Module 9 - Mysteries

Byars, B. (1997). The dark stairs: a Herculeah Jones mystery.
New York, NY: Penguin Books.

Summary:
Herculeah Jones is young detective following after her private investigator mother and father who is a police officer.  Solving mysteries is in her blood as she depends on help from her friend Meat.  The present mystery has to do with a missing man, who has been missing for 10 years.  He has been presumed to have been murdered, but there is no body.  Where could the body have gone to?

My Impression:
This mystery is a great story for older elementary age students who love mysteries.  The story and plot are simple enough for elementary students, yet complex enough to hold the reader's attention.  Students will want to read more of the Herculeah Jones mysteries.

Review:
The Dark Stairs: A Herculeah Jones Mystery
Booklist
Gr. 4-6. Byars shows how delightful middle-grade mysteries can actually be. It's her quirky, wonderful characters that make the difference. Herculeah Jones didn't get her name because she was "dainty and shy." She's bossy, obstreperous, and curious to a fault, and with her father a police officer and her mother a private investigator, there's always plenty to attract her attention. just as snoopy is her hefty, totally devoted sidekick, Meat, though he's as bumbling and meek as she is efficient and brave. Their Holmes-Watson relationship is an integral part of this refreshing whodunit, which also offers genre fans genuine suspense as well as some laugh-out-loud comedy. The first in a promised series, it finds the investigative duo enmeshed in the mystery surrounding a creepy old house and Mrs. Jones' equally creepy new client. Byars adds such zest to traditional plot conventions that readers will anxiously await the pair's next adventure.
Zvirin, S. (1994). The dark stairs: a Herculeah Jones mystery. Booklist, 90(22), 2042. 

Suggested Library Use:
Mysteries can be a great source to use in prediction of future events.  The librarian could read a chapter and then have students make predictions about what they think will happen next. 

You could also take this mystery and compare and contrast with another mystery.

Module 8 - Fantasy & Science Fiction



Collins, S. (2008). The hunger games.
New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

 Summary:
The setting of this dystopic, science fiction story is in Panem, a country that formally was the United States.  The country is divided into districts and each district has a boy and girl 12-18 years of age choosen each year to represent their district to go and fight in the Hunger Games to the death of all except for the final winner of the Hunger Games while the entire nation watches the televised turn of events.

My Impression:
This story was well written and a very engaging novel.  The author does a great job writing a story that the reader doesn't want to put down.  There is no wonder that the story has been made into a movie to be released March 23.

Review:
Hunger Games
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up- In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 14 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives. Collins' characters are completely realistic and sympathetic as they form alliances and friendships in the face of overwhelming odds; the plot is tense, dramatic, and engrossing. This book will definitely resonate with the generation raised on reality shows like "Survivor" and "American Gladiator." Book one of a planned trilogy.
Baird, J. (2008). Hunger Games. School Library Journal, 54(9), 176.

Suggested Library Use:
Using this book with Jr. High or High School students to read together as a book study. Students would read and discuss the book on a regular basis.  Once the movie comes out the students could discuss a comparison of the book verses the movie.

Module 7 - Realistic Fiction Novel

 

Baskin, N. (2009). Anything but typical.
New York, NY: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers.


 

Summary:
Jason is an autistic boy who struggles to fit in with his peers.  He sees the world through different eyes and the author gives us some of that insight in the struggles that Jason faces at school and in life in general.  Jason begins to see his struggles differently after he meets girl who has struggles of her own.

My Impression:
This story was well written to expose the reader to the struggles this autistic boy dealt with.  Jason, the autistic boy, tells the story and shares many different situations he deals with at home and at school.  This is a great read for anyone who has dealings with autistic individuals.  It should give you a real perspective of what goes on in their minds.

Review:
Anything but Typical
Booklist
Gr. 4-7 *Starred Review* Baskin tells this luminous story entirely from the point of view of Jason, an autistic boy who is a creative-writing whiz and deft explainer of literary devices, but markedly at a loss in social interactions with “neurotypicals” both at school and at home. He is most comfortable in an online writing forum called Storyboard, where his stories kindle an e-mail-based friendship with a girl. His excitement over having a real friend (and maybe even girlfriend) turns to terror when he learns that his parents want to take him on a trip to the Storyboard conference, where he’ll no doubt have to meet her in person. With stunning economy, Baskin describes Jason’s attempts to interpret body language and social expectations, revealing the extreme disconnect created by his internalization of the world around him. Despite his handicap, Jason moves through his failures and triumphs with the same depth of courage and confusion of any boy his age. His story, while neither particularly heartbreaking nor heartwarming, shows that the distinction between “normal” and “not normal” is whisper-thin but easily amplified to create the chasm between “different” and “defective.” This is an enormously difficult subject, but Baskin, without dramatics or sentimentality, makes it universal. As Jason explains, there’s really only one kind of plot: “Stuff happens. That’s it.”
Chipman, I. (2009). Anything but typical. Booklist, 105(11), 40.

Suggested Library Use:
Before reading this book use a KWL chart to see what students know about autism, questions they have and adding what they learn once they have finished reading this novel.  This would be a great book to use to teach students about this particular disability.  There are several vocabulary words students may be unfamiliar with that will provide opportunity to use a dictionary to find the meaning of the words.

Module 7 - Realistic Fiction

Clements, A. (1996). Frindle. New York, NY:
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Summary:
This is a story about a 5th grade boy who coins a new word and convinces his classmates to use it.  One of Nick's teachers objects to the use of the word and the battle of wills continue throughout the story.  Nick's new word creates quite a stir of events.

My Impression:
This story is a very realistic story of events that could happen.  The students portrayed are typical of 5th grade students seeking to become independent and trying to be the center of attention.  Students will enjoy seeing the turn of events in this great realistic fiction story.

Review:
Frindle
Booklist

Gr. 3-6. Ten-year-old Nick Allen has a reputation for devising clever, time-wasting schemes guaranteed to distract even the most conscientious teacher. His diversions backfire in Mrs. Granger's fifth-grade class, however, resulting in Nick being assigned an extra report on how new entries are added to the dictionary. Surprisingly, the research provides Nick with his best idea ever, and he decides to coin his own new word. Mrs. Granger has a passion for vocabulary, but Nick's (and soon the rest of the school's) insistence on referring to pens as "frindles" annoys her greatly. The war of words escalates - resulting in after-school punishments, a home visit from the principal, national publicity, economic opportunities for local entrepreneurs, and, eventually, inclusion of frindle in the dictionary. Slightly reminiscent of Avi's Nothing but the Truth (1991), this is a kinder, gentler story in which the two sides eventually come to a private meeting of the minds and the power of language triumphs over both. Sure to be popular with a wide range of readers, this will make a great read-aloud as well.
Weisman, K. (1996). Frindle. Booklist, 93(1), 125.

Suggested Library Use:
Frindle could be used to introduce the exploration of the use of the dictionary.  Take time to Look at word orgins and how new words are formed along with the dictionary's organization including entries and their different parts.

Module 6 - Picture Books

Willems, Mo. (2003). Don't let the pigeion drive the bus!
New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children.

Summary:
The driver of the bus takes his regular break and leaves instructions with the passengers to not let the pigeon drive the bus.  Through the rest of the book the pigeon tries to persuade the passenger to let him drive the bus.  The text is simple, yet very engaging for students as they read it.

My Impression:
Students love this book with its engaging text.  The pigeon's begging involves the students in wanting to respond to the pigeon's continual requests.  It is a great book to use when teaching persuasion.

Reviews:
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
School Library Journal's Reviews
PreS-Gr 2 - A brilliantly simple book that is absolutely true to life, as anyone who interacts with an obdurate three-year-old can attest. The bus driver has to leave for a while, and he makes one request of readers: "Don't let the pigeon drive the bus." It's the height of common sense, but the driver clearly knows this determined pigeon and readers do not - yet. "Hey, can I drive the bus?" asks the bird, at first all sweet reason, and then, having clearly been told no by readers, he begins his ever-escalating, increasingly silly bargaining. "I tell you what: I'll just steer," and "I never get to do anything," then "No fair! I bet your mom would let me." In a wonderfully expressive spread, the pigeon finally loses it, and, feathers flying and eyeballs popping, screams "LET ME DRIVE THE BUS!!!" in huge, scratchy, black-and-yellow capital letters. The driver returns, and the pigeon leaves in a funk - until he spies a huge tractor trailer, and dares to dream again. Like David Shannon's No, David (Scholastic, 1998), Pigeon is an unflinching and hilarious look at a child's potential for mischief. In a plain palette, with childishly elemental line drawings, Willems has captured the essence of unreasonableness in the very young. The genius of this book is that the very young will actually recognize themselves in it.
Ratterree, D. (2003). Don't let the pigeon drive the bus! School Library Journal's Reviews,49(5), 132.

Suggested Library Use:
This is great book to use with lower elementary age students to introduce the use of persuasion.  Students can be involved in the simple text and respond to the begging of the pigeon to drive the bus.