Speak

Bibliography
Anderson, Laurie Halse. 1999. SPEAK. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0374371524

Plot Summary
The summer before Miranda's freshman year in high school she meets Andy at a party.  Miranda is raped by Andy and she calls 911 but is unable to speak of the incident so she hangs up on 911.  The cops arrive at the party and actually make some arrests.  Miranda is shunned for calling the cops and does not speak to anyone of the incident.  She looses her friends and becomes depressed and distant.  She meets a new girl named Heather who later ditches her for the popular group "The Marthas."  She later befriends her lab partner, David Petrakis, who encourages her to speak up.  Andy attacks her again in an old janitor closet which is her "safe place" at school and that's when the truth comes out about what happened at the party.  As the students realize the truth  they no longer treat Miranda as an outcast but as a hero instead.  
   
Critical Analysis
This novel is definitely for a young adult to high school reader.  The theme of Speak is finding one's voice.  This can also be viewed as speaking out against violence and abuse.  This is an issue way too many young women deal with in today's society.  The author did a great job in encouraging other to speak up if ever encountered with this problem.  The author uses text features like lists, subheadings, and spaces between paragraphs.  These features allow the reader to see what Miranda is really struggling with. 


Awards and Review Excerpts
Awards
ALA Best Book for Young Adults
ALA Top-10 Best Book For Young Adults
ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults
Edgar Allan Poe Award finalist
IRA Young Adult Choice
Junior Library Guild Selection
National Book Award Finalist

Reviews
Review in Kirkus Reviews
"The plot is gripping and the characters are powerfully drawn, but it is its raw and unvarnished look at the dynamics of the high school experiences that makes this a novel that will be hard for readers to forget."

Review in Horn Book
"An uncannily funny book even as it plumbs the darkness, Speak will hold readers from first word to last."

Connections
1) Asking students to write about a moment that they felt like they could not "speak" of what was going on in their life. 
2) Brainstorm ideas of who they can speak to if they are ever encountered with a problem.
3) Students develop, plan, and name an organization or group that helps those in need.  Their organization may be for abused women or homeless veterans. 

Flora and Ulysses

BIBLIOGRAPHY

DiCamillo, K. (2013).  Flora And Ulysses. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN# 9780763660406.

 

PLOT SUMMARY

Flora got the surprise of a lifetime...and it all started with a vacuum cleaner that the neighbor Mrs. Tickham had received.  This super powerful vacuum cleaner sucks up everything in sight including a squirrel.  This squirrel gains super powers like the ability to learn to type and write poems.  Flora rescues the squirrel and names him Ulysses.  Flora is thrilled with her new friend but her mom is less than excited about this creature.  This could not have happened at a better time for Flora's parents got a divorce and  Flora missed her dad tremendously.  She had a special understanding with her dad and they shared a love for comic book series, The Illuminated Adventures of the Amazing Incandesto!  Flora felt lonely and unsure of her mother's love for her. Flora's mom does not think Flora is normal and when this squirrel comes into Flora's life mom's only mission is to get rid of the squirrel.
   

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The author used some interesting text features to capture the reader.  DiCamillo included some short comic strips in black and white to help the reader visualize the story.  The author also used very short chapters throughout the novel.  Another feature that the author included was the dark bold letters like in Flora's popular saying she adopted from her favorite comic series: "TERRIBLE THINGS CAN HAPPPEN."  

It was pretty obvious that her mom still suffered form the divorce but her way out was to write.  Her mom had a hard time sharing her feelings with Flora and often described her daughter as "cynic'".  It was sweet to see that her father missed her just as much as Flora missed her dad.  He cried at night as he slept on a friend's couch.  To see the love of a father and daughter in this story reminds me of my own daughter who loves her daddy dearly.  This story is a great comic with a crazy squirrel that saves everyone at the end.  The author did a great job combining love, hope, humor, and comedy to grab the reader's love for this story.

AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPTS  

Awards
WINNER Newbery Medal Winner 2014

Parents' Choice Awards Gold Award
Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2013

Reviews  

Newbery-winner DiCamillo is a master storyteller not just because she creates characters who dance off the pages and plots, whether epic or small, that never fail to engage and delight readers. Her biggest strength is exposing the truths that open and heal the human heart. She believes in possibilities and forgiveness and teaches her audience that the salt of life can be cut with the right measure of love.

                            ~Booklist
 

Original, touching and oh-so-funny tale starring an endearingly implausible superhero and a not-so-cynical girl.

                           ~Kirkus Reviews
 

Despite supremely quirky characters and dialogue worthy of an SAT prep class, there’s real emotion at the heart of this story involving two kids who have been failed by the most important people in their lives: their parents.
                            ~Publishers Weekly

CONNECTIONS

1)Talk about hero's and ask questions like: How are superhero's created? How does one identify a hero?  How do we find a hero? 
2)Have the class write a letter to their hero.

BABYMOUSE Queen of the World!

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Holm, Jennifer and Matthew Holm. 2005. BABYMOUSE – QUEEN OF THE WORLD! New York, NY: Random House. ISBN 0-375-93229-1
 

PLOT SUMMARY
Babymouse has an imagination like no other and dreams of being queen of the world.  Her one wish is to get an invitation to the popular Felicia Furrypaws' slumber party.  Babymouse will even go to the extreme of giving Felicia her book report in exchange to an invitation to her infamous slumber party.  The bad news is that the slumber party is on the same day she promised to go over to her friend Wilson the Weasel's house to watch a monster movie.  Babymouse chose to go the slumber party and had very high expectations as to what they would be doing at the party.  She wondered if they would skydive or go to the dinner theater.  Well, to her surprise the party was very boring and just too lame for this spunky mouse.   So she decided to leave the party and join her friend Wilson for a movie.  Babymouse realizes that she is lucky to have a good friend and that she is already queen of the world!

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
What a great graphic novel for children in grades 3rd-6th to read and learn the true meaning of friendship.  The author did a great job in implementing character traits like kindness, fairness, and friendship.  These are traits that students deal with on a daily basis.  The pictures are pretty simple but help the reader understand the story and the emotions.  The illustrator helped the reader understand when mouse was using her imagination by using pink and using black and white when the mouse was back to reality.  Struggling readers may find the pictures and text hard to read but girls may find the story true and right to the point. 


AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPTS 

Awards

WINNER 2006 Gryphon Award
WINNER 2006 ALA Notable Children's BookWINNER 2006 New York Book Show Awards
NOMINEE Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award

Reviews

"Move over, Superman, here comes Babymouse!"
                      ~The Chicago Sun-Times

 

"Cute, smart, sassy Babymouse is fun and funny, and this book, like its predecessors, will draw reluctant readers as well as Babymouse fans."
                     ~Booklist:
 

"Emergent readers will cheer 'Babymouse!'"
                     ~Kirkus Reviews
 

CONNECTIONS
1) Discuss Character traits such as Kindness, Fairness, Caring, Self-Respect, and Perseverance.  Ask the counselor to come in and do a lesson on one or each of the character traits.
2) Discuss unfamiliar words and have the students use context clues with in the text to define them.  Unfamiliar words:
sanitation (p.14)
jabbering (p.29)
suspicious (p.29)
treason (p.86)

3) Students can write their own comic strip. 

4) Read the following books from the Babymouse series and compare and contrast them using a double bubble map
         Babymouse: our hero ISBN: 978-0-375-83230-7
         Babymouse: beachbabe ISBN: 978-0-375-83231-4
         Babymouse: rock star ISBN: 978-0-375-93232-8
5) Students can visit the official Babymouse website to learn more about the authors, characters, or play games:
http://www.randomhousekids.m/brand/babymouse-squish/

ONE CRAZY SUMMER

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Williams-Garcia, Rita. 2010. ONE CRAZY SUMMER. New York, NY: Harper Collins Children’s Books. ISBN: 9780060760885

PLOT SUMMARY
Three sisters by the names of  Delphine (11), Vonetta (9), and Fern (7) were abandoned by their uncaring mother 7 years ago.  They now live with their grandmother and father in Brooklyn, New  York. The girls' father sends the girls to Oakland, California to spend the summer with their mother.  It is obvious that their mother does not want them there for she is too busy to care for them.  She sends them to the Center which is ran by the Black Panther Party.  They spend most of their day there and learn the positives of the Black Panther party.  In the mist of all of this the Bobby Hutton a member of the Black Panthers got shot and killed by the police.  The Panthers plan a rally to free founder, Huey Newton from prison and the girls are told they will be participating in it.  One evening after an outing to San Francisco the girls return home only to find that their mother is being arrested along with two other Panther members.  Cecile, the girl's mother, tell the police that she has no children in hopes to save her daughters from being taken away.  The girls stay with one of their mother's friend during the time Cecile is in jail.  During the rally the girls take part in the a talent show that is a part of the rally.  They recite one of their mother's poem that they found in the kitchen while cleaning one day.  While up in the microphone Fern takes the initiative to announce that she saw a  Panther member being too friendly with the police.  While at the rally Cecile is released from jail and reunited with the girls.  Cecile opens up to Delphine about why she left them and how she lost her own mother at the age of 11.  Although Delphine is too young to understand, Cecile goes on to explain her many struggles in life.  The next day the girls leave back home but, not before the get a hug from their mom that they have longed for so long.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Williams-Garcia was right on point on telling us what the African American's life was like in the 60's.  A time when the Black Panther party was a huge part for African American rights.  This was a time when Muhammad Ali, Malcolm  X, Martin Luther King Jr, and Huey Newton which was the founder of the Black Panther party were at their prime.  I enjoyed seeing these great leaders being a part of the story and giving the readers an insight as to how it was to grow up in this time.  I felt like I was experiencing it right along with the characters.  Great story to read in middle school or after studying about African American rights.  Williams-Garcia did a great job in introducing the characters to the reader.  Delphine, is a strong and caring person.  Her ultimate goal is to look after her younger sisters.  She is so loving and caring and you see that throughout the text.  I can't wait to read the sequels to this story. 

AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPTS
Awards
Coretta Scott King Book Award Winner

Scott O’Dell Historical Fiction Award Winner

School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

Newbery Medal Honor Book

Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children’s Literature Honor Book

National Book Award Finalist

Parents’ Choice Award Gold Fiction

Audie Award Finalist '

Excerpts

The story is tightly centered around the three sisters. In spare, poetic prose Williams-Garcia layers nuanced descriptions and brief, evocative scenes to create three utterly distinctive characters — Fern, the youngest, looking out a bus window and singing to herself; the usually brazen Vonetta freezing up with stage fright at a rally; and the stoic Delphine remembering her mother before she left them. “Papa didn’t keep any pictures of Cecile, but I had a sense of her. Fuzzy flashes of her always came and went.”
                                                    --New York Times
                                                        

Author Rita Williams-Garcia has a fine ear for the squabbles and fierce loyalties of siblings and a keen eye for kid-centered period details, including collect phone calls, go-go boots and the TV dolphin Flipper. With authenticity and humor, she portrays the ever-shifting dynamics among ultra-responsible Delphine, show-off Vonetta and stubborn Fern.
                                                    --Washington Post

 

Set during a pivotal moment in African American history, this vibrant novel shows the subtle ways that political movements affect personal lives; but just as memorable is the finely drawn, universal story of children reclaiming a reluctant parent’s love.
                                                    --Booklist

CONNECTIONS

1) Make a crazy summer bucket list and produce a video of the places you would visit. 

2) Have students chose one of the following writing prompts about a crazy summer and them have them share with the class. 
Prompts:
-Finish this statement: If I had a choice to spend  my summer where ever I wanted, I would choose...
-Where and when did you discover that your summer was actually a pretty crazy summer?
-If you could of  spent your summer with a different person/people would it still have been a crazy one? Why or why not?

3) Divide your class into 3 groups.  Have each group be responsible for reading one of three books from The Gaither Girls Series and have them create video using Animoto that includes the setting, characters, plot, theme.
Books from the series includes:

Williams-Garcia, Rita. One Crazy Summer (book 1). ISBN: 9780060760885

Williams-Garcia, Rita. P.S Be Eleven (book 2). ISBN: 9780061938641

Williams-Garcia, Rita. Gone Crazy in Alabama (book 3). ISBN: 9780062215871

PAPERBOY

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Vawter, Vince.  2013. Paperboy. New York: Random House. ISBN:9780385742443.

PLOT SUMMARY
Little Man, an 11-year-old boy living in Memphis in 1959 takes over his best friend's paper route for the month of  July.  Little  Man's Friend, Rat leaves for the summer to visit his grandparents. Little Man knew that throwing the newspaper would be the easy part since he had a mean fast ball pitch.  The hard part was speaking with his clients every Friday to collect what they owed.  You see the problem is that Little Man has a severe stuttering problem that enabled him to pronounce his own name or his best friend's name. He had a hard time pronouncing many sounds including the f, p, and b sounds.  Through his new endeavor he meets interesting people like a housewife that drank too much and a retired merchant marine, Mr. Spiro, who knows just about everything there is to know.  Little Man has a family housekeeper, Mam, that has worked with him in improving his speech throughout the years.  She has encouraged his writing which he writes by using a typewriter. She is also someone that he can trust and has become his best friend.  The neighborhood has a junkman by the name of Ara T, which is both a bully and  a thief.  Little Man asked Ara T to sharpen his knife so he could use it for cutting the cords on the paper stacks.  When Ara does not return Little Man's knife trouble begins in the life of Little Man.  Little Man experiences from his paper route change him.  His experiences such as fighting, hate, bullying, and even having feelings for a woman change him in  that he learns that others have their own problems they are dealing with. 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The author did a great job in presenting a realistic plot of the story.  For instance the reader could literally be a part of the story because of the kid friendly text.  The setting was presented by the  author in a very descriptive manner.  You could almost feel, smell, hear Ara T with the figurative language that the author used.  The author did a great job presenting the experiences Little Man experienced.  The experiences were so vivid and surreal giving the reader an opportunity to almost experience what was going on in the 1950's as an 11 year old.  This story made me make many connections to my lift today.  I have recently worked with a student with a severe stuttering problem in 4th grade.  Myself along with the speech teacher we would give him strategies to help him pronounce specific sounds. The only difference with my student and Little Man is that my student loves to talk  and is as confident as can be when communicating with others.  I really enjoyed this story and would definitely recommend it to older reader because of some the words and details the author gave about drinking.

AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPTS
Awards
• A Newbery Honor  Award Winner
• An ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book
• An IRA Children’s and Young Adults’ Choice
• An IRA Teachers’ Choice
• A Junior Library Guild Selection
• A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year
• A National Parenting Publications Award Honor Book
• A BookPage Best Children’s Book
• An ABC New Voices Pick
• An ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Recording
* An ALA-YALSA Amazing Audiobook
* Amazon Best Books of the Year 2013: Ages 9-12

Reviews
An engaging and heartfelt presentation that never whitewashes the difficult time and situation as Little Man comes of age. Ages 10-14.
                                              --Kirkus Reviews

Starred Review. The well-crafted characters, the hot Southern summer, and the coming-of-age events are reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird… This paper boy is a fighter and his hope fortifies and satisfies in equal measure.
                                            --Booklist

The deliberate pacing and unique narration make Paperboy a memorable coming-of-age novel.
                                            --School Library Journal
CONNECTIONS
1) Group the students in groups  of 3-4 and have them make a book trailer for the book.  Invite the Instructional Technologist from your district to come in your classroom and explain how to make a book trailer. 
2) Discuss the word courage and have your students make a poster explaining what courage is only by only using visuals.
3) Divide the class into groups and have them write a Readers Theater script to share in class

THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cushman, Karen. 1995. The Midwife's Apprentice. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN: 0395692296
PLOT SUMMARY
Beetle, is a young girl that lived in the 14th century in a small village in England.  She is a 12 or 13 year old homeless girl that has been abused and neglected for as long as she can remember.  She had moved from village to village in search for a sense of belonging.  She meets Jane, a midwife, whom takes her in as an apprentice to help our during deliveries.  Beetle learns a lot from Jane and even grows confidence and respect from others.  She goes on to name herself Alyce. She is given the opportunity to deliver a baby for June and is successful.  Anther opportunity arrives but this time Alyce is unsuccessful and feels horrified and decides to run away.  She arrives and an inn and begins to work there.  While there she meets a writer named Magister Reese who teachers her how to read.  While at the inn the opportunity to deliver a baby arises and Alyce decides that what she really wants is to be a midwife.  At that point she decides to return to her previous village and see if Jane takes her back as her apprentice. 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The author helps the reader live in the  moment with the descriptive words.  She uses such vocabulary as "unwashed, unnourished, unlived, and unlovely body". It sounds so Medieval to me that I can feel, smell, and see what it was like to live in that time.  The setting is vivid throughout the story and the characters are entertaining.  Will Russet was a homeless boy who Alyce rescues from drowning.  He would bully her  when he was with his friends.  Later in the story she has another encounter with Alyce and this time he's respectful and polite to her.  He also changed in the story for like Allyce and become better people to others regardless of their unfortunate circumstances.  Over time Alyce change tremendously in that she grew from a young girl without a name and who knew nothing as to what she wanted to do to a young girl that wanted to be a midwife apprentice.  This story teaches us that when we fail at something the best thing to do is try and try again until we achieve what we want.  Alyce struggled a lot and achieved much with the help of mentors and loving, helpful people. 
 

AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPTS 

Awards
Newbery Medal
ALA Best Book for Young Adults
ALA Notable Book for Children
Booklist Editors' Choice
Horn Book Fanfare Selection
School Library Journal, Best Books of the Year
ALA Best Book for Young Adults
Hungry Mind Review Book of Distinction
Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts
Not Just For Children Anymore! Selection (CBC)
Parenting Magazine Reading Magic Awards
Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Readers Choice Award Short List
Parents' Choice Gold Award
American Bookseller "Pick of the Lists"
New York Public Library, 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
ABC Children's Booksellers Choice Award 

Reviews

"A truly delightful introduction to a world seldom seen in children's literature."

                                             --School Library Journal

“From the rebirth in the dung heap to Brat's renaming herself Alyce after a heady visit to a medieval fair, this is not for fans of historical drama only. It's a rouser for all times.”

                                             --Kirkus Review

“Kids will like this short, fast-paced narrative about a hero who discovers that she's not ugly or stupid or alone.”
                                            --Booklist

CONNECTIONS

1) Take a field trip to Medieval Times in Dallas, TX
2) Have the students make a flip book with two flaps and on one flap have them write Present and on the other flap they can write Medieval Times.  Have them research life in the Medieval times and they can write similarities and differences for both times under the designated flap. 
3) Students can write and perform in a Readers Theater for The Midwife's Apprentice.  

 

QUEST FOR THE TREE KANGAROO

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Montgomery, Sy.  2006.  Quest for the Tree Kangaroo.  New York: Houghton Mifflin.  ISBN: 0618496416.

PLOT SUMMARY
Montgomery teams up with Bishop and a team of scientists along with some locals from New Guinea and go in search of the amazing Matschie's tree kangaroo.  She describes the trip in great detail as she shares with the reader the exact items packed for the trip.  She goes on to tell about the plane ride, the language, and the school visit, and the hike into the cloud forest.  Once they arrive to New Guinea she describes the search of the tree kangaroo and how they insert a microchip and put a radio collar on it to track it.  Her team documents everything from the camp sites to the people and plants they encounter. 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Bishop included beautiful photographs to help the reader better understand the tree kangaroo.  The information is very detailed and well organized making it easy to follow their trip.  This is a great book loaded with information that can be enjoyed by both young and old.  The author included advice for kids on following their passion with wildlife conservation. 

AWARDS AND REVIEW EXERPTS
Awards
2006 American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Henry Bergh Children's Book Award
John Burroughs Young Reader Award
A Green Earth Honor Book from the Newton Marasco Foundation
A 2006 SIBERT HONOR BOOK
Orbis Pictus Award for nonfiction from the National Council of Teachers of English!
2007 Julia Ward Howe Finalist Award from the Boston Authors Club
Henry Bergh Children's Book Award
Named one of the TOP TEN books of the year for children by The Washington Post
A Booklist Editor's Choice for 2006
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year 2006
A National Science Teachers Association Council on Children's Books Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12 Selection
A NSTA/CBC Selector's Choice
A Junior Library Guild Selection

Reviews
“Bishop’s photography is stunning portraiture… the tree kangaroo is marketably adorable…
… There’s plenty of evocative description of their habitat, thoughtful exploration of the role the locals play in conserving the animals, and revealing information about the rigors of this kind of scientific project… Personal focus and as-it-happens eventfulness will absorb young animal lovers.”
                                      --The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Montgomery gives an unusually strong, visceral sense of the work and cooperation fieldwork entails and the scope and uniqueness of this particular mission. She also communicates the thrill of studying animals in the wild, making observations, and discovering new information. As usual, Bishop’s color photographs are exemplary and extend the excitement in close-ups of creatures and of the team at work.”                        --Booklist

CONNECTIONS
1) Come up with a presentation to present to Bank of America to persuade them to  fund your animal conservation project.  Set up  your own team of researchers, scientists, and photographers to study an endangered species of your choice.  Include the materials you need and explain your day to day plan for your trip and the funds needed.  Get creative and get funded!!!
2) In your group of 4-5 kids research the Kangaroo Family: red kangaroos, grey kangaroos, tree kangaroo, and the Wallaroo.  Your team will explain the differences and similarities in the kangaroo family.  Include habitats, diet, characteristics, and important facts.
3) Write a children's book about any type of kangaroo in the kangaroo family to share with a Kindergarten student during buddy time.   Include 4-5 important facts and illustrations/photographs in your book.