Monkey Town–by Ronald Kidd

Kidd, Ronald.  Monkey Town.  New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2006.

Let’s say you’re like Frances: you pretty much spend your days hanging out around town, going to school, helping out your folks sometimes, running around after your annoying little brother, and going to church.  You know, the usual.

Now let’s say what happens in Frances’s hometown happens in yours: your favorite teacher may lose his job and go to jail, you’re suddenly getting national attention from the news media, strangers are flooding the place, the fate of everyone seems to depend on one man, and everything you believe in is turned upside down.  And the amazing thing is, this mess–the infamous Scopes trial–was all planned as a publicity stunt by the pillars of the community, including your own father!  Who can you trust?

“If evolution isn’t true, why did they put it in the textbook?” I asked.
“Some people believe it,” said Mama.
“Who?”
“Nobody around here.  Well, maybe old Mr. Davis, the printer.  He likes to be different.”
“The point is,” said Daddy,” it’s against the law to teach it, at least in Tennessee.  We’re going to use that to put Dayton on the map.”
That got Mama going again.  “By arresting an innocent young man, then bringing in outsiders to run the trial?” she asked.  “What kind of crazy idea is that?”
“It’s not crazy; it’s a stroke of genius,” said Daddy.  “During the trial people all over the country are going to read about how nice Dayton is.  Mark my words, it’ll bring new business to town.”
Mama said, “If you ask me, it’s a bunch of foolishness.”
“This is going to be the biggest thing that ever hit Dayton,” said Daddy.  “Just you wait and see.”

A Dog’s Life–by Ann M. Martin

Martin, Ann M.  A Dog’s Life.  New York: Scholastic Press, 2005.

If you’ve ever had a dog, you know that they need lots of things, like food, water, baths, trips to the vet, walks, and lots of petting!  But Squirrel is a dog who has none of those things: she’s a stray.  She and her brother Bone must wander in the woods and between backyards, with nowhere to sleep at night, hunting for whatever food they can scrounge up.  They get mighty cold and hungry, but they’re together, so it’s not too bad.  One day though, when they’ve had no luck at all hunting and are beginning to worry that they’ll starve, the puppies smell something.

“The odor was coming from across the road.  I ran back to Bone, strained to see past the rushing cars, and when there was a little break in the traffic, I saw a paper bag lying on its side.  There was chicken in that bag, and Bone and I knew it.  My mouth started to water and I drooled as I stood at the edge of the field, separated from the chicken by two lanes of cars.  Bone took a step forward, then another.  I was right behind him, but when a truck whizzed by me, I jumped back, yelping.  Bone glanced at me, then faced the traffic again.  He looked as though he were getting ready to run-to bolt across the road and hope for the best—when suddenly one of the cars that had just sped by pulled to the side of the road and screeched to a stop.”  (p. 39-40)

And just that suddenly, Squirrel’s life changes forever.