Book Five: White Socks Only

White Socks Only By Evelyn Coleman
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company (January 1, 1996)
Age: 9-12


The story is about a young African American girl who loves to hear stories from her grandma. Her favorite of the stories is the one about her grandma sneaking off into town when she was the young girls age. Her grandmothers story begins with her sneaking off to town one sizzling hot day, and she gets thirsty so she finds a drinking fountain near by. The only problem is the fountain has a "whites only" sign on it, but she thought she was fine after she took off her black shoes and stepped up onto the stool with her white socks. This begins a series of events regarding our countries (especially in Mississippi) prejudice and racist past.

This is a very strong piece of literature, and it is rich in important/meaningful lessons kids need to be discussing. I found this story very interesting and I could see myself reading this in the classroom. The conflict of the story begins when she takes a drink from a "whites only" water fountain, and a large white man throws her off the stool and says he is going to whip her. This was a very intense part of the story. After you see other African Americans stand up for the young girl and take a drink out of the fountain also. Even though this story is fiction I find it very realistic to the time period. It was acts like this that eventually led to civil rights. The author did a fabulous job with the plot because it was a very realistic plot, and it flowed really nicely together. I also thought the story within a story was a very good idea because the African American culture has a strong background in story telling, so her grandma passing this lesson/story down to her granddaughter is very realistic. The characterization throughout the story was good. You really get a sense of who this young girl is, but I have to say she is the only truly developed character. The only slight exceptions would be the chicken man and the large white man, but you don't really get to know them on a personal level like you do with the little girl. The setting of the story was perfect because that was Mississippi back in the 50's and 60's.

The illustrations were very well down. They went with the story very well, and allowed you to put a face to the little girl and community. The pictures added a realistic touch to the story. Without the illustrations I feel that the story would be lacking a little bit of power. I would use this book in my classroom to discuss the issues African Americans faced in the civil rights era. It would be a nice transition into a history unit about that time period.

This is a story for anyone, but I would say it was written for grades 3rd-6th because there are a lot of strong critical topics to discuss. This could be tough with any younger children.


Thanks for reading y'all!

Gorms

Book Four: The London Eye Mystery

The London EYE Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
Publisher: Yearling; Reprint edition (May 26, 2009)
Genre: Mystery
Reading Level: Ages 9-12

The London Eye Mystery is an adventure seen through the eyes of an autistic 12 year old named Ted. Ted is one of two children (he also has an older sister Kat). The story starts when Ted's cousin comes to visit his family in London before his cousin (Salim) and his mother (Gloria) move to NYC. Ted's cousin Salim decides that he would like to see the London Eye before he left, so Ted's family along with Salim and Golria take a visit to the Eye. When their parents go to get coffee; Salim accepts a ticket from a suspicious man to ride the eye alone. When the eye comes back down Salim is no where to be found. This is the start to the adventurous mystery that Ted and Kat attempt to solve. Ted and Kat struggle to get their voices heard by the adults, and must go behind their parents backs to solve the mystery.

This was a very strong piece of writing. The story could really relate to a lot of different types of students and I think that is very important. There are so many possibilities on the different types of students you could reach with this book. The story presented through the eyes of an autistic boy really got me think about the amazing process of the brain, but also the struggles students have who have autistic siblings.  This story could reach students who are dealing with this, or students who are struggling to hear their voices heard by adults, coping with loss of a relative, and even students who struggle to get along with their families. The plot was very well developed, and the author does a great job of giving you periodic hints to help you form your own theory. This process makes the text very engaging, and really helps you interact with the text. When I was reading it I was trying as hard as I could before the end (which I did ). That was a sign of a great author, when she was leaving subtle hints that at the time seem insignificant but then stick with you throughout the story. These small but significant details together help you figure out what happened, and it gives you a sense of purpose while reading. The character development was exceptional, a lot like book three the author really did a fabulous job of putting me in the story. You really get to know Ted and his family throughout their various interactions with each other. I think an important part of the story is the idea that kids need their voices to be heard by adults, and often times what they have to say is very important. This is important to me because as a pre-service teacher it will be important for me to listen and learn from my students.

If I was using this book in my classroom I would definitely use this as an alley way to talk about writing a mystery story. I would also have the students start the writing process of their own mystery stories. I think it is important to read a type of genre before attempting to write a story within that type of style.

This book was fabulous I really enjoyed it. I would recommend this story to almost anyone, but I would for sure use this book if their were students dealing with issues that are addressed in this book The age level it is for is 9-12.

Thanks for reading y'all!

Gorms

Book Three: Until They Bring The Streetcars Back

Until They Bring The Streetcars Back by Stanley Gordon West
Publisher: Lexington-Marshall Publishing; 1st edition (January 5, 1997)
Genre: Teen
Readability: 4th to 6th grade

This was a book about the adventure of a high school senior Cal Grant in the fifties. Cal grew up in Saint Paul Minnesota in the post world war two. One prank in study hall puts Cal right in the face of the painful reality of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse when he meets Gretchen Lutterman. Throughout the book Cal struggles to balance his attempt for his fathers approval, friends, sports, and attempts to rescue Gretchen from her miserable reality.

I thought this was a very high quality text that I personally enjoyed very much. It is a book that can relate to so many different people. The story was very well developed. I often times started to picture myself as Cal (sign of a good writer in my opinion), and I started to live the story. As a pre-service teacher often times when I read a book I think, how can I relate this to my students? This is important in high quality literature because students find a love for reading when they can relate to the plot and characters. This story could relate to so many different people. This could relate to students who are trying to find their place in school, have up and down home lives, are being abused, struggle with parent approval, and pretty much student living in the metro can relate to the setting of the story. The one knock I would have on it is that it isn't very multi-cultural, so having a group of African American, Asian, or Hispanic students read this aren't going to relate to it as well as Caucasian students. The plot of the story was very strong and well developed. There were many times when I was on the edge of my seat excited about what is going to happen next. I thought he tied in many different parts of the plot together such as Cal's home life, school, sports, friends, and time he spent trying to help Gretchen. The character development in the story was superb, and I really got a sense that I was in the story. Like I stated before there were times when I thought I was actually in Cal's position and I was trying to figure out what I was going to do next. I really got a sense of being comfortable with the characters and it seemed like I knew all of them on a personal level. This to me is a sign of a great writer.  The themes of the book were strong, but I also feel they can send a bad message. Throughout the book Cal tries to do the right thing by getting Gretchen out of her house, and often times he goes to inappropriate measures to accomplish this.  I would have a serious conversation with my students about the power of reporting instances like Gretchen's, and how not informing adults will only hurt the student more.

I think this book would be a great way to start talking about hard topics such as abuse, friends/relationships, and parent problems. I think there is a lot of room for journal reflection and strong discussion about these tough issues, but I think it is something that we as teachers need to talk about and have our students think critically about.

Like I said before I really enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to almost anyone, but I think in a classroom setting it is geared for 4th-7th graders because it is a lengthy text and has some strong themes that need discussing.

Thanks for reading y'all!

Gorms

A Bad Case of Stripes

A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon


Shannon, David. A bad case of stripes . Blue Sky: Blue Sky Press (March 1, 1998), 1998. Print.

Readability Lexile: 540L

Age: 4-8


This is a story about a girl who doesn't want to eat limabeans because she is to embarrassed that none of her other friends like them like she does. So, she doesn't eat them, but after that indecent she starts to change. She develops a terrible case of the stripes. Her parents call in all the doctors, specialists, and even experts they can find, but no one can figure out what is wrong with her. 

Once again I have to be honest and say that I did not read this book because I had it read to me by Sean Astin (starred in Goonies, Rudy, and Lord of the Rings). I thought this book was very well developed, and I think it meets many qualities of high quality literature.  I thought the story was very relate able to almost all kids. I think there are many times in all of our lives that we are embarrassed of ourselves (especially in the early years of school), and this often times changes who we are and how we feel about ourselves. I often found myself thinking about my elementary experience, and how I sometimes changed things about myself to fit in with people. This book does a great job through a fun and interesting plot to dig into the issue of personal identity and individualization.  This book would be a great alley way to transition into talking about a whole handful of issues students face every day. These could be anything from friends, individualization, respect, teasing, and self-esteem. The themes are very strong in this book and they become more and more evident as you read the book. Shannon does an excellent job of developing Camilla, and I think she is very relate-able to all children because every child goes through what Camilla is going through.

Shannon does a wonderful job of pairing the illustrations with the story. It really gives you a very entertaining image to go along with the wonderful story. If I was doing a mini-lesson on this story I think I would either focus on individualization. I think this book is a great alley way to talk about these difficult and critical topic.

The target audience is probably early elementary students, but like I was saying throughout this whole story I was relating myself to Camilla. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I would recommend it to anyone.

Thanks for reading y'all!

Gorms

Book One: Harry the Dirty Dog

Zion, G., & Graham, M. B. (1956). Harry, the dirty dog, . New York: Harper.


Harry the Dirty Dog: Written by Gene Zion and Illustrated by Margaret Graham

Grade Level: K-2


Ages: 5-7


This is a story about a dog named Harry (who was white with black spots) who did not like receiving baths (which is understandable because who does?). Harry decides to hide the scrub brush and run away from home. He starts a day long adventure of activities around the city (most of which involved him getting dirty). 


To start I have to say I did not read this book. The reason I did not read this book was because I had it read to me by the lovely Betty White on http://www.storylineonline.net/.  This was a very interesting book that I enjoyed very much. I actually had to listen to it twice! This is a story that not only 5-7 year olds can enjoy, but a story that truly anyone can enjoy. With that being said, I do think the story is a little unbelievable, but I also think that kids could relate to this family and Harry. The plot seemed a little simple, but it also was a pretty interesting and satisfying. It was very entertaining when Harry was wondering around town getting into dirty activities. The conflict starts to build when Harry questions if his family actually thinks that he has run away. The characterization in the story is a little lacking because you only really get to know harry and we never really see harry grow through out the story. It would have been better if there was more development with the family because children can relate to the children in the family. The characters fit well into setting of the story, and the setting seemed to fit well because it was Harry's house/ bathtub and then the city. This story is definitely lacking a multicultural aspect from it, but back when it was written in 1956 I suppose there was not a large emphasis on it. I thought the theme was lacking a little bit because it didn't seem like there was a distinguished theme that the author wanted us to get from reading the story. Overall I think it's a good story for children to read because its entertaining, but I don't think I would use it in a read aloud because there are parts of the story not reached (multicultural, theme, etc...).


I thought the illustrations fit very nicely with the text. It gives you a very nice visual for you and the children. I don't know if I would use this for a mini-lesson, but if I did I think I would focus on the colors "black and white" because it is emphasized four or five times throughout the book, and I think it could be a good transition into talking about colors (specifically black and white).


I think anyone can enjoy this book (especially when read by Betty White!), but I would say from a teaching standpoint probably either kindergarten or first grade. Those are the students that will enjoy the book the most, and it leads easily into things they learn at that level. 




Thanks for reading!




Gorms