Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree

Module 6 - February 22-28

Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree

Summary:
This story is about Emma-Jean Lazarus, a seventh grade girl who has always observed her peers from afar. She is the type of girl who appears to get along better with wise and intelligent adults. Although she feels that she doesn't quite fit in with her peers - she enjoys watching and learning more about their actions. One day, Emma-Jean is given the opportunity to help a fellow seventh grade girl in need. She discovers Collen Pomerantz crying in the girl's bathroom and decides that though some creative prolem solving she could work out the problem better than her peers. Eventually, the problems snowball and Emma-Jean finds herself in the middle of the 'messy' lives that she has avoided for so long. She finds that analytical thinking does not always work to solve sensitive emotional issues. She also discovers that living life means that sometimes it gets a little messy.

Thoughts of a Book Worm:
I found this to be a great book that covers emotional situations such as the death of a loved one, bullying, peer pressure, and the desire to be accepted by your peers. In this creatively written book, the reader is allowed to see the situations from two perspectives, Emma-Jean's and Colleen's. In the end, both girls learn important lessons that encourage self-confidence and acknowledge that sometimes life can get a little messy.

Reviews:
"At the beginning of this incisively voiced story, Emma-Jean Lazarus, a self-possessed but socially isolated seventh-grade girl, has no friends her own age. In fact, Tarshis's winning heroine views her classmates as an anthropologist might, observing them with great interest, but not really getting their strangely irrational behavior. And they, in turn, view her as simply strange. This begins to change when Emma-Jean comes across classmate Colleen Pomerantz sobbing her heart out in the bathroom. Colleen needs help in dealing with a girl bully, or as Emma-Jean sees it, the alpha chimp of Colleen's social set. Emma-Jean decides that she'll help Colleen and, later, others by utilizing the reasoning of her deceased father's hero, the illustrious mathematician Jules Henri Poincare. However, emotions have a way of defying logical analysis, and after a while, Emma-Jean discovers that she's become entangled-not only with peers, but with friends. The comic juice in the story comes from Emma-Jean's hyper-rational yet totally skewed take on reality, and her evolution from analyst to actor makes for a captivating, highly satisfying read. (Fiction. 8-12)" - Kirkus Reviews

"Emma-Jean is a bit different from the other seventh-grade students at William Gladstone Middle School. Emma-Jean loves to study things around her. She studies the local flora and fauna as well as her peers. She finds her classmates interesting but a bit illogical at times. In the past, she has refused to become involved in interactions with them, but a recent development with Colleen has shown Emma-Jean just how much her assistance is needed. Emma-Jean must draw on previous studies of her peers, love from her family, and a little help from Jules Henri Poincare to solve the problem. Her creative solutions work wonders, and she begins to reach out to help others. Everything runs smoothly until the school bully gets involved. Things quickly spiral out of control for both Colleen and Emma-Jean. The resulting aftermath changes things forever. This often humorous tale has some twists and turns that will surprise some readers. This gem of a book lends itself to a discussion of bullying (especially girl bullying), loss, friendship, character change, learning differences, and problem solving. This book links well with The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita, and Anne of Green Gables." Reviewer: L.M. Montgomery - Children's Literature

Suggested Activities:
A great activity to go with this book would be to have the teacher write up some social scenerios that the students would consider to be awkward or uncomfortable. The class could then be divided into smaller groups. Assign each group a scenerio and have them come up with a role play in which the students deal with/or solve the problem. After the students role play, discuss the situations - How easy were they to solve? Does it require creative thinking? What are some other ways the same situation can be solved?

Perspective could be used as a creative writing activity for older grades. Have the students write about 1 situation from the perspective of 2 different characters.

Bibliography: Tarshis, L. (2007). Emma-jean lazarus fell out of a tree. New York: Penguin Group Inc.