Book vs. Movie: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

The Lightning Thief is the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan.  The story centers around Percy Jackson, a 12 year old boy with ADHD and dyslexia who discovers that he is a demi-god when he is attacked by a fury at his school.  He finds out that his best friend, Grover, is actually a satyr sent to protect him from monsters and his teacher, Mr. Brunner, is actually a centaur who runs a special camp for demi-gods called Camp Half-Blood.  Percy's mother and Grover accompany him to Camp Half-Blood, but they are attacked by a minotaur just outside the camp.  Percy defeats the minotaur by ripping off its horn and stabbing it, but Percy's mom is lost during the fight and her soul winds up in the Underworld. Percy goes into the camp and soon learns that his father is the god Poseidon, one of the Big Three (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades). He also learns that the Big Three made a pact that they would not father anymore children because of a prophecy that a child of the Big Three would make a decision on his or her sixteen birthday that would either save the gods or destroy them.  Clearly, Poseidon broke the pact.  Percy meets new friends in Camp Half Blood: Annabeth, a daughter of Athena, and Luke, a son of Hermes.  Soon after, the oracle sends Percy on a quest to find Zeus's missing lightning bolt.  Annabeth and Grover join him on the quest, and they face a number of challenges, such as Medusa, the Lotus Casino, and even the god Hades, whose Helm of Darkness has also been stolen.  Percy learns that Hades has him mother's soul. Ultimately, Percy finds out that it was Ares who stole the bolt and the helm.  He and Percy battle, and Ares ends up leaving the bolt and helm with Percy, who then returns them to Zeus and Hades. In return, Hades returns Percy's mother.  Once back at Camp Half-Blood, however, Percy finds out that his friend Luke was actually involved in the theft of the two powerful items.  Luke tries to kill Percy but fails. When he recovers, Percy returns to live with his mother and reenroll in school.  He will return to camp in the summer.  His adventures are, of course, continued in the remaining books in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

The film version of The Lightning Thief was released in February of 2010.  In general, I am hesitant of watching movies based on books, especially books I enjoyed, because I am terrified that the director will ruin the story.  Occasionally, I do find the movies enjoyable, though, despite the fact that I believe, with very few exceptions, that the book is always better. I watched The Lightning Thief with my husband and eight-year-old son, neither of whom had read the book.  That way I could get both perspectives on the movie.  Perhaps predictably, my husband and son both enjoyed the movie.  And, really, I enjoyed it as well, although I did keep sort of a running list of plot points that had been changed or left out completely.    The first change that I found interesting was the change in the ages of the characters.  In the books, Percy and Annabeth are 12; in the movie, they are much older teens, maybe 16 or 17. I suppose that the director felt that the characters actions in the story would be more believable for audiences if they were older.  I, however, felt that their younger age was important to the story: they are demigods--they should be able to do more than other children their age. I also felt that it may have been a poor choice to up their ages if the producer intends to make film versions of any of the other books in the series. Very quickly, the characters will be too older for the timeline in the books, as will the actors. I also found some of the changes and omissions in the film interesting.  For example, little is mentioned about Annabeth's past, how she came to Camp Half-Blood, or her relationship with Luke as presented in the book.  This, too, may cause issues in subsequent movies, as this information becomes increasingly important throughout the series.  Also, some important characters from the book are missing from the film or have a much smaller role: Clarisse, Dionysus, Ares, and Thalia, for example.  Some of the locations visited during the quest are also changes, as well as some of the monsters Percy, Annabeth, and Grover encounter.

Overall, while I believe the film could have been better had they stuck more strictly to the novel, I have to admit that the film was entertaining.  It certainly caught my son's attention and peaked his interest in reading the books in the series.  The elements I loved most about the book--the hero's quest and the use of Greek mythology--are still strong in the film, as are the themes of the novel: loyalty, trust, bravery, responsibility, friendship, and family. I certainly think the film could be used to give readers a visual for the various gods and goddesses and monsters mentioned in the novel and could provide for an interesting compare and contrast activity for students who have read the book and then watched the film.

References

 Barnathan, M., Columbus, C., Hammel, T. M., Harlacker, J. Morgan, M., Oseary, G., Radcliffe, M., 

     Rosenfelt, K, Swallow, K. (Producers) & Columbus, C. (Director). Percy Jackson and the 

     

     Olympians: The lightning thief. United States: Fox 2000 Pictures. 

Riordan, R. (2006). Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Book one: The lightning thief. New York: 

     Disney-Hyperion.

Booktalk Theme: Modernizing Shakespeare

The theme I have chosen for my booktalks is Shakespeare retellings.  As an English teacher, I've done my share of teaching Shakespeare.  Over the years. I've taught Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Macbeth. Of course, part of the challenge with any of these texts is the language, as well as generating student interest.  I felt that some modern retellings of these plays might be a great way to go.  Students could read the original Shakespeare text as a common reading and then try a retelling either in literature circles or individually.  Comparing and contrasting the original and the update would then be an excellent analytical activity.  I have taken a similar approach to teaching The Great Gatsby in the past by pairing it with Gordon Korman's Jake, Reinvented, and it worked well, so I thought, why not try it with Shakespeare?

Chapter 9 Selection: An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy

Using a wealth of sources cited in the back of the book and including a number of primary sources, Jim Murphy details the outbreak of yellow fever that hit Philadelphia in 1793.  Murphy's account is very thorough; although the focus is on the disease and how it spread virulently through the city, Murphy also discusses the political, economic, social, and medical consequences of the plague. While acknowledging the medical professions lack of knowledge of bacteria and viruses at the time, Murphy explains the reasoning behind the common theories at the time and details the efforts of several doctors, most notably the very vocal Dr. Benjamin Rush.  He also explains the ensuing arguments among the medical professionals at the time about the causes and proper treatment of the fever.  In fact, there were many doctors who, at first, were not even convinced that the illness they were fighting was indeed the dreaded yellow fever. He also addresses the number of citizens who fled the city to avoid the disease, citizens that included doctors and politicians.  Primarily it was the wealthier citizens who had the option to flee, leaving the poor behind to suffer the worst of the illness. In fact, so many of the city's politician's left the city that the mayor, Matthew Clarkson, was forced to take control of the city in a way that was, technically, illegal, but entirely necessary under the circumstances.  Even the President of the United States, George Washington, left the city for his home at Mount Vernon, though he did not initially intend to stay away as long as he ultimately did.  In fact, he left without any of his important papers and documents, which caused a number of problems for the government and nearly brought it to a halt, as Congress could not safely convene in Philadelphia due to the plague, and many believed that it was unconstitutional for Congress to convene anywhere else. Murphy also highlights the contributions of the Free African Society, who organized many black nurses to help care for the sick.  He points out that initially the doctors were convinced that blacks were immune to the disease, but this theory was ultimately disproved as many of the nurses and other black citizens contracted the illness. Murphy also tells about Bush Hill, a residence that was taken over and converted into a hospital.  Murphy follows the plague to its end in Philadelphia but continues to follow its course through other outbreaks and, ultimately, the discovery of the source of the illness and the fact that it is spread by mosquitoes.

I chose to read this selection when I read about it in the textbook. The authors suggested using it as a companion text to Laurie Halse Anderson's Fever 1793, which I had previously read.  As our state begins to adopt the new Common Core standards, my job as an English teacher is going to change drastically.  The focus will turn from fiction to non-fiction, so I thought that this text might be a good example of a non-fiction that would pair well with a fiction.  Having now read both books, I could certainly see the two texts being used in an English course, but they actually might be more appropriate for use in a collaboration between the history and science departments--a collaboration not seen much at the high school level, but that could be quite powerful with the use of these texts.  The history classes could focus on the political, social, and economic implications of the plague on the early years of our nation, while the science classes could look at the changes in the medical profession over time and the knowledge gained about bacteria, viruses, and the spread of disease.  History teachers will also appreciate Murphy's use of primary sources in his text, and science teachers will enjoy lively class discussions about the ecological implications of using pesticides to control the mosquito population and the dangers of a yellow fever outbreak in the modern world.

References

Murphy, J. (2003). An American plague: The true and terrifying story of the yellow fever epidemic of 

    1793. New York: Clarion Books.

Chapter 8 Selection: A Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson

Fourteen-year-old Emmett Till was lynched in 1955 while in Mississippi visiting relatives.  The impetus for his murder was that he allegedly whistled at a white woman.  He husband and brother-in-law then took Emmett from his uncle's home and brutally murdered him.  His mother held an open casket funeral for her son in his hometown of Chicago so that the world could see what the men had done to her son.  An all white, all male jury found then men not guilty, despite his uncle's eye witness identification. After the trial, one of the two acquitted men told a reporter how they had killed Emmett and identified three other men who were involved. This travesty of justice was a catalyst for the civil rights movement.

Marilyn Nelson was nine years old Emmett Till was lynched.  She wanted to write a about his lynching for young people, young people who were the same age Emmett was at the time of this murder. Nelson chose to write a heroic crown of sonnets to honor Till.  She chose to use the form of the Petrarchan sonnet, a fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter with an abbacddcefgefg rhyme scheme. The crown of sonnets is made up of fifteen poems.  For the first fourteen poems, the last line of one poem becomes the first line of the next (although the lines are sometimes slightly altered).  The final poem of the crown is composed of the first lines of the previous fourteen sonnets.  The first letter of each line of this final poem also spells out the name Emmett Till.  This heroic crown of sonnets became the book A Wreath for Emmett Till, both a Coretta Scott King and a Michael Printz Award Honor book.  Nelson explains the format for the sonnets in an introduction to the book.

While the poems themselves tell much about Emmett Till's story, Nelson also includes additional information about his life and death in a section at the end of the book titled "Who Was Emmett Till?" Nelson also includes "Sonnet Notes" that provide details about allusions used in the poems, as well as explaining the meaning and intent in the poems.  This information would be invaluable for a teacher using the book in class or for a student reading the book independently.  Finally, the illustrator, Phillipe Lardy, includes an "Artist's Note," explaining his inspiration for the illustrations and symbolism used and its relationship to the poems.  Finally, the author includes a list of references for further information on Emmett Till's murder.

As an English teacher, I can easily see using this powerful set of poems in a unit on poetry.  The poems demonstrate a specific poetic form, but also offer examples of rhyme and rhyme scheme, rhythm, allusion, symbolism, simile, personification, and many more poetic devices.  The book could also be used in a US history class during a study of the civil rights movement.  In fact, the book could be used as a common text in a collaboration between an English class and a history class  The collaboration could also pull in an art class as well to look at the style of the illustrations, as well as the use of symbolism and the relation of the illustrations to the text.

References

Nelson, M. (2005). A wreath for Emmett Till. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Historical Fiction: Copper Sun by Sharon Draper

Copper Sun begins in an African village where a young girl named Amari is growing up peacefully and happily. Suddenly, however, that all changes when her village is attacked by slave traders, and she and hundreds of other Africans are marched across miles of desert to board the slave ships to America. Amari is sold to a plantation owner in South Carolina and becomes the property of the owners son, Clay.  Amari also meets another young girl, Polly, an indentured servant, who at first seems to be difficult and unpleasant, but later becomes Amari's friend.  The two dream of escaping the plantation for a better life. Ultimately, both girls are able to escape to Fort Mose in Florida where they can live in freedom with other runaways and former slaves.

I have taught Sharon Draper's Hazelwood trilogy for several years now and also had the opportunity to meet Mrs. Draper when she came as a guest author to the high school where I worked in South Carolina.  Because of my familiarity with her novels of realistic fiction, I was interested to see how Mrs. Draper would handle a historical fiction novel.  I heard rave reviews about Copper Sun, so I gave it a try.  The story of Amari is a powerful one.  When Draper tells of how the people in Amari's village welcomed the slave traders as guests only to be betrayed and attack, the effect on the reader is powerful.  To see Amari's future taken from her when she had so much to look forward to is heartbreaking.  The description of the deadly trek to the coast and the equally deadly oversea journey to America really brings the horrors of slavery to life for the reader.  Once in America, Amari's experience gives the reader a good look at what life was like for a slave on a Southern plantation.  I think it is interesting, also, that Draper chooses to present the story of an indentured servant, since many readers will not be as aware of this practice.  While I felt the story became a little tedious during the girls' escape to Fort Mose, I was fascinated by the fact that a place like Fort Mose even existed.  It is certainly a part of our nation's history of which I was previously unaware.  I think, too, that the girls' successful escape may not be a realistic ending, but perhaps Draper felt that a somewhat happy ending was necessary after the tragedy of Amari's experience.

One thing I love about Sharon Draper and her books is the wealth of information and teaching aids that she offers online.  As a former National Teacher of the Year, her materials are top notch, making any of her novels a great choice for school libraries.  I have used her materials in teaching the Hazelwood trilogy and been very pleased, and I looked over the materials offered for Copper Sun and found them to be very thorough.  She includes pre- and post-reading activities, discussion questions, ideas for research, and a variety of writing prompts, as well as an additional 19 page unit plan.  I felt that while an English teacher could certainly use the book and materials in class, the wealth of materials might also make a history teacher a bit less hesitant to attack teaching a novel in class and might open the door for some collaboration between history teachers and the media specialist in approaching the novel.

References

Draper, S. (2006). Copper sun. New York: Atheneum.

Draper, S. (n.d.) SharonDraper.com. Retrieved from http://sharondraper.com/index.asp 

Required Reading: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall (Non-fiction)

Born to Run is a study in ultrarunning and the masters of this art, the Tarahumara tribe of Mexico.  Author Christopher McDougall began his intensive research of running for personal reasons: his feet hurt while running.  No matter what running shoes he bought, what expert he consulted, he couldn't seem to solve the problem.  His research led him to the Tarahumara, the Running People, who could run literally for days in the hot, treacherous canyons of Mexico in only handmade sandals. McDougall traveled to Mexico where he searched out the mysterious Caballo Blanco, an American who had moved to the Tarahumara region to learn the ways of the mysterious tribe.  McDougall learns that Caballo Blanco wants to set up the race of all races: a fifty mile race across the canyons pitting the Tarahumara against some of the best ultrarunners from  the US.  McDougall's involvement leads him into the world of ultrarunning and running research where he learns that, despite the common belief, humans were born to run and that modern advancements in running shoes have not helped but hindered our attempts.  McDougall begins Tarahumara style training and ultimately overcomes his foot pain and completes Caballo Blanco's fifty mile race.

I am not a non-fiction reader or a runner, so I wasn't overly excited about reading Born to Run.  However, when I started reading, it was actually much more intriguing than I would have ever thought.  The Tarahumara are a fascinating tribe, and there is much to be learned from their way of life that has nothing to do with running (well, perhaps, as McDougall would argue, it has everything to do with running).  The book almost made me want to become a runner--almost. It did make me rethink the whole idea of the expensive running shoes on the market.  The idea that all that cushioning that I have always thought was better for my feet is actually making my feet weaker really makes perfect sense.  Though I'm not a runner, I am a teacher, and I'm on my feet quite a bit.  I've always thought that the more cushioning in my shoes, the better my feet would feel after a long day, but perhaps, after reading Born to Run, I need to rethink that theory.  Apparently I also need to rethink my insistence that my husband by new tennis shoes for basketball rather than continuing to wear his favorite old, worn in pair.  I was interested, too, in the discussion of plantar fasciitis, a common runner's injury, because my mother is actually suffering from this painful problem right now.  She, too, always tries to buy shoes that are supportive and cushioned and, perhaps, that's part of her problem.  She has actually weakened her foot by doing so and made herself more prone to falls and to tears in her plantar fascia. It's all very interesting, and I may have to put some of the theories to the test.  The best part, though, is the fact that I gleaned so much useful information from the book despite the fact that I have no interest in running (unless I were being chased), let alone ultrarunning, which I truly think is rather insane.

Now, to be completely honest, there are parts of the book that I feel could be cut.  The book does get long and is time-consuming to read.  Personally, I was more interested in the story than the research.  I really felt that some of the research tangents McDougall went on could have been left out.  While they do provide support for argument for following the Tarahumara way of life, they sometimes become tedious to read and take away from the real story, and the real story is what will attract and keep readers who aren't avid runners. Still, the book was a national best-seller, so apparently not everyone would agree with my complaints.

References

McDougall, C. (2009).  Born to run. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Class Number Three

Tonight's class was a busy one.  We had some great full-class discussions about our readings, although I do enjoy the small group discussions as well.  I'm happy with a mix, I guess.  The best idea I got from the discussion was pairing Delirium with Romeo and Juliet. As a ninth grade English teacher, I think that is a great idea.  I believe the discussions the book would open up would be amazing.  I will have to talk to my media specialist about getting some copies of the book so I can give it a try. Anyway, we also had a great presentation from the fantasy group which confirmed some of the issues I had with choosing a book for that section--there's just so much overlap.  What's supernatural? What's fantasy? What's horror?  Some books are all three.  The lines are just gray, and I thought the triple Venn activity was a great way to show that.  We also had our poetry slam, which was a lot of fun.  Food makes any activity better, of course, but it was fun guessing who wrote each poem.  It was also interesting which poems we could identify right away and which ones took a few more guesses.  I liked, too, having everyone share an additional poem.  As an English teacher, it's always good to hear new poems that I could share with my students.  At my former school, we had a poetry festival every April that ended with a poetry slam.  It was a huge success every year, and I hope to do something similar when I'm in my own library.  Perhaps I can even work something out at my own school this year.  Sharing the comic strips was great, too.  That's a teaching tool that I rarely use, and it was a good reminder that I should pull some out occasionally, even if it's just for fun.