Hale, S. (2017). Real friends. New York: Scholastic.
Real Friends is a graphic novel about the authors youth. Shannon Hale tells her story of growing up and making friends. The illustrator LeUyen Pham does an excellent job at drawing the story that supports the words. I personally felt sad for Shannon. She did not have an easy childhood. Then I began to think about my own. I could relate to her story in many ways. Making friends was not easy for me. My dad was in the service and we moved a lot. I had multiple siblings. I think kids need to know that making friends is not easy for everyone and perspectives are different on all sides. It is human nature to want to belong to a group and have friends. As adults we need to help children see different perspectives and be aware of when children need help processing the social world around them. Girl drama is every where and girls need to be empowered to be able to communicate with others.
Paulsen, G. (1987). Hatchet. New York: Scholastic.
I remember reading this book almost twenty years ago with my first class of students. I was very surprised that I did not remember the book very well. The detail in Gary Paulsen's writing is fantastic. His book is an excellent tool to use with middle school writers to show them how to describe something through written words. I did notice that the reading level is fairly advanced. I read the book aloud to my 13 year old son. He still enjoys being read to and I enjoy sharing books with him. We both thought for sure Brain would not get saved, even though I read it in the past and knew he does. I could not remember exactly how the plot unfolded.
The story is great at showing how one can over come any obstacle if they put their mind to it. Brain's obstacles are a lot harder and life threatening than the everyday hurdles that the average person has to go through. He does not always come out unscathed by the ordeal, but he does learn a lesson. He takes what he learns and applies it to the next situation he is presented.
This book is a great book to include in a book club or literary circles in the classroom. Students can have some great conversations about this book and Brains experiences. They can compare and contrast to experience in their lives. They can utilize the literacy writing techniques that Paulson uses in his descriptive writing. There are lots of ways that Paulson's books can support instruction in the classroom.
Paige, D. (2014). Dorothy must die. New York: Harper.
Dorothy Must Die takes the reader back to OZ after the story we all know ends. What happened after Dorothy left OZ? Well she did not stay gone. She returned and become very power/magic hungry. She became the dictator of OZ. All the old characters are present, but they are not the same. The Scarecrow got a brain and does experiments that leave others in pain. Dorothy is self centered and full of magic. The Lion sucks all the fear out of people and becomes stronger. The Tin Woodsman has a huge heart that is in love with Dorothy and does all her bidding. He is her heavy arm and security.
Amy is a teenager struggling to be part of her world but not able to fit in. She lives in a trailer park and one day a storm blows through. A tornado takes her and her mothers pet mouse to OZ. She is recruited by the wicked witches. Amy is confused by who is good and evil in the new OZ. The wicked witches claim to be the new good. They want to restore OZ to its previous glory and need Amy to kill Dorothy. So they train her to fight and use magic. Amy is placed in the Emerald city in Dorothy's house hold staff in disguise. She is supposed to kill Dorothy at the right time. She has two opportunities, but fails both times. She is struggling to determine what is right and wrong in OZ. She sees the evil that Dorothy bestows on to OZ and its people. Amy wants to help save them, but is she really a killer. Good thing the Wizard is still around and is able to help guide her also. What will happen in the next book, since Dorothy did not die?
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Cottin, M. (2006). The black book of colors. Toronto: Groundwood Books.
The Black Book of Colors is a fabulous book that gives a reader a look into the world of a blind child, but it also is a great book for a blind child. The book is written in both braille and regular text. All the illustrations are in black and are raised. One must use their sense of touch to read the illustrations fully. I highly recommend this book for a library, it is a fabulous book to add to the diversity collection. The story compares colors to other senses - touch, smell and taste. Giving a child the chance to experience the world as a blind person can encourage empathy and understanding. This book is a treasure in helping others see what can not be seen visually by others.
Cisneros, S. (2009). The house on Mango Street. New York: Vintage Contemporaries.
The House on Mango Street was first published in 1984. It was republished in 2009 for the 25th anniversary edition. The book is written in vignette form. The story is about a girl dealing with finding her place in the world she lives in. She does not want to be locked into stereotypes of how her culture believes she should live her life. The 2009 edition has an introduction written by the author that explains were she was in her life when she wrote the book. After reading the book I think there was a lot of parallels of the authors life in the book. I wish I had read the book first and the introduction was at the end of the book. I had trouble separating the character form the author.
This book would be a great book to use as a book club read with girls in high school who are struggling to break from traditional family expectations or societal expectations. I read this book and participated in a discussion group with my University and through the book discussion I was able to find parallels of my own growing up though the story. I highly recommend this book for an all girls book club and possibly include the counselor in this book club. The emotions that this book will bring to the surface during the discussions might lend themselves to the counselors expertise.
