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Read more about the article A Review of Randall’s Wall by Carol Fenner
Young Arab boy

A Review of Randall’s Wall by Carol Fenner

181482729_2519fcac29_poor-boyA Review of Randall’s Wall by Carol Fenner, 1991; rpt. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, 1996, 85 pages

This realistic novel for middle-grade children concerns an artistic boy from a poor family.  Randall’s father has abused and abandoned his wife and children, leaving them with little money or food in a home without running water.  Most of Randall’s fifth-grade classmates shun him because he is dirty and withdrawn.  And his teachers don’t know how to handle a boy who daydreams and hates reading aloud.  Randall has built up a psychological wall to keep other people from hurting him. (more…)

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Read more about the article The Novel mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine Captures the Point of View of a Child with Asperger’s Syndrome

The Novel mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine Captures the Point of View of a Child with Asperger’s Syndrome

Motivated by her concern after the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007, Kathryn Erskine wrote mockingbird (mok′ ing-bûrd) to examine how families cope after a sudden tragedy.  Erksine’s first-person narrator is a ten-year-old girl with Asperger’s syndrome named Caitlin Ann Smith.  Caitlin is a talented young artist, but her life is difficult.  Caitlin’s mother died of cancer, and her older brother Devon died after a shooting at his high school.  The two siblings were very close, and Devin had helped his sister to deal with the complex and confusing world around her.  Caitlin’s father is paralyzed by grief after he loses his son, and he has trouble parenting Caitlin. (more…)

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