Storyteller

Chapter Book: Historical Fiction

Giff, P. (2010). Storyteller. New York, NY: Random House Children's Books.

The book, Storyteller,  is a great book about young girls finding their strength during touch times.  The book is split between two different characters, Zee and Elizabeth.  Zee is a young girl who lives on a farm during the Revolutionary War.  Elizabeth, descendant of Zee, is forced to live with her aunt for a few months while her grandfather is out of town.  While at her aunt's house, she discovers a lot about herself and her history, including Zee.  Both girls show a sense of perseverance and curiosity throughout the book, making them both strong, female characters.

With this story being historical fiction, there are a lot of different avenues you could take this to teach to an elementary classroom.  Since the story is taking place during the Revolutionary War and several Generals and Forts are named in the story, students could do additional research of the war and places that were mentioned in the story.  Additionally, the story talks a lot about family history and discovering not only who your ancestors are but what they did.  Educators could lead family-tree oriented research projects where students are researching themselves!  This book is on 4th grade reading level so it may be best to have this in a literature circle group or as a class, depending on the grade and reading level of your students.  

Out of my Mind

Chapter Book: Realistic Fiction

Draper, S. (2010). Out of my mind. Antheneum Books for Young Readers.

Awards:

• New York Times Bestseller
• Bank Street College of Education Josette Frank Award (2011)
• Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of 2010
• San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year
• Parent's Choice Silver Honor Book
• Essence Magazine Book of the Year
• CCBC Choice of 2011
• IRA Techers' Choices
• IRA Young Adults' Choices

The book Out of My Mind is a great book about a young girl named Melody.  Melody is a unique girl as she can't walk nor talk, however she has a photographic memory.  Additionally, she is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.  Sharon Draper does an awesome job at taking a look at the "inside story" of bright individuals that are often shaded by their disabilities.  

Melody, in Out of My Mind, is an extremely smart girl, perhaps the smartest in the school, however no one knows because she can't talk.  Melody fights her disease everyday as she struggles to communicate with the ones she loves.  In school, due to her lack of communication, her teachers and peers assume she is dumb, which irritates Melody even more.  When a "Wiz Kid" competition takes place in her school, Melody believes this is her time to shine, to show everyone that she is smart!  While it takes some convincing, eventually, her peers and teachers start to believe that even though Melody isn't like the other kids on the outside, she is still very smart on the inside.  Unfortunately, not everyone, including the kids on Melody's Wiz Kid team, are convinced.

I love this book! I think this is a great book to expose students to, especially with the increase in inclusion classrooms.  I think the best way to fully experience this book would be through a literature circle or whole class discussion.  In the discussion, I would ask both questions that ask about good reading strategies as well as those who help the students evaluate Melody's situation and understand where she is coming from.  Some questions I might include would be:

The novel opens with a description of the power of words and language. How does this help capture the reader's attention?

What is ironic about the events at the restaurant after the competition? How does this scene foreshadow the events that lead up to the airport fiasco?

In a word that does not work for her, what seem to be Melody's biggest frustrations?

How does the inclusion program change Melody's school experience? What are the positives and negatives of the program?

I think a lot of stereotyping, discomfort, and even ignorance comes from people not knowing about someone/something else.  I really enjoy this book because Sharon Draper breaks down the concept of a student with a communication disability to something children can begin to understand and relate to.  When people, including children, begin to learn about people and things that are different from them, the stereotyping, discomfort, and ignorance seems to have a lesser effect and start to disappear.

Hoot

Chapter Book: Realistic Fiction/ Newberry Honor Medalist

Hiaasen, C. (2002). Hoot. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

Awards:

• A Newberry Honor Book
• SEBA Award for Best Children's Book
• An ABC Children's Booksellers choice
• An ALA Notable Book
• A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults
• A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year
• A New York Times Bestseller
• A Book Sense Bestseller

The book, Hoot is a hilariously written story about middle school students standing up for what they believe in.  Hoot, written by Carl Hiaasen, was a book I once loved as an elementary student.  The book takes place in Florida where a new middle school student, Roy, has just found himself due to his parents latest move.  As he navigates his way through the awkward stages of middle school, Roy finds himself in with some interesting characters.  The book also follows a young patrol cop, Office Delinko, who interests himself in surveying a nearby construction site that appears to be the victim of several odd vandalism schemes.  Both characters intertwine and resolve the mystery behind the odd vandalism - owls. This book captures the oddities of being a middle school student with the struggles of standing up for your beliefs, perfectly.

Due to the length and high level vocabulary throughout this book, I would probably only use it in a fifth grade or sixth grade class.  I think it will appeal to these students, primarily because it takes place in a middle school, which these students either just started or will be starting the next year.  The book ends with a huge protest of the upcoming Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House due to several burrowing owls that had nested on the construction site.  According to the book, this specific type of owl was an endangered species and therefore protected under the law.  When business officials and construction workers refused to stop building due to the owls, some of the local middle school students took matters into their own hands.  This call to action, is what I hope to be a kickoff for an "friends of endangered species" lesson.  Students could research endangered species, learn about the environment and why their selected animal has become endangered, and formulate a way to educate the public or those at fault as to why this animal is going extinct and why we should save it. I think this type of unit would compliment the book nicely, showing students that they can make a difference in society, even at a young age.

The One and Only Ivan

Chapter Book: Realistic Fiction/ Newberry Honor Medalist

Applegate, K. (2012). The One and Only Ivan. Harper Collins Publishers.

The story, The One and Only Ivan, is a fictional story based on the true events of a gorilla living alone, in captivity, at a circus-themed mall in Washington state.  The book tells the tale of a easy-going silverback gorilla who spends his time talking to his 'neighbors' in the mall - an old female elephant named Stella and a stray dog named Bob.  Ivan also enjoys watching TV inside his cage, eating bananas, and coloring with various materials, mostly provided by his human friend, Julia.  While he is living his simple, lonely life within the mall, the new arrival of Ruby, a baby elephant, changes things forever.  I really enjoy this book because, even though it is discussing the life of a gorilla, I found it to be very relatable.  Additionally, the book is based off several true events, making the sometimes sticky topics of animal rights and behaviors very real and apparent.  I think reading The One and Only Ivan would be a great book to choose for either a group reading, or a book in a literature circle in a fourth or fifth grade classroom.

In reading this book as apart of a literature circle within a fourth or fifth grade classroom, there are several different paths of discussion you could cover.  The book is very well written so, as a group, you could discuss the several various components it takes when writing or evaluating literature such as the theme of a story, the importance of certain phrasing and wording, etc.  Some sample discussion questions could include:

Compare the personalities of Mack and George.  What makes them alike? What makes them different?

Why does Ivan promise Stella that he will take care of Ruby when he knows how hard it will be to keep that promise?

What does Stella mean when she says, " Old age is a powerful disguise" (p. 31)


 Additionally, when discussing the book as a whole, several important themes become apparent.  To me, the biggest theme I got out of the book was the idea of animal rights and captivity.  To extend idea of animal rights and equality beyond discussion students could begin to research the real history of Ivan and how it influenced the writing of this book.  The character of Ivan is very much a real gorilla who lived in the Atlanta Zoo, however, prior to living there he spent 27 lonely years in a mall in Washington State.  Children could research the "true" story of Ivan the gorilla, learning more about the "behind the pages" action that was Ivan's life.  Additionally, focusing around the theme of animal rights, children could research an animal that is endangered or abused in a certain part of the world and write letters and design propaganda to be sent to authorities in charge.  I think the story of Ivan really touches the hearts of many children, and by giving them a chance to potentially save another animal is really motivating for them.