Reynolds,J. (2018). For everyone. NY: Simon and Schuster.

(Required Reading List)

This book is for an older reader that talks about kids and their dreams. This book of poems was later used as a tribute to Walter Dean Myers. This book was really written for every one. For every young person and for every young persons dream.  The kids who dream of being better than they are. Kids who dream of doing more than they almost dare to dream. The writers emphasizes that dream take time and are not instantaneous. You will have struggles that you will have to overcome. Sheer willpower and determination will make all of your dreams come true.

 

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

(Required Reading List)

This is not book for elementary kids, this is written for an older student between the ages of ten and fifteen. This wonderfully designed  piece of literature contains twenty- two monologues  each in the voice of a character from an English town in 1255. Some  of the monologues are in verse; while others are written  in prose but they are all  interconnected.  This was originally written for the students to perform at the school where she is the librarian. This book goes through the tales of different peoples lives that leave in the medieval village. One monologue in particular is by Constance, touches lightly on the social issue of prejudice against the disabled. Schlitz includes many Social Issues, and she provides very few easy answers. A Jewish boy and a Christian girl may play together for a moment, but that’s not going to overturn a structure of antisemitism that reaches all the way to the Pope. This book is a great way to teach students the history about the medieval class and how division was between the noble and the peasants.

Lord,C. (2008). Rules. NY: Scholastic.

(Required Reading Book)

This an excellent book to teach any age elementary student about differences and how to deal with them. This story is about Catherine and her little brother David who has autism. Catherine has created sets of rules of things that David can and cannot due. One of the main rules is about David putting his toys in the fish tank. Catherine, David, and their mother take David to occupational therapy twice each week. As the summer kicks off, Catherine gets a new next-door neighbor named Kristi. She also makes a new friend at occupational therapy named Jason. Jason uses a wheelchair and is physically disabled. Because he is nonverbal, he uses a book of cards to communicate. Each card has a word on it, so he points to the cards he wants in order to create a sentence. Catherine, at first is afraid of Jason’s disabilities but she very soon becomes very fond of him. Catherine creates more cards for Jason so that he can really communicate how he feels. Catherine  even pushes Jason super fast in the parking so he can feel what it would be like to run. The story ends with Catherine finding out who is really her friend and who is not.  She also comes the realization that the things her brother does he can not help and he is not hurting anybody.Rules is a children’s novel about friendship, the importance and value of rules, honesty, diversity, and acceptance.  It is also about dealing with sadness, and frustration that you can overcome.

dePaola,T. (1983). The legend of the bluebonnet. NY:Putnam.

(Required Book List)

This book is about the long-standing folktale of how the bluebonnets came into being.  The illustrator does a great job of showing the customs and culture of the Comanche Indians. This is a story about a little Indian girl named She-who-is- alone who has lost her family. There has been a great drought in the land and everyone is suffering. She- who-is alone offers her most prized possession to the great spirits, which is her doll. The story ends with the great spirits accepting her sacrifice and the end the drought. As a sign of forgiveness the great spirits cover the ground each spring with blue bonnets. The story is for six to eight year old students. It teach students about family, community, and making sacrifices for the greater good.

Paterson,K. (1972). Bridge to Terabithia. NY: Crown.

(Required Reading List)

This a great book for an older child who understands the process of death. This book was well written with a tragic end and a lesson learned. This story is about an almost fifth grader named Jess Aarons, who lives in a small town called Lark Creek and has a hard family life. He likes to draw and to run, and is kind of lonely; he’s out-of-place in his family and the only person he really gets along with is his little sister May Belle. Jess is made to do all of the chores while his older sisters do nothing.  On the the first day of school  Jess is set on being the fastest runner in fifth grade because he has practicing all summer. The new girl named Leslie shows up that just moved into the old Perkins Place and out runs them all. Jess is crushed at first but he gets over. Leslie and Jess soon become fast friends and take over a piece of the forest that can only be accessed by  swinging over the creek, and they name it Terabithia. The friendship progress and when Christmas comes Jess buys Leslie a puppy named P.T.  The story ends when Jess goes to the museum with Mrs. Edmund and has a wonderful time only to discover his best friend is dead. The creek has risen to all the rain and Leslie went to Terabithia went out him. The rope broke and she hit her and dies. Jess is in denial  and he then realizes what he is missing with out her. He builds a bridge with lumber that Leslie’s parent left and invites his sister to be queen.

Wiesner ,D. (2001). The three pigs. NY: Clarion

(Required Book List)

This book is about the traditional story of the three little pigs where is each  pig build  a house with stronger  material than the next and along comes the wolf and huffs and puffs and blows the three pigs right out of the story. The story is compared to another one of his stories Free Fall  because their  strong resemblance between the dragon in that volume and the one featured in this story. The author takes the idea of 3-D characters operating independently of their storybooks to a new level here.  The  pigs travel through several nursery rhymes to try to help save the dragon from his destruction from the knight.  The three pigs are successful  in saving the dragon and then they return back home.  The story ends with the dragon and the pigs returning home safely and the dragon repays the favor to to the pigs by permanently  scarring the wolf away for life. This is great story of a classic tale that has been around for ages with a new addition of the 3-D elements. This is relevant of teaching kindness to all children and being nice to  your neighbors.

 

Holm, J &M (eds.) Comics Squad- Lunch. NY:Random House

(Required Reading List)

This is a very silly  comic book merged together about the woes of food and lunchtime.  Each contributor has a different spin on what happens in the lunch room. One notable story line is about a girl  named Ellie, who eats the same lunch every single day. She has a crush on a boy named Franklin, and because she likes him she merges and buys and adds a candy bar to her lunch. He forgets to tell at the last minute the candy bars has peanuts in it and she gets delirious and passes out. In the end of the story of the story Ellie has gained a new friend and decides to change up her lunch a little bit by putting mayo on her sandwich instead of mustard and brings a nut free snack for Franklin. This book along with the other stories as several meanings for kids. The story about Ellie shows that change is good sometime and not to be afraid of it. The other story talks about not letting people bully you and standing up for yourself, and the last story the soldiers use ingenuity to keep them safe from the enemy. The book has something in it for all school aged children and would provide for a good story.

Harris,R.(1999). It’s so amazing. Boston,MA:Candlewick Press.

(Required Book List)

This book is  is a 1999 children’s book about pregnancy and childbirth. This book was on the ALA most banned books from 2000-2009. Specific topics covered include changes in boys’ and girls’ bodies during puberty, intercourse, birth control, chromosomes and genes, adoption and adjusting to a newborn sibling. The author has a few lighthearted jokes about the sperm meeting the egg , to graphic photos of reproductive parts and what a fetus looks like as it is developing. They have this labeled as a children’s book and I know children are exposed to sex at a much younger age than ever before I think this should listed on a middle school reading list. This would be great addition to a health class where sex education is taught. Its not a book that can be read from cover to cover, you can actually pick specific topics that you want to explore , and just read about that topic.

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

(Required Reading List)

Baseball like many other things was not  was integrated years ago. This book takes you through the journey of when African-American men had to form their own leagues in order to play professional baseball.  The  story is uniquely set up in innings  just like the sport the book is about. In the late 1800’s all the white owners banded together and decided they were not going to let any black men play baseball and the ones that were on the team were let go . That is until 1920 when  Rube Foster, a player and strict manager who ”ran his ball club like it was a major league team” got all the owners together  to lay out rules for an official Negro League. The fourth through the sixth innings talks about all of the trials and tribulations all of the teams with through.   They played 80 to a 120 games a season and often times with raggedy equipment and  little sleep or food. The rest of time they had to “barnstorm” to make  a little money when they could. It was especially rough for the players when they traveled to the south because they could not stay in the hotels or eat in very few restaurants. The story ends by talking about the end of the Negro league and how Jackie Robinson changed the face of baseball in 1947. Lastly , what players made it to the National Hall of Fame. This book is very unique because the the narrator of the book is the just the “average Joe” and not someone famous. The book would be great for a third grader and up. This book would be good in partnership with a history lesson about the civil right movement, or the history of baseball.

 

Clearly ,B.(1983). Dear Mr. Henshaw. NY: Morrow

(Required Reading List)

In the beginning of the novel, Leigh writes a letter to the author Mr. Henshaw to tell him how he liked his book. Several years later, he is given an assignment to write to his favorite author. Leigh writes to author for a period of four years. We see the development of his writing skills. Week after week he writes and and finally the author encourages him to keep a diary. Leigh writes the author ten questions to answer and in turn Mr. Henshaw gives Leigh a series of questions to answer.Leigh is defiant at first and refuses to answer the questions but Leigh’s mom encourages him to answer the questions. Throughout the book we learn a lot about Leigh. We learn he is having  hard time being at a new school. He has some self esteem issues because he does not think to highly of himself. He fills he is not lovable by his dad and has issues with him. Leigh is having a hard time dealing with his parents divorce, and later in the story someone is stealing his lunch until the janitor tells him how to build a alarm to stop the thief. The story ends with Leigh becoming a better writer, he gains, a new friend, his lunch stops being stolen, and there is some reconciliation with his dad even though the dad ends up leaving again.  In my opinion this is not a children’s book. Yes all age groups experience parents splitting up but there are some deeper issues addressed in this book.