Matt Faulkner

Pretty traditional telling of Jack and the Beanstalk. Jack really comes off as the villain in this one. The giant's wife wasn't in the other tellings I've read, but she is the one who shelters Jack from her husband in this. She's kind to Jack, but he keeps robbing the giants. Sure, the giant husband eats people, but the giant wife seems like a nice giant. Jack, on the other hand, is greedy and gets away with everything. He ends up rich and happy for his greed. Not exactly a great message to show more be learned from this. show less

Good art, and a good representation of both the alienation of people of Japanese descent and their internment in American camps. Not super graphic, but deals well with anger, being true to oneself, and the fury at wrongful treatment.

Pirates used to be frowned upon and severely punished, especially in the Elizabethan period. Personally, I'm really into the Tudor dynasty, that's why I picked up this book. Elizabeth was a wonderful queen who loved her people. She did not want her people hurt or upset. Pirates always invaded and started drama with people, therefore, they always got a bad rap. However, this pirate was not bad and just wanted her son back from Queen Elizabeth, who imprisoned her son for being a pirate. show more Elizabeth and the pirate ended up talking and becoming friends, and Elizabeth let her son go. Realistically, this did not happen, but it would be a wonderful story to tell students when they're learning about England. show less

My Nest of Silence alternately follows the story of Mari, a young Japanese American girl forced to live in Manzanar with her family and her brother who makes the decision to join the arm and serve as part of the 442 Infantry Regiment. Mari is quite upset with her brother’s decision and ultimately decides to not speak until he returns. One of the aspects that I found to be intriguing is that My Nest of Silence is a combination of traditional novel and graphic novel; making the story show more accessible to all students. show less