Big Top Burning

Big Top Burning: The True Story of an Arsonist, a Missing Girl, and the Greatest Show on Earth

Laura A. Woollett

Quantitative Reading Level: 

 For Grades 5 - 8

Qualitative Reading Analysis:

The text structure of the book is hard to evaluate because I read an eBook ARC from NetGalley.  From what I could see it looked slightly complex but nothing too difficult for the intended audience.

The language features were moderately complex.  This mostly pertains to the investigation aspects of the book.

The purpose of the book is clear.

There is some need for a bit of background knowledge - maybe into the 1940s time period and maybe a little about investigations and how they work - dental evidence, etc.

I would say this book has some moderate demands but for the age group it is nothing too difficult.  The length of the book and the use of photographs and diagrams is a plus. 

Summary:

  
This was a really interesting account of an event I had never heard of before.  The burning of a Big Top of the Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Curcus in Hartford, CT in the 1940s.  The book gave information about events leading up to the disaster, the events of the day, an accounting of the recovery and identification of bodies, and then a more detailed account of the two mysteries that still surround the event.  One of the mysteries involves how the fire started.  Originally it was believed to be an accidental cigarette or match but evidence now points to arson.  There is a suspect in the arson but he has since passed away.  Interestingly enough the suspect was originally from Portland, ME.  Score 1 for a local connection.  The other mystery surrounds one of the girls who died.  For a long time there was an unclaimed body but it was not believed to be her.  This has changed but uncertainty still remains.

Content Area: 

Social Studies / Language Arts

Curriculum Suggestions:

This would pair well with any discussions about disasters and their effects in legislation, etc.  It would also fit in with any other crime scene books - how things are investigated, even after a long time.

Personal Thoughts:

 I thought this was a really interesting book.  I liked the length and the fact that the author was able to incorporate a good amount of the history, the evidence, and the continuing debate over the events.  I also like the local connection to the potential arsonist and Portland, Maine.

High Interest Annotation: 

This event was called "The Day the Clowns Cried".  Find out why and learn about the mysteries that still surround this tragic event.

Once by Morris Gleitzman

 

Once

Gleitzman, Morris.  New York: Henry Holt, 2010  9780805090260

Quantitative Reading Level:  Lexile 640, Fountas and Pinnell Y

Qualitative Reading Analysis:

I would rate this as Middle High on the “Text Complexity: Qualitative Measures Rubric for Literary Text”.  The book has several layers of meaning and is quite complex.  What makes it so complex is that the narrator is a young boy who is very naïve.  The reader often needs to use his own background knowledge to figure out what is really happening to the boy and the people around him because the boy does not fully understand.  As an example the boy narrowly misses an execution of a group of Jews and actually goes toward the sound of the guns because he thinks he will find his mum and dad there.  He arrives too late and thinks the blood in the river is from hunters catching rabbits.  A reader would really need a good understanding of the Holocaust and some of the things done to the Jewish people in order to interpret what is going on with Felix.  

Summary:

At the beginning of the story Felix is living in hiding at a Catholic orphanage.  But when he finds a carrot in his soup he wrongly assumes it is from his parents and that they are coming to get him.  He then decides to go find them in order to save them from the Nazis who he believes are after book selling Jews.  As Felix wanders throughout Poland he narrowly escapes several threats from the Nazis.  This book is told through his eyes and his perception of life as a story.  It is a fascinating look at the war through an innocent child.  Through it all he holds onto hope and love for the other children around him.  

Content Area: Social Studies - Holocaust

Content area standard:

 

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.6 Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.9 Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.

MCCL SS.03.WHD.01.02  Understands the significance of major turning points of select international wars and their implications. 

MCCL SS.04.WHR.01.02  Understands how the interrelation of various religions has impacted world history. 

Curriculum Suggestions:

This book would be a great book to use in a study of World War II and the Holocaust.  Students could look at how Felix views the events surrounding him and compare to other fiction and nonfiction accounts.  Students could analyze his role as a narrator and how much of what he says can be believed. 

Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jW_1msW0cY

Morris Gleitzman talks about characters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrh_UN8SEuM

Personal Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book.  I have read a lot of books about the Holocaust but it was interesting to see the events through the eyes of a naïve child.  There were several times that I held my breath because Felix was unknowingly walking into a dangerous situation.  It was interesting to figure out what was really happening.  I listened to the audio version of the book and the narrator was the author which was also very cool.  I loved how every chapter started as “Once….”.  This was very well done.

Subjects/Themes: Holocaust, Coming of Age, War, Loss of Innocence

Series Information: This is the first of 4 books.  The sequels are Now, Then, and After.

High Interest Annotation:  Once, a boy Felix was left by his parents at a Catholic orphanage for his protection.  But then he left in order to find them and save them.  Once, a naïve child experiences the horrors of the Holocaust.

The Notorious Benedict Arnold by Steve Sheinkin

 

The Notorious Benedict Arnold

Sheinkin, Steve.  New York: Roaring Book Press, 2010.  9781596434868

Quantitative Reading Level:  Reading Level 7.3  Lexile 990

Qualitative Reading Analysis:

According to the “Text Complexity: Qualitative Measures Rubric for Informational Text” I would rate this as Middle High.  The purpose of the text is to inform the reader of the life of Benedict Arnold and insights into what made him become the traitor he is infamous for being.  The author in a way goes beyond simply informing and leads the reader into feeling empathy for Arnold and some respect for his feats that are often overlooked.  The book reads like a novel so is lacking in some of the text features.  Every so often the point of view switches from Arnold to John Andre.  In fact the beginning of the book is told from John Andre’s perspective right before he is hung although the reader does not know that until the end of the book.  This switch in point of view is a higher level of organization.  Because it is a historical work some of the language is outdated, specific to that time period, or specific to battles, weapons, and places in the Revolutionary War.  The graphics aid in understanding some of the battles or campaigns.   The reader will do better with the text if he has knowledge of the Revolutionary War.

Summary:

This book discusses the life of Benedict Arnold from his adventurous youth, to his quest for importance and wealth, through his success and disappointments during the Revolutionary War, and to his failed attempt to end the war with Britain by allowing the British to overtake West Point and capture Washington.  Sheinkin does a good job of revealing the possible motives of Arnold and talking about his accomplishments that are often overlooked in our national disdain.  The author also parallels the story with that of his accomplice John Andre.  

Content Area: Social Studies

Content area standard:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.3 Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.5 Analyze how a text uses structure to emphasize key points or advance an explanation or analysis.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.6 Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.8 Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claims.

Curriculum Suggestions:

During a study of the Revolutionary War students can compare and contrast the treatment/discussion of Benedict Arnold in this book with other biographies, textbooks, articles, and primary sources.

Video of Steve Sheinkin talking about the book and about winning the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults-Winner 2012

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mt1Fq-qQBo

Personal Thoughts:

I found this book to be very interesting.  I was not aware of the many accomplishments of Benedict Arnold before he turned traitor.  The March to Quebec is an unrivaled feat through Maine during the fall and early winter of 1775.  In addition, Arnold’s contributions during the Battle of Valcour Island and the Battle of Saratoga were amazing.  At the very end of the book Sheinkin states “If Arnold had dies from his wounds at the Battle of Saratoga, we would think of him today as one of the all-time great American heroes” (page 306).  He then describes a monument at the site of the Battle of Saratoga that alludes to Arnold’s heroism but does not mention his name.  These references are haunting.  Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Subjects/Themes:  Revolutionary War, Character, Disillusionment, Patriotism, Pride

Awards:

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults-Winner 2012

High Interest Annotation:

Benedict Arnold was a traitor.  But what happened before he turned traitor?  What led him to do it?  What happened after?