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.

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

I Loved this book! The only thing that could have made it better is if Koji was based on a real person. Mary's account would have made a wonderful read (the real person). However, I think this book did a great job of especially addressing the racism that was attached to the Japanese during WWII in America, which in many cases was worse in itself than the internment camps that these people were sent to. It addressed sensitive issues honestly as well as delicately and the illustrations were show more beautiful, I would expect nothing less from Disney Publishing. I loved how they included a short biography of the Japanese and the real family who this was based off of as a picture, it gives children even more authenticity as to the fact that these events and feelings were really happening to children, teens, and adults during this turbulent time period in American history. show less