Southern Ontario Library Service

EXCEL: A certificate programme in
managing a small public library

FICTION, POETRY, AND STORIES

Type of material (e.g. Fiction, Biography)
then under type of material, could also indicate category (e.g. Fiction category: Mystery)
or use Sears Subject Heading or Library of Congress Subject Heading (e.g. SLAVERY--FICTION)

Author or compiler (last name, first name). Title. Illustrator or Editor (e.g., Illustrated by Michael Scott). Publisher, year. Number of pages.

Coverage/Plot:   about one paragraph

(If fiction, include brief statement for:)

Setting:
Characters (identify only the major ones):
Theme:
Writing style:

Illustrations:

• style (e.g. realistic, cartoon, nostalgic)
• colour (e.g. bright, pastel, dark), black and white
• full-page or scattered throughout the text

Format:

• binding (e.g. hardcover, paperback)
• size (e.g. mass market, trade, oversize)

Reading aloud:

• discuss suitability for use with groups

Reading level:

• indicate the age (e.g. 6-8 years) or grade level (e.g. grades 1-3) of children that are able and likely to read the material independently.

Interest range:

• indicate the age or grade level of children likely to be interested in the material

Controversial points:

• discuss any features that might be considered objectionable by some evaluation groups. If there are no such points, state ‘none’.

Outstanding points:

• discuss any features you feel are particularly good

Alternate subject headings:

• list other subject headings that might be appropriate. This category is not appropriate for every type of book.

FICTION

FICTION
Fiction category: Historical

Smucker, Barbara. Underground to Canada. Illustrated by Imre Hofbauer.
Clarke, Irwin, 1977. 125 p.

Plot: Two black slave girls escape from a cotton plantation in Mississippi and start a dangerous journey to freedom in Canada. They are helped along the way by members of the Underground Railway, abolitionists who help fugitive slaves. A detailed account of the girls’ flight to Ontario.

Setting:  Southern American plantations, Appalachian Mountains, Ontario border. Latter part of the 19th century.

Characters:  Sulilly and Liza, blacks from the South.

Theme:  Necessity of freedom for human growth.

Writing style:  Good description, lots of dialogue. Dialect is used, but is kept simple so that it is not difficult to understand. Written in the third person.

Illustrations:  A handful of pen-and-ink drawings. Do not contribute significantly to the book. Placed throughout the text.

Format:  Paperback (Mass market size - 5½" x 8½").

Reading aloud:  Could be read aloud if reader feels comfortable with minimal use of dialect. 19 short chapters.

Reading level:  Grades five to eight.
Interest range:  Grades five to eight.

Controversial points:  Minor descriptions of abuse of slaves.

Outstanding points:  Focuses on little known part of Canadian history. Includes historical notes on prominent people in the Underground Railway. Good springboard for discussion of human rights. Ties in with multicultural studies.

Alternate subject headings:  Slavery--Fiction; Underground Railroad--Fiction.