I enjoyed the chapter book overall, and was appreciative of the overall theme. I feel that for an elementary level or middle school age student the book is very inspiring and the author really allows the reader to see the struggle or the 13 year old girl. The main character in the story goes through many trials and tribulations after losing her father and being forced to move. I think the book would be great for a guided reading lesson as you could tie many different topics into one book. you could focus on the theme/ moral, character traits, character motivation, even point of view. The book has endless opportunists to allow students to really dive into the text.
I do feel that the text however me be geared more towards girls. I don't feel that young boys wold enjoy the novel as much as girls would. After recognizing that, I think I would have to be very careful about how I approach this in my own class. I would also need to take into consideration the fact that some of the students in my class may have gone through a similar situation as the main character. I have found that there are multiple items hat need to be taken into account when it come so choosing texts.
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Giver is an award winning book that is known by many. I have been told that many have read it in school and enjoyed it, even considered it a classic, therefore, peaked my interest! The book certainly kept my attention and I feel it would of the same for a middle school or high school student. I enjoyed the fact that it was suspenseful in a sense that I wasn't sure what was going to happen next or why Jonas was the chosen one.
It talks about many controversial and touchy subjects. At first, I was surprised that it brought up such topics because the target audience for the book is a younger age. But then, as I read further I could see how the text is a great way for teachers to bring up such topics and have class discussions. The book dives into war, poverty, rules, and governance; all very deep and at times, controversial topics.
The novel itself is certainly under the category of science fiction. I was actually surprised how much I enjoyed the novel because science fiction is not something that I would look to read as a first choice. The novel really made me think with every page I turned. Whether it was the elimination of choices, pain, or fear it kept making me think even further about that topic. In my head I thought, "What if this is actually how our society was today?" I think it's great that the author allows you to create a picture in your head of the scenes yet still allows for a large amount of imagination and thinking into what that would really mean if this type of society or government were to come true. The text offers up a lot of opportunities for teachers to have children expand, write an alternate ending, or even to have students choose one of the controversial topics and write further about their opinions. Overall, I enjoyed the text and think it could be used in a multitude of ways throughout the classroom. The novel certainly deserved the award!
The Ugly Duckling by Isadora
Chika- Chika Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
The picture book is an extremely fun and creative way to introduce and enhance the learning of teh alphabet. Children will really be engaged throughout the entire story. I actually read this during a writing lesson once and the students absolutely loved it. The phrase " chika chika boom boom" is very repetitive and therefore, there is a good amount of repetition. It really made for a wonderful lesson because the students could chime in and repeat the phrase! I would say this is a classic picture book and a good one for every teacher to have in his or her classroom library!
Carmine, A Little More Red by Melissa Sweet
Balloons over Broadway; The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet
( Robert F. Sibert Medal )
Balloons Over Broadway is a tremendously crafted informational text with incredible illustrations that really ties the story together. It is the story of the puppeteer of the ever classic Macy's Parade. Students will be entertained while gaining knowledge when reading this text. The text has a great layout for being able to outline facts, timelines, details, and definitions. it is a very charming story that can be enjoyed by any age. I think the text is interesting in a sense that it uses multiple fonts and formats on each page. It is clear that Melissa Sweet wanted to illustrations to be just as important as the content of the book.
In the text she takes a familiar topic and a well - known annual event to another level. Melissa introduces the story of the creation of the balloons and puppets. She does this, while introducing and integrating valuable and worthy vocabulary. When reading her book, I noticed that many of the vocabulary words are even italicized, therefore they are easily picked out by students. I would recommend this book to any student or teacher, looking to gain knowledge while being entertained at the same time!
Just A Second, A Different Way to Look at Time by Steve Jenkins
When teaching students about time, never would I have thought in this manner! The book Just A Second, A Different Way to Look At Time by Steve Jenkins is a fabulous text that takes you through a journey of time while looking at it through multiple aspects. When someone normally thinks of time and how to tell time, one would just think about a clock and how to read it. I feel that when many teachers teach it in a classroom, we simply teach the minute hand and hour hand and sometimes that's just where it ends. However, Steve Jenkins takes telling time to a whole new place. He describes what time means in various aspects of life. For example, he notes how many times a hummingbird beats its wings in one second or how far a commercial jet cruises in that amount of time. The text is a perfect example of how one topic can be related to multiple subjects or even, every subject for that matter.
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