The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms Worldwide by Eva Talmadge & Justin Taylor

Reluctant reader or not, students are quickly swayed by enticing illustrations. And what better or more popular illustrations than tattoos? The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms Worldwide goes a step further than your average tattoo anthology; it chronicles tattoos of famous and cherished lines of poetry, prose and their related illustrations on the bodies of individuals across the country. Each tattoo is complete with an image and an explanation of the significance of the literary inking. Herein lies the librarian’s mischievous plot: bait a student via interest in a literary tattoo, and then lead them to the larger body of work itself! M.’s tattoo of “I feel infinite” on her left shoulder blade, for example, will steer readers to Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Who knows? Soon troubled teens may be tripping over their appreciation of e.e. cummings and Samuel Beckett. Better yet, their enthrallment may have began with a school library and a book about literary tattoos.

*Please note that there is some nudity in this title, but nothing explicit. The book may not be appropriate for all ages. -- Lisa Buckton

Talmadge, Eva and Justin Taylor. The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms Worldwide. New York: Harper Perennial, 2010.

Stay With Me by Paul Griffin

Stay With Me, the newest book from popular Passages Academy visiting author Paul Griffin due to be released this fall, follows the intense but brief relationship between two teens, Mack and Cece. At fifteen, Mack is a HS dropout and a struggling reader with a violent criminal past. But we learn of his nurturing side through his connection with abandoned pitbulls, and his innate ability to train them into loving house pets. Mack shares this gift with Cece, who overcomes her fear of dogs and falls in love with Mack while studying for an upcoming Gifted and Talented test. The two meet at Vic Too's, the restaurant where they work with Cece's mother, brother, and best friend. But when Mack loses control and lets his anger take over, the two are forced to say goodbye forever. This moving and gripping book will appeal to students requesting a love story, as well as those looking for characters that they can easily relate to.

::SPOILER ALERT::
Mack and Cece are torn apart when Mack begins a long period of incarceration at Rikers. Adult readers in facilities may spring into a censorship stance when they read the ways characters bring creativity to bear on using the materials at hand to circumvent security, but young readers won't find any new ideas they haven't heard already. Most importantly, many will be able to connect with the stressful high-stakes atmosphere of the prison.

::BONUS::
Besides sharing this exciting new book with you, I am also very excited to share the following excerpts:

From the Dedication
“...for Juan G., who dreams of happy endings.” Juan was a Passages Academy @ Crossroads student whom Paul met during a visit in 2009. He expressed his hope for a happier ending to “Ten Mile River,” and then offered how he would have ended the novel.

From the Acknowledgements
"Thank you to the librarians, teachers, booksellers, and literacy and human rights advocates that have given me opportunities to connect with their students and readers...Anne Lotito Schuh and the Crossroads family, Jessica, Ma'lis and Literacy For Incarcerated Teens..."

I feel comfortable speaking for the Passages family when I say that we wish we could so publicly acknowledge Paul Griffin for his selflessness of time and spirit when it comes to giving to our students. A day when Paul visits is an uplifting day for students and staff alike.--Anne Lotito Schuh

Barefoot Gen Volume 1 by Keiji Nakazawa

"Remember this, my little one. This is war. This is what took your father, sister and brother from us... When you grow up you must never, ever let this happen again!" Kimie Nakaoka says as she holds up her new born to watch the fireball that has engulfed Hiroshima. Love, hate, honor, pride, fear, pity, Barefoot Gen is an incredible and timely story that will summon every feeling a human can possibly muster. The story is a short manga series about the life of Keiji Nakazawa before, during and after the nuclear bomb was dropped in his hometown, Hiroshima. The story does an amazing job at pulling you in and never letting go. For those who know what happens (and most of us do), they will be at the edge of their seats waiting for the climax of the bomb drop. The drop is delayed well into the story, giving the readers the opportunity to see the hardships that the Japanese people were already going through because of the war. Unlike most mangas, Barefoot Gen is full of text but the readers are very unlikely to notice it since it is well-integrated in the old school style of animation used by Nakazawa. I found this manga to be one of the most powerful ones I've read to date and I expect it will stay with me for a long time to come.--Claudio Leon

Interested readers can learn more about Project Gen here and here. Teachers can find a lesson plan for middle grades from the Zinn Education Project (utilizing the film version) here, and a study guide which can serve as a series of discussion questions from the National Association of Comics Art Educators here.

Snake Bite by Tom Jackson

A couple of sentences per page give the reader intriguing bits of clear information in this 32-page paperback book. The text is supplemented by excellent photographs depicting venomous snakes, the “milking” of snakes, a spitting cobra (mid-spit), and humans interacting with snakes. A wonderful starting point for striving readers looking for an inquiry topic or some engaging independent informational reading. A table of contents, glossary, index, and recommendations for further reading on the web make this an ideal teaching tool for introducing non-fiction text features to this frequently requested topic. --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Jackson, Tom. Snake Bite. New York: Crabtree Publishing, 2009.

Deathnote by Tsugumi Ohba, Illustrated by Takeshi Obata

Light Yagami, a teenage boy, discovers a supernatural notebook that grants him the ability to kill anyone whose name and face he knows. The suspicious chain of deaths that follow lead youthful detective L (a code name) to investigate what he believes are homicides. At the start of the story Light uses the notebook with intent to cleanse the world of all evil as if he were a god. As L begins his investigation, Light, in order to stay ahead of L, eventually has to kill more than just criminals and loses focus of his original good intentions. Suicides and homicides are all drawn with intricate detail in gorgeous black and white frames that are sure to suck in the readers time and time again. Readers may be advised: some of the frames graphically depict the death sequences. To view the official site for the manga series and anime series click here. -- Claudio Leon

Guys Write for Guys Read Edited by Jon Scieszka

Motivating young male readers can be a daunting task, but Jon Scieszka’s Guys Write for Guys Read offers a sparkling and robust antidote. Scieszka, the founder of the “Guys Read” initiative, brings us an anthology of male authors speaking to every aspect of their personal coming-of-age experience. Be it superheroes, sexuality, crime, family, relationships, acne, or school, Guy Write for Guys Read candidly exposes the experiences of male adolescence. Combining fiction, memoir, comic strips, poems, illustrations and jokes, this title will entice a wide variety of readers. But get this, Scieszka’s devised an even more intricate plot; each of the 92 pieces of work in Guys Write for Guys Read is exceptionally brief in length. The authors and illustrators offer just enough to lure the resistant reader in and end each piece with a brief biography and a selected bibliography. --Lisa Buckton

Scieszka, John, ed.. Guys Write for Guys Read. New York: Viking, 2005.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, adapted by Jacqueline Morley (Barron's Graphic Classics series)

What I like most about comics is that I don’t have to use my imagination in the way that I would reading a "regular" book. The illustrations allow me to simply enjoy the story and watch what is happening. It is a trend right now to adapt classic literature into graphic novels, and I think the graphic versions have reinvigorated the original stories. One of my favorite parts in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is when the characters come across a giant octopus almost twice the size of the submarine, which is large enough to house a crew of a few hundred sailors. Being able to actually see the size comparison drives home the massiveness of the beast, which I think could often get lost in the original text. Strangely, one or two chapters from the original story seem to be missing from this graphic novel, but students discovering the story for the first time won’t notice. They will, however, enjoy the color illustrations and will likely appreciate the glimpse into the past as Captain Namor and his Nautilus journey across the underwater world in the 19th century. --Claudio Leon

How to Make Books by Esther K. Smith

Looking for new and innovative ways to spice up traditional curriculum? Ester K. Smith's How to Make Books is a hands-on guide to inventive book creation. Complete with diagrams, instructions and historical background, How to Make Books explores a wide variety of book making, including instant books, zines, accordion books, pamphlets, chapbooks, mutant books and stitched books. Students who express interest in writing or illustration often take quickly to the title, and most readers lean in closely when they realize that their ideas can be created, collected and bound by hand! So how does this apply to the classroom? Consider How to Make Books a reference point for imaginative and tactile classroom projects. Whether it be a unit on folktales, exploration of a particular historical period or event, a visual dissection of a plant, or the technical application of geometry, all can be enhanced by incorporating the kinesthetic and personalized activity of book making. --Lisa Buckton


Smith, Esther K. How to Make Books. New York: Potter Craft, 2007.

Crank by Ellen Hopkins

After Kristina returns to her mom’s from reuniting with her wayward father, she is left disheveled, uncertain, scattered and addicted. Now she must re-enter her old life battling a new monster - a deep-seated yearning for crystal meth. As if the plot line isn't enough to lure you in, Hopkins breaches the traditional construct of fiction with a novel composed entirely of narrative, free verse and concrete poems. Poetic language brings the poignant and dangerous struggle of a teenage girl's unexpected and swift addiction to crystal meth to life. A perfect fit for National Poetry Month, Crank is likely to entice the average poetry reader and those resistant to the genre alike. The novel moves at a swift and frenzied pace, expertly emulating the tumultuous effects of drug use. Students are drawn to the raw, and often startling, honesty of the writing, as well as to Kristina's untidy and realistic tale. Crank does not attempt to sweep issues under the carpet, rather, it leaves the room messy and forthright, calling the reader to come in and see. -- Lisa Buckton

Passages Academy will welcome author Ellen Hopkins via Skype™ for a discussion of her work and Q & A session with students later this month. Please stay tuned to our blog for further details!


Hopkins, Ellen. Crank. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2004.

Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto

"I will never give up... I promised to succeed no matter the odds against me. And you know why? Because that is my way of living." So says Naruto in book #1 of this ongoing manga series. Learning to overcome your boundaries and finding a way to achieve your goals is what Naruto is all about. This Japanimation series mainly focuses on the way a teenager decides to live his life and the challenges he must face and overcome in order to maintain. As the story, develops, readers learn that any character in Naruto, including Naruto himself, can meet his or her end. Naruto is both entertaining and engaging for any reader who can decode. The illustrated frames will be welcomed by striving readers who will be able to follow along as the story takes them on the rollercoaster ride of broken friendships, betrayals, sacrifices and the search within oneself. Each of the Naruto graphic novels is short and fast-paced which is sure to have students coming back for more. -- Claudio Leon

Farewell Anne, Welcome Lisa & Claudio!

Please join us in waving a virtual and temporary goodbye to co-editor and teammate Anne Lotito Schuh as she takes a leave of absence. She will be out for the remainder of the school year, but she continues to be an essential part of our team. As Anne steps away, we also have exciting news about two additions to our team. Claudio Leon, served as Passages Academy’s Library Assistant from Spring 2007 until Fall 2009 before leaving to pursue his education in computer information technology. Please join us in welcoming him back as our Educational Technology Specialist and library assistant! Lisa Buckton is filling in for Anne at our Crossroads site and we are so happy to have her join us. Readers can look forward to weekly posts from both Claudio and Lisa.

Anja & Jessica

Foolish/Unfoolish: Reflections on Love by Ashanti

In Ashanti’s first sentence, she lets readers know that she writes poetry and reflections in a journal, and has for a very long time. In her words, “I’d come up with an idea at a club or in the car waiting for a friend and as soon as I’d get home I’d write it in my book as poetry.” The positive messages about writing and reflection abound in the introduction, making it clear that this is more than just another collection of poetry. Each poem included in the book is preceded by a personal story that lets the reader know exactly what Ashanti was going through at the time of writing. Poems are often followed with a written reflection and an update on where the poem may have gone -- sometimes they became lyrics in her hit songs. While the poems are all quite literal, and the stories almost exclusively about love and relationships, students can relate to the poems and their context. This is a great tool for connecting aspiring writers with a true success story. Ashanti may not be the hottest singer on the radio right now, but not so long ago she was, and students definitely know her name. It’s refreshing to read that she writes her own material, and it all started in journal entries at the young age of thirteen. This is another great choice for students looking for love poetry, with a little inspirational writing on the side.

Ashanti. Foolish/Unfoolish: Reflections on Love. New York: Hyperion, 2002.

The 100 Best African American Poems Edited by Nikki Giovanni

“Poems are like clouds on a June morning or two scoops of chocolate ice cream on a sugar cone in August . . . something everyone can enjoy. . . . Something you don’t think too much about until it is in Season. Then you deliciously anticipate the perfection.” So begins Giovanni’s introduction to this welcome new anthology of poetry, her words capturing how many of us feel at the dawn of each April. Readers will glow with recognition when they come across classics by Brooks, Dunbar, Evans, Clifton and Shakur, and experience fresh inspiration in character, perspective and voice while reading contributions from less-widely known poets like Jim Seibles and Truth Thomas. The attractively designed hardcover volume includes a CD with readings of 36 of the poems which can draw students in and support conversations on how to read a poem and understand a poem for the uninitiated and the beginner.

Giovanni, Nikki, Ed. The Best 100 African American Poems. Naperville: Sourcebooks, 2010.

Programming Spotlight: Janet Tashjian & Jesse Eisenberg

“Writing is re-writing,” author Janet Tashjian said repeatedly during her Skype visit to Boys Town on March 30, 2011, as her face and voice leaped from the 27-inch iMac screen. Speaking separately with both the boys’ and girls’ high school English classes, which had just finished reading her novels, The Gospel According to Larry and Vote for Larry, Janet Tashjian’s energy was as infectious as her writing.

Mrs. Tashjian made reference to Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, Jack Gantos’ Hole in My Life and Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg as influential texts that helped her segue into a full-time writer. Excited by Passages students’ many informed questions and their writing, which she had read prior to the visit, Mrs. Tashjian held up a marble notebook similar to the type our students use to demonstrate how she still writes in longhand.

The students and Mrs. Tashjian were equally excited to welcome Jesse Eisenberg, recent Academy Award nominee and long time Passages friend, to the author visit. Mr. Eisenberg performed and recorded the audio version of the “Larry” books, and his voice has been a consistent part of the classroom lessons, modeling both the op-ed articles and creative realistic fiction found in Mrs. Tashjian’s work. -- L. A. Gabay

L.A. Gabay teaches English and is available for Skype visits.

Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teens Edited by Betsy Franco

One of the most frequent requests I’ve received over the years (well, probably second to demands for urban/street/realistic fiction) is for love poems, and so I was thrilled when this anthology came out in paperback last year. Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teens, Betsy Franco’s compilation, finally gives students what they want. Franco collected these poems from around the world as teens sent her their submissions via email. Diversity is ample, but the poetry stays true to the title with a focus on love, albeit love in its many forms. Whet students’ appetite with short poems like “Love is Like”: “the sweetness of honey/ falling from a bee hive./ You have to be careful/ not to get stung.” A great follow up to the teen who has just finished Tupac’s The Rose that Grew From Concrete or the reader who is busy composing notes to loved ones and searching for a poem to add to an epistle. Sophisticated readers may enjoy pairing it with Plato’s Symposium or Shakespeare’s sonnets.

Franco, Betsy, Ed. Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teens. Somerville: Candlewick Press, 2010.

The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss by Claire Nouvian

Have you ever seen a googly-eyed glass squid, aka Teuthowenia pellucida? A vampire squid? A glowing sucker octopus? Passages students haven’t either, and although seeing is believing, the photographs in The Deep are often so surprising that many viewers react by insisting they’re not real. Truly the last frontier on Earth, “With an average depth of 3800 meters, the oceans offer 99% of the space where life can develop . . . A staggering thought.” And while humans have sought to dissect and document every species they can get their hands on, thousands and thousands of organisms slip through scientists’ grasp because they inhabit depths rarely accessed. This gorgeous coffee-table sized book collects over 200 incredible photographs of these beings in their bioluminescent splendor and offers the reader a view of their dark and glowing world with basic facts, narrative captions, sophisticated essays, and an understated marker on the side of each page to indicate the depths at which each organism has been spotted. Readers will be be entranced, disbelieving, and full of questions. A perfect text to instigate inquiry, as well as a handy authentic and sophisticated text for teaching features of pictorials. Includes numbers of interest pertaining to the deep sea (pg 246), a one-page glossary, a one-page index, a one-page bibliography, and credits.

Nouvian, Claire Ed. The Deep. Chicago: The University of Chicago, 2007.

Cosmogirl! Words to Live By

“Women’s place is in the House-- and in the Senate.” juxtaposed a few pages away from “I love being a girl because I like making guys turn their head.” Hmm. While some of the quotes in this tiny book fall a little short of inspiration, I still strongly recommend this book because it has enough fluff to appeal to a reader looking for light reading combined with enough wisdom and provocative content to instigate deeper incidental thinking or thoughtful conversation. Each page features one to three quotes from individuals both famous and anonymously cited only by first name, age (teens), and the fact that she is a reader of Cosmogirl. This book could be a simple way to locate quotes to kick off a women’s history month inquiry project. The book is divided up into seven chapters covering It’s a Girl Thing, Love Lines, Spirit, Friends and Family, Tough Stuff, Dream it, Be it, and Life Lessons. With an introduction from the magazine’s editor-in-chief and an index to the famous folks quoted inside, the short 212 pages are more addictive than the cover might suggest.

Back in the Days by Jamel Shabazz

Get ready to enter a time warp as you open this book and step into New York City in the 1980s. Photographer Shabazz, who grew up in Brooklyn, knows how to capture the life of the streets: kids hanging out, couples and friends posing, and graffiti on the walls dare the viewer to challenge their authenticity. These pictures are so real, they could have been taken today -- but the older subway cars and the fashion give it away. These were the days of Sergio Valente jeans, Cazal glasses, and Puma and Adidas sneakers. In portrait after portrait, the subjects know they look good, and they work it for the camera, crossing their arms and sticking out their hips. My personal favorites are the ones showcasing matching outfits shared by friends, lovers and entire crews. DYFJ staff members almost always get a kick out of this book as they re-live the clothes of the eighties and talk to the students about how New York City used to look. This book is highly engaging and a real stress-free read.

Shabazz, Jamel. Back in the Days. New York: powerHouse Books, 2001.

Bayou: Volume One by Jeremy Love

Graphic novel, historical fiction, and fantasy all rolled into one eye-catching and compelling read, Bayou tells the story of Lee Wagstaff, an African-American girl living in Mississippi in 1933. When her white friend, Lily, is captured by Cotton-Eyed Joe, a fantastical creature, only Lee knows the truth, a truth that may possibly set her father free after he is accused of Lily’s disappearance. Lee crosses over into the fantasy world in hopes of bringing Lily back and is aided by Bayou, a friendly monster that vows to protect her. Tropes on southern history, dialect, folktales, religion, music and race relations are explored metaphorically, literally and visually on almost every page. Some pages are ripe with dialogue, while others simply let the artwork establish setting and mood while moving the plot forward. After racing through the first two volumes, this reader was left anxiously awaiting the release of the newest addition to the series. Students seem to be most drawn to the vivid full-color artwork and theme of injustice by their own curiosity of the highly charged setting.

Love, Jeremy. Bayou: Volume One. New York: DC Comics, 2009.

Dogs (Eyewitness Companions) by Dr. Bruce Fogle

Always a hit with the dog lovers among us, this book is compact and concise, making it the perfect resource for quick reference. While it has plenty of factual information about the dog's origin as a species and its present state as a domesticated pet, the real draw is the breakdown of breeds. Divided into categories by size (small, medium, large, and extra large), each breed listed is described and illustrated with specific details that apply to each one. Most useful perhaps is the information regarding temperaments and time consumption for grooming and training. It is our go-to book at Summit when someone wants to show off what their dog looks like, or more often, what the dog of their dreams looks like. Also handy is the section in back about training, taking care of and keeping a dog as a pet.

Fogle, Bruce. Dogs. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2006. Eyewitness Companions.