Genre 6- When You Reach Me

Steed, Rebecca. When You Reach Me. New York: Random House, 2009.

ISBN: 978-0-385-73742-5

Review
Miranda, a young teenager finds new friends when she didn’t expect to while also trying to nurse old friendships. Miranda’s mother is a paralegal who is infatuated with the t.v. show pyramid and hopes to compete so that the family can have money. When You Reach Me is a story about growing into being a teenager and the excitement and confusion that is associated with it.

Critical Analysis Miranda is one of the most relatable characters I’ve read in a long time. The subject matter of When You Reach Me hits so close to home for students coming into their teenage years with subjects like boys, finding friends, working with family, and sometimes losing friends. Reading this book teaches the reader that how you treat people and your actions, whether large or small, can affect people easily which is a big lesson for young people to learn. Overall, Steed gives young readers an almost perfect example of life as a young adult in the late 70’s. Understanding this book is a very ‘relatable’ read as well as has a touch of a sci-fi tone to it, I would definitely add this to my library as a teacher. Though it is geared more towards older students- middle school, I think this could be a great read for students as young as third grade.

Reviews School Library Journal- The stores and even the streets–in Miranda's neighborhood act as physical entities and impact the plot in tangible ways. This unusual, thought-provoking mystery will appeal to several types of readers.

Booklist- "The mental gymnastics required of readers are invigorating; and the characters, children, and adults are honest bits of humanity no matter in what place or time their souls rest."

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Connections Journal Entry- Students could write about a time they’ve had a major change in their life or even lost or gained a friend. The teacher could respond to student’s entries if they feel comfortable enough to share.

Compare/Contrast- Miranda has an obsession with ‘A Wrinkle in Time’. If students are old enough, a comparison could be done between When You Reach Me and A Wrinkle in Time. How are the stories similar? Do any of the characters resemble each other? If you could have adding more similarities to When You Reach Me, what would they have been?

Genre 6- American Born Chinese

Yang, Gene Luch. American Born Chinese. New York: First Second, 2006.

ISBN 13:978-159643-152-2

Story Plot
American Born Chinese is a story based on three smaller stories. One story is about a Monkey King and his want to be ‘all powerful’. The second story is about a Chinese boy, Jin Wang, who moves to a new school and tries to fit in by changing who he is. The third story is about a young man and his Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee and their attempts to get along at school. The three stories eventually meet and the reader discovers some very interesting twists!

Critical Analysis
American Born Chinese is a graphic novel which takes a while to get used to reading because each box has a picture and dialog. The illustrations in this novel are very exact and clear. I could easily follow the ‘flow’ of the pictures. My students love graphic novels and their ‘comic book’ feel. American Born Chinese would be a big hit with students. I love the meaning behind this novel- that just because you don’t look or act like everyone else, you still fit in. Differences can and should be embraced and this story is a good example of that. This novel is definitely intended for an older reader with a few inappropriate jokes throughout. Overall, Yang created a novel that reflects of situations that students find themselves in everyday. It is a creative novel that has a really great message about topics that are intense and hard to cover.

Reviews
School Library Journal- Their stories converge into a satisfying coming-of-age novel that aptly blends traditional Chinese fables and legends with bathroom humor, action figures, and playground politics.

Booklist- The stories have a simple, engaging sweep to them, but their weighty subjects--shame, racism, and friendship--receive thoughtful, powerful examination

Connections
Community Circle- Students could have a group discussion on whether or not they’ve ever felt different from their peers. Also, the group could discuss and create idea’s about to better accept friends who are different. In my experience, teaching students how to accept differences is a very valuable lesson!!

Genre 6- Speak

Anders, Laurie Halse. Speak. New York: Penguin Group: 1999.

ISBN: 0-14-131088-X

Plot Summary
Anders tells us a story of a young girl who has been traumatized. Speak begins by describing a timid girl who has one ‘friend’ and barely speaks to anyone. As the story continues, we learn that Melinda’s parents argue frequently and that Melinda once had friends but lost them after ‘ratting’ everyone at a party. Towards the end of the story the reader learns that Melinda’s silence is because she was so stressed from being raped by another boy in school, Andy. After finding refuge with her art teacher, friend Heather, and standing up to Andy, Melinda finds strength enough to learn to ‘speak’ and get past her experiences.

Critical Analysis
First and foremost, Speak is intended for an older audience. I would recommend this book to a counselor or older high school students. Laurie Anderson tells a story about a young girl who is being socially outcast for a really horrible situation. The story is written in stanzas or short paragraphs. These short paragraphs take a few pages to get used to but fit Melinda’s personality. She is interesting and to the point. I loved the meaning behind this story! Yes, a young girl is raped and that is a horrible situation but the story is more about how a girl finds sanctuary with her friends and her art class/teacher and finds her voice again. This story really highlights that teachers or any person involved in a student’s life should be mindful that even though we may not realize it, students find help with just being around us. Melinda was able to work past her experience by working with her art teacher Mr. Freeman. Overall this was an extremely well written story that I would highly recommend to older students.

Reviews
The Horn Book- “An uncannily funny book even as it plumbs the darkness, Speak will hold readers from first word to last.”
Publishers Weekly- “A stunning first novel… Anderson infuses the narrative with a wit that sustains the heroine through her pain and holds readers’ empathy…”

Connections
Although this book is highly recommended, I would not use it in my lesson plans. I would however use this story to help students recover from personal situations. Allowing students to read this book privately could help them feel less alone. Also, much like Mr. Freeman, I feel like being a teacher and doing my job well will give students another outlet and maybe allow them to express themselves without being forced to.

Genre 5- Lily's Crossing

Giff, Patricia Reilly. Lily’s Crossing. New York: Random House, 1997.

ISBN0-440-41453-9

PLOT SUMMARY

Lily’s Crossing is story about a young girl and how WWII affected her life as well as many others. Lily’s father, Jerry leaves for the war and Lily is forced to spent the summer at Rockaway Beach with just her grandmother. Eventually Lily’s best friend moves away and Lily meets a new friend named Albert. Lily like many children has a habit of telling lies though in this story may have told a lie that could get her friend, Albert, in some dangerous trouble.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Lily’s Crossing is yet another example of a historical fiction novel with character. Historical fiction doesn’t have to be boring readings from a history book and Giff gives us a good example of that with Lily’s Crossing. One of my favorite aspects of this novel is the relationship between Lily and Albert. They have a very interesting relationship and I think students while find them fun to follow. On page 44 the reader can see the relationship between them displayed. “Without thinking, she went toward him, spittin gout sand, wiping her eye on her sleeve. The noise of the plane was fading, and she could see Albert’s hand were trembling a litte. She reached out and grabbed his arm- Its alright she told him.” I think that students will really enjoy this book and find it easily relatable all while learning bits and pieces about history!

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Publishers Weekly- “has all the ingredients that best reward readers.”

Booklist- “With wry comedy and intense feeling… Giff gets across a strong sense of what it was like on the home front during World War II… the friendship story is beautifully drawn.”

CONNECTIONS

- Student could write pin pals to soldiers at war.

- Students could work on character traits: Selfless, brave, scared, fearful…

- Writing a letter: Students could write a letter to Lily or Albert.

Genre 5- Moon Over Manifest

Vanderpool, Clare. Moon Over Manifest. New York: Random House, 2011.

ISBN: 978-0-385-90750-7

PLOT SUMMARY

Moon Over Manifest a story about a little girl placed during the depression. The little girl, Abilene finds herself in the city of Manifest ‘waiting’ for her father to come pick her up at the end of the summer. While in Manifest, Abilene has a need to learn everything she can about her father and who he was! In the process of learning about her dad, she stumbles upon a box hidden under some floorboards in her bedroom and the adventure begins. Taken in by her new friends Lettie and Ruthanne, the girls begin the search for the ‘Rattler’. Vanderpool starts this novel off very slow but once the girls are warned to ‘leave well enough alone’ the story starts to pick up.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

My own critique with this story is that it takes quite a few pages to get into the book. It took me until about 80 pages in before I really began feeling the story. Though the story is absolutely wonderful, I do not think students will be able to stick with a story that long if they aren’t intrigued. Also, the characters in this story are absolutely amazing! When reading this story, I felt as if I had actually met the people being described. There is also a character list/description located in the front of the book, which is very helpful to students! Vanderpool also does a great job of alternating points of view. Most of the story Abilene is narrating in the ‘present’ and the story will often switch over to two boys in 1917. The process of including ‘flashbacks’ in a story for children can be difficult but Moon Over Manifest makes these transitions very easy to follow! Overall, I will be adding this to my library for my high readers. Vanderpool does a great job of incorporating parts of history into a well-written novel.

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REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Book List- “Vanderpool weaves humor and sorrow into a complex tale involving murders, orphans, bootlegging, and a mother in hiding. With believable dialogue, vocabulary and imagery appropriate to time and place, and well-developed characters.” —Kethleen Isaacs

School Library Journal- “This thoroughly enjoyable, unique page-turner is a definite winner.” – Renee Steinberg

CONNECTIONS

Moon Over Manifest has a ton of characters to keep tract of! Students could create a story board and summarize each character on the board. Also, after summarizing, students could attempt to match each others summarizes to the character it describes.

Genre 5- Elijah of Buxton

Curtis, Christopher Paul. Elijah of Buxton. New York: Scholastic Inc, 2007.

ISBN 13: 978-0-545-11084-6

PLOT SUMMARY

Elijah of Buxton is a story that gracefully explains how slavery affected the life of people in 1856 and how one little boy was very brave. Buxton was a ‘city’ in Canada that people could live freely on when ‘living free’ wasn’t heard of. Elijah was a very special boy because he was the first baby to be born free. Though Eli spends most of his time fearing the worse and being very ‘fra-gile’, he ends up becoming a very brave and strong young man.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Slavery is a difficult concept to explain to children. Christopher Paul Curtis does an amazing job of keep the students interested while also teaching them about major events in history. Curtis also written The Watson’s Go to Birmingham that also offers great historical value while also giving the readers characters they can relate to. When Elijah of Buxton begins, we meet a skittish, lighthearted kid but as the story goes on the reader begins to understand the heaviness of slavery. Several parts in the book are intense like when Eli meets slaves shackled in a barn, naked, two of them being a woman and her baby. Page 291 through298 the reader feels the intensity and sadness! Curtis uses dialect and descriptions that are very captivating. “He pressed his mouth there. It ripped at my insides something harsh. He was acting like giving him a drink of water waren’t no different than giving him a twenty-dollar gold piece. (p. 303) Curtis does it again in Elijah of Buxton- the reader gets to enjoy a beautifully written story about subject matter than is very difficult to understand. As a teacher I would recommend this for 4^th grade students and older. The content is a little harsh for students younger than 8.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Book List- “Curtis relates the difficulty of tackling the subject of slavery realistically through a child's first-person perspective… Many readers drawn to the book by humor will find themselves at times on the edges of their seats in suspense and, at other moments, moved to tears. A fine, original novel from a gifted storyteller.” —Carolyn Phelan

CONNECTIONS

As I mentioned previously, Christopher Paul Curtis has written several stories that delicately explain slavery and civil rights. An activity for older students could be to read both Elijah of Buxton and The Watsons Go to Birmingham and compare how the two stories present the same topic but at different times in history.

Genre 4 - Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream

Stone, Tanya Lee & Weitekamp, Margaret A. Almost Astronauts: 13 Women who Dared to Dream. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2009.

ISBN: 978-0-7636-4502-1

PLOT SUMMARY

Almost Astronauts is a story about how women fought to be involved in NASA and fly to space. During the time these women aspired to be astronauts, men were the only people who were allowed to be involved. The 13 women were referred to as the “Mercury 13” though they were never a part of the Mercury space program they were called this nick name because they under went all the sane tests as the men involved with the Mercury program. Women who tried to “do a man’s job” like anything military related or as this story explains, go to space, there was serious opposition. This is a good non-fiction story about trying really hard and defying the odds.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Almost Astronauts is an interesting take on the 13 women who first tried to be a part of NASA. I would recommend this book as a read aloud for 2^nd or 3^rd graders or an independent read for 3^rd grade and above. The illustrations are pictures taken from the actual event being discussed. All photos’ are in black and white other than the picture on the front of the book. These photos’ offer a realistic image for students to relate to and pair with their own knowledge. The dialog is a little lengthy but normally correlated with a picture to keep students involved. In third grade we do a unit on plants so it would be very interesting to include excerpts from this book to read during our group time. Overall, this book is a great outlet for curriculum related activities, includes beautiful photography, and offers an amazing part of history often over-looked.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

School Library Journal- “Mercury 13," this passionately written account of a classic but little-known challenge to established gender prejudices also introduces readers to a select group of courageous, independent women.” —John Peters

Horn Book- "This dramatic, large-size photo-essay covers their stories, along with the exciting politics of the women’s liberation struggle in the 1950s and ’60s (“What is a woman’s place?”) and the breakthrough science and technology surrounding space exploration, including details of the would-be astronauts’ tests and training.” – Hazel Rochman

CONNECTIONS

Almost Astronauts could be a great outlet to begin a segment on women’s rights. There are several books that a teacher could pull and discuss that at one time, women are viewed as inferior to men. A few of these books include: Susan B. Anthony: Fighter for Women's Rights (Ready-to-Read. Level 3) by Deborah Hopkinson and Amy June Bates or Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote by Stone and Gibbon.