Courtney Brown Thematic Bibliography: Divorce

I chose divorce as my topic because it’s something that is very prevalent in

today’s society. The statistics of divorced families are very high which means that many children are suffering with the situation. Not only have I experienced the hardships myself, but also I’ve experienced many children who are going through their parents divorcing without the proper help. My parents divorced when I was six years old and I found it to be a very troubling experience and it still affects me today. I wish that I had confided in books to give me information as well as a mirror and window into other’s similar situations. I also wish that my teachers and librarians had made it a point to show our classes books on divorce because I would have looked into them. But to be honest, I never would have believed that there were this many books on divorce and you could learn as much as you can from the books. I believe books can help children more than they are aware. Fiction, informational, poetry, historical, horror, and mystery are all great genres that can spark the interests of children who are experiencing problems with divorce but may not know how to express it. Divorce is something that everyone that experiences it deals with in different ways. Some have a very hard time and feel grief and mourning while others don’t let it affect them at all. There are many different ways that families handle divorce as well. Some children spend equal amount of time at each parent’s separate house, while some children only see their primary caregiver. There are so many great books on this subject and they all cover a little bit of every aspect of divorce. These books can be used in therapy settings, school classrooms and libraries, or at home for parents and children to use.

I had a great time with my research for my Thematic Bibliography. I loved searching for books on the specific topic of divorce and editing the search criteria for different genres, grade level, and publication year. I found some very interesting and effective books for my book list. I also found a very wide variety, from picture books to upper grade level, and from informational to horror to historical fiction. I also made sure to have a few male authors because I mostly found female authors. I made sure that my grades ranged from kindergarten to eighth grade. I was also very excited to find a book with African American characters and describing divorce from a best friend’s point of view. I was surprised to also find a book that talks about divorce in a religious situation which I thought was very informational for culture driven families. My book list is very diverse and covers a little bit of everything. I included in italics at the top of each page the basic information of every book, including the genre, interest level, book level, and whatever other information I found useful to someone using my booklist. This assignment has been all around a very joyful experience for me and I would love to continue to do more booklists.

Word count: 529

Picture book, Judaism, Fiction, Interest Level Lower Grade, Book Level 3.8:

A Tale of Two Seders by Mindy Avra Portnoy (picture book)

Citation: Portnoy, Mindy Avra. A Tale of Two Seders.

Valeria Cis, Ill. Minneapolis MN: Kar-Ben Pub., 2010.

Awards: Sydney Taylor Book Award, 2011 – Notable Book United StatesBest Book Choices, 2011- Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Summary of Reviews: All of the professional reviews give a short summary of the book saying that it’s about a young girl whose parents get divorced and she deals with celebrating Passover at two separate Seders, one with her mom and another with her dad. The reviews say that this book portrays emotions that children feel as they travel back and forth between divorced parent’s houses. Lisa Katz (Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter) made a reference to her favorite part of the book. “My favorite part is when the mother compares families to charoset. Some families are like charoset. Some have more ingredients than others, some stick together better than others, and some are sweeter than others. But each one is tasty in its own way.” I really like this reference and I’m glad this professional reviewer pointed it out. It shines light on all the different styles of families but they’re all great.

Reason why:I chose to include this book in my book list because it is a picture book with a book level of 3.8 and it’s talking about something serious but making it good. It’s a great mirror for children dealing with divorce and window for those who know a child dealing with divorce. I also like how this book puts religion into the story. This book has many subjects that are great for children to read, such as customs and practices, divorce, Judaism, Passover, fiction, Seder, and family life. It’s a great book to show divorce in a different light and associated with religion.

Fiction, Broken Homes, Interest Level Middle Grade, Book Level 4.3:

The Divorce Express by Paula Danziger

Citation: Danziger, Paula. The Divorce Express.

PaperStar/Penguin Putnam Books, Pub. 1998.

Awards: Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award, 1987- Nominee Colorado Kentucky Bluegrass Award, 1984- Nominee Kentucky Emphasis on Reading, 1985-1986- Winner Alabama The de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection

Summary of Reviews: The professional review for this book gives a brief overview of the plot. Phoebe Brooks, a teenager living in New York City is shuffled between her mom’s house in the city and her dad’s house in Woodstock on the “divorce express” as she calls the bus she rides between houses. Dianne Ochitree who is a Children’s Literature specialist says that “with teen-centered humor and real understanding, the author tackles a tough subject that many kids can relate to: divorce.” The author has great character dialogue, which shoes the hidden adolescent fears while explaining going through the ninth grade in a new school and making new friends and dealing with divorced parents.

Reason why: I chose this book because it describes a teenager going through the first stages of high school while dealing with her parents divorce. It also describes shuffling between houses, which is always a very troubling part of your parents getting divorced. These are two very important parts to understanding a teenager going through his or her parents getting a divorce.

Informational, Stepfamilies, Grades 4-8, Middle Readers:

Help!: A Girl’s Guide to Divorce and Stepfamilies by Nancy Holyoke

Citation: Holyoke, Nancy. Help!: A Girl’s Guide to Divorce and Stepfamilies.

Scott Nash, Ill. Middleton WI: Pleasant Company Publications. 1999.

Awards: National Association of Parenting Publications Awards NAPPA, 1999- Winner United States Parents’ Choice Award, 2000- Recommended United States

Summary of Reviews: The professional reviews describe this book as a great informational book with useful tip on how to deal with real emotions and events that come with divorce and how to work through. From fear, guilt and anger to money, violence, parents dating, and step families, the book offers upbeat and straightforward commentary. The important ideas to take away from this book are: you parents may not love each other now but they did once, families change, it’s never your fault, your parents are adults and the divorce is theirs not yours.

Reason why: I chose to put this book on my list because it is a great informational book told in a language that children could relate to easily. The important ideas to take away from the book that I described previously are very important for children to understand during a divorce. Sometimes parents aren’t very accurate or helpful when answering questions about divorce for their children, or maybe children are too scared to ask the gritty questions. This book is a didactic text for everything children need to know about divorce. This book also has a great balance between instruct and delight. The information is very important and the illustrations make it delightful.

Fiction, School, Interest Level Middle Grade, Book Level 3.7:

Amber Brown Wants Extra Credit by Paula Danziger

Citation:Danziger, Paula. Amber Brown Wants Extra Credit.

Tony Ross, Ill. New York: Scholastic. 1996.

Awards: ABC Children’s Booksellers Choices Award, 1997- Winner United StatesParents’ Choice Award, 1996- Gold United States The de Grummond Children’s Literature CollectionCharlie May Simon Children’s Book Award, 1998-1999

Professional Reviews:Amber Brown is having a hard time getting her schoolwork done because she is upset about her parents divorce and her mother wants her to meet her new boyfriend, Max. Amber is not interested in meeting Max, and she cannot concentrate on her homework when her mom is dating. Danziger’s characteristic wit and uncanny sense of the emotions of a fourth grader make this book a delight to read. Multiple professional reviews comment on the Tony Ross’ colorful, expressive and comical illustrations throughout the novel.

Reason Why: I chose this book for my list because it connects divorce with school. This shows that some children will have a tough time focusing on schoolwork while being upset about their parent’s divorce. But this novel also shows the progression throughout the year and how it will get better. I think this is a great fiction novel that shows the school life side of children going through their parent’s divorce.

Informational, Juvenile literature, Interest Level Upper Grade, Book Level 8

Divorce: Young People Caught in the Middle by Beth Levine

Citation: Levine, Beth. Divorce: Young People Caught in the Middle.

Springfield N.J.: Enslow Publishers. 1995.

Awards: Books for You: An Annotated Booklist for Senior High, Thirteenth Edition, 1997- National Council of Teachers of English

Professional Reviews: The professional reviews consider this book Levine’s straightforward, commonsense manual for teens dealing with parent’s divorce. It offers helpful advice and an overall realistic picture of the whole difficult divorce scene. There are interesting case studies, commentary, facts, and statistics that are interwoven through chapters on the pre divorce stress, the divorce procedure and custody matters. Also there are chapters on the relevant economics, emotional adjustments, relations with noncustodial parents, and stepfamilies. This is a very informational book for older readers on everything they need to know about their parents divorcing.

Reason why: I chose this book for my list because it’s a very informational book for older, upper level readers. This gives facts, statistics and case studies that high school students will be interested in as well as understand. I think it’s important for students to understand that pain comes with this life changing experience but also good will come. This is a didactic text that provides great information. This is a great book for teen’s personal use for family living, psychology, sociology, and general research needs.

Poetry, Biography, 3rd grade reading level, male author:

Been To Yesterdays: Poems Of A Life by Lee Bennett Hopkins

Citation: Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Been To Yesterdays: Poems Of A Life.

Boyds Mills Press. Awards: Christopher Award, 1996- Winner United StatesGolden Kite Award, 1996- Honor Book United States Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children’s Literature, 1996- Honor Book California

Summary of Reviews: The professional reviews all describe this book as Hopkins’ written reams of his own poetry and compiled many wonderful anthologies. Hopkins writes about when he was 13 years old and his life was turned upside down when his parents got divorced. His work is described as “simply written” and employs a variety of techniques in the writing.

Reason why:I chose this book for my list because it is a great book that gives a poetical and realistic side to the issue of divorce. One might not expect a book of poetry to have realistic information about the author’s story of divorce. It’s important for children to have a wide variety of literature and this biographical poetry is great to learn about someone’s real life experience with divorce.

Horror, Stepfamilies, Fiction, Interest Level Upper Grade, Book Level 4.6:

Look For Me By Moonlight by Mary Downing Hahn

Citation: Hahn, Mary Downing. Look For Me By Moonlight.

New York: Avon Flare Books. 1997.

Awards: Society of School Librarians International Book Awards, 1995- Honor United States YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, 2001- American Library Association Books for you: An Annotated Booklist for Senior High, Thirteenth Edition, 1997- National Council of Teachers of EnglishYoung Adults’ Choices, 1997- International Reading Association

Professional Reviews:The professional reviews describe this book as a “stylish psychological thriller”, and a “sinister gothic story set in the bleak chill of a Maine winter”. Cynda, 16, is visiting her dad and his new family and feels isolated from her father’s new family. She is lonely and unsure of her place in this new world after her parents divorce. Finding comfort in a new romance, Cynda soon finds out he is a vampire and could be tied with dangerous strings. The professional reviews describe Hahn as one of the best authors in the business. She writes in a style that is contemporary and romantic.

Reason why: I think this is a great book about divorce because it gives a viewpoint from a different genre. This horror story is a great way to describe the difficulties that come with step families and feeling isolated after your parents go through divorce. This book is also at an interest level for upper grade students, but a 4.6 book level, so it’s great for a wide variety of ages. I think students from 3rd grade to even 8th grade would enjoy this book.

Historical fiction, Interest Level Middle Grade, Book Level 4.5:

The Secret Life of a Boarding School Brat by Amy Gordon

Citation: Gordon, Amy. The Secret Life of a Boarding School Brat.

New York: Holiday House. 2004.

Awards: Best Children’s Books of the Year, 2004- Bank Street College of Education Volunteer State Book Award, 2006-2007- Nominee TennesseeThe de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection

Professional Reviews:This is a story of a reluctant seventh grader, Lydia, who gets sent to boarding school following her parent’s divorce. The book is set in 1965 and Lydia’s story unfolds as a year of self-discovery and personal growth. The book is told through Lydia’s diary entries and she focuses on mourning her grandmother’s death and the end of her parent’s marriage. In her insomniac ways of long sleepless nights, Lydia meets a school handyman at the boarding school and works to uncover a secret code to find out more about her families history. This book is considered a good and pleasant read and a great coming-of-age story.

Reason why: The reason I chose this book for my book list is because I think it’s a great way to incorporate a historical fiction novel into a coming-of-age novel about divorce. Lydia is a typical teenager who is trying to work through the loss of her grandmother and her parent’s divorce. Some students may be reluctant to read historical fiction but this is an interesting and relatable story.

Picture Book, Juvenile Fiction, Hispanic Americans, African Americans, Interest Level Lower Grade, Book Level 1.4:

Max Stays Overnight by Adria F. Klein

Citation: Klein, Adria F. Max Stays Overnight,

Mernie Gallagher-Cole, Ill. Minneapolis Minn.: Picture Window Books.2007.

Awards: None

Professional Reviews: The professional reviews say that this is a delightful and simply written story about Max and his friend Deshawn. The boys are best friends and Max invites Deshawn over to spend the night. Deshawn’s parents got divorced and he moved away to live with his dad who is the primary caregiver. Max’s only time to see Deshawn is when he visits his mom. The boys have a lot of fun and adventures during the sleepover. The illustrations are colorful and pleasing and the text is simple to read.

Reason Why: I chose to put this book on my reading list because it’s a picture book that is about divorce but told from another point of view. Max tells the story mentioning that he only gets to see his best friend once in awhile because his parents are divorced and he moves away. This is great for kids to be able to see divorce from a best friend’s point of view. I also like how the characters are African American this shows diversity.

Fiction, Individuality, Interest Level Lower Grade, Book Level 3.5:

My Parents Are Divorced, My Elbows Have Nicknames, and Other Facts About Me by Bill Cochran

Citation: Cochron, Bill. My Parents Are Divorced, My Elbows Have Nicknames, and Other Facts About Me.

Steve Björkman, Ill. New York: HarperCollins. 2009.

Awards: Best Children’s Books of the Year, 2010- Bank Street College of Education

Professional Reviews:This story uses humor to help children work through the process of dealing with divorce. Ted’s parents are divorced but he knows that they both love him. The fact that his parents are divorced and that he is reacting and adjusting to it is just another part of him, but it doesn’t make him weird at all. He describes other things that he says makes him weird. The professional reviews describe this book as a well-meaning depiction of a child dealing with divorce and it hits on many common experiences.

Reason why: I chose this book for my list because it uses humor to explain that your parents getting divorced and adjusting to it is not weird. He is an individualistic person who points out weird things about himself, but the issue of his parents divorcing is not weird. This book could be important to children in need of help in adjusting to living with divorced parents.