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By: Lois Lowry

Date read: 08/20/2020
Genre: High school chapter book

Description: This story is about an 11 year old boy who thinks the society he lives in is a utopian society. However when he receives the gift of remembering, He quickly realizes that his world is not all that it’s cracked up to be. Jonas lives in a society where everyone is basically the same and their life is already planned out for them.  They are the told what they can feel and when they can feel it.  They are told where they’re going to work, who they’re going to marry, and how many children they will have. On page 90, Jonas is told he would be trained to become the next Receiver of Memory. Which was a big honor in his society, simply because they were the only person that could remember bad or troubled moments. Jonas begins to see that it’s not just good moments that make up your life, but the bad ones as well. He pushes the limits of the Receiver of Memory, and goes beyond what is meant.

Audience: I would give this book to 8th-10th grade.  It is very intriguing and easy to understand.  There is also a great theme. One that students can use in their everyday lives.

Strategy: 5.11, Retell What’s Most Important by Making Connections to the Problem

This is something you can go into more detail with when you have older students.  You can ask them questions that truly get them to think about the problems in the book. Ask them why it became a problem. Was there a better way to solve it, and how?

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By: Elie Wiesel

Genre: Chapter books for high school
Date read: 09/13/2020

Description: This is a book packed with history.  It is all about Elie Wiesel and his family’s experience with the Holocaust. The book talks goes into detail about what it was like living in Auschwitz. On page 16 of the book you see the Jews being forced out of their houses by the Hungarian police, not caring at all who they took out in the process.  Elie openly takes about his time at Auschwitz and talks about many of the things he saw.

Audience: I would give this book to 11th or 12th graders.  It can be a very hard book to take in; however, if in the right hands and taught right, it could become much more than a book.

Strategy: 8.15, Why Does the Story Matter?

This is a great strategy for this story. Often times students read books without focusing on the true intention behind it.  Ask your students questions about why the author wrote his story, or what are you going to take away from the story.

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By: Shannon Hale

Date read: 08/17/2020
Genre: Graphic Novel

Description: This book was written based off of events that happened in the authors life.  It is about an elementary aged girl who starts kindergarten very nervous.  She ends up meeting a girl named Adrienne and they quickly become best friends. Late in the book Adrienne moves away, which leaves Shannon very sad and lost.  Shannon became friends with a new girl, but it just did not feel the same.  When Adrienne moves back home, Shannon notices a difference in her.  She is now one of the popular kids and starts to hang out with a girl named Jen. On page  45, Shannon expresses her feelings by saying, “I can see why Adrienne might want Jen as a best friend instead of me.  Throughout the book we see the many different obstacles Shannon had to overcome. In the end of the book we see Shannon shift from trying to please people to being herself.

Audience: I would say this book is good for 4th-5th graders. It could be relevant to some of the things they experience as they are getting older.  They are starting to realize that people are different and do not all like the same things.

Strategy: 6.11, Character Comparisons

I think it is important to pay attention to how Shannon and Adrienne changed throughout this story. The teacher can have the students compare Shannon at the beginning of the story, to how she was at the end. Then ask questions that get students to think on why that change happened.

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Astronauts, Women on the Final Frontier 

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Astronauts, Women on the Final Frontier 

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By: Jim Ottaviani & Maris Wicks

Date Read: 09/09/2020
Genre: Graphic Novel

Description: This book was about some of the first female astronauts but it also focused on one woman in particular.  It talked about Mary Cleave, who was a female astronaut and scientist. The book brought to light how difficult it was for women to be able to fly to space, but it also pointed out their determination. On page 19, readers are told that some woman left their jobs and got divorced in order to become an astronaut. The book talked about all the additional hardships women had to face in this profession.  Mary ended up being the only female on her crew that flew to space.

Audience: I feel like this book should be geared towards 5th-6th grade.  While it is an easy read, there is a lot of meaning behind the book, and it is packed with history.

Strategy: 2.13; mind over matter
Students may not all be engaged in a graphic novel that talks about women going to space.  However, it all starts with how the teacher introduces the book to students. It’s important for the teacher to ask questions that will get the readers to think.

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By: Jennifer Richard Jacobson
Pictures by: Abby Carter

Date read: 08/25/2020
Genre: Early Chapter Book

Description: This book is about a charismatic boy who would do anything to be able to get his Granny a case for her binoculars. He and one of his friends decided to have a sale! The two friends would find unused items and clean them to resell them. However they ran into a little problem. They accidentally sold Granny’s binoculars (pg 15). If is left up to Andy and his friend to get those binoculars back. They end up buying the binoculars back, but that leaves him short of money for the case. Andy has the idea to trade in his bike for the case, while his Granny traded in her binoculars for a bicycle seat for Andy.

Audience: I feel like this would be a great book for students anywhere from 1st-3rd grade.  It’s an interesting story, and you can always ask the students to make their predictions about what is going to happen next, and why they think that.

Strategy: 2.21, You’ve got to “Get it” to be engaged.

This strategy is important for students who are just starting to read chapter books.  For some, it can be a lot of information at one time. Ask your students frequently about what they have read and if they understand what they’re reading.

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By: Dan Gutman
Pictures by: Jim Palliot

Date read: 08/28/2020
Genre: Early Chapter Books

Description: This book is #3 in the series called, My Weird School.  This book is focused on the librarian in particular.  Her students are set aside by her crazy wardrobe, and goofy personality. On page 21, the librarian meets her students for the first time dressed as George Washington. The students took it into their own hands to try and figure out if it was Mrs. Roopy dressing up in these costumes or not.

Audience: I would think this chapter book is geared towards second and third grade. It is a silly book that will engage readers who usually do not care for reading.

Strategy: 2.23, Set Page Goals

I think this is another great strategy for early chapter book readers. You as the teacher can set an appropriate pace, by providing page goals. This also creates a sense of motivation from within the students.  They will want to read more and more as they reach their goals.

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By: Brian Floca

Date read: 09/02/2020
Genre: Nonfiction picture book

Description: This book is about steam engine train and all the history behind it. The book follows a certain family that is riding on the locomotive.  Throughout the book readers are given a description of each of the jobs on the train. The book opens up with how the train track was built, and later moves onto the firemen’s job.  His job is to keep the engine lit, and running.  Readers learn the history of trains, but also see what happens behind the scenes when riding on a train.

Audience: I would read this book to second or third graders. They are able to understand the history a little more than younger students.

Strategy: 4.3, Use a “This is Interesting Voice”

While some students may find this book very intriguing, others may not.  However if the teacher reads it in a tone that grabs her readers, they could have their whole class engaged. The students can tell if you know what you’re reading about based off of how you read it. If they feel like you’re not understanding it, they will quickly lose interest.

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By: Natascha Biebow
Pictures By: Steven Salerno

Date Read: 09/02/2020
Genre: Nonfiction Picture Book

Description: This book is all about the man who invented Crayola Crayons. It takes us on a journey of how Edwin Binney, the inventor, chose to invent Crayola crayons.  He always admired the different colors, and payed close attention to the way they were displayed in the environment around him.  On page 2 we get a look into Binney’s motive. We see that he works in a factory that is everything but colorful and how that makes him feel. He decides that he can make a change and created Crayola crayons, so that children could express themselves through vibrant colors.

Audience: I think Kindergarten-first grade would be a great age group for this book.  The children are not only using the crayons, but they can understand what went behind making the crayons.

Strategy: 2.12, Wake up your brain

Chances are kids at this age will not have a very long attention span.  It’s important to ask questions that will keep them thinking.  Ask questions like, Why was Mr. Binney sad when he saw no color? Or, what color makes you happy?

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By: Miranda Paul
Pictures by: Ebony Glenn

Date Read 09/01/2020
Genre: Picture book

Description: This book teaches children all about the ability to use their own voice and just how important it is to do so. The book takes reader through a series of different events where it is a good idea to speak up. In the very beginning of the book it mentions how there are right time and bad times to speak up, and I think it is important for readers to know that. The book also points out public figures, such as Martin Luther King, who used his voice to speak up. At the end of the book, there are examples of children who used their voice.  This allows young readers to realize that they can speak up, just as much as anyone else.

Audience: I feel this book could be read to second and third graders. It is important for students at that age to know that their voices do matter.

Strategy: 1.15, Readers Explain their thinking.

Ask your students when would be a good time to speak up and why they should speak up in that moment.

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By: Doreen Cronin
Pictures By: Betsy Lewin

Date read: 09/01/2020
Genre: Picture Book

Description: This book is about a farm who quickly finds out that the animals he tends to are not your typical animals.  They are far more extraordinary! On page 9 the farmer discovers a letter typed out from his cows. The cows were cold at night and requested heated blankets.  When the farmer was not willing to provide them with the blankets, the cows stopped supplying him milk. This also went on with other animals on the farm. The farmer and his animals had to meet in the middle in order to make peace.

Audience: This is geared towards younger children. It is meant to be funny, all while delivering a message of  wisdom.

Strategy: 6.1, How is the character feeling.
Ask your students how you think the farmer is feeling and how he should handle the situation. You can also ask them to make a prediction on how Farmer Brown will fix this difficult situation.