The Awakening

The Awakening
by Kate Chopin
Fiction - Enriched Classic
Pocket Books, 1899

Summary: The Awakening is a story about a woman’s quest for independence and her resistance to the expectations of marriage and family during the turn of the century and within the aristocratic New Orleans Creole society. The story opens with the main character, Edna Pontellier, living in a boarding house that is part of a resort community known as Grand Isle, Louisiana, with her husband and children. Her husband is frequently elsewhere with business affairs and she feels subjugated to caring for her children, although, they are regularly tended to by a nanny. Ms. Pontellier takes an interest in Madame Lebrun’s, the landowner, attractive young son, Robert. Upon figuring out her own love for Robert, Edna abandons her duties as a wife and mother by sending her children away during one of her husband’s extensive business trips and gains the short term freedom she was so desperate for by painting for a living and renting a house. In a manner of time, Ms. Pontellier submits to the charm of another man. Furthermore, by way of chance meeting, Ms. Pontellier happens to reunite with Robert in an emotional encounter. Unfortunately, reality returns to her life and she must sacrifice her affections for Robert and forgo her pristine freedom to resume her role of wife and mother once again.

Themes: Literal and figural “awakening,” female sexuality, infidelity, freedom, death

Rationale for Use: This well written novel with multiple literary elements is easy to read, yet it introduces new vocabulary in regards to the setting, well developed character descriptions, and common language within the community.

Possible Concerns: Ms. Pontellier’s extramarital sexual desires may be considered inappropriate for the adolescent age range.

~Tammy Hoak

Ranger's Apprentice

Ranger's Apprentice
by John Flanagan
Puffin, 2005

Summary: At the start of the novel, the reader is introduced to four friends, all of whom are orphans. Each of the friends is assigned an apprenticeship to the major schools of the castle. Will, the main character, is hoping to be apprenticed to become a knight (Battleschool). To his great disappointment, he is denied and instead apprenticed to the Ranger Halt. The novel mostly centers around Will learning the skills of a Ranger and the events leading to the upcoming war with an old enemy of the country Aruluan. A subplot involves Horace, one of the other orphans who has had an ongoing rivalry with Will throughout childhood. Horace must deal with the bullying of some older boys while at the same time keeping up with his performance as a knight in training. The rivalry between Horace and Will is resolved around midway through the book when Will saves Horace’s life during a boar hunt at the risk of his own life. This is a novel of two boys training for war, each in their own way. It’s also a story of finding a friend and of finding one’s place in the world.

Themes: Heroism; bravery; bullying; orphans and self-identity; choosing a career; friendship; apprentice and mentor; mind power; work yields results; good vs. evil; survival

Rationale for Use: Believable adolescent characters and problems, such as bullying and finding one’s place in the world.

Content Area Connections:
Art: based on description provided in the book, draw a picture of the castle
English: Compare the mentor/pupil relationship between Halt and Will to that of Brom and Eragon in Eragon.
Guidance: Write an essay about Horace’s response to the bullies and how you would have responded.
History: Compare the qualities of the Aruluan Rangers to the real-life US Army World War II Rangers.

Possible Problems or Concerns:
Book I is centered around the male friends with little mention of the females. In later books in the series, the female characters will become more noticeable. Until then, females might lack interest in the stories.

~Deborah Spear

Dogsong

Dogsong
by Gary Paulsen
Adventure
Scholastic, 1985

Summary: The story centers around the adventures of an Inuit boy named Russel who desires to experience the “old ways” of Inuit life while being trapped in a modern existence. Russel begins a relationship with a village elder named Oogruk. The old man tells Russel of how his life was before arrival of outsiders and the advent of their technology and theology. Oogruk is mystical in nature and he captures Russel’s imagination by explaining that life is explained and lived through tribal songs and he should create his own song. Russel attempts this through traveling across the land on a quest of discovery with Oogruk’s sled dog team. During this time he experiences a dream in which he discovers a past life that runs parallel to his own. In it he rescues a young, pregnant girl and defeats a Polar Bear by using traditional hunting methods and his dog team. In doing so Russel discovers his own song of life, the “Dogsong”.

Themes: This book explores traditional themes of courage and self-discovery.

Rationale for Use: Paulsen show his young readers that they should seek their own identity by examining their own personal core values.

Content Area Connections: This book is ideal for use in a Social Studies class when studying traditional Native American culture and how the Inuit’s made use of and adapted to their environment.

Possible Problems or Concerns: Some students may struggle with the blurring of reality and the dream sequences. Many young readers are very literal in their interpretation of events and will need extra help in discovering how the author is using the dream to demonstrate Russel’s quest for personal discovery. In spite of this minor concern I would highly recommend this book for use not only in the classroom but as a book that a student could read for pleasure.

~Randy Johnson

The Magician's Nephew

The Magician's Nephew
by C.S. Lewis
Fantasy
Harper Collins, 1955

Summary: Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer become friends in London in 1900 after Digory and his dying mother come to live with Digory’s aunt and uncle. While exploring in the attic of the row houses in which they live, the children enter the uncle’s study. He tricks the children into using magic rings he has made to travel to other worlds; the children accidentally bring back an evil queen. In attempting to return the queen to her own world, the children enter the land of Narnia and witness its birth, brought about by Aslan, a symbolic lion. By completing a mission of atonement, Digory earns the right to a magical apple that cures his mother. They have, however, brought the evil queen to the land of Narnia, where she will later cause many problems. Aslan returns the children to London, Digory’s life improves, and Digory and Polly live the remainder of their lives as good friends. Digory changes during the book from an impulsive boy who is unable to avoid temptation to one who can analyze the results of temptation and who then does what is right.

This book of fantasy is the first that should be read in the series of seven books in the Narnia Chronicles that were written by Lewis in the late ‘40s through mid-‘50s. The books are full of fantasy and religious symbolism, pitting good against evil. The books are short, simply written, and would be enjoyed by adolescents who enjoy fantasy and are not put off by the old-fashioned descriptions and words used in the book—it was, after all, set in 1900 London. The books can also be read and enjoyed by adults who enjoy interpreting the religious symbolism. C.S. Lewis was a prominent Christian apologist in his time, and his books, including The Screwtape Letters, are among my favorites.

Themes: Dealing with loss of parents, dependency on others, loss of familiar life, friendship, adventure and exploration, temptation, courage, faith, loyalty, belief in oneself, doing the “right thing,” and being able to tell good from evil.

Rationale for Use: Entertaining, with characters that are very likable. The situation the young boy finds himself in, living with relatives and with a dying mother, is still relevant today. Complex in the underlying theme of religious symbolism.

Content Area Connections: This book could be used in a religion class or in an English class. In both situations, the symbolism could be explored and class discussions could be held to determine how students interpret the author’s characters, especially Aslan.

Possible Problems or Concerns: Some students may view the book as too old fashioned to read, and fantasy is difficult for some to embrace. Others, who see the religious symbolism, may object to Lewis’ strong Christian values and creationist views.

~Arnelle Ambrose

Witches

Witches
by Roald Dahl
Fiction
Puffin Books, 1983

Summary: A young man, during a family visit to his grandmother’s in Norway, is orphaned after an automobile accident takes the life of both parents. Grandmother, a self-acclaimed expert on witches, tells many tales to her grandson about how witches love to destroy children. While on holiday, the pair find themselves at a hotel in the company of all the witches in England, and the Grand High Witch herself. After being discovered listening to a plan to destroy the children of England, the young man is captured and turned into a mouse. He manages to escape to his grandmother and the two of them devise a plan to destroy the witches with their own magic. Even though his plan is successful, he still must live his life as a mouse; albeit, one with human voice and thoughts. The boy learns to accept what he has become, as does grandmother, and to use his mouse body to his advantage to destroy even more witches. This book is easily read in 2 – 3 hours and has many drawings to depict the story. Dahl has written several books for young people, the most famous is likely Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.

Themes: Overcoming adversity, survival in tough times.

Rationale for Use: An easy and fast read, simple story line with interesting characters and detailed illustrations.

Possible Problems or Concerns: The idea of both parents dying may be disturbing. Witches and spells may frighten younger readers or offend their family. Many terms and phrases are more common in England and American students may not be familiar with them.

~Jim Staten

The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963

The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963
by Christopher Paul Curtis
Historical Fiction
Scholastic, 1995

Summary: The story takes place in Flint Michigan with a family of five that include the children Joetta, Kenny, Byron, a mother Wilona, and father Daniel Watson. Kenny tells of his problems being picked on by the other children in school and his brother Byron and his friend Buphead. Byron has been causing trouble for his family, lighting matches in the house several times and creates himself a new hairdo. Byron’s parents decide it is time he go and stay with his grandmother in Birmingham for the summer or maybe longer. The family traveled to Birmingham at the same time that segregation was occurring. The Watsons witnessed first hand how whites were against the integration of blacks.

Rationale for Use: This book shows how the character Byron changes from a person who treated his brother terrible to helping his brother get over a terrible time in his life. The book does a good job making the characters seem real and dealing with real life situations. It also has several areas of suspense, for example where Kenny goes swimming in Biringham.

Content Area Connection: I would use this book to connect with Virginia History and SOL VS.9 about how Virginia played an important part in the Civil Rights Movement. Chapter 14 gives the most detail about events that were occurring during this time period with the bombing of a church. It does not tell why the church was bombed but through a class discussion we could figure out that it was due to segregation in the south.

Possible Problems or Areas of Concern: The only problems I had with this book was, the language. There are a lot of curse words in the book so I would probably use it as read aloud book so that can skip the bad language.

~Ashley Glass

Speak

Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Adolescent Fiction
Puffin Books, 2001

Summary: The novel opens with Melinda Sordino on the bus the first day of her 9^th grade year. She is narrating the experience, and from the opening minutes, it is obvious that she is an outcast in this environment. Melinda had not always been an outcast among her peers, but this changed at an end of summer party when she called the police and one of the more popular boys was arrested.

The novel goes on for chapters before it is revealed that Melinda had been drinking at the party, and she was raped by one of the jocks who for a long time she could only refer to as IT. Even though she called the police, Melinda got scared and ran, and she had not told anyone what happened to her.

The isolation seen from the opening scene gets worse and worse at school. A new student forces her way into Melinda’s world in the beginning, and just as she begins to depend on this relationship, even that friend betrays and abandons her. At home Melinda parents are so self involved and overworked that they don’t see the changes and obvious signs of depression in their daughter. Melinda’s only refuge is in art class where her eccentric art teacher challenges her to express herself through her art.

Melinda is tortured during the year by Andy (IT) who regularly makes his presence known; touching her and whispering in her ear while all the while dating her ex-best friend. Still Melinda doesn’t speak of what has happened to her. When Melinda finally does reveal her story, Andy attacks her again and Melinda fights back. In the end the truth is revealed. Andy is seen clearly by his peers, and Melinda begins to tell her story to her art teacher. The reader is left hopeful that she will have a new and better experience in the days to come.

Themes: Acceptance and peer relationships; Finding self and a voice; Survival and overcoming adversity; Family relationships; Love, sex and boundaries

Rationale For Use: This novel is a well written realistic look at what our teens deal with daily. The humor in her character descriptions of the teachers as well as the genuine expression of feelings related to all of her struggles is bound to appeal to our students who above all want us to “Keep it Real” This novel is powerful. It’s content is explicit, and some would not agree that this book is meant for an adolescent audience. However, the students of today are the ones facing these issues from underage drinking and date rape to the struggle to fit in the world they must survive. Through reading Speak, they too could find a voice and the help they need.

The novel is an easy read with a print size that will appeal to all readers in my class.

Content Area Connections: If done with seniors, the novel could easily be connected with government and the discussion of laws. In the novel, Andy is not legally punished for his crimes against Melinda. The students could hold a mock trial, and give some real closure to Melinda’s ordeal.

Possible Problems or Concerns: The only real concern with this novel is the harsh view of life presented. The content surrounding the rape and following attack is explicit and not for all adolescents. However. as a parent, I chose to read this novel with my 9^th grade son because I felt there were issues that he needed to see from the stand point of a young woman who had been violated. All young men and women need to understand that date rape is real and it is a crime.

~Kim Martin

Each Little Bird That Sings

Each Little Bird That Sings
by Deborah Wiles
Realistic Fiction
Harcourt, 2005

Summary: Comfort Snowberger is a ten-year-old girl whose family owns a funeral home. She has attended more than 247 funerals. She lives with her father (a mortician), her mother (a funeral florist), her fourteen-year-old brother Tidings, and her faithful dog Dismay. Comfort considers her self to an “explorer, recipe tester, and funeral reporter”. She prides herself on thinking out of the box. Comfort is a girl that some would consider “eccentric”. Her Great-Great Aunt Florentine, and Great Uncle Edisto are a big part of her life. Comfort gets many of her quirks and personality traits from them. In the wake of her Great-Great Aunt Florentine’s death, her best friend Declaration Johnson begins to shun her with no explanation. On top of that, she has to look after her younger cousin Peach, who is a royal pain! Throughout the book, Comfort is confronted with a life of surprises.

“It’s not how you die that makes the important impression, Comfort; it’s how you live.”

- Great Uncle Edisto

Themes: family relationships; identity; death; friendships; emotions; belonging; self-esteem

Rationale for Use: Student-friendly language; elements of humor; interesting plot; believable adolescent characters and problems

Content Area Connections:

Science:

Teacher could use this book to connect to a study on rocks. Weather, specifically flooding, could also be connected to this text.

Social Science:

Teachers could use the map illustrated in the beginning of the book as a review of map legends and keys.

Also, students could read and discuss Comfort’s obituaries, and write their own for famous Americans and/or Presidents.

Possible Problems or Concerns: organization of text may be difficult for some students to follow; central theme of death may be too realistic for some students

~Amanda Booe

Skellig

Skellig
by David Almond
Fantasy
Random House, 1998

Summary: Michael has just moved with his family into a “fixer-upper” across town. His baby sister, who was born prematurely, has to make many trips in and out of the hospital for life threatening illnesses, often leaving Michael at home with just Dad. As Dad begins renovations on the house, Michael is left to explore the yard and the nearly dilapidated old garage. As his curiosity gets the best of him, Michael discovers a “sickly being” of sorts in the garage which seems to have features of a human, an angel, and a bird. Michael and his new friend next door, Mina secretly nurse the being back to health. As his baby sister’s health is in danger throughout the story, Michael’s friendships with Mina and this mystical creature, teach him many valuable lessons about life, death, trust, and love. In the end, the creature he now called Skellig is connected to Michael’s feeble baby sister. To find out how, read Skellig by David Almond.

Themes: Life and death, friendship, family, home school, birds of prey and their life cycles, mystical beings, and emotional issues including worrying and dependence on others in times of need.

Rationale for use: Real life situations, mysterious places to explore, mysterious beings, and believable characters

Content Area Connections: Relationships with family and friends, life cycles of birds especially owls, compare/contrast skill with home school versus public school, the human body and its systems, and a study of ancient birds such as the archaeopteryx.

Possible Problems or Concerns:

• The life and death battle with the baby sister and the mystical creature might be upsetting.
• Although this book is on approximately the 4-5 grade level, many abstract connections might not be made without teacher prompting.

~Marsha Johnson

The Sign of the Beaver

The Sign of the Beaver
by Elizabeth George Speare
Yearling, 1983
Fiction

Summary: The Sign of the Beaver is a story about a family who move from their home in Massachusetts to a new settlement in Maine. A young boy named Matt and his father traveled to the site of their new home and while the father left to retrieve the rest of the family, Matt stayed behind to keep watch on their land. Matt is confronted with many new adventures some scary, others exciting. An unlikely friend named Attean who is a native of the Beaver tribe and Matt ultimately strike up a friendship. Matt teaches Attean English and how to read while Attean teaches Matt how to survive on the land by hunting, fishing, and growing crops. Both boys learn valuable lessons and skills that will help them throughout their lives and they strike up a bond that neither ever thought possible.

Themes: Courage, strength, friendship, survival, family, exploration, respect, diversity.

Rationale for Use: Shows that diversity in friendships can be beneficial, it’s a compelling and believable story filled with excitement and it fits in with the fifth grade curriculum and reading level.

Content Area Connections:

English: The students could compare and contrast life Matt’s life in 1768 with their life in 2009 using a Venn Diagram. Students could create an alternate ending for the story where Matt decided to join the Beaver tribe.

VA Studies: Relates to Native Americans (though not the specific tribes) which are discussed including shelter, transportation, and gathering of food as well as how to adapt to new surroundings.

Science: One of the main staples of food was corn. The students could develop their own experiment growing corn and choose a variable to change: amount of light, amount of water, type of soil, etc. The students will keep track of the progress of their corn plants, which could go hand in hand with a math lesson on graphing.

Possible Problems of Concerns:

Some Native American language will need to be explained and defined. The idea that a boy at the age of twelve could be left alone for months, keeping an eye on a new home and trying to survive will need to be addressed. Students will need to realize that times were different back then and that this type of situation would not likely happen nowadays.

~Susan Purcell

Behind You

Behind You
by Jacqueline Woodson
Contemporary Fiction

Summary: Jeremiah (Miah) Roselind is dead because of a horrible police error. Those he left behind are having a difficult time dealing with his untimely death. In each chapter we are privy to the grieving process of Ellie, Miah’s white girlfriend; Nelia, his famous mom; and Carlton, his gay childhood friend. Miah helplessly looks down on his friends and family as they attempt to move on with their lives, but they are all stuck in complicated emotional pain. Woodson carries us through each of their fragile lives as they find healing for their wounded spirits. The book not only deals with death and dying, but also with living after a great loss. It is an easy-to-read book. Jacqueline Woodson often writes about the emotions of grief. She is a prolific African-American writer of young adult novels who has been nominated twice for the National Book Award, and was the 2001 recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award. .

Rationale for Use: Woodson’s issues know no color. Her plots are not complicated, but they are problems young people encounter in today’s world: racism, sexuality, love, and acceptance.

Content Area Connections: Most Reading SOL content areas could be addressed using Behind You, especially demonstrating a comprehension of fiction. Character traits and story elements can be easily adapted for classroom study. Here is an example for understanding imagery and figurative language (page 51): “Future like a big empty trick-or-treat bag at the beginning of Halloween night.”

Possible Concerns: This is a thought-provoking story and might not be received well by those students who are not ready to think "deep."

~Belinda Todd

Heaven

Heaven
by Angela Johnson
Realistic Fiction
Scholastic, 1999

Summary: Marley, a 14 year old girl, lives a perfect life in Heaven, OH. She thinks it’s a perfect life, that is, until she realizes that her mom and dad are not really her parents. She discovers that her beloved uncle, Jack, is really her father. Upon the discovery that her life has been a lie, Marley starts out on an unexpected journey to find her identity. Marley’s anger forces her to see flaws in all of the beauty that once existed. In dealing with the pain in her life, she decides to take one day at a time and each day brings new realizations. She realizes that everyone deals with pain, that the word perfect is misunderstood, and that her flawed life has led her to Heaven.

Themes: Identity, Family, Friendship, Survival

Rationale for Use:

-Realistic characters and plot.

-Complex themes that adolescents can relate to.

-While the plot is complex, the story moves quickly and keeps you hooked until the end.

Content Area Connections:

Social Studies:

Geography – Throughout the story, various U.S. cities are mentioned, allowing the audience to learn more about the main character’s all around journey of self-identity. Students could piece the story together using a U.S. map. They could mark all of the cities and use relative location and cardinal directions to describe where the characters have traveled in order to get to Heaven.

Era Study – Students could list clues from the story to find a time frame that the story took place in. Listing types of transportation, communication, family life styles, and social issues, students can make connections to what they know about various time periods in our history and try to determine the time setting.

Possible Problems or Concerns: Language and plot are objectionable at times.

~Bridget Mansfield

The Sign of the Beaver

The Sign of the Beaver
by Elizabeth George Speare
Dell Pulishing, 1983

Summary: A young boy, Matt, is left alone to survive in an unfamiliar place while his father returns to their home to get the rest of the family. After the boy’s gun is stolen he has to learn survival skills on his own. One day an old Indian and his grandson rescue Matt from a swarm of bees. The Indians help him heal. As a payment, Matt agrees to teach the grandson, Attean to read. While Matt helps Attean learn how read, Attean teaches Matt survival skills that help Matt live in the wilderness while his family makes the journey back. An interesting friendship strikes between Matt and Attean. When Attean’s family decides to move the tribe to hunt, Matt decides to stay and wait for his family to return.

Themes: Identity; Friendship; Family; Survival; Values; Courage; Multi-culture

Rationale for Use: Real life scenarios of an Indian’s life in the seventeenth century that are easy for students to relate to.

Content Area Connections: Social Science: The book deals with survival skills and lives of early Native Americans. Second grade students learn about three different Indian tribes and their lives. This book would be a great way for students to make connections and see how they used to live.

Possible Problems or Concerns: Students may have a hard time getting into the book at first; it starts off slow. There is negative talk about accepting others because of differences.

~Ashley Burton

Until We Meet Again

Until We Meet Again
by Anne Schraff
Realistic Fiction
Scholastic, 2002

Summary: Darcy was a sixteen-year-old high school student whose summer changed drastically. Darcy’s father had returned after a five-year absence, was back in their lives and buying them a house. Darcy’s grandmother, who lived with them and helped her mother take care of them when her father was away, had had a stroke and was very ill. Later at school she would find out that her boyfriend, Hakeem, was moving to another state because his father had cancer. Hakeem was always there for her, but now he was leaving. Another boy enters Darcy’s life, Brian. Brian was older and worker. Her was the brother of Liselle and Darcy was babysitting her daughter Kelena. Brian was picking up the pieces of Darcy’s broken heart. He was handsome, muscular and his cologne was always smelling good. They had a couple of dates. But then the date where Darcy lied to her father and told him that she had to baby-sit; instead she was going to meet Brian at the apartment. Brain got really ruff with her, and her father had come over to bring her some dinner and heard her screaming and broke the door down, slammed Brian up against the wall and grabbed Darcy and dragged her home. Darcy’s sister walks into the grandmother’s bedroom and found her on the floor, calls 911 and the paramedics take her to the hospital. Her grandmother comes home in a couple of days and dies.

Themes: Family, friendship and dealing with different emotions (love, grief, anger) and values.

Rationael for Use: Very well written. You actually feel that you are one of the characters and feeling the emotions they are going through. Real problems and issues.

Content Area Connections:

The students could describe and give measurements the apartment and compare the house in size, rooms and the yard. (Math)

They could make a map of the distance from Darcy’s home to school, and to the babysitters. (Math)

Discuss life choices; right and wrong. (English)(Life)

Possible Problems or Concerns: The print size was a great reading size and font. It was only 144 pages long, just long enough to keep the student’s interest. A realistic view of teenage life and making the right and wrong choices.

~Vera Grant

Crispin

Crispin: The Cross of Lead
by Avi
Historical Fiction
Scholastic, 2002

Summary: This book is about a young boy who doesn’t have an identity of his own. He was orphaned at a young age and accused of committing theft. Although he did not commit the crime, he was deemed a wolf’s head. This forced him to flee his village alone to fin for himself. On his journey, he met a juggler named Bear who took him under his wings and taught him to juggle, play the flute and other survival skills. Bear and Crispin learned to trust each other despite their differences. Crispin soon learned why he was forced to leave his village in search of freedom and why his mother had secrets about whom he was and why he was told that his father was dead. This book is action packed and very hard to put down. It takes off from the very first chapter and keeps you until the end.

Themes: Communities; Survival; Courage; Good vs. Evil; Diversity; Identity

Rationale for Use: This book is fast paced with a real life adolescent character, well written with numerous plots. Although this book was written on upper fourth grade lower fifth grade level, it would be good for upper grade struggling readers studying about 14th century history.

Content Area Connections: History- 14th century England; Feudal life; Ancient Civilizations; Politics; Map-Geography-several countries listed in Crispin’s journey

Possible Problems or Areas of Concern:Numerous plots in which could be too complex struggling readers; Vocabulary words very sophisticated; Harsh view of life

~Tracy Hayes

Schooled

Schooled
by Paul Langan
Realistic Fiction
Townsend Press, 2009

Summary: The Bluford Series is a recently published set of books that deals with everyday situations that adolescent teenagers deal with. The setting is primarily Bluford High School. In Schooled, the main character Lionel Shephard is a struggling reader. His dream is to play basketball for the NBA, but obstacles of school, family, and friendship stand in his way. His teachers threaten to fail him because of his poor work habits and grades, his father thinks playing basketball is unrealistic, and his friend, Jamar uses peer pressure to convince him to drop out of school and join him working at the local car wash where he won’t have to answer to anyone. After several twists and turns, and with the help of his teachers and father, Lionel realizes that if he is going to achieve his goal of being an NBA superstar, he will have to work hard and stay in school. This is a high interest/low readability book for adolescent readers that definitely gets their attention and keeps it to the end. The author’s inclusion of the father as the role model and supporting character are just what many of our male adolescent readers need.

Themes:Perseverance, Courage to deal with Peer Pressure, Family, Overcoming difficult challenges

Rationale for Use:High interest low readability, realistic adolescent characters and situations, teaches about peer pressure and perseverance

Content Area Connections:Citizenship Skills dealing with relationships between peers and family members

Possible Problems or Concerns:Mature content: drug reference to use of marijuana, violence: fighting

~Heather Fanja

Elijah of Buxton

Elijah of Buxton

by Christopher Paul Curtis

Historical Fiction

Scholastic, 2007

Summary:
Elijah was the first free child born in the settlement town of Buxton, Canada. Elijah has many funny adventures around the settlement while he’s busy doing his daily chores and attending school. Many run away and newly freed families arrive at the settlement over the years and Elijah and his best friend, Cooter, are the welcoming committee for the settlement. After one of the community members saves up enough money to buy his family out of slavery, the money is stolen and its up to Elijah to try and get the money back. As Elijah travels to the United States to help out, a very unexpected twist happens that will really surprise you.

Themes: Good vs. bad; values; courage.

Rationale for Use: Characters are charming and very realistic and react in humorous and typical ways. A light atmosphere to the heavy topic of slavery.

Content Area Connections: Social Studies: This book deals with the issue of slavery, escaped slaves, and freed black men.

Possible Problems or Concerns: The one main problem that students may have problems with is the language. I really enjoyed the way the author made the language so realistic, but I could see students having difficulty understanding what they have read. I would introduce the book by reading the first chapter to the students to model how the young boy talks and what it should sound like.

~Stacy Whitt

Schooled

Schooled
by Gordon Korman
Realistic Fiction
Scholastic, 2007

Summary:
Cap Anderson lives on a farm commune with his grandmother and has never watched TV or eaten pizza. Cap is home schooled by his grandmother. When Cap’s grandmother falls out of a tree while picking plums, she breaks her hip and needs weeks of rehabilitation forcing Cap to live in town with strangers and attend Claverage Middle School. Cap, with his long hair and home-made sandals, has lived a 1960s hippie life style all his life; he now has a hard time fitting in with his peers. He is elected class president but has no idea what that means. The students try to make fun of Cap but he manages to turn things around so he is their hero.

Themes: commune, hippies, hippy, home school, middle school, 1960s, humorous, point of view, peer pressure, cliques, stereotypes, acceptance

Rationale for use: Believable characters, realistic situations, age appropriateness, bullies, being different

Content Area Connections: English: compare and contrast changing patterns of society or lifestyles (commune and a normal community), pair with the Outsiders

Possible Problems or Concerns:
• Tai chi might be an unfamiliar word for many
• students would need to understand that many home schooled students do not live as sheltered a life as Cap Anderson
• the main character is in 8th grade but middle school students would be more interested in the book than junior high school students

~Debbe Creamer

Leslie's Journal

Leslie's Journal
by Allan Stratton
Young Adult
Annick Press, 2007

Summary:
Leslie’s world is crashing around her. She is in trouble at school, at home, and with her best friend Katie. Leslie's life seems to settle from chaos to wonderful when Jason, the new guy in school, asks her out. Things quickly change, however, and spin out of control as she finds out that Jason is not as nice as she thought and she must find a way to break out of the relationship.

Themes:
friendship, love, courage, independence, dating, date rape, and family.

Rationale for Use: Well written, suspenseful, and a fast paced story about love, friendship, and what it means to stand up for yourself.

Content Area Connections:
English: The book deals with journal writing. One idea would be for students to write a journal while the book is being read to express their feelings about Leslie’s situation and how they would handle the situation differently.

Possible Problems or Concerns:
Sexual overtones, violence, and date rape

~Heather Dobbs

Tears of a Tiger

Tears of a Tiger
by Sharon M. Draper
Fiction
Antheneum Books, 1994

Summary: Andrew Jackson is a high school basketball player who has a close-knit group of life-long friends. During an after-the-game celebration which includes drinking beer and riding around with his friends, Andrew, who is driving, begins to lose control of the car and ends up hitting a wall. Andrew and his friends experience a life-altering moment. Three of the four boys make it out of the car; the fourth one, Robbie, is pinned inside. While the boys are trying to pull Robbie out of the car, it explodes, and the boys listen as Robbie screams for help as he burns to death. This experience is one that affects all of the boys; however, Andy never gets over the guilt he has about causing his friend’s death.
Andy’s attempt at recovery has many ups and downs. Andy’s grades suffer, his relationships with his friends change, and even when he looks as if he’s getting his life together as he begins to participate in school and he returns to basketball, he constantly has relapses into deep depression wondering why he’s alive. Counseling appears to help Andy move from wanting to die to learning to cope. However, even though he is labeled as stable and he stops seeing his counselor, he never completely gets rid of the guilt and the pain that lies deep within him.
As he begins to spiral out of control, he makes a few attempts to reach out to his parents who never really listen to him. He also tries to reach out to his girlfriend who has a hard time dealing with his numerous breakdowns and mood swings. During his the last day of his life, he attempts to reach out to his counselor who is not available when he calls, his coach who isn’t home when he calls, and to his girlfriend whose mother refuses to wake her up to talk to him so late at night. After failing at connecting with anyone, he feels utterly alone and sees taking his own life as the only way to stop the pain he is feeling.
The reader experiences how Robbie’s death affects the student body, the teachers, the coach, the community, but most importantly, Andy. The story is told from the perspective of all those people, and the reader sees how they react, how they perceive what is going on around them, and how they perceive Andy is coping with Robbie’s death. The reader also experiences how Andy’s suicide causes anger among those he leaves behind including his friends and his younger brother. His brother Monty is left with questions and a broken home because his parents can’t handle the death of their son. The novel ends with Monty remembering being told by Andy that his drawing of a tiger could have tears on it if he wanted it to—according to Monty, the tiger represented Andy because Andy was always sad--if only the adults were as perceptive as Andy’s little brother.
Themes: Death; Friendship; Family Relationships, father and son, mother and son, brother and brother; Thoughts and feelings of African-Americans towards Caucasians; Stereotypes; Female/male interactions; Suicide; Seeing value in literature; Courage; Learning how to cope; Signs of someone who needs help; Grief
Rationale for Use:
1. Written in a variety of formats such as newspaper articles, regular narrative style, and letters
2. Contains believable adolescent characters
3. Multicultural
4. Relevant subjects for high school students
5. Offers a variety of points of view
Content Area Connections:
English: A variety of written forms are modeled in this novel. For example, the concise style of a newspaper article is used. Also, the personal style of a friendly letter or a journal entry can be modeled with this novel. The novel also enables the discussion of many common themes found in literature with the use of one book in an easy to read, non-threatening, original style.
Possible Problems or Concerns:
A friend’s death can be a difficult subject to discuss in a classroom, especially at the high school level where the students do experience the death of fellow classmates. A more sensitive topic though would definitely be the suicide in the novel. It would have to be addressed in discussion so the students can process it and analyze how the characters feel themselves about Andy’s suicide.

~Frances Elder

MAX

MAX
By James Patterson
Science Fiction
Little, Brown and Company, NY, 2009

Summary:
Maximum Ride (Max) is the leader of a group of six kids ranging in the age of six to fourteen. These kids have different powers in addition to the fact that they all have wings and can fly. This is the fifth and latest book in the Maximum Ride series. The “Voice” that speaks only to Max, tells her that she will save the world. In this installment, Max and the rest of the flock have to battle robotic demons and radioactivity to free Max’s mother from her kidnappers. Max and Angel (the youngest of the flock at age six) use their ability to breath under water and Angel’s ability read minds and talk to animals to save Max’s mother from a facility where she being held at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Max as the narrator shares her thoughts and problem with the reader that are much like problems that normal kids would have at age fourteen. The book is an easy read for preteen level readers. Patterson writes short chapters (often two to three pages) that helps the reader stop and pick back up where they left off. While the book is a science fiction book, it does not bog down with details that would make the reader lose interest.

Themes: Friendship, Family, Belonging, Identify, Survival, Quest, Values,
Good vs. Evil, Courage, Conformity and non-conformity.

Rationale for Use: Well written, easy readability, believable adolescent characters adn problems, intricate plot, complex characters.

Content Area Connections: The book presents an element of suspense. The students can review development of plot and characters.

Possible Problems or Concerns: Complex plot may be difficult for some. The visualization of the fantasy concepts. Some struggling readers mya have problems with vocabulary and comprehension.

~Bill Oxenham