I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee by Charles J. Shields

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Shields, Charles. I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee. New York: Henry Holt, 2008. Print.


Annotation:  The story of Harper Lee's life and how events of her childhood made effected her famous story, To Kill a Mockingbird.


Review:
I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee covers Lee's life thus far with a focus on the influences that went into the formation of Lee's novel. The biography is an adaptation of the author Charles J. Shields' adult biography of Lee. This fact is not evident when reading the book. The author extensively quotes from printed sources, along with letters he has received and interviews. Shields includes an exhaustive list of sources by chapter at the end of the book along with superscript reference numbers in the text. The book also contains a comprehensive index.
The text is well written and interesting, Shields uses direct quotations frequently. There are also photographs interspersed throughout the text. The author is balanced in his portrayal of Lee, he included negative statements made by others about Lee. What was missing from the book was contact with the subject. Shields did not correspond or interview Lee for the book. He makes a point to mention her reclusiveness leaving the reader to infer that his attempts were rejected. Overall a very well written biography.


2009 Bank Street- Best Children's Book of the Year

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

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Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. New York: Penguin Group, 1967. Print. 

Annotation: A fight goes too far between the Socs and the Greasers one night and Ponyboy Curtis has to go one the run.   

Review:
     Ponyboy Curtis lives on the wrong side of town with his two older brothers and their gang of friends. They are greasers and proud of it, they smoke and drink, they are loud and wild, they grow their hair long and they stick together no matter what. Life is not easy for Ponyboy and the gang. Ponyboy shares the events of a week that changes his life forever. He shares his thoughts on life, social status and personality types. He is an astute judge of character and describes all of the players in terms of their inner selves as well as their outer appearance. 
     The Outsiders is a classic not just because it was one of the first teen novels, not because it caused controversy over its portrayal of gangs and teen violence but because it tells a story that transcends time and place. It fills a need for teens, it is an honest story of youth. 


ALA Best Young Adult Books, 1975
New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Books List, 1967
Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book, 1967
Media and Methods Maxi Award, 1975
ALA Best Young Adult Books, 1975
Massachusetts Children’s Book Award, 1979