1.)
Schlitz, L. (2007). Good masters! Sweet ladies! Voices from a Medieval village. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press 81 pp.
Genre and Awards: Newberry Award, Fairy Tale, Historical Fiction, Plays
2.)
As a middle school librarian, Laura Schlitz wrote this series of monologues so each member of the class could have a big part in the play at the end of their unit on Medieval Times. Each character, from the lord’s daughter to the beggar, is a child. They each relate the troubles they face and the emotions they feel during their monologue. For example, Barbary, the mudslinger, describes the emotion she felt when she saw Isobel, the lord’s daughter, walking through the village. Barbary slings a mud ball at Isobel because she is jealous that Isobel does not have to carry anything through the muddy paths of the town. Isobel can pick her skirt out of the mud but Barbary must drag her twin younger siblings through the mud (and her step mother has told her there is another baby on the way).
3.)
The play contains 19 monologues and 2 dialogues. Each character speaks for a short time but in that time manages to link themselves to other characters and explain the emotions and struggles they face on a daily basis. Because each of the monologues in very introspective, students who read them are able to seem that many of the internal struggles they face are universal or not as time sensitive as they thought. Several characters talk about how their chores are hard and how they struggle with friendships.
4.)
Beyond the concept it was originated for, this book would be a great opportunity for a little acting in a read aloud to the entire class. Otherwise, this would be a great individual choice. If I were they type of person who might make copies when I should not, I might make copies and use a few of the monologues to introduce a unit on The Canterbury Tales if I were teaching an English class with older students in it. Constance, is a pilgrim and there are great explanations included about the Crusades and what it meant to go on a pilgrimage.
5.)
This is probably a great book for students in 4-6th grades. It is not a novel, but it is a great picture book that attacks a more difficult topic than most picture books usually do.
6.)
Honestly, I learned a lot about life in a Medieval Village. As I was reading, if I were teaching middle school my kids would love this book. It is not extremely difficult to read but there are important lessons to be learned. Many of the monologues are written in verse and rhyme so there are some great lessons on poetry in this book as well. As I was reading, I was entertained by the monologues. They were written so children could learn about a new and sometimes difficult to understand topic (medieval society) and not really realize how much they were learning.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Twlight
Twlight
1.) a) Bibliography
Meyer, S. (2005). Twlight. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 498 pp.
b) Genre and awards
Fantasy, Vampire, Misfits and Outcasts, Supernatural, Fiction, A part of a series, #1 New York Times Best Seller
2.) Synopsis
At the beginning of the novel, Bella moves to her father’s hometown in Forks, Washington. She is not looking forward to the move because it constantly rains in Forks and she knows she will miss the warm Phoenix sun. Shortly after her arrival, she easily makes a set of new and eager friends and spots the odd Cullen family sitting alone across the cafeteria. I would compare the early interactions of Bella and her love interest Edward to a Mr. Darcy/ Elizabeth type relationship. However, the two can’t stay apart long and Bella soon discovers that Edward is a vampire who can read the thoughts of all humans except her. This story comes complete with a serious vampire hunt involving the entire Cullen family and vivid descriptions of Edward’s eyes and chest.
3.)
I believe the reason the New York Times call this book the “best book of the decade…so far” is because readers understand and get to know the characters so well. As readers we understand the emotion that develops between Bella and Edward. The action is quick but still there is a high level of suspense throughout. There are details dropped constantly and I was reading so fast to find out what would happened, I know I missed some. Since this book is a part of a series and there is much more to come for Bella and Edward, this book defiantly helps students to better understand foreshadowing. At the same time, this is more than just another teen love story. Edward and Bella are from two different places in society. The lengths they go to be together and protect one another is another reason why they are so appealing.
4.)
I know this book is very popular among girls and after they come back to the classroom it would be very difficult not to recommend one of the classic love stories from the Bronte sisters or Jane Austen. So, I would recommend this book as an individual choice and a bridge to a classic. I think it would be very difficult to use it in a group discussion because so many students have already read it. I would not want to spoil the ending for anyone.
5.) Appropriate Age Range: At any point a student feels like they can conquer a 500 page book, I would feel fine recommending this book to them. I did not find the content to be inappropriate. So, I guess I would recommend it to grades 7-12.
6.) This book was one of the most entertaining books I have read in a long time. I am excited to move forward in the series. I know many people do not think that Stephenie Meyer and JK Rowling are great writers. I disagree. I have to give them both credit because they have gotten young people interested in reading again. Even if I were not reading this book for a project, I would have read it in three days. I loved the suspense and the love story all wrapped up into one. I enjoyed Bella’s narration as well because I think I am a lot like her (very clumsy).
1.) a) Bibliography
Meyer, S. (2005). Twlight. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 498 pp.
b) Genre and awards
Fantasy, Vampire, Misfits and Outcasts, Supernatural, Fiction, A part of a series, #1 New York Times Best Seller
2.) Synopsis
At the beginning of the novel, Bella moves to her father’s hometown in Forks, Washington. She is not looking forward to the move because it constantly rains in Forks and she knows she will miss the warm Phoenix sun. Shortly after her arrival, she easily makes a set of new and eager friends and spots the odd Cullen family sitting alone across the cafeteria. I would compare the early interactions of Bella and her love interest Edward to a Mr. Darcy/ Elizabeth type relationship. However, the two can’t stay apart long and Bella soon discovers that Edward is a vampire who can read the thoughts of all humans except her. This story comes complete with a serious vampire hunt involving the entire Cullen family and vivid descriptions of Edward’s eyes and chest.
3.)
I believe the reason the New York Times call this book the “best book of the decade…so far” is because readers understand and get to know the characters so well. As readers we understand the emotion that develops between Bella and Edward. The action is quick but still there is a high level of suspense throughout. There are details dropped constantly and I was reading so fast to find out what would happened, I know I missed some. Since this book is a part of a series and there is much more to come for Bella and Edward, this book defiantly helps students to better understand foreshadowing. At the same time, this is more than just another teen love story. Edward and Bella are from two different places in society. The lengths they go to be together and protect one another is another reason why they are so appealing.
4.)
I know this book is very popular among girls and after they come back to the classroom it would be very difficult not to recommend one of the classic love stories from the Bronte sisters or Jane Austen. So, I would recommend this book as an individual choice and a bridge to a classic. I think it would be very difficult to use it in a group discussion because so many students have already read it. I would not want to spoil the ending for anyone.
5.) Appropriate Age Range: At any point a student feels like they can conquer a 500 page book, I would feel fine recommending this book to them. I did not find the content to be inappropriate. So, I guess I would recommend it to grades 7-12.
6.) This book was one of the most entertaining books I have read in a long time. I am excited to move forward in the series. I know many people do not think that Stephenie Meyer and JK Rowling are great writers. I disagree. I have to give them both credit because they have gotten young people interested in reading again. Even if I were not reading this book for a project, I would have read it in three days. I loved the suspense and the love story all wrapped up into one. I enjoyed Bella’s narration as well because I think I am a lot like her (very clumsy).
Warriors Don't Cry
1.)
Beals, M. (1995). Warriors Don’t Cry: The Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock’s Central High School. New York: Simon Pulse, 226pp.
Genre and Awards: Memoir, African American Experience, Intolerance, Making a Difference, Taking a Stand, The American Library Association Award as the 1995 Nonfiction Book of the Year, The prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, The American Booksellers' Association Award as a notable book of 1995, Included in Reader's Digest 1995 Edition: Today's Best Nonfiction
2.) The memoir begins with Melba telling her readers that she was not suppose to live. Because of complications from her birth and the poor care she received at the white hospital, Melba should have died slightly after her birth on December 7, 1941. However, Grandmother India claims to Melba throughout her childhood that she was predestined for something great. She spends little time beyond that describing her young life. The majority of her pages are dedicated to the year at Little Rock Central and her reactions to the trials she and the other eight students faced. Over the year, she is taunted, teased, has acid thrown in her face, and is alienated by the students at her new school. However, the real story here is how she woke up every day and faced the segregationists. Her restraint and courage are uncommon in a 16 year old.
3.) This memoir is different from most memoirs that I have read. There is an uncommon detail throughout the book. This detail comes from Melba’s actual diary entries, headlines from the Arkansas Gazette, and Melba’s memory as a young aspiring writer. I trust her recollection.
I believe that adolescents would find extensive value in reading this book. High School is scary enough- imaging facing it and participating in a major event in the Civil Rights Movement at the same time. Because I read Melba’s diary entries, I knew all her emotions and I empathized with her. She has many of the same concerns as a typical high school student but a much larger burden on top of that at the same time. Her emotional struggles as she misses the events at her old school and is not included in the events at Central at the same time should be relatable to many students.
Obviously, this book address issues of race and does it well or it would not have won the National Book Award. The friendship Melba develops with one of the white students at Central, Link, gives readers a sense of hope for the future. The fact that Melba spends her last years of high school in San Diego with Caucasian family builds on the hope that the relationship with Link develops.
4, 5.) I would feel comfortable using this book in any way in my classroom. In a perfect world, my best friend-the American History teacher-would do a co-teaching unit on the Civil Rights Movement with me. This book would be appropriate for students in 8th-12th grade. I would recommend this book to students who liked To Kill a Mockingbird or I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Sometimes, the content can be difficult but not as difficult as the suggestions above. As well, I feel a book like this should be an important part of the literature of the state of Arkansas.
6.) This book was actually first recommended to me on after I finished my Diversity Champion class at MGM/ MIRAGE. Then, it was on the book list for my Southern Memoir class this spring. This is one of those books that when you finish it you feel like you learned something about human nature. It is on my top ten list of favorite books because of the amount of emotion it took me to get through the book. If I were not from Arkansas, I might not have that emotion. However, as a future teacher I feel everyone has the right to an education and all I wanted throughout the book was for those 9 young people to get that education.
Beals, M. (1995). Warriors Don’t Cry: The Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock’s Central High School. New York: Simon Pulse, 226pp.
Genre and Awards: Memoir, African American Experience, Intolerance, Making a Difference, Taking a Stand, The American Library Association Award as the 1995 Nonfiction Book of the Year, The prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, The American Booksellers' Association Award as a notable book of 1995, Included in Reader's Digest 1995 Edition: Today's Best Nonfiction
2.) The memoir begins with Melba telling her readers that she was not suppose to live. Because of complications from her birth and the poor care she received at the white hospital, Melba should have died slightly after her birth on December 7, 1941. However, Grandmother India claims to Melba throughout her childhood that she was predestined for something great. She spends little time beyond that describing her young life. The majority of her pages are dedicated to the year at Little Rock Central and her reactions to the trials she and the other eight students faced. Over the year, she is taunted, teased, has acid thrown in her face, and is alienated by the students at her new school. However, the real story here is how she woke up every day and faced the segregationists. Her restraint and courage are uncommon in a 16 year old.
3.) This memoir is different from most memoirs that I have read. There is an uncommon detail throughout the book. This detail comes from Melba’s actual diary entries, headlines from the Arkansas Gazette, and Melba’s memory as a young aspiring writer. I trust her recollection.
I believe that adolescents would find extensive value in reading this book. High School is scary enough- imaging facing it and participating in a major event in the Civil Rights Movement at the same time. Because I read Melba’s diary entries, I knew all her emotions and I empathized with her. She has many of the same concerns as a typical high school student but a much larger burden on top of that at the same time. Her emotional struggles as she misses the events at her old school and is not included in the events at Central at the same time should be relatable to many students.
Obviously, this book address issues of race and does it well or it would not have won the National Book Award. The friendship Melba develops with one of the white students at Central, Link, gives readers a sense of hope for the future. The fact that Melba spends her last years of high school in San Diego with Caucasian family builds on the hope that the relationship with Link develops.
4, 5.) I would feel comfortable using this book in any way in my classroom. In a perfect world, my best friend-the American History teacher-would do a co-teaching unit on the Civil Rights Movement with me. This book would be appropriate for students in 8th-12th grade. I would recommend this book to students who liked To Kill a Mockingbird or I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Sometimes, the content can be difficult but not as difficult as the suggestions above. As well, I feel a book like this should be an important part of the literature of the state of Arkansas.
6.) This book was actually first recommended to me on after I finished my Diversity Champion class at MGM/ MIRAGE. Then, it was on the book list for my Southern Memoir class this spring. This is one of those books that when you finish it you feel like you learned something about human nature. It is on my top ten list of favorite books because of the amount of emotion it took me to get through the book. If I were not from Arkansas, I might not have that emotion. However, as a future teacher I feel everyone has the right to an education and all I wanted throughout the book was for those 9 young people to get that education.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Bone: Out from Boneville
Smith, J. (2005). Bone: Out from Boneville. New York: Scholastic Graphix, 138 pp.
Graphic Novel, back cover states series has won 38 international awards but does not name them
Categories and Literary Elements from “Books that Don’t Bore ‘Em” this book would fit in: When Things Don’t Go According To Plan, Foreshadowing, Suspense, Reluctant Readers, Fantasy, Humor, and obviously Graphic Novel
After Phoney Bone is expelled from Boneville and loses contact with his cousins, Fone Bone and Smiley Bone, they each chart their way individually through an unimaginable valley. They come in contact with the cow-racing Gran’ma Ben, her granddaughter Thron, a leaf-like bug named Ted, and rat-like creatures who want to take Phoney’s soul. However (no need to worry), they have a giant red dragon to protect them.
Each of the Bones is a unique character. My personal favorite was Fone Bone who bored people he met on forest paths talking about the beauty of Moby Dick. While I found humor in this because he reminded me of a certain professor, young students would most likely be intrigued by Phoney Bone because of his dishonesty. He was chased out of Boneville because of an incident at a town picnic described later in the text. Phoney is the richest man in Boneville and not afraid to admit to it.
On a social level, this book addresses the differences in attitude between each of the Bones and how they fit together in society or as part of an extended family. Fone is the planner and mentor. Phoney is the menacing and cocky deviant. Smiley….well he is smiley. Each reader will find a different character to identify with throughout the series. Readers learn a moral from the bad luck of Phoney and the good luck of Fone. That moral would be that good friends come to those who treat their friends well.
I would welcome this book as part a selection for individual choice in my classroom but would not feel comfortable teaching it to everyone until I become more familiar with the genre. I understand that teaching a graphic novel to an entire group could be difficult but maybe someday (after I have stronger talents as a teacher) I could use more modern technologies and introduce some concepts related to symbolism to visual learners. My mother suggested this series to me because it, along with the rest of the 9 part series it is a part of, is a very successful individual choice in her 5th grade language arts classroom. I might suggest this book to 5th, 6th, or 7th graders- specifically those with a very sarcastic sense of humor. As it is part of a series, I could see small group discussions taking place.
This book was entertaining because they text and pictures were doubly stimulating. This is the first graphic novel that I have ever read and I do not really think that I am good at it. I caught myself only reading the text and then I would not understand what was happening because I missed something obvious like hearts swimming around Fone Bone’s head when he first sees Thorn. I enjoyed the sarcasm and thought it could be useful to young readers that words with sarcastic undertones were often highlighted in bold. At the end of the book, there is a page that states this series of books were originally a comic series. With little experience in the graphic novel genre, I am no expert but I thought this one was entertaining.
Food for thought: This book introduces the concept of a bookmaker. Does that mean…
a.) a person who makes books much like a cobbler makes shoes
b.) a person who takes bets- usually on sporting events or horses
c.) a person who writes books
2 cool points awarded for the correct answer.
Graphic Novel, back cover states series has won 38 international awards but does not name them
Categories and Literary Elements from “Books that Don’t Bore ‘Em” this book would fit in: When Things Don’t Go According To Plan, Foreshadowing, Suspense, Reluctant Readers, Fantasy, Humor, and obviously Graphic Novel
After Phoney Bone is expelled from Boneville and loses contact with his cousins, Fone Bone and Smiley Bone, they each chart their way individually through an unimaginable valley. They come in contact with the cow-racing Gran’ma Ben, her granddaughter Thron, a leaf-like bug named Ted, and rat-like creatures who want to take Phoney’s soul. However (no need to worry), they have a giant red dragon to protect them.
Each of the Bones is a unique character. My personal favorite was Fone Bone who bored people he met on forest paths talking about the beauty of Moby Dick. While I found humor in this because he reminded me of a certain professor, young students would most likely be intrigued by Phoney Bone because of his dishonesty. He was chased out of Boneville because of an incident at a town picnic described later in the text. Phoney is the richest man in Boneville and not afraid to admit to it.
On a social level, this book addresses the differences in attitude between each of the Bones and how they fit together in society or as part of an extended family. Fone is the planner and mentor. Phoney is the menacing and cocky deviant. Smiley….well he is smiley. Each reader will find a different character to identify with throughout the series. Readers learn a moral from the bad luck of Phoney and the good luck of Fone. That moral would be that good friends come to those who treat their friends well.
I would welcome this book as part a selection for individual choice in my classroom but would not feel comfortable teaching it to everyone until I become more familiar with the genre. I understand that teaching a graphic novel to an entire group could be difficult but maybe someday (after I have stronger talents as a teacher) I could use more modern technologies and introduce some concepts related to symbolism to visual learners. My mother suggested this series to me because it, along with the rest of the 9 part series it is a part of, is a very successful individual choice in her 5th grade language arts classroom. I might suggest this book to 5th, 6th, or 7th graders- specifically those with a very sarcastic sense of humor. As it is part of a series, I could see small group discussions taking place.
This book was entertaining because they text and pictures were doubly stimulating. This is the first graphic novel that I have ever read and I do not really think that I am good at it. I caught myself only reading the text and then I would not understand what was happening because I missed something obvious like hearts swimming around Fone Bone’s head when he first sees Thorn. I enjoyed the sarcasm and thought it could be useful to young readers that words with sarcastic undertones were often highlighted in bold. At the end of the book, there is a page that states this series of books were originally a comic series. With little experience in the graphic novel genre, I am no expert but I thought this one was entertaining.
Food for thought: This book introduces the concept of a bookmaker. Does that mean…
a.) a person who makes books much like a cobbler makes shoes
b.) a person who takes bets- usually on sporting events or horses
c.) a person who writes books
2 cool points awarded for the correct answer.
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