The Giant - a review

Mary-Todd, Jonathan. 2014. The Giant. Minneapolis: Lerner.
(Advance Reader Copy)


The Giant is the latest in the Bareknuckle series featuring young  fighters in New York City, circa 1870.  Luc is the giant - a hulking, kind, illiterate young man who easily wins all of his bareknuckle fights.  The money he earns at the local fight club provides only shabby room and board with any small profit going to Mr. Chilton, the man who brought him from Canada to New York.  Life, however, is better than it was in Quebec; and Luc is not unhappy until a stranger with boxing kangaroos joins up with Mr. Chilton.  Thoughtful and kind, Luc is uncomfortable seeing the kangaroo, Genghis, forced to fight amidst the drunken crowds at the seedy Woodrat Club.

     One day in Quebec, when Luc was chopping wood, a few of the others dragged a man into camp.  The man had been hunting for furs when snow began to fall, covering some of the traps he'd set.  Soon the man stepped into one of them.  The older men brought him indoors before he could bleed out, but it took five of them together to pry the trap loose.
     Genghis's fight the night before worked like a trap on Luc.  Each thought of it was painful, but he could not shake the memory.  He had felt the drain throughout the morning, and he felt it in his room.

Unaccustomed to making decisions on his own, Luc's conscience finally compels him to act independently.

Bareknuckle is a "hi-lo" series, aimed at older, struggling or reluctant readers. There is an art to writing prose that appeals to young adults but needs only a minimal mastery of reading and vocabulary. Jonathan Mary-Todd capably handles the "hi-lo" genre.  Readers will be rewarded with a compelling story of self-determination and a taste of New York history.

For teachers:

• Pages: 104
• Reading Level: 4
• Interest Level: 6-12
• Ages: 11-18
• ATOS Quiz #: 163032
• ATOS AR Points: 2.00
• ATOS: 4.90
• Lexile Level: 760

On a related topic, check out this article, "Why Aren't Teens Reading Like They Used To?" 

Hi-lo books can be an option for the teen who doesn't read because he cannot read. As librarians and teachers, we should always have them on hand.

George Bellows: Painter with a Punch!

Burleigh, Robert. 2012. George Bellows: Painter with a Punch! New York: Abrams.

New York City painter George Bellows (1882-1925) was a member of what  became known as the Ashcan School of painting because

he is among a group of artists who focus on the less romantic parts of the city, like bars, train stations, movie theaters, and alleyways.

He was taught by the well-known, Robert Henri, who encouraged his students to seek out scenes worthy of being painted.

George listens, looks, and learns.  He sees that painting can be a great adventure.  He becomes what Henri calls a "sketch hunter."  When not in class, George wanders the streets, looking for new or different scenes to paint.   Excited, alert, he feels his life is beginning in a completely new way.

Eventually, he becomes best known for his paintings of boxing matches in New York City's "clubs," which were created by saloon owners to side-step the city's boxing ban.

More than a picture book biography, George Bellows: Painter with a Punch!, offers readers an insight into an era of early 20th century New York history that includes industrial growth, socialism, poverty and the immigrant experience as well as the birth of a movement toward realism in American paintings.  Not just a painter, Bellows was also a sketch artist whose work appeared in Harper's Weekly and other publications.  An affable man with a loving wife and family, his story is inspiring and informative.

Burleigh's briskly moving prose is accompanied by photos of Bellows (he was a promising baseball player when young) and more than twenty large spreads of his paintings and sketches.

A helpful section, "Where to See Works by George Bellows," is included, with state-by-state listings. Check first, however, if you plan to look for any of his paintings this summer.  Some, including one from the only New Jersey institution housing his work, are on loan to the National Gallery of Art. The National Gallery of Art is featuring a George Bellows Exhibition from June 10 - October 8, 2012.

This print from Harper's Weekly,
does not appear in the book, but illustrates Bellows'
penchant for depicting the seamier side of
life in New York City.
(image from NYPL digital gallery)

Best for older readers, art teachers, aspiring artists, and those with an interest in the history of New York City and the historical significance of art in boxing.  Though neither a student of art nor a boxing aficionado, I love this book!

Middle-grade teachers that do not permit or make use of picture book nonfiction such as George Bellows: Painter with a Punch! are missing a great resource.

Today's Nonfiction Monday roundup is at Simply Science.

A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis

Peña, Matt de la. 2011. A Nation's Hope: The story of boxing legend Joe Louis. Ill. by Kadir Nelson. New York: Dial.

A Nation's Hope begins at the end -  at the historic rematch between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling, the German boxer, the only man ever to have put Joe Louis on his back.

Matt de la Peña's words have a poetic quality,

The world waits for Joe Louis to take the ring,
take center stage
White men wait standing beside black men,
but standing apart
Jim Crow America.

Kadir Nelson's artwork is a stunning complement. In realistic style, the story begins with a two-page spread of Yankee Stadium in 1938.  The text is in simple black font, mixing in with the darkening sky. The crowd awaits entrance to the stadium in the gathering dusk, a sliver of daylight low on the horizon.  One side of Yankee Stadium is bathed in a the last bright light of day, the other in shadow. Jim Crow America.

As the fighters climb into the ring, Peña flashes back to a young Joe Louis, a powerful boy with large hands and persistent stammer. The reader learns of Louis' determination to box, his rise to the top, his graceful behavior as a competitor, and his stunning defeat at the hands of one Max Schmeling, a favorite of Hitler.  Realistic paintings of period photos and newspaper headlines, dark gyms,  and sinewy arms with poised gloves take center stage.  The text lives within the illustrations, never detracting from them.  The faces of Black America wait and hope and pray for their hero.  And in the end, when all of America dances for Joe Louis' victory over Schmeling, the page is no longer split between light and dark.  The country dances together, in the dark.

This is Matt de la Peña's first picture book.  The pairing of de la Peña and Nelson results in pure emotion.  I wouldn't be surprised to see this book on many short lists at the end of the year.  Highly recommended.

Larry Schwartz, of ESPN, wrote an interesting article, "Brown Bomber was a Hero to All," as part of ESPN's Sports Century Athletes list - good reading.

It's Nonfiction Monday again. Today's roundup is at The Miss Rumphius Effect.