Set #5

The Underneath



Appelt, K.(2008). The underneath. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

A lonely, chained up hound dog name Ranger howls in the Piney Woods of far East Texas and it was a calico cat with kittens in her belly that heard and understood his call.  Together, they lived under a porch that belong to Ranger’s owner, Gar-Face in the Underneath.  The only rule that the kittens had to follow was to not leave the safety of the Underneath and go into the open.  It was not safe for them there because if caught then Gar-Face could hurt them.  Then one day, Puck broke the rule and left the underneath and was caught by Gar-Face.  This leads to a series of events that changes everything for Puck, Sabine and Ranger. 

The characters of this story beautifully written.  A hound dog and a small calico cat becoming best friends.  Her kittens are survivors, the readers develop a strong emotional connection with them for the beginning.  It is through the descriptive words of Appelt that you develop the feelings.  The setting of this story is also very important to the story.  You can picture how it was to live in the Underneath with the smells, sounds and sights of the bayou through the words as well. 

Here is a link to a book trailer for the book:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ4Ds1Yub3Q

Here is a website link for a pdf for a reading guide and activities: https://www.teachervision.com/tv/printables/simonschuster/TheUnderneath_RG.pdf



The Graveyard Book


Gaiman, N. (2008). The graveyard book. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

On a foggy night, a toddler walks into a graveyard.  His family was just murdered and he is escaping from the man who just committed the murder.  It is there that the toddler is welcomed into a new family.  The ghosts and the other supernatural of the graveyard have agreed to raise him as one of their own and grant him Freedom of the Graveyard.  This means that he can walk through walls and graves, and when he is in the graveyard, he will be invisible to most humans.  Nobody “Bod” Owens grows up in the graveyard.  As Bod grows up his adventures continue in the graveyard and if he leaves then the man who killed his family will come after him.  When Bod is fourteen, he comes face to face with the man who killed his family and tricks him. Bod loses his Freedom of the Graveyard powers at fifteen and leaves the graveyard.

The theme of the story is good vs. evil.  Jack has been wanting to kill Bod since the night that he murdered Bod’s family and he has not stopped looking for him.  Bod has the protections from the supernatural in the form of the Freedom of the Graveyard and Silas, his guardian. The character of Amber also plays important part in Bod’s life.  The setting of a graveyard is also important because we see how it shapes Bod and his decisions and it brings the living and the non-living together. 

Here is a link with the author, Neil Gaiman reading his book:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOF01vb4Rec

Here is a link for lesson plans and teacher resources: http://www.lessonindex.com/The_Graveyard_Book_by_Neil_Gaiman.htm

Rapunzel's revenge 



Hale, S. & D. (2008). Rapunzel's revenge. New York: Bloomsbury.

There lived a little girl named Rapunzel and her mother Gothel.  She would have dreams of a family and she would asked her Mother Gothel about them.  Mother Gothel’s answer was always to just to ignore them.  Rapunzel played in a beautiful garden and came across a wall and she wanted to see what was on the other side so on the day of her twelfth birthday, she did.  That is when everything changed for Rapunzel. She discovers that the Mother Gothel actually took her away from her parents for debt that they couldn’t pay.  For her punishment, Mother Gothel locked her away in a room inside a tall tree.  Over time, Rapunzel’s hair grew and she was able to braid it and she was able to escape. During her escape, she meets Jack and they go on adventures and rescuing others using her braids.  At the end, Rapunzel confronts Mother Gothel and she is reunited with her mother. 

The plot of the story is different than the Rapunzel story that everyone is familiar with.  This Rapunzel wants revenge and she means business.  She is a heroine and not a princess.  Rapunzel and Jack ride horses around the Wild West and take on villains and overcome obstacles.  It is the characters that make this story fun!  Rapunzel is not your ordinary princess and the characters that she confronts are all very special and very dynamic and make the story fun and exciting. 

Here is a link to a book trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kA_IMYdfmk

For a writing activity, students can write a story as to what happened next for Rapunzel.

Babymouse Rock Star

Holm, J. & M. (2006). Babymouse. New York: Random House.

Babymouse dreams of being a rockstar.  She is flute player in her school band but she is a horrible flute player.  Even Felicia Furrypaws is a better player than Babymouse.  Babymouse practices all the time but she doesn’t get better.  The band is preparing for an upcoming concert and Babymouse does not want to be last chair again.  Luckily, Babymouse gets the help from Penny Poodle, who is also a victim of Felicia Furrypaws.  She shows Babymouse how to feel the music with her heart and the right way to use her imagination. 

The characters are what makes Babymouse so well liked by readers.  They seem real and very likeable.  Babymouse has problems that readers can relate to and want for her to overcome them.  The plot of Babymouse Rockstar is very original.  Readers see that Babymouse has a problem and how she is able to solve it and we see how her imagination can help her resolve her problem. 

Here is the link to meet the character Babymouse:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPWcnSuYFoM

Here is a link for a book talk video created by two little girls:  http://www.schooltube.com/video/32e7841261ac4ab4be16/Babymouse%20Rock%20Star





Skulduggery Pleasant 

Landry, D. (2007). Skullduggery Pleasant. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

At the age of twelve, Stephanie Edgley has inherited her Uncle Gordon’s estate, his assets and his royalties from his books. It is there at her Uncle’s house that she meets Skulduggery Pleasant when he comes to her rescue from a man who wants a key. It is then she learns about the friendship between Skulduggery and her Uncle Gordon.  Skulduggery tells her about a world of magic and sorcery.  She ends up going with Skulduggery as his partner and together, they discover that her Uncle was actually murdered.  So, together along with many their magical allies try to prevent the unleashing of ancient gods and the threat of a war. 

The theme of this fantasy book is good vs. evil. It is a mystery book that has magic and sorcery.  This story is different from other fantasy books because one of the main characters is Skulduggery, a skeleton who is part of a team fighting against an ancient threat of evil.  Stephanie is his twelve year old partner who is quick wit and together they make a team to save the world from the ancient evil. 

The following link will take you to a teacher’s resource that you can use for reading groups:

http://www.worldbookday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Skulduggery-Resources.pdf

Another link for teacher’s resources:   http://www.edhelper.com/books/Skulduggery_Pleasant_Scepter_of_the_Ancients.htm


The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Selznick, B. (2007). The invention of Hugo Cabret.  New York: Scholastic Inc.

Hugo Cabret is an orphan who lives in train station as an apprentice clock keeper.   Hugo finds his father’s automaton in the ruins of a burned-downed museum.  He also had his father’s notebook but the old man, the owner of the toy booth had caught Hugo stealing from him so he took it from him.  Pappa George gave Hugo a job in order to earn the notebook back from him.  It is at Pappa George’s toy booth is where Hugo meets Isabelle.  They discover that Isabelle has a key that starts the automaton.  Together, they watch as the automaton draws a picture then signs the picture as George Melies, who is known as Pappa George.  Hugo discovers that George Melies was a magician who changed how movies were made.  At the end of the novel, Hugo’s life changes because of the machinery of world was working in harmony. 

The plot of this novel is constantly moving.  Readers see the inter-workings of the characters and how they go together as well.  It is logical that Hugo and Pappa George work together in his toy booth with machinery.  Pappa George gives glimpses of his magic through card tricks that make Hugo curious and wants to learn them.  It is through Hugo’s and Isabelle’s determination that they are able to set Pappa George free and able to share his love of the magic of movie making.  The illustrations also play a huge part in this story.  Since the illustrations also give the appearance of a movie that George Milies would create and it takes the readers to a different place and time.

There are so many different kinds of activities that students can do for this novel.  They can create their own retellings through Movie Maker, Claymation and through iMovies. 

Teachers can also find great resources from the following links:

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/activity/invention-hugo-cabret-flashlight-readers

http://www.webenglishteacher.com/selznik.html

http://librarysparks.com/pdf/librarysparks/2008/lsp_nov08_LL_hugo_cabret.pdf

http://www.teachprimary.com/learning_resources/view/ks2-book-topic-hugo-cabret



Lunch Lady and the author visit vendetta 

Krosoczka, J.J. (2009). Lunch lady and the author visit vendetta.  Random House.

        

 It is Author Visit Day at school for Dee, Terrence and Hector.  The author of the Flippy    Bunny books, Lewis Scribson is coming to the school and Hector is a big fan of his stories.  As Lewis Scribson is setting up in the gym, that is where he meets Coach Birkby.  During the visit, Lewis Scribson wouldn’t sign Hector’s book because it is ripped.  It seems that after the author’s visit, they notice that Coach Birkly is missing.  After some investigating, the Lunch Lady and Betty discover that there have been other disappearances of Coaches from other schools that Lewis Scribson has visited.  It is through team work that Dee, Terrence, Hector, Betty and the Lunch Lady are able to rescue Coach Birkby and free the other coaches that are under Lewis Scribson’s spell. 

The characters really bring excitement to the story.  You are cheering and booing as Lunch Lady is righting the right and taking care of the wrong-doers in this wonderful series of graphic novels.  The theme is easy to distinguish.  The good vs. evil theme helps early readers develop their sense of expression and articulation.  Overall, it is a fun graphic novel to read!

Here is a link introducing readers to the Lunch Lady series: http://youtu.be/bWLFSW839tY

Here is a link to an educator’s guide to graphic novels from the Publisher:  http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/teachers_guides/9780375860942.pdf

A big guy took my ball

Willems, M. (2013).  A big guy took my ball!  New York: Hyperion.

Piggy was playing with a ball when a big guy came and took his ball.  Piggy was so upset that he went to his best friend, Gerald, an elephant to get his ball back.  Gerald is not happy with it and tells Piggy that he is big too and that he will get it back.  He goes but sees that a bigger guy has it and comes back without Piggy’s big ball.  Together, they discover that even Big guys do not have anyone to play with them.  At the end, Piggy, Gerald and Whale have big fun together. 

The theme of the story is friendship.  Piggy and Gerald are best friends.  Readers can relate to them and share their adventures and experiences.  They can see how Piggy and Elephant deal with problems and how they solve them together.  The characters are so loveable and so charming.  Readers cannot help themselves to want to read more about them and share their adventures with them.

A Mo Willems author study would be a  great way for teachers to introduce more of Willems’ books to early and developing readers.  The easy to read stories make them a favorite in Kindergarten and First Grade classrooms. 

Here is a great link for more resources on Piggy & Elephant books:

http://www.pigeonpresents.com/teachersguides/EandP_eventkit2013.pdf

Here is a link for a reading of A big guy took my ball:  http://vimeo.com/85850124

Set #4

Watsons go to Birmingham - 1963

Curtis, C.P. (1995). The Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

This story is about the Watsons from Flint, Michigan.   There are three kids, Bryon the oldest, is in the sixth grade, Kenny, the narrator, is in fourth grade, and their little sister, Joetta (Joey) who is in kindergarten.  Unfortunately, Kenny is picked on by bullies led by Larry Dunn.  A new kid named Rufus comes to Clark Elementary and becomes friends with Kenny.  Bryon gets into trouble at school and then mom and dad decide that it is time to go and visit Grandma Sands in Birmingham, Alabama to have Bryon learn how to behave.  The family is enjoying themselves at Grandma’s and Bryon is being nice.  Tragedy strikes for the Watsons, when Joey goes to church with neighbors and a bomb goes off there at the church.  The whole family is worried that Joey was in the church when the bomb went off.  Joey shows up at Grandma Sand’s house and says that she was never in the church when it happened.  The family decides to go back home after that.  Kenny is taking the bombing the hardest because, he has never encounter racism before.  Bryon takes it upon himself to comfort and try to explain to Kenny that it wasn’t his fault and that he will be alright. 

The story takes place in 1963 when racial tension was high and the civil rights movement was in the news.   The family lives in Flint, Michigan then they travel to Birmingham, Alabama where things are different for the Watson family.  The setting in the story has an impact on the family and the events that occur changes them.  

Here is a link to a teacher's resource guide: http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/thewatsonsgotobirmingham/educatorsguide

Here is a link for a 5th grade study on the novel: https://www.readworks.org/lessons/grade5/watsons-go-birmingham%E2%80%941963



We are the ship 

Nelson, K. (2008). We are the ship. New York, NY: Hyperion.

Kadir Nelson takes readers through the beginnings of the Negro Baseball League that was founded in the 1920’s by Rube Foster.  We are introduced to great players such as Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and Biz Mackey.  We learn about how they were mistreated, faced discrimination, received low pay and had to endure rough conditions on the road.  These unsung heroes played because they loved the sport.  They played ball in a totally different way and they made some changes in the game that carried over to the majors.  Once Jackie Robinson crossed over into the majors in 1947, the Negro Baseball League began coming to an end.  Unfortunately, many great players were never given a chance to play majors but played hard and with their hearts on their sleeves. 

Nelson's style is very evident in his book.  The oil paintings that he created fit beautifully with his story.  You can actually see their love, their determination and their emotion in their faces.  Nelson goes into such details when he describes the hardships of the players and how it moves along from their unacceptance to their acceptance into the majors.  This theme is evident throughout the story.  Nelson ends this beautiful tale with the list of the Negro players that made it to the majors and those who made it to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Here is a link to a 4th grade unit:  http://cep01.managed.contegix.com/download/attachments/2294710/ELA_G4_WeAreTheShip_POST-PROOF_082913.docx?version=1&modificationDate=1378580850092&api=v2

Here is a link to great resources on the novel: http://cep01.managed.contegix.com/download/attachments/2294710/ELA_G4_WeAreTheShip_POST-PROOF_082913.docx?version=1&modificationDate=1378580850092&api=v2

                

          

Good masters, sweet ladies!

Schlitz, L.A. (2007). Good masters, sweet ladies. Boston, MA: Candlewick Press. 

This book introduces you to children of a medieval village in England in the year 1255.  It is written in a series of monologues and dialogues of 20 children from a various social classes.  Some of the characters interact with one another but what is interesting is that they either live in or near the same medieval manor.  Characters range from Isobel, the lord’s daughter to Pask, the runaway boy.  Each character tells their story and it is interesting to hear their perspective of their life and we learn how they were treated, what they did and how they felt.  Schlitz also provides the readers with narratives about the Three-Field System, the Medieval Pilgrimage, the Crusades, Falconry, Jews in Medieval Society, Towns and Freedom.  This also gives readers background information to better understand each of the characters. 

Schlitz’s style is very important because of how she wrote the book.  She wrote it in a series of plays.  Because of this, you are able to hear each character’s voice and see how difficult their life was during medieval England.  The illustrations and the font help with the telling of the stories.  There is an overall theme in the book that children from medieval times also had difficulties to overcome and that children of today can relate to it as well in their lives.  

Students can do Reader's Theater with the characters from the novel and learn about the different jobs of the people who lived during the Medieval period: http://www.worldchesshof.org/uploads/2012/08/10/pawn58ca.pdf

Here is a link for teacher's resources based on the novel: http://www.socstrpr.org/files/Vol%204/Issue%203%20-%20Winter,%202010/Features/4.3.10.pdf

Set #3

Dear Mr. Henshaw


Cleary, B. (1983). Dear Mr. Henshaw. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

Cleary’s book is about a 6th grade boy named Leigh Botts who has been writing to his favorite author, Boyd Henshaw since the 2nd grade.  Leigh is dealing with many different things in his life, his parents are divorced, his dad is a truck driver so he never gets to see him, adjusting to a new school and dealing with a thief who keeps stealing from his lunch. It is through these letters to Henshaw that helps Leigh develop his writing skills. Leigh enters a young authors writing contest where he meets an author who acknowledges that she read and enjoyed his story and that he should continue writing. After a short visit with his dad, Leigh realizes that his dad does miss him and his mom and that his life will be just fine. 

The personal narrative style that Cleary uses in this book starts off as letter writing from Leigh to Mr. Henshaw to writing in a diary format.  This is appealing to children since many of them like to keep a journal and it shows them how letter writing was effective at one time.  You can only rally behind the main character, Leigh in th

is story and see how each of the characters play important part in accepting the changes in his life. 

Here is a link to some read alongs of Dear Mr. Henshaw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziV1Q_0UPp0

Here is a link for teacher  resources of Dear Mr. Henshaw: http://jennings.noacsc.org/Portals/51/Comprehension%20Questions.pdf

Out of my mind

Draper, S. (2010).  Out of my mind. New York, NY: Simon & Schuester Children’s   Publishing.

       

In this novel by Draper, it is about Melody, an eleven year old girl with cerebral palsy.  She lives her life in a wheelchair and has never spoken a word to anyone but her mind is always working.   She was diagnosed at an early age to be mentally challenged but she is actually very gifted by absorbing everything that she is exposed to and wants to express her knowledge with everyone.  When Melody is in the fifth grade, she is placed in an inclusion program, which Melody loves.  Then Melody is given a computer that helps her to communicate with her family, friends and classmates.  She participates in trivia contest in her class and everything changes for Melody. 

In Out of my mind, the plot starts build for Melody when she is placed in the inclusion program in the fifth grade.  It is through the writing of Draper that lead readers to see that Melody is just like everyone else but the only difference is that she is disabled. The style of this novel is told through a first-person point of view.  It is through Melody’s narrative that we are able to hear her thoughts and really get to see how she lives her life before her ability to speak and after she is able to communicate.  This enables the readers to care for her and see how people with differences are really just like they are.     

Here is a link to her the author, Draper talk about her novel, Out of my mind:  http://sharondraper.com/bookdetail.asp?id=35

Here is a link to a book trailer to show a class: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCG6e2DifxY

Follow-up activity:  Have the students meet and interview a person with cerebal palsy to get to know the disease and a person.  

Diary of a wimpy kid

 

Kinney, J. (2007). Diary of a Wimpy Kid, New York, NY: Amulet Books.

Kinney’s book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, is about a boy named Greg Heffley and about his life as a middle school kid and the struggles that he faces daily in a journal.  Greg and his friend, Rowley have to endure many adventures from being ambushed by a group of teenagers at Halloween to becoming a part of the Safety Patrol where they are assigned to walk kindergarteners home.  It is as a Safety Patrol where Greg chases the kindergarteners with a worm in Rowley’s hat and gets caught but not as Greg but as Rowley.  Because of this event, everything changes in their friendship.  At the end of the story, Rowley and Greg are face to face again with the teenagers from Halloween and Rowley is forced to eat the cheese on the blacktop.  They become best friends again because of Greg’s admitting to the other students that he removed the famous cheese resulting in Greg having the “Cheese Touch” and not Rowley. 

The characters of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid displays Greg as being a self-centered kid and always trying to come up with a way to make himself look good.  This is Greg’s strength and his weakness.  His character doesn’t grow, because no matter what he tries, it always ends up in a funny predicament.  Readers can relate to Greg, Rowley and Fregley because these are familiar characters to them and many are dealing with the same kind of situations.  The theme is also important because bullying is a problem for many kids at this age.  The details of Greg’s daily activities, his family and friends are also a familiar feeling for Kinney’s self-centered readers. 

Here is a link to the Funbrain website where the kids can see Greg's journal and read along: http://www.funbrain.com/journal/Journal.html

Rules

Lord, C. (2008). Rules. New York, NY: Scholastic INC.

In the book, Rules, it is about a twelve year old girl who has an autistic little brother who is trying to live a normal life as best as she can since her family seem to put her little brother and his disability first.  Catherine has established sets of rules that David must follow in order to but it seems that these rules are more for Catherine to follow.  During the summer, a new girl and her family move in next door and Catherine is looking forward to her friendship and unexpectedly makes a new friend, Jason, a paraplegic, at her brother’s occupational therapy clinic.  It is through these friendships that make Catherine realizes that rules can be broken. 

The theme of the story plays an important part of the story since the main character is dealing with so much in her life. The rules that she establishes for her brother also what she follows and that even though rules are good, some are meant to be broken and our actions are meant to be more.  The characters in the story are well writing.  Readers can relate to Catherine and the friendships that she makes in the story as well as her relationship with her autistic brother as she coming to an understanding on how rules and can be broken and that it is really through our actions that make a difference.  

Here is a book trailer link for introducing the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V3U5eNXIyQ

Here is a link of teacher resources based from the book: http://www.nred.org/www/nred/site/hosting/Events/Literature_Festival/RULES_Study_Guide.pdf

Here is a link to a student made book report on the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zCUcWmDDpo

Bridge to Terabithia

Paterson, K. (1977).  Bridge to Terabithia. New York, NY: Harper & Row, Publishers.

Jess Aarons is an eleven year old boy who loves to run and wants to be the fastest boy in the fifth grade.  He loves to draw and paint and tends to be overshadowed by his five sisters and is constantly seeking his father’s attention.  Then Leslie Burke and her parents move into the house next door with her parents.  She ends up running in the boys’ race at school and beat everyone.  It takes some time but eventually Jess and Leslie become friends.  Together, they build an imagine kingdom across a creek called Terabithia where they are the king and queen.  In Terabithia, everything is perfect and Jess is introduced to the world of imagination and creativity by Leslie.  Jess is effective by Leslie’s friendship and it helps him find purpose in his life.  Tragedy occurs in Terabithia for Leslie and Jess is left to deal alone without her.  Jess eventually realizes that he needs to honor Leslie’s memory and continue visiting Terabithia and share its magic with his little sister, May Belle. 

The setting of the Bridge to Terabithia is very important in the story.  The land of Terabithia takes readers away to a beautiful place that is magically, full of imagination and creativity, where anything could happen.  Gender and culture play an important part in this story to since it was writing in the late 1970’s.  Jess is characterized as a boy who likes to draw and paint and not the tough guys that the other boys are portrayed and are expected to be during this time.  Jess’s father does not approve of his artistic abilities and his family expects him to take on more of the responsibilities of the family.  Leslie’s character is not welcomed by Jess’s family because she has short hair and doesn’t dress like a girl and she loves to run.  It is through her free spirit that allows Jess to be himself and grow and develop into the person that he is at the end of the story. 

Here is a book trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GOfZCs60E0

Teacher resource guide for Bridge to Terabithia: http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/pdf/bridge_to_terebithia.pdf