Baby Mouse

Holm, J and M.  (2005). Baby mouse queen of the world!  NY: Random Hosue. 

“It was the same thing everyday for Baby Mouse.”  Baby Mouse had the same routine everyday.  Her best friend is Wilson the Weasel.   At school, she wished she could be like Felicia Furry Paws.  She wanted to be popular and hang out with the popular crowd. She heard about a slumber party that Felicia was having, but she was not invited.  Anyone who was anyone would be there.  Baby Mouse would do anything to be invited.  She gave her cupcakes, a book, told her a funny joke, and gave her a compliment, but nothing worked.  While in class, the teacher asked them to turn in their book reports and Felicia did not have hers.  Felicia asked Baby Mouse for her report in an exchange to an invitation to her party and Baby Mouse agreed.  The day of the slumber party came and Baby Mouse was so excited.  Wilson the Weasel reminded Baby Mouse about watching Go Squid together and eating cupcakes at his house.  Baby Mouse didn’t know how to tell him she was going to the slumber party and hoped he wouldn’t get mad when she didn’t show up. At the party, Baby Mouse was so bored.  All the girls wanted to do was talk, have beauty lessons, and watch movies.  Baby Mouse realized that she missed Wilson and that her life was great.  She didn’t need to be like the others to have an amazing life, she was already a queen.  She decided to leave and go to Wilson's house. This book is a graphic book series.  It is written in comic book style using ink on paper and digital coloring to make the text come alive.  The plot is developed using illustrations as well.  Although the characters are fiction, the plot is one that a real child can relate to.   For some activities students can relate to go to:  http://www.randomhousekids.com/brand/babymouse-squish/activities/.

Lunch Lady

Krocoszka, J. Lunch lady and the author visit vendetta.   NY:  Random House.

Dee, Terrance, and Hector are excited because the author Lewis Scribson is visiting their school today.   Hector is a huge fan of the Flippy Bunny Books.  When they author gets there Coach Birkby introduces himself and the lunch lady brings him cookies.  He acts very strangely and even refuses to sign Hector’s book because it is torn.  After the author leaves, Terrance has soccer try-outs, but Coach Birkby doesn’t show up.  The lunch lady starts investigating and discovers that all the schools he has visited have coaches that have disappeared, so they decide to go to Mr. Scribson’s house.   Dee tells Hector that she is going to make him sign his book, so they decide to go to the author’s house as well.   There the lunch lady discovers that all the coaches that disappeared have been hypnotized to be servants.  The kids notice that as well.  They decide to make stinky sock balls and throw them at the coaches to reverse the hypnotism.  At the end, they capture him and make him sign the book. Terrance makes the soccer team and is the star.  This is a picture book that uses a comic style format.  The illustrations are drawn with ink on paper and digital coloring to make the text come alive in the readers mind.  The illustrations also help develop the plot of the story.   The following website offers some fun interactive activities students may enjoy: http://www.randomhousekids.com/brand/lunch-lady/activities/.

The Long Haul

Kinney, J. (2014).  Diary of a wimpy kid;  the long haul.  NY:  Amulet Books.

Greg and his brother were playing video games one summer day and mom walks in and tell them they are going on a summer vacation road trip.  They all pack their things, but they didn’t fit in the car.  They took their dad’s boat so that all their belonging that they were taking fit.  That night, they stopped at motel and wanted to get in the pool, but it was empty.  They saw a hot tub next to it but a family name the Beardos were in it.  Later that night, while they were trying to sleep they Beardos were making a lot of noise so Greg yelled at them.  The next day, they went to a fair and won a pig.  When it was time to sleep, they couldn’t take the pig into the hotel, so they sneaked it in.  The pig destroyed the hotel room and they had to pay more money for the repairs.  They left the pig at petting zoo.  The family keeps on having bad experiences on their road trip.  At the beach, a seagull flew in the car causing them to have an accident and ruining the car’s radiator. They decided to go to the waterpark and thought they had lost the key to the locker.  When they opened the locker, all their things were gone including their money and credit cards.  They decided to go home since they couldn’t fix the radiator, they only put a sealant on it.  On the way home, the tarp on the boat opened and everything started to fly out.  When they got home, Greg found the key in his pocket and that they had opened the wrong locker.  The style Kinney uses is cartoon-like white and black illustrations to connect with the text that is written.  Its humorous comedy entertains the reader and will make you laugh. You can have students write a personal narrative of a funny story they have experienced.

Rules

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

Catherine is a twelve year old girl who has an autistic brother.  She is struggling in finding her own place in life.  To try to help her brother understand better, Catherine has made some rules for her brother.   During the summer, her best friend leaves to visit her dad in California.  This summer she has a new neighbor moving in next door that she hopes they can become really good friends.  Catherine also meets Jason at the OT clinic, a fifteen year old boy who is in a wheelchair and can only communicate through cards.  She forms relationships with both of them.  Kristi is a “cool” girl and Catherine is scared she will lose her friendship because of her brother.  She develops a friendship with Jason by making him cards with words or phrases.  One time, she even show Jason how running feels like by racing him around the parking lot while he is in his wheelchair.  Kristi decides to invite her to a dance and tell her to bring her friend Jason.  Catherine hasn’t told her that Jason is in a wheelchair and can’t speak.  Meanwhile, Jason invites her on the same day to a party.  She decides to go Jason’s party and uses it as an excuse not to go with Kristi.  During Jason’s party, he hears about the dance and asks Catherine to go with him.  She is hesitant because of his disability and this makes him upset.  Catherine apologizes and takes him to the dance.  There she finds out who her real friend is and that’s Jason.  Jason and Catherine dance.  The experience dealing with her brother and Jason cause her to mature and find a balance in her life.  She can’t wait until her friend Melissa gets back to tell her about her summer.   This is a realistic fiction book dealing with a girl who needs to find herself because she lives with a brother with autism and is trying to fit in.  The style this book was written was in chapters, each chapter it titled with a phrase/rule dealing with relationships.  In today’s society, more children are feeling and dealing with the same issues as Catherine.  As a teacher, you may discuss with students how every family has their own issues to deal with.  You may have them write about a  situation they may have had to deal with and how they overcame it.  

Rapunzel's Revenge

Hale, S. (2008). Rapunzel's revenge.  NY: Bloomsbury.

Rapunzel is a young girl who was raised by Mother Gothel.  She lived in a grand villa, as she got older he began to wonder what might be behind the other side of the villa.  Rapunzel was curious and adventurous and found a way to get over the wall.  On the other side of the wall, she found misery and desolation.  There she met women who was dressed in rags.  This women turns out to be Rapunzel’s real mom.  Rapunzel confronts Mother Gothel.  She imprisons her in tall magical tree far away.  While she is in the tree, her hair grows so long that she is able to use it to escape.  She uses her hair as a rope, swings it to a tree, and escapes.  She runs into a thief named Jack and his moose.  Together they go through an adventure to get back to the villa where she can confront Gothel and save her mother.  At the end, she rescues her mother and Gothel is destroyed by her own magic.  This fairytale is rewritten in comic book style.   It has colorful and magical illustrations that allow the reader to feel what they are reading.  Students can compare the original version to this version.  They can discuss in a group, make a product to show their comparisons, and present it to the class.  

Skulduggery Pleasant

Landry, D. (2007).  Skulduggery Pleasant. NY:  HarperCollins.

Stepnanie’s uncle Gordon Edgley dies and leave her his mansion.  As Stephanie is spending the night alone in the mansion, she is attacked by a strange man. The man is after a key that Stephanie has, but she refuses to get it.  Mr. Skulduggery arrives on time to save her, while uses a fireball that he makes with his fingers.  Mr. Skulduggery is a skeleton, but is disguised with a hat, scarf, wig, and sunglasses.  After Stephanie realizes that her uncle was murdered, they join forces against vampires and the undead to investigate his death.  Through their investigation, they discovered that her uncle had found an ancient weapon that was used by the Sceptre of the Ancients, who are the first sorcerers.  The “key” was a brooch left by her uncle to his brother’s wife.  At the end, she chooses to change her name to Valkyrie Cain and leave her old self to stay in the magical community.

This a high fantasy story that involves setting that were not realistic.  It had magic, vampires, skeletons, mystery, and horrors.  It was a fun book with humor in it. There is a great resource on the book for students.  Go to: http://www.skulduggerypleasant.co.uk/assets/schools/Exploring_Character_Skulduggery.pdf.  

The Bridge of Terabithia

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

Jess is a young eleven year old boy who lives in a town called Lark Creek.  He had a hard family life.  He feels like he does not belong in his family.   Jess likes to run and draw, but knows that his dad would not take well to that.  It was the beginning of 5th grade, and he was very excited to go back to school and be the fastest runner there.  All of sudden, a girl named Leslie outruns him and the other boys.  Jess and Leslie became very good friends.  They go to the woods and make a fantasyland called Terabithia.  There they both forget their troubles and Leslie introduces Jess to the world of imagination and creativity, which helps him with this artistic side.    Jess tells Leslie about all his insecurities and somehow being in Terabithia strengthens them.  Leslie likes to tell him stories as well.  During Easter time, it had been raining a lot, so Jess did not think it was safe to go to Terabithia.  He got invited to the museum by one of his teachers.  After having one of the best days of his life, he comes home and they tell him that Leslie had drowned in the creek when she was swinging across it.  Jess was very devastated and did not know how he will go on without her.  He eventually realizes what he had learned from Leslie and continues to go back to Terabithia.  There he builds a bridge and makes his little sister Mary Bell the new queen.  He knows that a part of Leslie will always live on there.  This is a contemporary realism book.  This book has a lot of symbolism in it.  It deals with family, friendships, life, death, and even a fantasy world.   The story is well organized and structured to flow and make the reader want to keep reading.  There is so many ways a teacher can incorporate this book, especially while teaching story elements. You can have students compare and contrast the settings of  Lars Creek and Terabithia, discuss the plot of the story, or discuss the characters and their traits.  There are endless possibilities with this story. 

Out of My Mind

Draper, S. (2010).  Out of my mind.  NY: Atheneum.

Melody is an eleven year old girl who has cerebral palsy.  She cannot speak, but is very intelligent.  She gets very frustrated to the fact that she cannot communicate with anyone or let them know how intelligent she really is.  She feels trapped in her own body.   A doctor diagnosed her with mentally handicap and retarded.  He suggested the parent put her in a special institute.  Her mom was so appalled by his suggestion, she yelled at him.  Her parents decided to put her in Spaulding Elementary School.  There they placed her in a special unit year after year.  She learned the same thing every day, and was bored.  She even said she learned more from the Discovery Channel than at school.  In 5^th grade, they placed her in an inclusion class.  However, the kids were not that accepting of her at first.  An aide in her class named, Catherine, told her parents about a special computer called the Medi-Talker.   Melody started communicating through this machine.  She started surprising everyone on how intelligent she really was.  Melody made it to the “Whiz Kids” team.  She helped them win and they were going to Washington DC to represent their state.  Melody was so excited, but she was not able to attend because her flight was cancelled due to bad weather.  All the other students had left at an earlier flight and didn’t tell her about the weather.  She felt disappointed and hurt once more.  The story ends how it began, with a girl who felt “out of her mind.”  This story is a realistic fiction, the characters, setting, and plot all can be realistic and it deals with a child who is disabled.  This book has a topic that relates to many special children and their struggles in everyday life.  There are special children that feel just like Melody does “trapped in their own body.”    In a lesson, you may discuss Melody’s character traits.  You can find evidence in the book to support it.  You may also have students use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast themselves to Melody.  

The Watsons Got To Birmingham

Curtis, C.P. (1995).  The Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963. NY:  Delacorte.

Kenny Watson is a ten year old boy who tells a story about his family.  Kenny and his family live in Flint, Michigan with his parents, his older brother, Byron, and his little sister, Joetta.  The Watsons love to make each other laugh and always got into weird situations.   Byron is a juvenile delinquent and a big bully.  He is always getting into trouble.  Byron is causing so much trouble that his parents are having trouble raising him.  They decide to take Byron to Birmingham, Alabama to stay with Grandma Sands.  She is very strict, and they hope that she will be able to set Byron straight.  Going to the South is a change of life style for the family.  The South was still very much into segregation during the Civil Rights Movement.  While in Alabama, they Watson’s experience violence when a church was bombed.  The family thought their young daughter, Joey, was there.  They all ran to see if she was there, but they couldn’t find her.  She had gone to the whirlpools with her brother Kenny.  Kenny had left her behind because he thought that “Wool Pool” had gotten her.  When he got back, he heard about the church bombing.  All of a sudden, Joey shows up. Kenny started acting  strange like hiding behind couches and not talking.  It was guilt for having left Joey behind.  Byron started changing and became a caring older brother.  He even helped Kenny come out of his depression. This book is more of a historical fiction book.  It incorporates the Civil Rights Movement and how a family was impacted by it.  The following website includes some activities that can be implemented in class with your students after reading this book:  http://www.walden.com/watsons-go-to-birmingham-7-creative-classroom-activities/.

How They Croaked

Bragg, G. (2011). How they croaked:  The awful end of the awfully famous.  NY: Walker.

This book is about how 19 famous people in the past spend their last days.  It retells 19 gory stories of their awful death before the modern medicine we have today. From King Tut to George Washington, Beethoven, Marie Antionette, Henry VIII, and many more, their deaths are described in gory, yet humorous detail.  Several of these famous people might have survived if they lived in our modern world.  For example, George Washington instead of getting blood drained from his body to bleed to death, he should have been given antibiotics. Beethoven had a horrific death, from pneumonia, a hole being drilled in his stomach without any pain medicine, a hose being placed in his stomach, to the infection that killed him was an unnecessary way to die.  The author also describes how Marie Antionette and Henry VIII were executed.  Braggs cites various sources with more books and websites to look at.  She also charts how all these lives are intersected in some way.  The style and design used was gory, humorous detail by the author and th illustrator used cartoon like illustrations to highlight their death.   Each chapter begins with a clever title, a tombstone that includes place, date of birth and death, and age of death.  This book combines science and history in a unique manner to captivate the reader.   In a lesson, students may pick a character from the book and create a collage of information about them using the same style of writing and illustrations used in the book. 

It's So Amazing

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

It’s So Amazing is a book that answers questions that children ask and that parents don’t like to answer.  The characters Bird and Bee address questions that children about the age of 7 and older have about sex, sexuality, reproduction, and babies.  It begins with a male and female parts diagram showing the differences between them.  Then it shows the growth stages in order and what happens during each stage.  It begins with puberty, to love, sex, pregnancy, delivery, and genetics.    The Bird and the Bee appear and comment on topics using two perspective and  shows the different emotions children might have.   To make the story more appealing, the author uses a comic strip style approach.  To make it age appropriate, they made cartoon like illustrations.  This is a book that children and both parents can enjoy together.   It was organized very well, it followed a sequence through-out the book.  After reading the book, students may create a comic strip of their own using a topic in the book that interested them the most.  

We Are the Ships

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

This is about talented Black Americans who had a dream to play professional baseball.   They were not allowed to play in the Major League, so they decided to organize a Negro National League.  The league consisted of 8 teams.  Rube decided run the league.  He gave this league dignity and set a standard for things to come.  In 1924, the First Colored World Series was held in Kansas City.  Players faced segregation and discrimination most of the time. They had a rough life playing baseball in the Negro League, but it was something they loved.  It was expensive to own a team and run the league. Many owners made their money in the numbers business.  In 1930, J.L. Wilkson’s Negro team was the first one to play a night game.  They had the first portable lighting system.  They had many All Star players in the league like Norman “Turkey” Stearnes who had the most home runs.  Oscar Charleston one of the best players of all time, no pitch was bad for him, he would always hit the ball.  Many great Negro players went unnoticed.  When they played against the Major Leagues, they would win 60% of the time.  Both leagues learned from each other.  In 1944, after 25 years the Major League Commissioner died and they appointed A.B. “Happy” Chandler.  He integrated the players and made it possible for Negros to play in the Major League.  After Jackie Robinson joined the Majors, the Negro League started to fade.  People would travel to see the Major League play.  This made it possible for great Negro players to play in the Majors and change the game of baseball.  The author organizes this story in “innings.”  Each “inning” opens with a quote from a player.   The illustrations that Nelson painted were detailed, colorful, and realistic.  The author’s information was accurate, he interviewed players, saw documentaries, and did research on the Negro League and players.  You may integrate reading and social studies with this book.  You may teach main idea and details for each chapter, text features, or even a social studies lesson on segregation and how times have changed. 

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

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

This book is written in 17 short plays that took place during the  Middle Ages in an English manor in 1255. It introduces twenty-two characters, such as maidens, monks, shepherds, a plowboy, and many more.  Each character has their own story to tell about their life.  There is Hugo, the Lord’s nephew who had to kill a boar to prove his manhood.  Taggot is the blacksmith’s daughter who feels she is ugly, fat, and that there is no one for her.  There is Alice, the shepherdess, her mother died and is raised by sheep.  She calls them mother and sister.  Mogg is the villein’s daughter, who gets a lesson about saving a cow from the greedy landlord.  These short plays were written by Schlitz, a librarian.  She wrote the book for students who were learning about Middle Ages.   These plays help them experience how children lived during the medieval time.  This is a historical picture book play and the author uses monologues and dialogues to allow students to be able to star in each play.  She also used footnotes to give information about the characters.  The illustrator used a pen-and-ink  drawings to capture beauty of the characters and setting.   You can have your students act out one of the plays.  You can create props and costumes.  

The Graveyard Book

Gaiman, N. (2008). The graveyard book.  NY:  HarperCollin.

This story is family who is murdered by the man Jack.  The only survivor was a toddler boy who escapes by his curiosity.  He had crawled out of his bed to explore and ended up on a hill graveyard.    Nobody Owens best known as Bod is raised by ghosts who find him.  He is granted freedom in the graveyard.  He is able to pass through solid objects, this is called “fading.”    The man Jack continues to search for him, so he prohibited to leave the graveyard. Silas is Bod’s guardian and mentor.  As he grows up, he has many adventures.  At the age of four, he meets a girl names Scarlett.   Her parents convince her that he is just an imaginary friend. During an adventure, her parents think she has disappeared and have cops look for her in the graveyard.    When she gets back, they decide to move to Scotland.  When he is six years old, he is introduced to Miss Lupescu.  She teaches him how to call out in a language for help, which is helpful when ghouls capture him and want to kill him.  After learning about his parent’s murder, he wants revenge.  He signs up for regular school and promises to keep a low key, but that doesn’t happen when he tries to show some bullies a lesson.  At the age of fourteen, Scarlett comes back and is in Bod’s life again.  One day she gets on the wrong bus and ends up at the graveyard.  While she was there she meets Mr. Frost and he offers her a ride home.  Mr. Frost becomes involved in the lives of Scarlett and her mother.  Bod starts to tell Scarlett more about himself and how his parents were murdered.  Since Mr. Frost is a historian, she tells him about Bod’s parents and he says he will investigate it.  One day, he asks Scarlett to bring Bod to the house because he had some information.  While they are there, Mr. Frost tells Bod that he is the man Jack that murdered his parents.  They try to escape, but five Jacks follow them to the graveyard.  There he defeats them.  Scarlett thinks he is a monster because he killed Jack.  Silas takes her home and erases her memory.  He convinces her mom to move back to Scotland.  When Bod is fifteen, he starts to lose his Graveyard powers.  Silas gives him money, a passport, and big dreams to leave the graveyard.  This is a fantasy ghost story that takes place in the real world.   The plot starts off realistic with a family being murdered, but quickly turns fantasy when the toddler escapes and ends up in a graveyard with ghosts.  The imagery the author uses lets us paint a vivid pictures of the various setting of the story.  You may do various activities with this story.  Here is a link that you may use: http://trinabright.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/2/6/13260984/the_graveyard_book_teacher_guide.pdf.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Selznick, B. (2007).  The invention of Hugo Cabret. NY: Scholastic.

Hugo Cabret was an orphan boy who's father was a clock maker.  His father passed away in a museum fire. His father at time was working on a broken automaton.  After the fire, Hugo manged to get it and a notebook his dad had on how to fix the automaton.  He went under the care of his uncle who maintained the clocks at a train station in Paris.  His uncle was a drunkard and disappeared.  Since his uncle went missing, he decided to keep the clocks running at the station so that he will have a place to live. His life was dedicated to fix the automaton his dad had left.  Hugo believed once he fixed it, it would give him a message from his dad.  To fix  the automaton, he would steal parts from a toy booth there at the station.  One day, he got caught stealing a mouse toy from the booth.  A man named Georges Melies caught him. As he makes Hugo empty out all his pockets, he takes his father's notebook from him.  He asks for his notebook back, but George refused to  give it to him.  George gives him a second chance and asks him to work for him at the booth.  There he meets his goddaughter named Isabelle.  Hugo and Isabelle become friends.  She also introduces him to one of her friends named Etienne. While working for George, Hugo was intrigued on his card tricks.  They begin to have a good relationship.   One day Isabelle decides to steal the notebook from her godfather.  He automatically assumes it was Hugo who stole it and makes him leave the toy booth.  While Hugo is leaving, he decides to hug Isabelle good-bye and snatches the key  necklace she is wearing.  It was the shape of the back of the automaton.  She follows him as he runs away and demands her necklace back.  As he puts the key on the automaton, it begins to draw a picture of a film his dad loved.  The film was called  A Trip to the Moon and signs the name Georges Melies on the paper.    He starts to wonder how the key that Isabelle had is connected to the automaton. They go back to the apartment and confront Mama Jeanne.  She tells them to go away, but they continue to snoop around and find some pictures. George was very ill with fever, so they decide to keep running the toy booth to get money for his medications,  Hugo, still curious,  goes to the library to do some research and there he sees Etienne again.  Etienne was working under Monsieur Tabard.  They helped him find some books and discovers that George is a famous Film Maker and that people think he is dead. Hugo invites Etienne and Monsieur Tabard to George's house without telling Mama Jeanne.  Mama Jeanne asks them to leave because George had put that part of his life in the past.  Finally, they get George to watch the films. After watching the films, George tells them about his past in the film industry.  Hugo then goes to get the automaton from the station.  There he hears about how they had found his uncle dead in a river.  As he hears the news, he drops the milk he had in his hand.  Madame Emile and Monsieur Frick yell that he is a thief.  The station inspector chases him and catches him.  Hugo tries to escape, but  is not successful.  George comes to his rescue and takes him to live with him.  Six months later, they go to the French Film Academy, where they honor George Melies.  While they were there, Isabella was taking pictures and Hugo was doing magic tricks.  From that day, he became a famous magician named  Professor Alcofrisbas.
The author used illustrations as a very important part of his storytelling.  The story is both told by the words and pictures.  The author uses imagery and symbolism to capture the readers attention. The theme of the story is that dreams can be achieved when you set your mind to it.  You may use these interactive activities in your classroom to bring the book to life:  https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/activity/invention-hugo-cabret-flashlight-readers-activity.

Dear Mr. Henshaw

Cleary, B. (1983). Dear Mr. Henshaw. NY. Morrow.

Leigh is young boy.  When he was in 2nd grade his teacher read him a book called Ways to Amuse a Dog.  He loved the book, so he started writing to the author Mr. Henshaw.  He continues to write to him and Mr. Henshaw responds.  When he gets to 6th grade, the teacher asks him to write to an author.  Leigh of course chose Mr. Henshaw, his favorite author. He writes to him and asks him some questions.  Mr. Henshaw's responses were humorous.   When Mr. Henshaw wrote back, he had a list of questions for Leigh.  At first, Leigh was reluctant to answer them.  His mom made him to respond to the questions.  As he answered the questions, he started writing on how he felt about his parents divorce, how his dad made him feel because he never was there for him,  He also wrote about how he felt at a new school and how someone kept stealing his lunch.  Mr. Henshaw encouraged him to start a diary.  At first, Leigh didn't know how to start it, so he started pretending he was writing to Mr. Henshaw.   In his diary, he starts sharing  his daily feelings.  He is especially angry at his dad. H e feels like his dad abandoned them for his job, his  dad leaves his dog, Bandit, behind and loses at one of his truck stops, doesn't call when he says he will, and is always referring to him as kid.  As Leigh continues to write in his diary, his writing skills develop.   He still occasionally still writes to Mr. Henshaw.  Leigh wants to become an author and asks Mr. Henshaw for advice on writing because he is entering a writing contest.  He wins a spot to meet another famous author and is excited when they call him an author as well. At end, his dad comes to visit and he brings his Bandit back.  He accepts that his parents are not getting back together. The style Clearly writes this story is in letters and diary entry form. The character and plot is developed through Leigh's writing. You may have a lesson on parts of a letter and how to write a letter.  Students can chose someone important to them to write a letter to.

Hitler Youth

Bartoletti, S. (2005).  Hitler Youth.  NY: Scholastic.

Hitler Youth is a book about how young boys and girls followed the Nazi party and Hitler.   This group was started in 1922 and  by 1939 it had grown to have at least 7 million members.Hitler Youth was made to indoctrinate them to their beliefs. Boys and girls had to go through physical fitness tests.  They ran, swam, played baseball, and hiked.  They had to pass background checks to make sure their family were loyal to the Nazi Party.  At the age of fourteen, they were allowed to join Hilterjugend until they were eighteen years old.  There they showed them the military ways. As Germans were facing hard time, they blamed the Jews.  Germans started persecuting the Jews.  On November 9-10, 1938 became know as Kristallacht.  During these days, Jews were murdered, attacked, and their businesses were destroyed. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps to work and then murdered.
This story not only talked about the youth in Hitler Youth, but also former Hitler Youth who got out and wanted people to know the truth about the Nazi's. They were known as the White Rose group.   Hans, Sophie, and Probst were all beheaded due to their resistance activity against Hilter.   Hitler Youth were used in many battles and they fought until the bitter end.  They were made to go back to the concentration camps and witness what had happen during the holocaust.  They had to live with themselves and the things they had done. The book ends with an epilogue of what happened to some of the people. This is an informational book that uses organization, design, and style.  The Bartoletti connected her writing with the photographs through-out the book. She did lots of research using many kinds sources.  She even went museum and traveled to Germany to experience it personally   She wanted the information in the book to be written in a powerful, heart-wrenching way that leads to important facts and events during that time.  While we are reading, we are able to feel the emotions of the people in the book.  To learn more about this go to: http://www.ushmm.org/.  If you ever have any spare time , visit the Holocaust Museum.  It is an experience you will never forget.
 

Rosa

Giovanni, N. (2005).  Rosa. NY: Holt.

Rosa worked as seamstress.  One day they were done with their work for the day, so her boss let her go home early.  She went to the bus stop and sat down on the neutral section.  While she was sitting, the bus driver asked her to move.  She refused, because she was tired of all segregation, they arrested her.  The people came together and agreed that Martin Luther King Jr. should speak for them. They agreed to boycott the buses and walk.  After almost a year, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was wrong.  The events that happened paved the way for the Civil Rights Movement.
The author organized this book very well.  The order in which the events happened  blend very well with the story.  The design of the illustrations in book were appropriate to the text. You are able to visualize what is happening in the story.   It complimented the text and conveyed what the author was saying in a clear, effective way.  After reading this story, you may have students write a newspaper article on Rosa Parks stating their facts of the events in Rosa Parks life.

This Is Not My Hat

Klassen, J. (2012). This is not my hat.  Boston, MA:  Candlewick.

A tiny fish steals a hat from a big fish.  He knows it is wrong, but has decided to keep it.  He thinks he has gotten away with it.  He decides to go where the plants are big and tall and thinks no one will find him.  On his way, a crab sees him and tells the big fish.  The big fish finds him in the plants.  The big fish comes out with the hat and the fate of the little fish is left up to the reader to decide. The composition of this book works together to bring this book to life.  The color of dark illustrations show the mysterious ocean. The texture of the book has more of a digital illustration effect to stimulate the reader's mind.  You can teach children about  plot in this story.  For younger readers, you may use a plot graphic organizer with somebody, wanted, but, so, then.  After they fill it out, they can write a summary using the information.

The Underneath

Appelt, K. (2008).  The underneath. NY:  Simon and Schuster.

Calico Cat was abandoned by his family.  He was left on the side of the road on the  border of Texas and Louisiana in a forest where the Sabine River sits.  When Calico Cat heard Ranger, a hound dog,  hound, she saw a small frame house.  There Ranger was chained up by his owner Gar Face.  Although, they are not suppose to like each other, they became friends. Ranger had Calico Cat hide underneath the house. There she has two twin kittens named Puck and Sabine.  Gar Face was a mean drunk man who would occasionally feed Ranger and mistreat him. Ranger would share his food with the cats when he was fed.  Gar Face wanted to hunt Alligator King. Ranger knew that if  Gar Face saw the kittens, he would use them as bait.  One day, Puck went out and Gar Face saw him.  He took Calico Cat and Puck to the river and threw them in.  They both escaped, but Calico Cat died and made Puck promise that he would go back to rescue his sister Sabine and Ranger.  He has a long journey back through the forest.  In the forest, there lived, Grandmother Moccasin, who was a mystical creature.  She was bitter and is filled with hatred over the events in her life.  She has been trapped in a jar for thousands of years.  Sabine is seen by Gar Face and captured. Ranger attack Gar Face and bites him on the leg.  Gar Face seeks revenge and takes both Sabine and Ranger to be used as bait to catch the Alligator King. Puck finally finds his way back to the house and realizes that Ranger and Sabine are in danger.  He follows the blood and smell back into the forest.  As Gar Face is about to use Ranger as bait, Sabine jumps on his and scratches his face.  Through the struggle, Alligator King ends up eating Gar Face.  Finally, they all reunite, but from on top a tree Grandmother was watching them.  She saw the love between them and finally let go of all her hatred.  She released Ranger from his chains. They were all free and reunited.  This is a  fantasy book that uses both realistic and mythical creatures.   The characters, setting, and plot are all well-developed by the author.  As you read this book, the authors gives great detail to the setting.  You can visualize every word you are reading.  The plot shows the journey of the characters that intertwine between realistic events and mystical events.  The story is very descriptive and keeps you engaged.  You can teach students the different emotions felt in this book and have them write a poem about an emotion they are feeling.

Magic Windows

Garza, C.L. (1999). Magic windows. San Francisco, CA: Children's Book Press. 

In this book, Garza shows us papel picado (cut-paper art) is like magic window.  This type of art has a long history in Mexico.  She learned it as a young child.  Through her art, she explores her family culture, holidays like Dia de los Muertos,  beliefs and traditions in her community, and ancestors. Garza shows the Mexican culture through the art she learned to make.  She continues to teach this form of art to the younger generations.  This is a picture book autobiography that used design, accuracy, and style.  She has lived the Mexican tradition and experienced them personally.  The design of the art work of papel picado (cut-out paper art) exhibits her own artful appearance as an artist. The pictures invite and communicate what the Garza is trying to portray about her life.   The style text the author used in this book is English and Spanish.  She expresses herself beautifully through this book.  You can teach a social studies lesson on family cultural and traditions.  You can have students compare and contrast it to their own family culture and traditions. 

Spiders

Bishop, N. (2007). Spiders. New York: Scholastic

Nonfiction.

Bishop shares some amazing and  astonishing information about spiders.  He describes spiders physical characteristics, their defense mechanisms, how they eat, and live in their natural habitat. Spiders were one of the first predators on land and still exist today.  Bishop is a biologist and photographer.  He went to many destinations to learn about spiders and photograph them. He even cared for some at home. This is an informational photo essay book.   This photo-rich book captures the attention of readers.   The pictures Bishop takes are colorful and beautifully taken.  He documents the photos with text on every page.  You may teach a lesson in reading on text features.  The use text features in Spiders such as bold print, colored text, big text, photos, captions, glossary, and index are a vital tool in helping children comprehend what they are reading in this nonfiction book. 

The Legend of the Bluebonnet

                                    

     DePaola, T. (1983) The Legend of the Bluebonnet: An Old Tale of Texas. NY: Putnam. 

     She-Who-Is-Alone is little Native American girl.  She lived in a time of drought and famine, which she lost her family to.  Her only valued possession that she has left is her doll.  She loved her doll very much.  She offers her doll as a sacrifice to the spirits to order them to forgive her tribe for their selfishness.  The next day the land is filled with bluebonnets and it starts to rain.  From that day, the people called her One-Who-Dearly-Loved-Her- People.  Now every spring, the spirits remember her sacrifice and fill the fields with bluebonnets in Texas.  This is the legend of the bluebonnets.  The author used culture markers in this story.  The illustrations in the story showed how Native Americans looked. Her hair was long, black, and wore it down.  She wore an earth tone colored fringe dress, and she lived in a teepee. The words and text also showed culture.  Her name was She -Who-Is-Alone.  The story also talked about Great Spirits, sacrifices, and the Earth.  Students may write a short story on their most valued possession and explain why.

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach

— Deedy, C. A. (2007).  Martina, the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree. 

Martina the Cockroach lives in a Havana and now that she is 21 days old, she is ready to get married.  She has to find suitors.  Her Abuela wants her give them The Coffee Test.  She wants her to spill coffee on their shoe and see their reaction.  This test will show their true colors.  After Don Gallo, Don Cerdo, Don Lagarto all fail the test, she finally meets Perez.  Before she could do The Coffee test on him, he does it on her. They both fell in love with each other.  This picture book uses its setting, plot, style, and illustrations to capture the readers attention.  It has a beautiful and colorful illustrations. The colors were used to convey the emotions of the characters.  The setting and plot were very important to how the characters were developed in the story.  The style of language that is used is Spanish is to accent Cuban culture.  Deedy even used some wordplay in the book, which added humor.  Students may listen to the story and read along on:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woIWfPwuOtw.  You may also use the story to introduce folktales to your students in a social studies lesson. 

Where the Wild Things Are

     Sendak, M.(1963). Where the wild things are. New York: Harper Collins. 

      The story is about a boy named Max. He has a wolf costume on and was acting mischievous around his house.  Max gets sent to his room without supper.  He starts to imagine his room is a jungle.  He sails to an island where he meets the Wild Things.   They tried to scare Max, but he is the one that intimated them.  The Wild Things made him king.  They start playing together.  Max after a while, sends them to bed without dinner.  Suddenly, Max realized that he misses home and decides to return.  In his bedroom, he had his hot supper waiting for him.  The author uses the theme of anger in this book. Max gets angry and starts to imagine a world around him.  He starts to have a mischievous party with the Wild Things as his anger escalates.  When he realizes how much he loves and misses his mom, his anger subsides.  You can have a lesson with children on how to deal with their emotions in a healthy way.   

It's a Book

—

Smith, L. (2011).  It's a book. NY: Roaring Brook. 

Monkey is reading a book.  Donkey is sitting in front of him watching him read.  He starts asking monkey if the book can scroll down, tweet, text, does it need a password, can it wifi, ect.  Monkey keeps repeating "It's a Book."  Monkey finally asks Donkey if he wants to see it.  Donkey gets the book, starts reading it, and  keeps it for a long time.  As the time changes on the clock, he is so engaged in what he is reading, he won't give the book back to Monkey.  At the end, the book wins over technology.  This is a picture book that uses shape to convey the actions in the book.  Smith uses 2D dimensional shapes in this book.  When the donkey is reading the book you can see how the shape of his pointy ears change as as the times passes.  This show the reader his reactions to different sections of the book he is reading.  The monkey has more of a round, big head.  He also used different shapes on the clocks, books, couch, as well as the mouse that is hiding under Monkey's hat.  You can use this book in a Social Studies lesson on how technology has changed over time in the world we live in and how our mind has adapted to that change as well.  Students can discuss how a hard covered book vs an eBook  or technology today has its pros/cons.  

The Three Pigs

Wiesner, David. (2001). The Three Pigs. New York: Clarion.

The three pigs begin by telling their story the classic way.  They were at their houses made of straws, sticks, and bricks, while the wolf was trying to blow them down.  All of sudden, they tear out the page of their story and make it into an airplane. They use the airplane to travel  to different fairytales and land there.  They land in a fairytale with a dragon in it.  They take the dragon home to live in the brick house with them.  The dragon protects them from the wolf and they live happily ever after.  The author uses texture in the story to enhance and stimulate the imagination of the reader. He starts off by using a 2D classic illustration to media illustration, which is 3D,  as the setting changes through-out the story.  You can read the original version of the story to your students.   Students can compare and contrast it to The Three Pigs in a Venn Diagram.  Students can then make text to text connections. 

Mirror Mirror

—  Singer, M. (2010). Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse. New NY: Dutton.

This is a poetry book about classic fairy tales that we all love.  It is called reverso poetry.  It shows both characters sides to the story.  The poems  and illustrations mirror each other.  One poem is written going down and the other poem is reversed up.  The illustrator used lines, colors, and shapes to show how the story mirrors itself.  Its great detail of the composition unifies the book so that readers can enjoy the clever writing of the author.  This book can be used to teach point of view.  Students may write their own poem, then reverse it to see the other characters point of view.  

A Big Guy Took My Ball

Williams, M. (2013). A big guy took my ball!  NY:  Hyperion

Gerald and Piggie are best friends.  Some big guy takes Piggies ball.  Piggie was upset.  Gerald was big too, so he decided to go get the ball.  The big guy was even bigger than Gerald.  The big guy was so big, he  felt sad because no one would play with him.  They all played together in the end with the ball and had big fun. This is a picture book that creates a mood by the lines and style he used.  The author changes the size of his words depending on the mood of the characters. This shows how the characters are feeling at the moment.  You may read along with the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9ZgZg4JcS8.

Balloons Over Broadway

Sweet, M., & Newborn, R. (2011). Balloons over Broadway: The true story of the puppeteer of Macy's Parade. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

Tony Sarg as a young boy loved to make things move. As a young child he started making marionettes.  When he got older he move to New York City were he started performing on Broadway with his marionettes.  One day he was asked to design a "puppet parade" for Macy's.  Everyone was so amazed by this that they asked him to create more for a parade based on street carnivals from all over the world.    The first parade was on Thanksgiving Day in 1924. It was very successful,  so they decided to continue the tradition.  He made all kinds of balloons that flew into the air for everyone to see. Today, there is still the tradition of Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and people line up to see the most amazing balloons that float in the air.  This book is a picture book biography.  Sweet did an excellent job in creating the mixed media style in her book.  She even included 3D elements in her book. This picture book biography will entice young readers with pictures, while learning about Tony Sarg.  Students may design their own parade balloon using small balloons by taping them. When they are done, they may write an expository on how they make the parade balloon.