Karate Kick

by Matt Christopher

Summary

Eleven year old Cole Richards loves karate more than anything. Currently he is a blue belt, practicing hard for his test to become a green belt. He is a very kind boy, but a girl Monique who already has her green belt just rubs him the wrong way. Cole is faced with a dilemma when he hears about a kata contest, create your own karate routine, and receives an invitation to test for his green belt on the same day. He goes to the park to practice and is confronted with high school bullies. One of them seems especially keen to fight Cole, but he doesn't. One of the other boys warns Cole to be careful is he is ever left alone with Darren. Cole goes to practice with one of his friends and Monique, and after she leaves they find her kata plan, even though she had told them she wasn't planning on entering. His friend Marty says taking it is not the karate way, but he takes it anyway. On his way home he sees Monique working with Sensei Ann to ward off weapons, and Darren finds him. It turns out to be Ty, the boy who warned Cole about Darren, in an attempt to prove to Darren that he shouldn't mess with Cole. Through Ty's story about quitting karate, Cole learns that as a young girl, Monique had a violent encounter with a stranger, so he now understands why she works so hard. Cole completed his testing for his green belt and earned it, and for the kata contest he and Marty learned Monique's kata and surprised her by performing it with her. He explained at the end that he learned again that he needs to remember to respect everyone, as that is one of the main lessons in karate.

Discussion

This book is written very well, and is appropriate for grades 2-3. Matt Christopher has the number one sports series for kids, and I understand why. His writing is engaging yet filled with factual information about the sport it focuses on. It embodies the worries of younger children as they incorporate sports into moral stories of growth. In this case, Cole learned that respect is key in growth, which also happens to be a key in karate. The facts about karate are clear, and they would make any child studying karate very engaged in this book, as it is a sport that is rarely written about. This is much better for an independent read, and can be placed in a classroom for free read but probably should not be read aloud due to the select crowd it addresses.

Christopher, M., & Peters, S. (2009). Karate Kick (Matt Christopher Sports Fiction). New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Shiloh

by Phillis Reynolds Naylor

*1992 Newberry Medal

Summary

Marty Preston is an 11-year-old growing up in West Virginia, and one day he finds a beagle running loose in the woods behind his home. He realizes the dog has been abused, and also that it belongs to his mean next door neighbor, Judd Travers. Because he knows it is Judd's dog, Marty gives the dog back to Judd even though he knows it is abused. The next time he sees the beagle, however, he hides him in a pen on his property in the woods and names him Shiloh. He keeps Shiloh a secret from his family because he knows that his family would force him to return the dog to his neighbor, as it is Judd's dog rightfully. However, a German Shepherd ends up near Shiloh's pen and attacks him. Marty has to go to his family for help, and in doing so all of his secrets and lies are exposed. Judd finds out that Marty has been hiding Shiloh and demands him back, as Shiloh was his hunting dog. Marty is able to stand up for what he believes in, and he works for Judd for twenty hours in exchange for Shiloh. After Marty has been working for a while, Judd says that the deal was no good because no one was there, and that he was going to keep Shiloh. Marty does not give up and continues to work hard, and Judd gives him the dog in the end.

Discussion

As a short novel, this book is good reading for a chapter a day story, or for more advanced children to read on their own. It raises many issues about violence to animals and telling the truth, especially in tough situations. As a group read, groups can discuss what kind of secrets Marty was keeping from his family, and if he was justified. With a young group, this book can cause a lot of confusion, as they may not realize why anyone would ever hurt a dog, and may agree with Marty. Using this book as a dialogue for change and discussion of justice and fairness can be effective in a classroom as long as those key points in the story are addressed. Students need to understand that lying in general is not okay, but that extenuating circumstances at points can call for drastic measures.