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Written by : Jacqueline Woodson
Published: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2018
Pages: 176
Age: Upper Elementary (4-6)
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Awards: Newbery Honor
Ranking: 5 of 5
Theme: Leaning on each other during times of need can lessen the load on your heart.
Summary: Six students are placed in a classroom together for one hour a day with free time to do whatever they want. They soon learn how important it is to talk about different experiences they have had, and how sharing can open up new perspectives.
Comments: I really enjoyed this book! It was a quick read and covered many possible situations students could be living in. The various races and background spark conversations and shows just how important it is to rely on others. It was encouraging to see a group of students doing something they aren't comfortable in, embracing it, and encouraging and harboring classmates.
Classroom: This book would encourage GREAT conversations. Students could break into groups and dive into each character presented in the group. Students could then do some comparing to see how the students were different, but also what qualities and characteristics made them similar. Perspectives is a great tool to rely on when diving into this text.

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Written by: Victoria Jamieson

Published: Dial Books, 2015

Pages: 240

Age: Upper Elementary (4-6)

Genre: Graphic Novel (Realistic Fiction)
Awards: Newbery Honor
Ranking: 5 of 5

Theme: Trying something new independently can be scary, but ultimately helps build your character.

Summary: Astrid has a best friend named Nicole and they spend all their time together. When Astrid wants to go to Roller Derby Camp and Nicole doesn't, hostility arises between the two. Astrid learns that setting goals and being open to new things and people can help how she feels about herself and what she can accomplish. Astrid competes at a bout and manages friendship fight, coming out on top!

Comments: I sat down and read this book in one sitting. The fast paced text structure the graphic novel keeps the story engaging and light hearted. It expresses very real feelings students can have managing friendships growing up. I got the chance to learn about a new sport and see the perspective from a roller girl herself. There is comedy interwoven through the text that tells a very accurate and raw feeling the character would be having in the events.

Classroom: I think this would be a book that would attract attention to a lot of girls in upper elementary. The graphics feel easy to read and exciting, while also following a story line with clear character development and conflict. I believe this would be a good book club book for students to talk about the characters and talk about fun parts of the book.

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Written by: Jacqueline Woodson

Published: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2018

Pages: 32

Age: K-2

Genre:

Awards: ILA Teachers' Choice
Ranking: 5 of 5

Theme: We can all take experiences we have and share with others in an inclusive classroom.

Summary: This story showcases a student entering a classroom filled with people she believes is different than herself. She is nervous to share her story with the the class. Bravery is on the other side of fear and the book shows how the world opens when you start to share.

Comments: I love this book! The pictures play so well into the different cultures presented. The story shows fears that students may have with sharing. The end of the book shares so beautifully that as soon as we face fear with bravery, and share our story, we can connect to people, despite the differences between us.

Classroom: This book is a great book for the beginning of the year. While teachers are doing so many summer break activities, this can give students a reminder that it doesn't matter what your answer is. It can lead to discussions on how we can connect with people that have different experiences from our own.

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Written by: Jacqueline Woodson

Published: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2010

Pages: 32

Age: K-2

Genre: Fiction - Picture Book

Awards: N/A
Ranking: 4 of 5

Theme: Sometimes a new sibling is tough to envision, but our mom's still love us now matter what.

Summary: Gia's mom is pregnant with her soon to be sibling. However, Gia isn't excited to share her mom with anyone else. Gia begins to feel left out before the baby comes, and gets very frustrated when everyone talks about it. Since mom loves pecan pie, Gia knows the baby is a pecan pie baby and talks with her mom about sharing the limelight.

Comments: This is a really cute book that talks about real feelings that children can have when their parents are having children. It showcases how children can feel angry at first, and how communicating their feelings can be healthy to reach a conclusion.

Classroom: This could be a good read aloud to the students, rather than a large curriculum based book. This book is a fun read and allows students to talk about their experience with new siblings and how they felt. This could also help students who might be having a sibling soon.

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Written by: Jacqueline Woodson

Published: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2012

Pages: 32

Age: K-5

Genre: Fiction - Picture Book

Awards: Coretta Scott King Honor Book 2013
Ranking: 5 of 5

Theme: Showing kindness is difficult, but it makes a ripple to affect others around you.

Summary: Chloe has a new students start in their classroom. Chloe chooses to not accept the new student, Maya, and cuts her down. Their teacher later explains how kindness has a ripple effect on the people around you, and Chloe takes that to heart. The next day she wants to tell Maya she's sorry, but Maya has left for good. Chloe must live with the fact that she missed her opportunity to show kindness to Maya and think about what she could have done instead.

Comments: This book struck a raw cord. Kindness is something that we work on as early as kindergarten, but this book's lesson can be used throughout any grade. I personally loved how the end of the book doesn't conclude the way the reader might want it. It is more of a true testament that if we don't choose kindness, those marks are left and we don't always have the opportunity to change it.

Classroom: Like my comments stated, I believe this book could be used at the beginning of the year for any grade. Woodson does a great job of using books to inspire discussion between people on real issues. This book showcases the importance of showing kindness and tells students some possible repercussions if they do not show love.

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Written by: Jacqueline Woodson

Published: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2004

Pages: 32

Age: K-3

Genre: Fiction - Picture Book

Awards: Caldecott Honor Book, ALA Notable 2005
Ranking: 4 of 5

Theme: Even if our loved ones have to leave for a bit, their memory lives on and they love us still.

Summary: Ada Ruth's mama has to leave to Chicago to go work on the railroads during the war to earn money for Ada Ruth and Grandma. Mama sends notes home and Ada Ruth and grandma anxiously wait for notes through the winter. Ada Ruth experiences true joy hearing from Mama and knows that she will come home as soon as she can.

Comments: This is a great book showcasing a historical perspective, and a new perspective of sending letters and the sacrifice of parents. I found it interesting that this is a common theme despite the decade. This is a story that many readers can relate to in some way with working parents and some who need to leave.

Classroom: This book allows classrooms to connect to a history background with the inclusion of the war. This book could be used in connection to history lessons and how the war impacted families.

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Written by: Jewell Parker Rhodes

Published: Hachette Book Group, 2016

Pages: 228

Age: Upper Elementary (4-6)

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Awards: 2017 Notable Book for a Global Society

Ranking: 4 of 5
Theme: History isn't simply left in the past, and is important to see how it affects the future.

Summary: Deja lives in Avalon, which is a homeless house with her mom, Pop and two younger sibling. She is responsible for her siblings, while her mom works and her Pop stays at home suffering from a depression Deja doesn't understand. Her class is required to write an essay as they are working to understand how history is alive and how the falling twin towers plays into that. Deja starts to learn more about her family as she dives deeper into what really happened in 2011.

Comments: This book was very enlightening. I am reading a lot of strong female characters, and Deja is a great example of that. As a teacher, it's a bit infuriating that the teachers don't explicitly teach about 9/11, but I think this book would be a great place to begin to have some classroom discussions about the twin towers falling. It shows how traumatic experiences can leave lasting marks on a person and family.

Classroom: History is a topic that I believe students struggle to find meaning. This book could be used as a great conversation starter about how history is alive and the affects history has on our lives today. Using this as a book that discusses a big event can spring board conversations into why history is important to learn and gives it a human perspective.

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Written by: Kate DiCamillo

Published: Candlewick Press

Pages: 89

Age: Grades 1-3

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Awards: N/A
Ranking: 3 of 5

Theme: Keeps striving and hunting for animals that you love.

Summary: Leroy Ninker is a cowboy, but is missing one thing in particular, a horse! After he finds Maybelline, he must learn how he can be the best cowboy for her! After she gets lost, Leroy must put everything aside to find her and bring her home.

Comments: This is a very cute book! There is a lot of cowboy terms that students could dive into. The characters have a lot of depth and fabulous illustrations. These characters would be easy for students to fall in love with.

Classroom: This book also ties in the same setting and some of the characters from the Mercy books, so this would be a good addition or extension from those books. This would be a good book for boys or students interested in cowboys.

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Written by: Laurie Keller

Published: Christy Ottaviano Books 2018

Pages: 32

Age: Lower Elementary (K-2)

Genre: Fantasy

Awards: Booklist Editors’ Choice: Books for Youth - 2018

Ranking: 4 of 5

Theme: Take the time to see something for another person's perspective.

Summary: Lance Vance's Fancy pants is selling potato pants for one day, and Potato is so excited! He has a set all picked out, just when Eggplant comes in and takes the last pair! He is so upset, until he starts to learn something new about Eggplant.

Comments: As a potato lover, this was such a fun book!! I love including books like this in my classroom library to get kids just laughing at books. When they find out some books can be silly, students can start to grab other ones they might not thought of before.

Classroom: This would be used as a social emotional book, talking about how we don't know the shoes (or pants) others walk in. This would be great as a lower elementary book.

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Written by: Selina Alko

Published: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2015

Pages: 32

Age: Elementary (K-5)

Genre: Biography

Awards: Booklist Best Picture Books of 2015
Ranking: 5 of 5

Theme: Never give up on something you believe in even if someone else says it's wrong.

Summary: For Richard and Mildred, they loved each other greatly. However, the two of them grew up in 1958, during a time of segregation. Because Richard was white and Mildred was African American, they were not allowed to be married to each other. They cross boarders to another state to get married. They were sent to jail because it was unlawful, until they took it to the court.

Comments: This book was set up beautifully, using different paper fonts and music notes to fill the pages. I thought this book was a good narrative to how segregation affects families and children as a whole.

Classroom: I think this is a good way to introduce segregation to students. It explains a little bit about how different skin colors were treated differently, and comes back to the fact that the two people really did love each other very much. This could bring up good content for a variety of grades.

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Written by: Lily Williams

Published: Roaring Brook Press 2017

Pages: 32

Age: Elementary (K-5)

Genre: Nonfiction

Awards: N/A
Ranking: 5 of 5

Theme: The world needs sharks to survive.

Summary: This nonfiction book talks about how powerful sharks are. It speaks to why sharks are important to the ocean. The book continues to talk in a cause and effect as to if sharks were distinct.

Comments: This was such a cool way to find out why sharks are so important in a new way. Each page lead to each other into a downhill spiral of what might happen if 'scary' sharks are no longer.

Classroom: This book would be a great start into nonfiction. It appears a little different to most nonfiction, but allows for some critical thinking. This whole book is a great way to think of cause and effect also.

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Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13

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Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13

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Written by: Helaine Becker

Published: Henry Holt and Company 2018

Pages: 32

Age: Elementary (K-5)

Genre: Biography

Awards: ILA Notable Book for a Global Society
Ranking: 5 of 5

Theme: Keep your head up and be patient when looking towards your dream.

Summary: This book is about Katherine Johnson and her love for numbers. She was a very bright student and their family had to move to a new city in order to go to a good school to explore numbers. She started as a teacher, and then applied for a mathematician job. Johnson had to work in the background until she started getting recognized for her accomplishments. Her mathematician skills ended up bringing Apollo 13 home.

Comments: This book is a great chance for students to take a look into strong female characters overcoming adversity. This book didn't dive into as many hardships as she could have had or how she felt about them, but it does highlight how she overcame battles. They touch on the patience she had, and the back matter gives more insight to what she went through.

Classroom: This book would be great for elementary students to continue to learn about strong females in math. There is a perception that math isn't useful or exciting, but this shows students how math works in the greater world.

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Written by: Traci Sorell

Published: Charlesbridge 2018

Pages: 32

Age: Lower Elementary (K-2)

Genre: Historical Fiction

Awards: Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal
Ranking: 5 of 5

Theme:

Summary: This is a story about the Cherokee people. The book goes through what they do during the different seasons. They use their native language for the season words, and also give how to pronounce the words. Throughout each season, the Cherokee people say Otsaliheliga or "we are grateful."

Comments: This book was the first I have read that speaks to Native American heritage as present day people. This book makes great connections using the native language. The pictures shows happy people maintaining their culture and heritage. This book doesn't speak to as many struggles they face, but allow people to get a glimpse into their life.

Classroom: I ordered this book right away! This is a great book for lower elementary to speaks to different heritages in a positive light. This is a great way to get students to begin to think of Native Americans. I plan to have a lesson on this around Thanksgiving and talking about how everyone is grateful.

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Written by: Nicola Davies

Published: Candlewick Press, 2018

Pages: 32

Age: Elementary (K-5)

Genre: Realistic Fiction - Picture Book

Awards: N/A
Ranking: 5 of 5

Theme: Offer help to everyone, especially people you might not know much about.

Summary: This is the story of a young girl when a war came and wiped out her city and her family. She moves to a new city and there, they do not have chairs for her to attend school in her new city. She reaches despair, and another student from the class comes to her bringing a chair for her to attend school.

Comments & Classroom: This book was so real and speaks to deep conversations. At first, I was a bit nervous thinking how to incorporate it into the class. This book talks of of scary events that students might not know much about. This was a great way to be able to talk about it towards younger students, not talking about specifics of guns and soldiers and explicit death. This book speaks to allowing new students to come into the classroom, which might be a reason this could reach younger students. This can help get exposure to tough conversations, but vital inclusion.

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Written by: Julia Finley Mosca

Published: Innovation Press, 2018

Pages: 32

Age: Elementary (K-5)

Genre: Biography

Awards: NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book 2019 Selection
Ranking: 5 of 5

Theme: Always keep working for your dreams, even when people might not believe you.

Summary: Raye Montague was an African American girl who appreciated math. She wanted to build ships and submarines, but was not able to go to schooling due to segregation. She worked and worked and ended with a business major. She got a job working on typing at the Navy, and many people did not see how hard of a worker she was. When they got a call from the president saying they needed a boat fast, Montague finished it in 18 hours! She got a lot more recognition for her work after that.

Comments: I love this series of books and the rhyming sequence they use to tell a story. The story tells how difficult things were to overcome adversity, so it doesn't sugar coat what Montague went through, but tells it in a way lower elementary students could grasp.

Classroom: I think this would be another great book to use in the study of important people! I know it is important to talk on big accomplishments people made, especially highlighting people of different races.

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Written by: Margarita Engle

Published: Hourghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015

Pages: 32

Age: Lower Elementary (K-2)

Genre: Historical Fiction

Awards: N/A
Ranking: 5 of 5

Theme: Keep practicing and persevering at your dreams and pushing societal norms.

Summary: The main character has a dream to play tall conga drums, small bongo drums and moon-bright timbales. However, at the time boys are the only people who can play instruments for others. The main character dreams of one day playing in front of a crowd and her dad starts to recognize that.

Comments: I LOVE the illustrations and language that this book includes. It is a book that can inspire students with the perseverance and has engaging text that can spark conversation about different cultures. It was great to read the back and see it was based off a real story.

Classroom: This is a great discussion book! I would incorporate some musical components where students can talk about the descriptive language on musical words. Students can also explore some key vocabulary throughout.

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Through this reading project, choosing a reading purpose was a challenge to focus and concentrate on. When looking at my books, I found a common purpose of strong female characters overcoming adversity. What was special about this topic was the chance to see strong characters fight different specific problems, and see similarities between the characters. Whether the characters struggled with dyslexic, autistic, labels, poverty, isolation etc, these characters were able to rise up triumphantly.

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I ranked these books out of 5 stars. One star meant I felt as though the book was not interesting or was missing components that would make it better. If a book received five stars, I greatly enjoyed it and believed it presented the topic very well!

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Written by: Lynda Mullay Hunt

Published: Puffin Books, 2015

Pages: 320

Age: Upper Elementary (4-7)

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Awards: New York Times Bestseller

Ranking: 5 of 5

Theme: People are more than a label from a test score.

Summary: Ally has been able to fool a lot of people. She struggles being able to read because of her dyslexia, and the first person to notice was her teacher Mr. Daniels. She begins to realize that her trouble is not something to be ashamed of, and Ally begins making friends when she opens herself up to a more vulnerable side.

Comments: This was a really enlightening book for me personally. Dyslexia is something I don't know much about. It was very interesting to me to get a look at how some students might mask their intelligence with different actions that is seen as 'behaviors'.

Classroom: I think this would be a good book for students who have a tendency to struggle with reading. This book would provide a lot of comfort and continue the talk on how intelligence is different student to student and we have our own strengths and weaknesses.

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Written by: Holly Goldberg Sloan

Published: Dial Books, 2013

Pages: 380

Age: Middle Grades (6-8)

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Awards: Small Awards
Ranking: 4 of 5

Theme: Never give up on the things you love and the people who love you.

Summary: Willow Chance is entering middle school, and is a genius with a love for plants. Her adoptive parents die in a fatal car crash and she is left completely alone. She befriends two siblings and the counselor, as they try to help her find meaning in life again.

Comments: This book was a lot different than I expected. It was eye opening to see the main character go through so much as a middle schooler, as an outcast, and then to go through so much tragedy. I am curious if this is as popular of a book for students or not.

Classroom: I think this book could be a book for students wanting a bit of a challenge when reading. The changing of characters could be a great talk for perspective and how each of the characters witness things a bit differently.

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Written by: Angela Dominguez

Published: Hachette Book Group 2016

Pages: 82

Age: Lower Elementary (1-3)

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Awards: N/A
Ranking: 3 of 5

Theme: New people in our life can open new opportunities that seem scary at first, but make us better.

Summary: A new student in Lola's class named Bella and she already appears so different than Lola. Bella loves bows and pick and Lola can't stand it. It's not until their parents meet, and the parents schedule a flip flop. Bella will go to soccer practice with Lola, and Lola must try ballet for the first person.

Comments: This was a simple book seemed very cute. Talking about the differences between kids would be very helpful for students. I felt as though the book could have talked more about the feelings each child would have.

Classroom: I think this could be a really good book series for students to get started with! I think many girls would love these books, and they do showcase some culture. It is a quick read and very female confident!

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Written by: Ann M. Martin

Published: Square Fish

Pages: 226

Age: 2014

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Awards: Schneider Family Book Award
Ranking: 5 of 5

Theme: Leaving your comfort zone can help others and challenge yourself.

Summary: Rose has Asperger's syndrome and lives with her dad. He is often away from home at a bar, leaving Rose at home with her dog, Rain. Rose loves homonyms and spends a lot of the time with Rain. When a storm came, Rain runs away when her dad opens the door, and Rose must break her norm to find Rain. Rain also finds his first home, and Rose must figure out how to say goodbye.

Comments: This book has my heart! I got to compare it a little bit with Counting by 7s and I really loved the character of Rose. I was also able to get some insights on Rose's dad and the importance of family, especially when students are struggling.

Classroom: This book would be a great read aloud. This is more appropriate for elementary school, and could really bring in some grammar talks with students. The use of homonyms would allow for a wide range of lessons and conversations on vocabulary.

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Written by: Linda Sue Park

Published: Clarion Books

Pages: 128

Age: Upper Elementary (4-6)

Genre: Historical Fiction

Awards: 2012 Great Lakes Book Award Nominee
Ranking: 4.5 of 5

Theme:

Summary: This books is the a connected story, first form the point of view of Salva, a young boy from Sudan in the 1980s, and Nya, a young girl from Sudan in 2008. Salva's town is ambushed and he must run away. He is trying to make his way through different cities until  they reach a refuge camp. Through this journey, Salva loses a lot of people and goes through terrible circumstances, and eventually gets shipped to America. This is where he enters the well business, and ends up helping Nya in 2008.

Comments: This book was gut wrenching to read. Time after time, Salva must fight as a young boy against so many struggles. It appears that from one step to the next, Salva must fight difficult battles alone. This was a very eye opening experience for me, realizing what children go through in Sudan.

Classroom: This book makes me a little nervous to teach, but I think would be so so important to students to hear and listen to. It will take a lot from the teacher to set up appropriate, well researched lessons and additional references for teaching.

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Written by: Jacqueline Woodson

Published: Penguin Books

Pages: 353

Age: Middle School (6-8)

Genre: Poetry (Autobiography)

Awards: Newbery Medal 2015
Ranking: 4.5 of 5

Theme: Your place in this world is not only the zip code you grew up in, but the family and friends who shape you.

Summary: This book is an account of Jacqueline's upbringing. The story begins from when she is very young in Ohio, to moving to South Carolina, to New York. She writes from her perspective giving an insight into life during the end of the Civil Right's movement. In New York, she talks significantly about growing up in Brooklyn and the positive impact one of her teachers had on her writing career.

Comments: I really enjoyed the writing style of this book. The way the poetry allowed Woodson to use language to show visualizations.

Classroom: This book would be a perfect way to have students start writing on their own life and showcasing the impact that can have. This book would show a different way to highlight visualization in a text.

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Written by: Jeanette Winter

Published: Random House Children's Books, 2011

Pages: 32

Age: Lower Elementary (K-2)

Genre: Biography - Picture Book

Awards: Notable Children's Book
Ranking: 5 of 5

Theme: Stand up for the people or animals who need it if you have a voice!

Summary: Jane Goodall loved watching animals growing up. She loved it so much, that she wanted to watch animals that were not in cages. She traveled to Africa to look for work, and ended up as a chimp observer in Tanzania. She lived in a tent while for months she watched the chimps. After some time, they started engaging with her. She now advocates for animals and against deforestation in Africa.

Comments: This book has great visuals and still allows for students to see struggles Goodall had to go through. I believe this book highlights the life of Goodall, while calling to action some problems that continue to affect the chimps today.

Classroom: This book is a easy way to begin biographies in lower grades. It doesn't read as a nonfiction book as much, but shows a narrative and pictures that show a dedicated watcher. This book can bring up conversations about taking care of the planet, as well as researching on animals in Africa.

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Written by: Manuela Santoni

Published: Lerner Publishing Group 2018

Pages: 32

Age: Upper Elementary (4-8)

Genre: Graphic Novel

Awards: N/A
Ranking: 3.5 of 5

Theme: Following your heart can be different than others, but leads you to your desires.

Summary: Jane Austen grew up in a time where it was very important to start looking for eligible suitors. She was uninterested, as she started writing, but then fell for a man coming into their home. After living away from each other, when they met up again to be married, she realized he was not the one. She spent the rest of her life writing about a man she had never met.

Comments: This book was really eye opening book. I have never read much by Jane Austen, but her story was so interesting for me. I wasn't a huge fan of the media she used for the pictures, but the story was very engaging along with the back matter explaining her life.

Classroom: This would be a great book to pair with the study of a Jane Austen book, or just taking a closer look at authors as a whole. This book could be a read aloud for writing, talking about how authors use their own experiences to influence what they talk about.

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Written by: Edizioni Piemme

Published: Scholastic

Pages: 108

Age: Middle Elementary (2-4)

Genre: Fantasy

Awards: N/A
Ranking: 4 of 5

Theme: Sometimes you have to rely on other people to help you reach a goal.

Summary: New Mouse City was in danger!! Geronimo Stilton must launch himself into space to stop an evil professor threatening to attack the city.

Comments: The format of this book is what blew me out of the water. I believe this would be an extremely engaging text for students, especially all of the color and bright words used. Students can get lost in the diagrams and graphics, while listening to a interesting story.

Classroom: I think this book would be used for student who are having a hard time diving into some texts. This could be an engaging text that also allows students to read multiple books about the same characters.