Chapter Book #14 Newbery Award #3

Moon Over Manifest

1.      Title- Moon Over Manifest

2.      Author- Clare Vanderpool

3.      Illustrator- Clare Vanderpoool

4.      Genre-Children’s Chapter Book

5.      Subgenre-Historical Fiction

6.      Theme-Parents, Overcoming Obstacles, Communities and Ways of Life.

7.      Primary and secondary characters- Abilene Tucker

8.      Award(s) date of publication- Newbery Honor 2010

9.      Publishing company- Delacorte Press

10.  Brief summary and how you would use the book, with students.

A twelve-year old Abilene Tucker has been sent by her father to the seemingly sleepy town of Manifest, Kansas, to live with Pastor Shady Howard while her father finds work in Iowa during the 1930s. Abilene can’t understand why he sent her there, why the town of Manifest holds such meaning for him, and why nobody in town will talk much about the time he spent there. So begins Abilene’s investigations with a spy map, a hidden box of mysterious trinkets and letters from the past, a set of old local newspapers, and an elderly diviner who tells cryptic but compelling stories from a decade earlier about two boys from the town. Once again this was a great book to read. I would use this in my classroom. I would maybe do a lesson on How manifest raises many overlapping issues about prejudice, discrimination, immigration, and unfair working conditions. I would get them to address these topics throughout the book in an essay. How would they address these issues?



Chapter Book #13 Newbery Award #2

Breaking Stalin’s Nose



1.      Title- Breaking Stalin’s Nose

2.      Author- Eugene Yelchin

3.      Illustrator- Eugene Yelchin

4.      Genre- Children’s Chapter Book

5.      Subgenre- Historical Fiction

6.      Theme-Human Rights, European History, and Parents

7.      Primary and secondary characters- Sasha

8.      Award(s) date of publication-Newberry Honor 2011

9.      Publishing company- Henry Holt Books for Young Readers

10.  Brief summary and how you would use the book, with students.

In Breaking Stalin’s Nose, Yelchin tells his personal experience as the child of a Soviet Communist, to portray Sasha’s shattering coming-of-age tale. All Sasha wants to do is to be like his father, a member of the State Security secret police, and to join the Young Pioneers, the national youth organization devoted to Comrade Stalin and Communism. When his father is accused of being a traitor and arrested in the middle of the night, Sasha’s world begins to unravel. Now homeless, he attempts to make sense of the arrest while showing unwavering loyalty to the Soviet Union. This story is told over a two day period. When he and other children are continually forced to choose between their families, friends, and nation, Sasha learns new meanings and consequences of loyalty and righteousness. This is a great book. This is the book we choose as a group! Love it!!! How would I incorporate this book in my classroom. I would engage my students to inquiry about what it means to be responsible citizen. What process must one follow to become a citizen of a particular country? I think this would be great to do in the classroom.

Chapter Book #12

The Chocolate Touch

1.      Title- The Chocolate Touch

2.      Author- Patrick Skene Catling

3.      Illustrator- Margot Apple

4.      Genre- Children’s Chapter Book

5.      Subgenre- Comedy/Humor

6.      Theme-Overcoming Obstacles and Magic

7.      Primary and secondary characters- John Midas

8.      Award(s) date of publication- 2006

9.      Publishing company- Perfection Learning

10.  Brief summary and how you would use the book, with students.

         John Midas loves chocolate more than anything in the world, including his friends and family. His greed is punished when he is given the chocolate touch. Everything John puts near his mouth turns to chocolate! It sounds great at first because everything from toothpaste to his pencil turns into delicious chocolate but it becomes disastrous. This is a great chapter book for the kids to just have fun to read. I think this may teach the kids lessons that don’t take things for granted. Hopefully the lesson we would learn is a life lesson out of this story. I loved reading this story!





Chapter Book #11

Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! (P.S. So Does May.)

1.      Title- Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! (P.S. So Does May.)

2.      Author- Barbara Park

3.      Illustrator- Denise Brunkus

4.      Genre- Children’s Chapter Book

5.      Subgenre-Realistic Fiction

6.      Theme- Christmas, Challenges, Families and Social Structures, Friends and School Life

7.      Primary and secondary characters-

8.      Award(s) date of publication- 2005

9.      Publishing company- Scholastic  Inc.

10.  Brief summary and how you would use the book, with students.

 It's the holidays and it’s the Christmas season for Junie B. and her friends and classmates. Her class has been chosen to wear jingle-bell hats and perform carols. Only here's the thing May's spying and peeping and tattle-taling threatens to ruin it all for Junie B. Jones, or as May calls her, just Junie Jones. Things get even "worser" for Junie B. when she's chosen to be May's Secret Santa. Junie B. has a plan for a gift that will really spite May, but as she sees May's joy at the holiday season, she begins to wonder about her plan.This is a great book that shows the true spirit of the season. This is another great book! I would use this book with my children during the Christmas season. I would hope I would teach a lesson to my students of how important it is to be nice all the time and even during the Christmas season. I would probably have a secret Santa for the kids and have them write each other letters of how important each other are to them.





Chapter Book #10

The Gold Cadillac

1.      Title- The Gold Cadillac

2.      Author- Mildred D. Taylor

3.      Illustrator- Michael Hays

4.      Genre- Historical Fiction

5.      Subgenre-

6.      Theme- African American, Prejudice and Tolerance, Parents, Siblings, Prejudice and Tolerance, and Transportation

7.      Primary and secondary characters-Lois and Wilma

8.      Award(s) date of publication- 1998

9.      Publishing company- Dial Books for Young

10.  Brief summary and how you would use the book, with students.

               Lois and Wilma are in love with their father's brand-new gold Cadillac They are excited that the family will be driving it all the way from Ohio to Mississippi. As they travel deeper into the rural South, people are no liking the shiny new car. For the first time in their lives, Lois and her sister know what it's like to feel scared because of the color of their skin. This is when the rasicm kicks in. They are afraid of what people will do to them and how they will be treated. This is a great chapter book to read to your student when African American Month comes up. I think this will help students have a better understand on the rasicm. I would get my student to write a short essay about rasicm they heard through out the book. I loved reading this book!

Picture Book # 26

 V is for Volunteer

1.      Title- V is for Volunteer

2.      Author-Michael Shoulders

3.      Illustrator- Bruce Lamgton

4.      Genre- Children’s Picture Book

5.      Subgenre-

6.      Theme- Educational, animals, informational, Tennessee

7.      Primary and secondary characters-

8.      Award(s) date of publication- 2001

9.      Publishing company- Sleeping Bear Press

10.  Brief summary and how you would use the book, with students.

                          This is a book about Tennessee. My mother-in-law gave me this book to read. I love this book. This book is all about Tennessee. It goes through all the letters in the alphbet. This is the Tennessee alphbet.  A is for Applalachian Moutains eising tall and grand. They're home to bear and eagle and where tulip poplars stand. L is for Lookout Moutain. Its view is truly great. On a clear day visitors can see into parts of seven states. This is a great book. I would use this in many ways in my classroom. I could teach my kids the alphbet but also about Tennessee. I could also use this book when I talk about Tennesse history! So many possiblities with this book. I love it so much that I am going to order it for myself. My mother in-law knows the author of this book and has a signed copy. Awesome...Awesome book!
  



Picture Book # 25

Henry’s Freedom Box

1.      Title- Henry’s Freedom Box

2.      Author- Ellen Levine

3.      Illustrator- Kadir Nelson

4.      Genre- Children’s Picture Book

5.      Subgenre- Autobiography Multicultural and biography

6.      Theme- Slavery, Families, African American History, Determination, and Perseverance

7.      Primary and secondary characters- Henry

8.      Award(s) date of publication-2007 Won the Caldecott Honor Award

9.      Publishing company- Scholastic Press

10.  Brief summary and how you would use the book, with students.

                This is a great story about a little boy growing up wanting to become free. This little boy Henry and his mom lived with this nice slave owner. One day the owner became ill all of a sudden. The owner asked both his mom and Henry to come by his bed side. Henry was thinking he was going to become free since they have done such a good job. Come to find out he was splitting him up and giving Henry to his son. Henry was sad! He did not want to leave him mother. Henry lived with his new owner and over time grew up wanting a family. Henry wanted to marry his sweetheart from another farm. The owners allowed it and they became a family and had kids. One day Henry's owner went broke. So he sold his wife and kids to get money. Henry was tried of being broke up and having things taken away. With the help of the Dr. he shipped his self to freedom. This is a great book. I would love to use this book during African American Month. I would get my student to  write a story of how they would feel if they where in Henry's situtation? I just love this book! It is sad but I love it!