Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

Voices From a Medieval Village

Schlitz, L. ( 2007). Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!  Voices From a Medieval Village.  Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

This book is set in Medieval England in 1255.  This is a collection of several short monologues, each one about a person that would have lived during that time period.  Each of the monologues tells a little about the person's life and work.  For example, there is Alice, the shepherdess who tells about a night when her favorite sheep Jilly lost her lamb while giving birth.   Or Mariot and Maud, the glassblower's daughters, and the new apprentice, Pier, their father is teaching.  Piers will inherit the business if he marries one of  his daughters, but they both dislike Pier and neither want to marry him.  Along the way, the author tells a little about the history of Medieval England as well. 

This is a very interesting book.  Not only does the reader learn the history of the time period, but also the characters tells of their lives, sorrows, loves, and work.  Each of the characters are also children, which helps the reader know a little about what life was for children during Medieval times.  It is also written in language structures and vocabulary of that time period.  It is a very informative book and history fans will love it!

Rapunzel's Revenge

Hale, S. ( 2008) Rapunzel's Revenge. New York, NY: Bloomsbury.

Here is a twist on the classic fairy tale.  In this version, Rapunzel lives in a beautiful villa with Mother Gothel, who she thinks is her mother.  But she finds out that she was taken away from her real mother as payment for stealing lettuce from Mother Gothel's garden when she was pregnant, and her real mother is now a slave in the mines.  When Rapunzel finds out the truth, she confronts Mother Gothel, who then puts her into a tower far into the forest.  Rapunzel is there for many years and her hair grows very long.  She escapes from the tower when she is sixteen years old.  She begins on a journey to rescue her real mother and meets a boy named Jack.  They travel together and encounter many adventures together.  Finally, they are able to defeat Mother Gothel together and fall in love in the end.

This graphic novel has several twists from the original.  First, Rapunzel uses her hair as whips to defend herself, as well as beat-up several outlaws in the story.  The story is set in the Wild West as well.  Rapunzel is a strong female character who can take care of herself.  This version also has lots of humor along the way.  Recommended for upper elementary readers.

Wonderstruck

Selznick, B. (2011).Wonderstruck. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Ben is a boy that just lost his mother and has never met his father.  He now lives with his aunt, uncle, and cousin, who's house happens to be close to his old house on Gunflint Lake, Minnesota in 1977.  One night, when he is desperately missing his mother, he sneaks over to his old house.  He discovers a book called Wonderstruck, a bookmark from New York City with a message  to his mom on the back,  along with a locket with a man's picture inside. He decides that the picture is his  father, and he lives in New York City from the message on the back of the bookmark signed by Danny. While there, he gets electrocuted when his house is struck by lightning.  While in the hospital, he runs away for New York to find his father.

Rose is a girl who is deaf that lives in Hoboken, New Jersey, across from New York City in 1927. She longs to see her mother, a famous movie star, in New York City.  She runs away one night to find her mother in New York.  Her mother is not happy to see her and wants her to go back home to her father.  But Rose runs away to see her older brother who works at the museum.

These two characters both search for a place to belong.  The book tells of both of their stories simultaneously.  Ben's story is written in words.  Rose's story is told through illustrations. 

In part three of the story, Rose is now an old women.  The story concludes with discovering Rose is Ben's grandmother. 

This book has beautiful illustrations that tells the story of Rose.  Though Rose doesn't speak until the third part of the book, her story and emotions are captured in the illustrations.   In the third part of the book,  both Ben and Rose are in both the illustrations and written words as their stories come together.  Selznick tells a wonderful story of loss and looking for a place to belong. 

George

Gino, A. ( 2015). George. New York, NY: Scholastic.

George is a girl trapped in a boy's body.  She wants nothing more than to let  her true self out.  After her fourth grade class reads Charlotte's Web, they are going to perform the play.  George wants to play the part of Charlotte  the spider and practices with her best friend Kelly before the auditions.  But when she auditions in front of her teacher, the teacher says no because she is a boy.  George is disappointed and doesn't want to play a part, so decides to be a stage hand.  Her best friend Kelly gets the role of Charlotte.  Kelly comes up with a plan for George to perform the role of Charlotte at the evening performance of the play, and she does.  Everyone tells George what a wonderful job she did.  George's mother is not very supportive at first, but finally accepts the fact that George's true self is a girl.

This is a book about being true to yourself, no matter who you are.  In this age of acceptance of others, this is a transgender book to show the importance of accepting others for who they truly are. 

Babymouse:

Puppy Love

Holm, J. (2007). Babymouse: Puppy Love. New York, NY: Random House.

Babymouse wants a new pet after her goldfish dies. She really wants a dog, but her mom says no.  She tries a hamster, a turtle, a ferret, and many other pets, but they all run away.  One day Babymouse finds a dog and her mom lets her keep him if she takes care of him.  Babymouse learns how hard  taking care of a dog can be and how much trouble too.  But, she sticks with it and trains her dog Buddy.  One day when walking Buddy, a boy runs up and tells Babymouse it is his dog.  Back to the drawing board for Babymouse.

The Babymouse series are graphic novels written for early readers. Puppy Love is written for any child that has wanted a dog and all of the trouble surrounding pet ownership.  The book's plot includes daydreaming, where Babymouse dreams of a perfect pet, but it always ends in disaster.  The book is full of humor and kids can relate to the topic. 

Skulduggery Pleasant

Landy, Derek. (2007). Skulduggery Pleasant. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Twelve year old Stephanie just inherited her dead uncle's estate.  Now, a whole new world of magic opens up when she is meets Skulduggery Pleasant, who resues her one evening.  Her whole world is changed as she learns of the world of magic and her uncle's involvement in this strange world.  Skulduggery is a detective, but also a magical skeleton who solves strange crimes in the magical world.  Skulduggery and Stephanie begin an investigation into her uncle's death.  Along the way they try to solve who is after a destructive magical tool, the Scepter, and defeat the evil forces in the magical world of Skulduggery. 

This is the first book of this series of magic and mystery.  Children that enjoy mysteries and action will enjoy the world of Skulduggery Pleasant.  It is full of humor, action, and magic. 

Dear Mr. Henshaw

Cleary, B. ( 1983). Dear Mr. Henshaw. New York, NY: Morrow Junior Books.

Leigh Botts is a sixth grader who is going through a rough time with his parent's divorce.  Leigh and his mom recently moved  to a new town where he attends a new school.  He hasn't made any friends and he's often lonely while his mom is working or attending nursing school.  He also has part of his lunch stolen on a regular basis and deals with missing his father, who is a truck driver.  His teacher assigns a writing assignment where he has to write to an author, and Leigh begins writing  to his favorite author since second grade, Mr. Henshaw.  He shares his thoughts and feelings with the author and the things going on with his life.  Mr. Henshaw answers him and tells him to begin writing in a journal, which Leigh does.  Leigh deals with the problems of his life by writing in the journal and Mr. Henshaw.  He discovers that he enjoys writing and wants to be an author.  He write a story which wins honorable mention.  Through his writing he is able to come to terms with his parent's divorce and an absent father.

There are several themes in this book such as divorce and being the new kid in town.  Leigh is a believable character and kids will be able to relate to Leigh and his feelings.  This book can teach kids that no matter how bad life seems at times,  things will change and get better with time. 

The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark

Deedy, C. ( 2000). The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark. Atlantic, GA: Peachtree Publishers.

This legend tells of King Christian, the King of Denmark's resistance during the invasion of his country by the Nazis during World War II.  The Nazis hung their flag at the palace in Copenhagen, which King Christian removed.  When a Nazi officer said to the king any soldier removing the flag would be shot, King Christian said that he would be the soldier removing the flag.   When the Nazis ordered all Jews to wear the yellow star, King Christian once again had a plan. He himself  wore the star through the streets.  The Danish people, who loved their king,  understood his plan, and they all wore the star as resistance to the Nazis.  All people were viewed as Danes, and Jews were not singled out. 

This remarkable legends tells of the fight of injustices brought about by Nazis. Though most of the legend is not true, the author's notes at the end of the book do tell of King Christian's support of the Jews during the war and that Jews were not forced to wear the yellow star in Denmark.  This book tells how when we stand together united, we can fight injustices with a stronger force than by ourselves..  

Building a Community of Readers 

Promoting and building a community of readers promotes literacy in schools.

Read more at my Padlet:

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Evaluating Nonfiction

Read about ways to evaluate nonfiction:

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Genres and Formats

Read about the differences between fiction, nonfiction, and formats in literature:

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Evaluating Picture Books

Read about ways to evaluate picture books:

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Why We Share Literature with Kids

Read why literature should be shared with children:

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out of my mind

Draper, S. (2010). out of my mind. New York ,NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Melody is an eleven-year old girl with cerebral palsy.  She can't talk, walk, feed herself, and is confined to a wheelchair.  Despite what doctors and teachers have thought, she is intelligent and has a photographic memory.  She is able to think and learn, but not able to communicate her thoughts and ideas.  With the help of her neighbor, Mrs. V., and her aid at school, Melody finally gets a Medi-Talker, which helps her finally communicate.  When she begins classes with mainstream fifth graders, she is able to show her peers that she is just as smart as they are.  Melody makes the Whiz Kids team  at her school and competes in the first round of competitions. But all Melody really wants is to feel accepted and make friends with kids her age.  She is bullied by a group of girls and the other Whiz Kids team members are uncomfortable around her.  When it's time for the competition in Washington D.C., the team leaves without her.  Melody is devastated and knows acceptance is going to be a problem throughout her life.

The theme of this book is acceptance no matter who you are.  It shows that people with disabilities may look different, but they have feelings, thoughts, and wants just like any other person.  This book is great to teach tweens and young adults that people with disabilities want to feel  accepted , just like any other person. 

The Watson Go to Birmingham-1963

Curtis, C. (1995). The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963. New York, NY: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group.

Ten year old Kenny Watson lives in Flint, Michigan with his family.  Kenny's mother is from Alabama and thinks that Birmingham is a better place to live than ice-cold Michigan.  Kenny's older brother, Byron, is always getting into some type of trouble or another.  Finally, Kenny's parents have had enough of Byron's antics and decide he needs to spend the summer in Birmingham with his grandmother.  The whole family loads into their car and makes the trip down South.  While there, they experience the horror of a church bombing where their little sister Joetta attends Sunday school.  Though their sister survives the bombing, four little girls are killed and others are injured.  Kenny is devastated by the  violence against African Americans in the South.

This book reminds readers of the horrible events that occurred in the South in the 1960's.  Segregation and racism are both underlying themes in this story. The bombing of the church in the story mirrors the real bombings that actually happened in Birmingham during the Civil Rights Movement.  Another common theme in this story is the love of family and siblings.  Even though Kenny's brother Byron is a bully and is frequently hitting him, there is no doubt they truly love each other and their sister.  

It's So Amazing!

A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families

Harris, R. ( 1999). It's So Amazing! Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Kids are naturally curious about where babies come from and there are so many misconceptions.  This informative book gives kids the answers they want to know and more!  The author gives information such as how girl and boy bodies are different, what eggs and sperm are, how egg and sperm come together to make a baby,  how babies grow inside the mother's body, and families.  There is also information on adoption, how to have fun with a new baby, and even information on HIV and AIDS.  The author also includes many illustrations to help the reader understand the information. 

This is a great book for parents to share information with their child when they are curious about the "birds and the bees".   Though the illustrations are "cartoonish", they are accurate and informative.  Throughout the book a cartoon bird and bee bring some comic relief to this somewhat uncomfortable topic. 

Nonfiction

Lots of Choices Out There

Nonfiction has so many subgenres to choose from such as informational books, biography, poetry, memoir, and more.  Informational books are written about a variety of topics from animals to computers and everything in between.  Just like fiction, nonfiction has criteria to choose the very best.  Visit my Padlet to find out more:

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Historical Fiction

Historical fiction is a great way to live vicariously in the past or experience a time period of interest. It also can help students relate to character's actions and feelings based on certain events of the time period.  Here is another Padlet to visit:

https://padlet.com/hetyrrell/qbvoj4ehibsr


Graphic Fiction

Graphic fiction has grown tremendously over the last decade and continues to be a popular format for children, teens, and adults alike.  Graphic fiction is more than just comic books...they are full length stories that contains all the elements of literature.  Read my Padlet below for more information.

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brown girl dreaming

Woodson, J. ( 2014). brown girl dreaming. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

Jacqueline Woodson tells what life was like for her growing up in both South Carolina and Brooklyn as an African American girl in the 1960's and 70's.  She shares her thoughts, feelings, family, and events of her childhood in this remarkable book.  Ms. Woodson shares  special relationship and love she has with her grandfather, who she calls Daddy,  the religious upbringing of her Jehovah's Witness grandmother, and growing up with her brothers and sister.  Ms. Woodson tells of her struggles to learn in school, and then her dream and desire to be a writer while she was still in elementary school.  Throughout the book, she also tells of the Civil Rights movement and the changes going on in America. 

This entire book is written in free-verse poetry.   The words and thoughts make her childhood story come to life.  Ms. Woodson shares the love her family members have for one another and how, even when apart, they care for one another.  Throughout her story, she weaves in the prejudice and racism people in the South possessed.  By the end of the story, you feel like you know her  and her family personally.  A great read for middle school and up.

How They Croaked

Bragg, G.(2011). How They Croaked. New York, NY: Walker & Company.

Do you like to read about famous people?  Well this book is about famous people and how they died.   The author tells interesting facts about each person's life, then interesting facts about their death, burial, and other creepy facts.  For example, did you know Einsteins's brains were stolen from his body during his autopsy?   Did you know that when George Washington became ill, the doctors drained his blood , called bloodletting. Galileo slowly poisoned himself by drinking wine laced with lead.  He also had gout, a hernia, and finally died of kidney failure.  This gruesome, but interesting book is filled with little-known facts about famous people and how they died. 

Even though the topic is morbid, this book is filled with very interesting facts about the famous people, their life, and work.  The author tells about different diseases and ailments that these famous people had and some of the different treatments doctors used long ago.  An interesting book to read, if you are not too squeamish to read it. 

I Broke My Trunk!

An Elephant and Piggie Book

Willems, M. ( 2011). I Broke My Trunk! New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children.

This Elephant and Piggie book by Mo Willems is full of humor and emotion.  Gerald, the elephant,  breaks his trunk and is telling Piggie all about how it happened.   Gerald tells how he lifted Hippo on his trunk, then Rhino, and then Hippo's sister and a piano.  His story is long, and Piggie is impatient. Piggie asks if that how he breaks his trunk, but Gerald has more to his story.  Gerald tells that it was running to tell his best friend, Piggie, that he broke his trunk by tripping and falling.  When Piggie wants to go to tell others about the story, he does the very same thing and breaks his snout.

Mo Willems is able to show emotions to his characters through his simple cartoon-like drawings.  The emotions are shown through small gestures, character's facial expressions, and small cartoon lines around characters to show emotion.  He also shows emotion though text such as all capitalized words, italicized words, and the use of punctuation.  This is a great series for early readers.  They will enjoy reading the silly adventures these two best friends do together. 

Poetry: Read it Everyday!

I have always enjoyed poetry.  I love the complexity, word play, imagery, and variety.  But not everyone is a fan.  Many times people remember poems being dissected and taken apart, so that it becomes a chore instead of something that can be enjoyable.  What can teachers and parents do to create excitement and interest in poetry?  Visit my Padlet site and find out what I have learned to make poetry fun and enjoyable for children.

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Realistic Fiction

Realistic fiction is one of the most read and loved genres because we can relate to characters, situation, and events.  Realistic fiction can help us sort through difficult times in our lives and help us understand different experiences or points of view. Visit my Padlet site to find out a little more about this genre.

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Science Fiction and Fantasy

This is a genre that has really taken off in the last few years.  Dystopia science fiction has become very popular through the Hunger Games  and Divergent trilogies.  These books are very popular with Middle and High School readers.  Another popular science fiction trilogy is the Fifth Wave, which includes space and aliens.  There are hundreds of titles and categories out there waiting to be explored by tweens and teens.  Here are a few things I learned and still need to keep researching:

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Rules

Lord, C. ( 2006). Rules. New York, NY: Scholastics.

Katherine is a twelve year old girl with an autistic brother, David.  Katherine and David have a special relationship.  She teaches him rules about life, babysits him, and is his friend.  In the waiting room of David's OT office, Katherine meets a special boy named Jason who is in a wheel chair and doesn't talk.  She makes cards and drawings for him for his communication book and they become friends.   She also meets the new girl that moves in next door.  She hopes they will be friends, but soon learns that she can't be herself around this new girl and feels embarrassed by her new friendship with Jason.   Along with this,  Katherine is fed-up with being second fiddle to David in her family.  At the end, Katherine learns what real friendship is about. 

This book takes a look at disabilities and the way people treat those different from them.  Katherine learns that everyone wants acceptance, no matter what disability one might have.  She learns that friendship means being yourself.  This book won the Schneider Family Book Award as well as a Newberry Honor book winner.

Balloons Over Broadway:

The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade

Sweet, Melissa. ( 2011). Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

This true story tells the creation of the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  The story begins with the life of Tony Sarg, a puppeteer that Macy's hired to create window displays during the holidays.  Mr. Sarg creates mechanical marionettes for  "Macy's Wondertown", which becomes a big hit.  Then Macy's wants to start a parade for their employees during the holidays.  Mr. Sarg is hired to help and gets to work creating costumes and floats.  The  parade grew each year and became more popular.  Mr. Sarg  began to create balloons for the parade and recreated his designs to make them easily seen by the crowd.  He created  the helium filled balloons that has been a tradition of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade that still delights spectators today.

This book uses a variety of mediums to create the illustrations and pictures.  The author uses cartoon-like illustrations, cut out letters, sketches, and photos.  For the end pages, she uses a photo of a book about Tony Sarg and newspaper print advertising Macy's parade.  This informational book tells interesting facts of Tony Sang's work in helping to create the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Children that enjoy historical facts, events, and people will enjoy this book.