Mockingbird

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

Realistic Fiction/Disabilities/Chapter Book

This is by far the best book I read for this project, and one that I will try my best to use in my future classroom. It tells the story of a young girl, Caitlin, who has Asperger's Syndrome. She loses her brother, the person who helped her to understand the world, in a school shooting, and afterwards, tries to find closure for both herself and her father. This book shows Caitlin's interactions with the school counselor, her teachers, her neighbors, schoolmates, and her father through Caitlin's point of view. The way Caitlin sees and understands the world becomes clear to the reader.

The dedication of the book simply states, " In hopes that we may all understand each other better." I think that is a perfect reason to read this book and use it in a classroom. Due to inclusion, there are lots of special needs students in the main classroom, and students will have to interact with them. I struggled with this in elementary school, and I witnessed a lot of bullying that most likely could have been avoided if the students were more informed. I don't think reading this book will solve all meanness and bullying, but it is a start. I think this book would make a great read aloud, but due to the interesting way the narrator writes the story, would be most effective for students to read on their own.

This book would be a perfect book for RL.5.9 - compare and contrast stories in the same genre on their approaches to similar themes and topics. This book covers many of the same themes and topics as Rules, but is written much differently. The narrator in Rules has a brother and a friend with mental/physical disabilities, while the narrator in Mockingbird is dealing with these disabilities herself.

Erskine, K. (2010). Mockingbird. New York, NY: Philomel Books. 

The Giver

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Fiction/Chapter Book/Newberry Award

The Giver is the story of a young boy named Jonas who lives in a futuristic society where everyone is the same. At age 12, Jonas is given the job of Receiver, who is the only person in society who can keep the memories, both good and bad, of the past. Jonas receives the memories from the previous Receiver  whom he calls 'The Giver'. Jonas soon realizes how bland his life is, and how bright it could be. He and the Giver devise a plan to change the society forever. 

This book was one of my favorites when I first read it, I enjoyed it so much that I bought it and still have it. To this day, dystopian novels are my favorite genres of books; Anthem and Hunger Games are two of my favorite books that I've read. I think it's important to expose students to a variety of books so that they are able to determine what they like and don't like, giving them the opportunity to continue to expand their reading. This book is another that I would use for the first three standards on the Reading Literature Standards, specifically drawing inferences from text, determining theme, summarizing text, and describing settings or characters. I would use this book for a full class lesson or in lit circles, because it's another that I feel can appeal to many different interests and reading levels. This book can promote a lot of great discussion, since the world seen in the book is so different than the one we live in.

Lowry, L. (1993). The Giver. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin. 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Graphic Novel

This book is basically the story of a boy's first year in middle school. The book is all about Greg trying to navigate his way through his first year, including dealing with bullies and bonding with friends. The book is written in journal form by Greg, and includes cartoon-like pictures and captions on each page.

To be completely honest, I did not enjoy this book at all. I didn't like the graphic novel/cartoon format and I didn't really enjoy the story. This is the only book I read for this project that I felt this way about. However, I can see how useful it would be in a classroom to reach reluctant readers. The format is fun and the reading is easy and funny, and the content is probably very easy for young boys to relate to. Providing different genres such as graphic novels is a good way to help students learn to enjoy reading. However, I don't think I would use this book for instruction, unless I couldn't find a better graphic novel to use, since graphic novels are required under the Common Core Standards. This book is part of a series as well, making it work well with RL.3.9, the standard about comparing/contrasting books in a series.

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

Cendrillon

Cendrillon - A Caribbean Cinderella

by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Brian Pinkney

Multicultural

 Voice Thread: https://voicethread.com/share/4117862/

San Souci, R. D. (1998). Cendrillon, A Caribbean Cinderella. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. 

Whatever After

Whatever After: Fairest of them All

by Sarah Mlynowski

Modern Fantasy/Chapter Book

This book is about a young girl, Abby, and her brother, Jonah. While in the basement, they find an old mirror and are transported into Snow White's fairy tale. They think they've saved the day when they stop Snow from eating the poisonous apple, but then they find themselves stuck in a fairy tale that isn't playing out the way it should. The brother-sister pair work together to eventually successfully escape the fairy tale world and come back to their own. Abby is the narrator, making it easy to read and very entertaining.

This book is great because of the story line and female main character. Personally, I never really enjoyed science fiction or fantasy books growing up, but I think I would have if I had found some with relatable female characters. This is a good book for introducing fantasy-type literature to students who don't think they like it. Like many of the books I read for this project, this is one that I think I'd likely have in a class library, rather than use specifically for instruction. However, since it is a modern variation of a classic fairy tale, this could be a book to use during a unit on fairy tales.

Mlynowski, S. (2012). Whatever After. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. 

Boy, Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs!

Boy, Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs! 

by Kathleen V. Kudlinski, illustrated by S.D. Schindler

Non-fiction

This is another non-fiction book told in the form of a story, with a timeline in the back of the book. The story is about the different scientific discoveries about dinosaurs that have been disproved. The last line of the book reads, "When you grow up, you may be the scientist who makes us all say, "Boy, were we wrong about dinosaurs!"

Unlike the other dinosaur book I read (My Teacher is a Dinosaur), this is written in story form and doesn't have as many non-fiction constructs. While I would likely use the other book in my class library, this is one that I would consider using for instruction. This book is great for teaching students about the nature of science, specifically the fact that scientific knowledge is tentative. This book would also help to introduce the fourth grade science unit on fossils (4.E.2), since it stresses the importance of fossils for learning about prehistoric life.

Kudlinski, K.V. (2005). Boy, Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs! New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books.

My Teacher is a Dinosaur

My Teacher is a Dinosaur and other Prehistoric Poems, Jokes, Riddles, and Amazing Facts

by Loreen Leedy

Non-fiction

This is a non-fiction book about dinosaurs. The book is in chronological order, and in the back is a prehistoric time periods timeline. Despite its silly name, the book is very factual. Each page has years written across the top to determine the time period. There are pictures of dinosaurs with their names and facts about them, pictures of plants and facts about the earth's climate at the time. Along with all of the factual information, there are jokes dispersed throughout and funny poems on many of the pages.

This would be a great book to have in a class library. Many kids are interested in dinosaurs, and this book provides a fun way to learn about them  The reader can easily become engaged with this book, while learning a lot of interesting and important facts about prehistoric life. Because of its format, readers don't have to read straight through, although they could to understand everything chronologically. Students can skip from page to page, reading what they find interesting or entertaining. This book would be perfect for reluctant readers.

Leedy, L. (2010). My Teacher is a Dinosaur. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Cooperation.

The Name Jar

The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

Multicultural/International

When Unhei moves from Korea to America, she feels insecure about her hard-to-pronounce Korean name. She decides she might want to change her name, so the students in her class help her think of new names. In the end, Unhei realizes that she likes her own name best, and even though she thought everyone would make fun of it, they all like it too.

This book has a theme of acceptance, making it a good story to use to teach acceptance and the importance of being kind. The multicultural element would help to make students in a diverse classroom feel at ease. This book would be great for a read aloud and would provide great discussion about these topics. There is also a point in the book where Unhei is unsure about how to introduce herself to her classmates since she is embarrassed about her name. This would be a good point to stop and practice making predictions.

Choi, Y. (2001). The Name Jar. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knoff.

Would YOU Join the Fight?

The Revolutionary War Begins - Would YOU Join the Fight?

By Elaine Landau

Non-fiction

VOKI: http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=7518067&height=267&width=200

Landau, E. (2009). Would YOU Join the Fight? Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Elementary.

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

Historical Fiction/Chapter Book/Newberry Medal

Island of the Blue Dolphins is the story of a young Indian girl who gets left alone on her island. While waiting for someone to return to her, she keeps herself safe by building shelter and weapons, and hunting for her own food. She is left alone for many years, struggling to survive on her own, while forming relationships with wild animals to keep herself from being lonely.

This book helps students expand their horizons and realize how different other worlds are. There is a strong female character who does a lot of things that men 'should' do, such as hunting and making weapons. Even though these things are forbidden among women of her tribe, she does what she needs to do to survive. A huge theme in this story is survival, making it interesting and exciting to read. There is also a lot of conflict/conflict resolution and problem solving. This book would be great for talking about conflict resolution. Although this is fiction, it is based on a true story. There is a history standard (3.H.2) dealing with historical narratives. While this isn't exactly a historical narrative, it does offer a look into someone else's life, and helps the reader gain a new perspective.

O'Dell, S. (1960). Island of the Blue Dolphins. New York, NY: Dell Yearling.

Words Set Me Free

Words Set Me Free - The Story of Young Frederick Douglass

By Lesa Cline-Ransome

Illustrations by James E. Ransome

Non-fiction - Biography

This is the story of Frederick Douglass's childhood, but more specifically, how he learned to read while in slavery. The book ends with what seems to be a happy ending with a successful escape from slavery, but on the last page there is an author's note with a short biography of the rest of Douglass's life. The book is non-fiction, but there aren't many non-fiction structures in the book, aside from a timeline on the last page. The book is written in story form like any other picture book.

There are two social studies standards I found that apply to this book:

3.H.2.2 - Explain how multiple perspectives are portrayed through historical narratives.

5.C.1.4 - Understand how cultural narratives reflect the lifestyles, beliefs, and struggles of diverse ethnic groups.

Both involve reading texts such as this and gaining a new perspective on a historical event. This is extremely important, especially with this issue of slavery. I think this is a great text to use with kids because it tells a tale of slavery from a kid's point of view, making it much more relatable than a textbook version of the same story. This helps students see the story of slavery from a more personal viewpoint, giving them more of an opportunity to relate the story to themselves and think about how something like this would affect their lives.

Cline-Ransome, L. (2012). Words Set Me Free. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Rules

Rules by Cynthia Lord

Realistic Fiction/Disabilities/Chapter Book/Newberry Honor

This book is about a 12 year old girl who has an 8 year old brother with autism. The narrator and main characer, Catherine, has a list of rules that she gives to her brother, David, to help him understand things he has trouble with due to his disability. Throughout the book, Catherine befriends a boy who is unable to speak or walk, and learns to accept others as well as herself.

This book is one that I felt I could do a lot with academically. When looking through the standards, I found 4 that I would consider using for this:

RL.4.1 - refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. This story has quite a few places where inferences can be made, especially about how the narrator is feeling and why she feels that way.

RL.4.2 - determine the theme of a story from details in the text; summarize the text and RL.4.3 - describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story, drawing on specific details in the text. There are a lot of issues addressed in this story - autism, disabilities, and the difficulties associated with disabilities for starters. There are also themes of friendship, family, parental neglect, and acceptance. These are themes and issues that students can relate to and discuss rather easily.

RL.5.6 - Describe how a narrator's point of view influences how events are described. One reason I loved this book so much was because the narrator was so candid, and the reader was able to hear a lot of her deep, personal thoughts. If the book was narrated from a different point of view, we wouldn't have so much information about her personal thoughts. This is a good text to address the importance of point of view and think about what might change if someone else tells the story.

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

The Lightning Thief

The Lightning Theif by Rick Riordan

Book One of Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Modern Fantasy/Chapter Book

This book is about a 12 year old boy, Percy, who finds out that he is not a normal child, but a demigod and the son of Poseidon. When Zeus's lightning bolt goes missing, Zeus believes that Percy has stolen it, and Percy goes on a quest with two of his friends to find it. The book is full of interesting creatures and has many mythological references and connections.

This book is the first in a series, making it yet another book perfect for the standard RL.3.9 - compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters. Standard RL.4.4 - determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean), is also suitable for this book, since it is based on Greek mythology. This would most likely be a book I would use for reading groups or in the classroom library.

Riordan, R. (2005). The Lightning Thief. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children.

Artemis Fowl

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Modern Fantasy/Chapter Book

This book is about a young genius named Artemis Fowl who finds and decodes a book, leading him to the discovery of a secret fairy world. He kidnaps a fairy, Holly, and holds her for ransom, demanding fairy gold. The fairies and other creatures retaliate, attempting to rescue Holly. The story is written in 3rd person and focuses on Artemis's side of the story, as well as the fairies'. The story involves a multitude of made-up creatures and customs, creating a completely different world which is very complex.

Because of the narration, I could easily use this book to cover standards involving learning about point of view, including RL.4.6 - compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narratives. I could also address the standard RL.3.9 - compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters. Since this is the first in a series, it would be  a perfect one to use for this standard, especially if a student had a special interest in the book. I think this would also make a great Lit Circle book, and due to its intriguing content, would be an interesting add to the classroom library.

Colfer, E. (2001). Artemis Fowl. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children.

Holes

Holes by Louis Sachar
Realistic Fiction/Chapter Book/Newberry Medal

This book is about Stanley, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up in a juvenile detention camp for a crime he didn't commit. While at the camp, Stanley meets a lot of interesting people, including a shy friend, Zero, and a mean warden. While at the camp, Stanley learns a lot about his family history of bad luck as well as the town's history, and the details all come together for a very surprising ending. 

This book involves a lot of different elements. It is not only the tale of a boy in a detention camp, but also an exploration of his family history, the town history, and the way these stories weave together. This book is very interesting and funny, and the overlapping stories make the story intriguing  This would be a great book to use for the basic standards in the Reading Standards for Literature, such as determining theme, comparing characters, drawing inferences from the text, and responding to literature.

Sachar, Louis. (1998). Holes. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

Oliver Button Is a Sissy

Oliver Button is a Sissy by Tomie dePaola
Realistic Fiction

This book is about a young boy, Oliver Button, who likes to tap dance and do other 'girly' things. The boys at school make fun of him, calling him a sissy and writing "Oliver Button is a sissy" on the schoolyard wall. There is a talent show, and Oliver Button enters and dances his heart out. He doesn't win, and he's worried to go to school the next day, but when he does, he sees that the kids have written on the wall again. It now reads "Oliver Button is a sissy STAR!"

I adore this book. This is a great book for challenging gender roles. I think challenging stereotypes is always important, but often the books I see doing this involve having a female heroin rather than a male. While that's important too, I think it's great to see the role reversed and read about a boy who enjoys doing these 'girly' things. Likely, I wouldn't use this book as an instructional tool, but I'd have it in my library and might use it to address issues in the classroom, such as bullying.

dePaola, T. (1979). Oliver Button Is a Sissy. New York, NY: Harcourt, Inc. 

Tops and Bottoms

Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens

Caldecott Honor/Traditional

This book is the story of a lazy bear and a hard-working hare. The bear owns lots of land, but is lazy and never works. The hare has a large family, but not enough food to feed them and no land to grow food on. The tricky hare makes a deal with the bear, saying that if he can use his land to grow food, the hare will give the bear either the tops or the bottoms of the vegetables. When the bear picks the tops, the hare grows food like carrots that have green inedible tops. Then, when the bear picks bottoms, he grows things like broccoli, so the bear again gets the worst part of the vegetables. The bear eventually gets frustrated and decides to grow his own vegetables, and the hare and his family sell the crops, buy the bear's land, and live happily ever after.

This book is great for a read aloud for many reasons. The book opens so that the pages are read from top to bottom rather than left to right (the most left side of the left page is the top of the page, and the most right part of the right page is the bottom). This is a very unique layout, and the book also has very vivid, detailed explanations, making it a good book to talk about illustrations, which is a standard in Common Core (RL.3.7). The book also has a good moral and would be great for talking about working hard in order to reach a goal.

Stevens, J. (1995). Tops and Bottoms. New York, NY: Harcourt Inc.

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears

Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears by Verna Aardema

Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dilon

Caldecott Award Winner/Multicultural

This book explains why mosquitoes buzz in people's ears, as the title suggests. The animals in the forest participate in a chain of events that starts with the mosquito telling annoying stories to the iguana, and ends with a baby owlet dead. When mamma owl finds out that one of her babies has died, she refuses to wake the sun with her 'hoo-ing' so the animals are left in darkness. The animals have a meeting and discover that the mosquito is to blame for it all. The owl wakes the sun, the mosquito leaves the forest and to this day, whispers in people's ears asking, "Is everyone still mad at me?"

This book is great for introducing folklore that explains some type of natural phenomena. Although it's not mentioned in common core (from what I've seen), I think it would be fun to use this book and have students write their own stories to explain some sort of natural event. Since that topic is seen so often in multicultural literature, it seems worthwhile to explore, and it would be fun to create one!

Aardema, V. (1975). Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears. New York, NY: Dial Press.

Hans my Hedgehog

Hans My Hedgehog retold by Kate Coombs, Illustrated by John Nickle

Traditional

This story is the retelling of a Grimm Brother's fairy tale. The original story is not very popular (at least that I'm aware of), making it an interesting choice for a fairy tale example. The author has a page at the end explaining the differences from the original story to her story, which I find extremely interesting. This could be something used in the classroom to demonstrate author's choices or simply to show how fairy tales change, not only from culture to culture but over time.

Coombs, K. (2012). Hans My Hedgehog. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Seven Blind Mice

Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young

Caldecott Honor/Traditional

This simple picture book tells the tale of 7 blind mice who live near a pond. When an elephant visits their pond, the mice try to figure out what it is, one at a time. Each of the mice only explores one part of the elephant and they all claim that it is something different. for example, the mouse who only feels the tail of the elephant believes it to be a rope. The final mouse explores the whole elephant, discovers what it is, and the moral of the story is "knowing in part may make a fine tale, but wisdom comes from seeing the whole".

This is a traditional story with a moral at the end. This book provides a great opportunities for talking about the morals of stories, and perhaps allowing students to write their own stories with morals. Books such as this one are also great for discussion, since the moral could potentially be understood in different ways by different students. The first standard in the Reading Standards for Literature K-5 involves refering to a text when answering questions or drawing inferences (RL.3/4/5.1). This standard could be implemented in a lesson with a simple read-aloud activity followed by a discussion of the story where students are required to cite details or examples from the story.

Young, E. (1992). Seven Blind Mice. New York, NY: Philomel Books.