. A young bear learns two important things as her family get divorced. The first one is that some things stay the same even when there is a divorce. She can still go for walks with dad and make bread with mom. She will still have birthday parties and she can still sleep with her Bunny’s ear next to her cheek no matter whose house she is at. The second thing is that the divorce is not her fault.

Post reading activity:
Help the child make a list of things that he or she does with each parent on two separate sheets of paper. For young children you may want to draw pictures. You may then want to use puppets to act out doing activities at different parents homes. The use of the puppets may also be a good way for the child to feel it is safe to say how the “puppet” feels about divorce.

When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death

Author/Authors: Laurie Krasny Brown

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: DEATH

Year of Publication: 1998

Publisher & Location: Little, Brown Young Readers

ISBN #: 0316119555

Target Age Level: Lower elementary

# of Pages: 32

Quality of Illustrations: Good colorful illustrations.

Brief Summary: This book isn’t in story format. Instead, it answers basic questions a child may have about death. For example, it talks about what alive means, death, how to say good-bye and other common questions or concerns. Look at the book before using. It is very frank and may bring up more concerns than you want to discuss.

Post reading activity:
This book is a great way to talk about different subjects about death as it comes up. Use it to create discussion opportunities. In the event of a lost one, have the child then make a collage of things about the person who has died. They could put together pictures or cut out things from a magazine that reminds them of the person.