Dear Canada - No Safe Harbour, The Halifax Explosion Diary of Charlotte Blackburn

I chose this book because I really enjoyed reading it as a child. I loved all the Dear Canada books, because they told historical events from the perspective of young girls. I felt I could relate to this perspective at the time. I also appreciated that these novels did not shy away from some of the more upsetting and sometimes brutal facts of these events. For example, this novel addressed the mass causalities of the Halifax explosion, documented the conditions of the make-shift hospitals following the incident, and really captured the fear experienced by a young girl during this tragedy.

I would use this novel, or other Dear Canada books, in my classroom. I feel young girls would appreciate learning about Canadian history in a way they can relate to. I also think novels of this nature can spark an interest in history!

The other novel I brought is Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman. I chose this novel because it also presents a historical event, however it does so from the perspective of a young girl in British-occupied India during WWII. I wanted to explore a historical period from the perspective of someone who is different from me, to show a new perspective I was not exposed to as a child.

Riley Taplin

Charlotte's Web is a children’s book by E.B. White.

It’s about a pig named Wilbur who is saved from being killed by his friend, a spider named Charlotte. Charlotte writes words in her web to show that Wilbur is special, and it convinces the farmers to keep him alive. The story focuses on friendship, loyalty, and dealing with life and death.

What appealed to me:

I really liked the way Charlotte cared for Wilbur and used her smarts to help him. Their friendship felt genuine, and the ending, while sad, sticks with you because it teaches a lot about love and loss. I think it’s a story that stays with you because of how touching and thoughtful it is.

Would I use this book in my classroom today?

Yes, I would use Charlotte’s Web in class today. It teaches kids about friendship, kindness, and helping others. The lessons still matter today, and it’s a great book to help students with reading and writing while also making them think about important topics.

Goosebumps: The Haunted Mask

The book is about a kid who doesn't listen and sneaks into a secret part of a halloween costume store. They find a mask that was supposed to be forbidden; however, they wore it and it eventually became a part of them. It got stuck to their face and they could not take it off.

The rest is for you to read...

I have always enjoyed the horror genre, so that attracted me to the book. It's an iconic book in the franchise with a TV show episode and a movie, so it was reinforced and engraved into my memory.

I would use this book in the classroom for the sole purpose that it, in my opinion, is a fun read.

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The book that I have not read yet is titled Summer's End.

The title of the book and font was clearly from the horror genre. Although I believe the target audience is closer to grade 8-9 with the genre, I skimmed a few pages and it seems like something that I would have read around the same time as Goosebumps.

I like it, about 3 cousins that got kicked out of their village. They now enter a new and dangerous world. I like the book because it is dark, which is why I recommend it to the class.

My other book is ATLA: The Promise - Part 1 because I wished I knew it existed when I was a kid.

Comedy, believable fiction

I chose this book because I remember liking the series very much as a child. The story follows Greg Heffley, a middle school kid who is far form popular. The author puts a wacky twist on many of the situations middle school kids can find themselves in. As a 5th grader, I especially liked this book because it made me feel like validated for being a bit of a wimpy kid myself.

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

I want to read it because I’m interested in learning more about how traditional Indigenous knowledge can help us connect with nature and live more sustainably. The themes of reciprocity and caring for the environment are really important, and I feel this book will offer valuable insights into how we can balance our modern lives with respect for the natural world.

Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Fantasy

The second book in the series, four children who are staying in a big beautiful house in the country while London is being bombed during WWII. They discover a magical wardrobe and end up in charge of the fate of a magical land called Narnia when their brother is tricked/kidnapped and they are revealed (by talking animals) to be the heroes of prophecy.

Truthfully, I loved the 2005 movie adaptation of this movie much more than the book (rare for me as a kid). The idea of a magical land with endless beautiful nature and heroic talking animals was extremely enchanting to me. This book/movie appealed to me because it led to many hours of imaginary play with my siblings and cousins :)

The book I haven't read: The Third Eye by Mahtab Narsimhan

I chose this book because the fantastical and creepy subject matter appeals to me still and would have appealed to me as a child too. Over time, I started reading more and more books that are set in other places of the world that I have never been to, so this book lines up with that reading interest as well.

Even now I enjoy romance/fantasy novels, and I attribute that love to this novel. It has several important themes, all revolving around the importance of relationships. Romantic, familial, and friendly are the big three types of relationships highlighted in this novel, and it was very fun for me to read about the Tucks lives.

As it is a somewhat tragic story, it also was very different from anything else I had read up to that point.

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The book that I am interested in reading is called Warriors, and it is about a society of cats. I really wanted to read this series because it was very popular in my friend group, and at my school as well, however I was never allowed to read it.

I chose this book because I've always had a huge fascination with anything to do with the titanic. From a young age, I would watch the movie with my mom and took a huge liking to it.

This book in particular is a really great introduction to the history behind Titanic without all the scary details in some of the other history books. And explained the tragedy in a way that children could understand it.

I would absolutely incorporate this book into my classroom.This magic tree house series in particular was a huge part of my reading journey as a kid, and they also include some nonfiction companion books which are really great learning tools for young kids.

I choose this book because I really enjoyed reading about historical events through the eyes of girls like me. I read a lot of the Dear Canada books. The books when into depth of the negative aspects of what settlers had to go through during early Canada. The books also inspired me to have my own journal as a child, because all the chapters are framed as journal entries. I would use this book in my class, as I feel like it would help inspire children to document their experiences through their own journals, which would help develop their writing skills. Also, it would help to inspire an interest in history from a young age.

The book that I chose that I hadn't read yet was Piecing Me Together by Renèe Watson. The book is about a young black girl who lives in poverty, and is trying to succeed in life. She gets tired of being defined by her circumstances starts speaking out about it. I believe that this book would be a great way to help get children into advocacy. I believe it would allow to know that they can persevere through difficult circumstances, and use these experiences to help make the world a better place.

"We are all made of molecules" is the second book I chose. I chose this book because I think I would be able to use it in classes as it discusses blended families, loosing a parent to cancer, and divorce (that's only in the first few chapters). I'm hopeful that this book continues to bring up topical subjects throughout so it can be a book I use with my future students.

I chose this book because I adored it when I was younger. My cousin let me read some of the books on her bookshelf whenever I visited her, and I went for this one because I liked the cover art and I liked mysteries.

I absolutely would use this book in my classroom today. The protagonists are all around the J/I age group, and so students could see themselves in the heroes. The plot is super engaging, and I like the overarching theme that regardless of how old you are and what you might have gone through, your skills are valuable and you can do great things.

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The book that I haven't read yet is "The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: 14 Amazing Authors tell the tales". The premise of the original Chris Van Allsburg book involved photos with a sentence each. I did a project in Grade 3 where we had to write our own stories based on one of the pictures. In this version, 14 authors treat those sentences like prompts and write their own short stories. I think it would be so cool to see how they might have interpreted the photos.

I chose this book because I really enjoyed reading it as a child, and also I have a memory of my parents reading it to me. Franklin was also a character I saw on TV among other characters like Little Bear, Timothy Goes to School, Bear in the Big Blue House, Bernstein Bears, Max and Ruby, etc.

In this book Franklin is afraid of being in his own shell, even after being reassured by his mother that it is safe. Franklin goes on a walk to meet other animals who also happen to be afraid of the thing that makes them unique, and discovers that these animals use their gifts differently when no one else is watching. A bird who uses a parachute, a Lion that roars loudly but wears earmuffs, a duck who uses water wings - each of them offer Franklin the tool they use to be comfortable with what they do, but is is not what he needs. After telling his mother his days adventure, he crawls into his shell despite his fear, but also turns on a nightlight.

I think this would still be a great book for the classroom today - it has an interesting message about facing fears.

A story of a mouse in a hole in a castle, the mouse has a dream rescue a princess like the knights in the stories he reads. Despereaux leaves the mouse hole and speaks to humans which is illegal and gets him exiled to be eaten by rats in the dungeon. Despereaux escapes, gets his tail severed while fleeing the castle's cook, and battles the rat leader with a sewing needle sword to save the castle princess.

- That Boy Red -

Vignettes of life from a family in the 1920s American Depression. It follows 11 year-old Red who is a free-spirit involved in hi-jinx, teasing horses, shoveling snow, and building wooden airplanes.

I wanted to read this because I love 1920's art and fashion. I also really enjoy stories that are segmented or non-linear like a Kerouac novel. Each chapter is a separate snippet of their lives from Red's point of view.

Book I haven't read but want to: "No Fixed Address" by Susin Nielsen. I chose this book because the cover initially jumped out at me. I noticed a sticker on the cover indicating that it had won the 'Red Maple Award' from the Forest of Reading. After reading the synopsis on the back of the book, I was hooked. It tackles the subject matter of 'hidden homelessness'. I think this book will pair well with my favourite book (above) that I chose as it also touches well on themes of friendship and community.

This is a story about a boy who finds out his father is a Greek god and he goes through life fighting Greek monsters and completed quests. I would use this book in class to encourage other kids to get into reading.

This book starts with the passing of the main character, DJ's, grandfather. With his passing, DJ decided to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to spread his grandfathers ashes. The book follows his climb and the challenges he faces during the journey. This is the first book of the 'Seven' series, each book following a different grandchild of the man who passed away, each child completing their own task.

I chose this book in Grade 6 initially because my friends were reading the series and they loved it, so I thought I would give it a try. I ended up loving it as well and since, I have always thought it would be cool to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

I might use this book in a classroom. I would use it as an example of determination, courage, and hard work.

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J.K. Rowling

The books appealed to me because I did not like reading around grades 4 - 6 because I struggled to find topics I liked. My sister read them so I decided to give them a try and loved them.

I would use them as a read-aloud but not for assessment because I feel that more current titles could relate to more of my students.

The book I picked to read is called The Marvels by Brian Selznick. I chose the book because the cover was shiny and appealing. I am a big fan of fantasy and fiction books so I wanted to know more about it.

The illustrations were the part of the book I remember most and they definitely add interest to the book, but looking back, I can certainly see an inspiration for my own art style in this book.

The story is about a young boy called David who succeeded in defeating and killing a very tall worrior, Goliath, by using just his rod and stone and faith. All the worriors in his land were terrified by this adversory but him, David, a simple sherperd comes to see how his brothers are doing and decide to fight this giant who is making fun of his people. And to the surprise of everyone there, he killed the giant, just one shoot.

This story shows that no problem or situation is too big or difficult to be overcome. It takes courage and determination to be able to achieve greatness. You have to believe that you can make it and take the step.

I constally still read this story today just to remind myself that no battle is won before hand and I can always make it. "the giant" is never invinsible.

I would probably use it in my class to encourage kids to never surrender or never give up because they got what it takes to be winners.

The Field Guide - The Spiderwick Chronicles

Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

I chose this book because it was one of the first books that I enjoyed reading! I read the entire series; there were five, and I became so obsessed they were the only books I would read for a long time.

The Field Guide is about three siblings who discover that the mansion they inherited holds secrets about the parallel world of faeries. It is the first story about their adventures and where they are first introduced to the tools that allow them to explore the faerie world.

I would use this book in a classroom because it is easily digestible and has a fantastic fantasy story that would grab the attention of students. I think that this book in a classroom would greatly benefit students who are not interested in large reading commitments.

The book that I have brought that I would like to read is The Cheshire Cheese Cat. I was drawn to this book because the story is about a cat and I love cats, reading the synopsis I was only more convinced. It seems like it will be a very lighthearted book!

The major overarching theme in this novel is the idea that we can create our own futures regardless of what has happened in our past. The supervisor was also a "juvenile delinquent" released from his imprisonment and decided to to pick his life up again, eventually creating this program for future at-risk youth.

As a kid, I loved Gordon Norman books like Son of Interflux, Schooled, and Swindle. The Juvie Three came out when I was 11, and I forced my mom to buy it for me. I remember the content because it was a bit more mature than his other works - most of the novels Korman writes have a comedy-first goal, with premises like sports games, summer camps, school hijinks. But this one was about troubled kids trying to find their way, which I really resonated with.

Today, I would consider using it in the classroom, because the theme is quite powerful, but the prose is also very accessible and easy to read. The chapters are also short, leading to natural stops for younger readers.

The book I haven't read yet is "Who Could That Be at This Hour" by Lemony Snicker. I chose this book because you should always judge a book by its cover, and this cover looked really interesting, with cartoons of burglars, cottages, lighthouses, and more. I also loved Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, and was a big fan of how morbid they were (I was a strange kid). Hopefully, this book has the same kind of dry humour and rich story.

Charlotte's Web -

This book tells the story of the unlikely friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a spider named Charlotte. Charlotte forms a friendship with Wilbur and decides to use her web to convince the farmer to spare him from being slaughterd. This sparks the attention from the farmer and the rest of the town to believe Wilbur is a special pig. I would defiantly incorporate this book into my classroom because it teaches kids about kindness, friendship, life / death, and the impact written words have.

Geronimo Stilton -The Secret of the Sphinx

This book caught my attention because I remember seeing them in my classroom growing up. The one in particular I picked up is a graphic novel version.

1. Each student in my class was assigned to read it and my friend and I made it into a competition, which encouraged me to finish the entire novel. This would have been one of the first novels I remember completing and understanding thoroughly.

2. Bringing animals to life established an emotional connection between my elementary self and the novel.

3. To this day, adaptations between film and television and books are my favourite. Charlotte's Web was an early introduction to this.

I would use this book in a classroom today because of the digital literacy that can be incorporated because of its adaptation to film. It also shares many valuable life lessons in an engaging manner for a younger audience.

The book I chose that I have not read yet but would like to is Pride & Prejudice. I found a graphic comic version that I believe would be more accessible to junior students while telling a classic, valuable tale in a modern way.

The book I haven’t read: 

• It’s Only Stanley

• I am someone who is fascinated by images, and I loved how some of the pages didn’t even include text. 

• There is so much that can be conveyed with little text, when put into context with images

  • It allows for a lot more imagination

There are many facets that I think really appealed to me as an elementary school student. The first is getting a glimpse into other kids lives, since I was around their age when I read it was interesting to see what their school lives looked like. Reading about them switching places was also really fun because it's something that could never happen in my own life. It was also really sweet to see the sister's interactions - they always got along despite their differences, which was great to see since I think in these sorts of books authors usually tend to pit them against each other. The two sisters also grew a greater respect for each other at the end of the book.

I would definitely consider using it in my class! The premise is nothing new and could potentially lean into stereotypes, but I think it's still a fun and engaging book with great execution and a good message.

Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch woman who was initially known for being the first woman to be a licensed watchmaker in Holland. 

It's World War II and it was a hard time to be around. 
No one felt safe. 
On a city corner in Holland, Corrie fights against injustice and darkness. 

Corrie and her family risk their lives to hide hundreds of Jews and others hunted by the Nazis in a secret hiding place they built into their old home. 
 
Corrie and her family were betrayed. They were captured and sent in cattle cars to the notorious concentration camps to die. Through her actions and words, she demonstrated love and forgiveness, even towards those who have caused her great suffering. 
 
This is her incredible true story, and it is great to show students how even in the most desperate, loneliest, and darkest of times, faith, hope, and love will ultimately triumph. 

I would like to read the book “Who was Nikola Tesla?” by Jim Gigliotti. 

He was an inventor who once worked with Thomas Edison and a great scientist. 

I then went on to read the other two books of the series, and then recently I finished watching the movie series as well. Absolutely love the series. Although I think it would be better to invite my students to read it in either grade 7 or 8, rather than grade 6. However, I'm glad my grade 6 teacher didn't agree with that

The Daring Game by Kit Pearson

This is the original cover that I remember from when I was young. The copy I own now features a different cover from a later release of the book.

The Daring Game tells the story of Eliza’s experience at boarding school. Loyalty, conflicting loyalties, and friendship are central themes to the story. 

As a kid, I was drawn to things that allowed me to be independent and feel grown up. The librarian at my elementary school introduced me to Kit Pearson’s books, The Daring Game, being the first. Although I don’t think I realized it at the time, I loved her books because they feature characters that seek that same independence. 

I would use this book in a classroom today because I think the central themes of loyalty and friendship can still be applied in today’s context.

A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi & Laura Shovan

Admittedly, I initially picked up this book because I was drawn to the cover. I am looking forward to reading this book because I love the idea of kids from different cultures connecting over food.