Chapter Book 4 -- Newberry Award Winner

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos



Genre: Juvenile Fiction Chapter Book
Sub Genre: Historical
Theme: United States, 20th century, behavior, boys, conduct of life
Primary & Secondary Characters: Jack Gantos,Miss Volker , parents, 
Awards: Newberry Award Winner
Date of Publication: 2011
Publishing Company: MacMillan

Summary of Book:


This is a novel about a kid named Jack Gantos who was super excited about a vacation, but plans changed. His parents grounded him for life which means no more vacation for Jack. This leaves him home all summer. His mom then volunteers him to help out an old neighbor, who has arthritis,  in writing obituaries filled with people who founded the town he lives in. This end up being the most exciting thing about his whole summer. And for good reasons! This is a very surprising book. As a teacher, this would be a good book to read in class. I think it sparks interest in history. I think as a teacher, I would read it to spark discussion about what each student would do if they were in Jack's situation.  It is historical in a fiction way. It is "entirely true and wildly fictional". You have to read it to find out what that means. 

Chapter Book 3 -- Coretta Scott King Winner

The Land by Mildred D. Taylor

Genre: Juvenile Fiction - Chapter book
Sub Genre: African American
Theme: History, Civil War Period, Prejudice and Racism, United States
Primary & Secondary Characters:  Paul-Edward Logan,Mitchell, Logan family, sisters
Awards: Coretta Scott King
Date of Publication: 2003
Publishing Company: Penguin

Summary of Book:


This book is set during the Civil War times. It is about a mixed boy named Paul-Edward Logan who was raised by his mom and her white slave master. Paul is treated well by his white dad and his half brothers but soon comes to confrontation with people who don't treat him so well because of his mixed heritage. Mitchell Thomas is a black boy who originally tormented Paul-Edward for being mixed but ended up being his best friend. They end up running away together because they want to find land of their own. Paul ends up being cheated out of some land by a white person. He can't seem to get away from the racism. 
This book is wonderful for a teacher to bring into the classroom when teaching about this shameful part of America's past. I think that as a teacher I would read this book aloud with the class. It could definitely inspire several different discussions along with quizzes because it is historical. It is great historical fiction for any library as well. 

Chapter Book 1 -- Mildred L. Batchelder Honor

Nothing by Janne Teller



Genre: Juvenile Fiction, Chapter Book
Sub Genre: Social Issues, Realistic Fiction
Theme: Family, Relationships, Social Issues, Friendship, Peer pressure
Primary & Secondary Characters: Pierre Anthon, Agnes, classmates
Awards: Mildred L. Batchelder Honor
Date of Publication: 2010
Publishing Company: Simon and Schuster

Summary of Book: 


This chapter book is about a boy named Pierre Anthon who, one day, decides that there is no meaning to life. He says that "Life isn't worth the bother". After deciding that life has no meaning, he suddenly leaves his classroom and climbs a tree where he fully intends to stay. Pierre's friends and classmates can not talk him into coming down. Therefore, they set out to make a huge pile of meaningful things in abandoned saw mill. The process of building this big pile of meaningful things turns out to be pretty complicated being that nobody wants to give up what is most meaningful to them. However, they decide to tell each other what to put in the pile. This whole idea of giving up what is most meaningful to them spirals out of control. Every person in the book loses something precious to them to try to prove to Pierre that life is worth living. 
This would be a book that a high school teacher may dare to take on to study existentialism. It is a complex book that has many meanings and may be too much for middle school children.  

Picture Book 8 -- Poetry

Heartsongs by: Mattie Stepanek




Illustrator: Mattie J.T. Stepanek
Genre: Poetry
Sub Genre: picture book, children's poetry
Theme: life, faith, muscular distrophy, inspirational
Primary & Secondary Characters: There aren't really characters. It is poems written from the thoughts of Mattie Stepanek
Awards:Melinda Lawrence International Book Award for inspirational written works.
Date of Publication: 2002
Publishing Company: Hyperion




Summary of Book:


This is a book of poems written by Mattie J.T. Stepanek who has muscular dystrophy and lost 3 siblings to the same form of muscular dystrophy that he has. It includes heartfelt poems from a child's innocent perspective. He shares his thoughts and feelings about his life, love, and faith. This book is very inspirational and would be a good add to any library or classroom. As a teacher, I would red this to my class when introducing poetry to the children and trying to inspire them to write their own. 

Picture Book 4 -- Caldecott Award Winner

 So You Want to Be President? by: Judith St. George and David Small





Illustrator: David Small
Genre: Juvenile Non Fiction- Picture Book
Sub Genre: History
Theme: Presidents, United States, History
Primary & Secondary Characters: The Presidents
Awards: Caldecott Medal
Date of Publication: 2001
Publishing company: Penguin Group USA

Summary of Book:

This book is a very informative and humorous book. It includes fun facts about the presidents who have governed the United States of America from the beginning. The illustrations are very cute and fun. Also, the facts are kid-focused which draws in their attention and may lead them to want to know more about our country's history. As I teacher or a librarian, I would bring this book out around President's Day or an upcoming election. 

Picture Book 7 -- The Robert F. Sibert Honor Book

Ballet for Martha by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan

Illustrator: Brian Floca
Genre: Juvenile Non Fiction - Biography and Autobiography
Sub Genre: Performing Arts
Theme: Ballet, Entertainment, Dance
Primary & Secondary Characters:  Martha Graham,  Aaron Copland, Isamu Noguchi
Awards: The Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
Date of Publication: 2010
Publishing Company: Macmilan


Summary of Book:


This picture book is a mature book that I, as a teacher, would use for older students. It has complex vocabulary and a lot of paragraphs. It tells the American story of the collaboration between choreographer and dancer Martha Graham, composer Aaron Copeland, and designer Isamu Noguchi. It illustrates the creation of the well-known ballet Appalachian Spring. It does a good job of showing all the details that went into creating the ballet. This would be a great book in the classroom or library to introduce what non-fiction is because it seems fictional. It is very interesting and does not come off as a non fiction story. 

Picture Book 6 -- Coretta Scott King Award

Brothers in Hope by: Mary Williams

Illustrator: R. Gregory Christie
Genre: Juvenile Fiction, Picture book
Sub Genre: African, Family
Theme: Orphans, Refugee Children, Self Actualization, Immigration
Primary & Secondary Characters: Garang Deng, Tom, young boys
Awards: Coretta Scott King Award
Date of Publication: 2005
Publishing Company: Lee & Low Books

Summary of Book:


This book is about Sudan being taken over by the civil war in the 1980's. During this time a lot of lives were taken. Although this book is fictional, it is based on some of the horrible, real-life experiences of a group of boys who walked a very long way searching for somewhere safe. Eight-year-old Garang Deng is the main character in this story.The group travels by night with hardly any food and scared to death, but they finally make it to a refugee camp in Ethiopia where they meet an American named Tom who helps them. This is a great story about courage. It is also very informational. It can definitely be used in a classroom and library setting. I would use it in my classroom to show what courage really is and to inform the children of the terrible historical events that this story came from. 

Picture Book 5 -- Caldecott Winner

Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes



Illustrator: Keven Henkes
Genre: Picture book for children
Sub Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Theme: Animals, cats, infancy, determination
Primary & Secondary Characters: Kitten
Awards: Caldecott Winner
Date of Publication:2004
Publishing Company: HarperCollins


Summary of Book:

This book is a cute fictional story about a kitten that thinks the moon is a bowl of milk.  It tells the story of the persistent kitten trying to get to the moon. The kitten tries time and time again to capture the yummy looking milk out of the sky because it has never seen a full moon before. The illustrator did the whole book in black and white. It is amazing how it can still catch your eye. The black and white really sets the mood for the book since it is at night time. This would be a great book for a library or classroom. It is a good story time book and entertainment book. 

Chapter Book 2 -- Coreta Scott King Award

Tears of a Tiger by: Sharon M. Draper



Genre: young adult novel sub genre: drug use and abuse
Theme: Drinking and driving - Underage drinking - African American- Social issues 
Primary and Secondary Characters: Andy Jackson, Robert Washington, Keisha, family, friends
Awards: Coretta Scott King Award 
Date of Publication: 1996 
Publishing Company: Simon Pulse 
Summary of Book: This book is a story of a few African- American teenagers who realize how fast everything can change by making a bad decision. One night the group of boys decide to get some beer, illegally. Andy, who has been drinking, drives the boys around. Dangerously drunk and driving, the boys are driving around having what seems to be a good time, but later get in a wreck where they have to watch their friend burn to death in the car. There was nothing the boys could do to get him out of the car. Andy, the driver, goes into a deep depression. Nothing can help him feel better. He even loses his girlfriend because of all the anger and guilt that he has built up inside. This book could most definitely be used to help young adults through problems that they will face in their teen years. If I am one day a high school teacher, this will be a book that I suggest to the students and read in class. It is also a great teaching tool because of all the differing points of view styles that the book is written in. It is a great book to illustrate how decisions can effect lives so quickly. It makes all of the things students are lectured to about more realistic. I think it really would touch home for high school students. I highly recommend this book.

Picture Book 3 - The Robert F. Sibert Award

Quest For The Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition To The Cloud Forest of New Guinea by: Sy Montgomery



Illustrator: The illustrations are photographs by Nic Bishop
Genre: Picture book- Non Fiction
Sub Genre: Science, informative
Theme: Science, Animals, Efforts to study animals, teamwork
Primary and Secondary Characters: Lisan Dabek, Sy Montgomery, Nic Bishop, and a whole crew of international and local explorers
Awards: Robert F. Sibert Honor Award
Date of Publication: 2006
Publishing Company: Houghton Mifflin Company 

Summary of book:

This book is a non fiction story about a team of scientists who are on a mission to learn as much as possible about the tree kangaroo. The photography, by Nic Bishop, takes the reader into the kangaroo's actual habitat. The book shows the documentation of the teams trip to Papua New Guinea in search of this mysterious animal. The team's goal is to locate the creatures and fit them with radio collars to learn more about them. This book is a great book for adults, high school students, and young children. I would be able to use it in not only science class for all ages but also as a lesson to follow your dreams and ambitions. This book could be used to illustrate how to come up with a hypothesis and then follow out an experiment. It is a great example of this. It is a great non fiction book that can definitely hold a child's attention. 

Picture Book 2

Alphathoughts



Title: Alphathoughts
Illustrator: Marla Baggetta
Genre: Poetry - Picture book
Sub Genre: Alphabet, 2-6 year old 
Theme: Learning the Alphabet, poetry
Primary and Secondary Characters: There are no specific characters
Awards : No awards although the author has received awards for other works. 
Date of Publication: 2003
Publishing Company: Wordsong Boyds Mills Press, Inc.

Summary of Book: 

This book teaches the Alphabet without the young reader or listener even knowing they are learning the alphabet. It consist of twenty-six playful poems that illustrate definitions of words that begin with each letter of the alphabet. It is perfect for young readers to discover the different words through the fun poems. This book would be a great addition to a classroom or a library. It is a fun way of showing poetry and learning the alphabet at the same time! It does not have a unifying theme, but this could be good to start discussions in class. 

Picture Book 1 -- Caldecott medal winner

A Sick Day for Amos McGee



Illustrated by: Erin E. Stead
Written by: Philip C. Stead
Genre: Illustrated Children's book
Sub Genre: Early Readers
Themes: Friendship, Animals, Compassion/Empathy
Primary Character: Amos McGee
Secondary Characters: The zoo animals which do not talk but all take on human qualities
Award: The Caldecott Medal
Date of Publication: 2010
Publishing Company: Roaring Book Press

Summary of book:

A Sick Day for Amos Mcgee is an awesome picture book by Philip C. Stead who's wife illustrated the book. It is a book that is definitely worth the purchase and one can read it again and again. It is guaranteed to bring some giggles to early readers. The illustrations in the book capture your eye and are very charming. Amos McGee is a sweet old man that is perfectly content with waking up every morning with the same routine and heading to the zoo to spend time with his animal friends who do not talk but all have human characteristics. One day, Amos wakes up feeling sick and does not make it to the zoo but receives some very unexpected guests. 
I will read this book in my future classroom because it is a tale of dedication and friendship which are both qualities that I feel all children should possess. It is also a great book to show how illustrations in every book can be different. The illustrations in this book are by hand using woodblock printing techniques and pencil.