Module 15: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

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Book Summary: Young tomboy Scout Finch and her older brother, Jem, spend their summers playing pranks with their friend, Dill, dreading the educational stability of school, and spying on their mysterious neighbors in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. The children grow up facing the normal tribulations of childhood in the South as they are raised by their well-respected lawyer father, Atticus Finch, and their strict but motherly black housekeeper, Calpurnia. Scout and Jem begin to struggle with the views of their society and their inner morals when their father is assigned to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, for accused rape charges against a white teenager. Although the Finch family faces racism and the ugliness of human nature, they learn that compassion and humility can be found among the least likely suspects.

APA Reference of Book:  Lee, H. (1960). To kill a mockingbird. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott.

Impressions: This book is a classic that I never managed to read (somehow) during my journey from school to school as a child. While I did enjoy the book overall, I have to say that the first half of the book definitely dragged on with unnecessary detail. The everyday conflicts that Scout and Jem faced as young children just were not enough to keep me thoroughly engaged in reading, so it did take me a while to push through this novel. However, once Atticus received his case for defending Tom Robinson against raping a white girl, the story became interesting. I am very interested in Civil Rights type stories, so I was intrigued at how this case would be handled against the overwhelming odds of racism. Although I was disappointed that Tom was found guilty and later was murdered, I also realized that Lee wrote this story very realistically based on the time period in which these events took place. The ideas that Atticus instills in his children (and the ones that they learn through observation and experience) are very powerful and give me hope for the future. I can imagine the impact that this book had on people’s views on racism and human nature when the book was released during the Civil Rights Movement. Scout’s simple innocence in her declaration, “I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks,” just shows that humans should start viewing each other as humans and appreciate their differences.

Professional Review: To kill a mockingbird [Review]. (1960, July 1). Bulletin from Virginia Kirkus' Service.

A first novel, this is also a first person account of Scout's (Jean Louise) recall of the years that led to the ending of a mystery, the breaking of her brother Jem's elbow, the death of her father's enemy -- and the close of childhood years. A widower, Atticus raises his children with legal dispassion and paternal intelligence, and is ably abetted by Calpurnia, the colored cook, while the Alabama town of Maycomb, in the 1930's, remains aloof to their divergence from its tribal patterns. Scout and Jem, with their summer-time companion, Dill, find their paths free from interference -- but not from dangers; their curiosity about the imprisoned Boo, whose miserable past is incorporated in their play, results in a tentative friendliness; their fears of Atticus' lack of distinction is dissipated when he shoots a mad dog; his defense of a Negro accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell, is followed with avid interest and turns the rabble whites against him. Scout is the means of averting an attack on Atticus but when he loses the case it is Boo who saves Jem and Scout by killing Mayella's father when he attempts to murder them. The shadows of a beginning for black-white understanding, the persistent fight that Scout carries on against school, Jem's emergence into adulthood, Calpurnia's quiet power, and all the incidents touching on the children's "growing outward" have an attractive starchiness that keeps this southern picture pert and provocative. There is much advance interest in this book; it has been selected by the Literary Guild and Reader's Digest; it should win many friends.

Library Uses: Students will engage in a Socratic seminar based on discussion questions derived from the novel. Students will be respectful as they give their opinions and reasoning for their answers as they add onto conversation starters from other students.

Module 14: Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai

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Book Summary: Having already lost her father to the darkness that is the war that plagues South Vietnam, ten-year-old Ha and her family sneak onto a ship toward the United States as the communists take over. She encounters many different people and situations while at sea, and she is nervous to be starting a new life in a new country. A mechanic from Alabama sponsors the family, and Ha’s three brothers quickly take on jobs to support the family as they are all encouraged to learn English as quickly as possible. Miss Washington, their new neighbor, helps Ha learn English and helps console her when necessary. While Ha gets bullied by some boys at school, friends at school, her brothers, and the adults in her life all stand up for her. More importantly, Ha learns to stand up for herself. As the family becomes comfortable in their new life, they come to accept that the father is truly gone, and they remember him fondly as they look forward to the new year and a better future.

APA Reference of Book Lai, T. (2011). Inside out & back again. New York, NY: Harper.

Impressions: I absolutely love reading novels in verse. The imagery, the emotions, and the connections provided are so strong. I have never been starved, lost my country, or lost an immediate family member, so it would seem that I have nothing in common with the young protagonist and her struggling family. However, it is books like this that help me build empathy for those of other cultures who have experienced different things from myself. It is very important for people to read because it creates open minds, and this book definitely did this for me. It helps me appreciate my life and the simple things that I do have.

Professional Review: Long, J. R. (2011). Inside out & back again. The Horn Book Magazine, 87(2), 120.

Recounting events that resemble her own family's 1975 flight from Saigon and first months in the United States, Lai pens a novel in vividly imagined verse. Each brief poem encapsulates a mood and experience of that year. As the Vietnam War nears its end in April, ten-year-old Has "Birthday Wishes" include "Wish Mother would stop / chiding me to stay calm / which makes it worse" and diat "Father [who's missing in action] would come home." Registering for school in Alabama in August, Ha encounters "a woman who / pats my head / while shaking her own. / I step back, / hating pity, / . . . the pity giver / feels better, / never the pity receiver." Such condescension is new to Ha and her brothers, all excellent students, as is being daunted by challenges like the urgent need to master idiosyncratic English. Meanwhile, Brother Vu takes odd jobs; Quang (who once said, "One cannot justify war / unless each side / flaunts its own / blind conviction") repairs cars. Many neighbors and classmates, with their own blind convictions, are cruelly antagonistic, but Ha soon finds allies at school and in English-tutor Ms. Washington. Lai's spare language captures the sensory disorientation of changing cultures as well as a refugee's complex emotions and kaleidoscopic loyalties. That Ms. Washington's son died in Vietnam underlines the disparity between nations' quarrels and their citizens' humanity, suggesting this as a provocative companion to Katherine Paterson's Park's Quest (rev. 7/88). JOANNA RUDGE LONG

Library Uses: An important reason for reading is to help people build empathy and learn more about others who may be different from themselves. Have students reflect on the things that Ha suffered and compare them to what their own problems are. There may be similarities, but there are sure to be many differences. Students will write their problems in an anonymous paper “shoe.” Another student will randomly choose that “shoe” and reflect on whether or not he/she could walk a mile in it.

Module 13: Amulet-Book 1: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi

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Book Summary: After a tragic car accident kills their father, Emily, her younger brother, Navin, and their mother move to an old family house in the country. After solving a puzzle in the basement, Emily finds a mysterious amulet and has Navin put it on her. Everything seems okay until their mother goes to investigate noises in the house and is eaten by a creature. Chasing after her, Emily and Navin go through a door and end up in a world where terrifying creatures are trying to kill them. An assistant of their great-grandfather, Silas, leads them to safety, and Silas explains to Emily that she is the new amulet stonekeeper and must use the amulet to protect this land. Using the amulet, Emily, Navin, and their new guide, Miskit, journey to save their mother from death.

APA Reference of Book:  Kibuishi, K. (2008). Amulet: Book 1: The Stonekeeper. New York, NY: Graphix.

Impressions: While the story has very familiar fantasy tropes, this graphic novel was enjoyable. I like the artwork, especially the fact that no two characters look alike. Emily is a serious young teenager who yearns for power to protect her family and friends, and so she is a good heroine and role model for children and young teens. The characters are interesting so far, and I actually can’t wait to read the next graphic novel in the series to see if Emily and Navin are able to work together to save their mother from poison. Seeing what Emily ultimately does with the amulet and what it means for her to have inherited the stonekeeper gift is intriguing to me. I also hope that although Navin does not have a powerful amulet, he will be able to show his true strength in future installments. An older sister to a younger brother myself, I like the sibling dynamic, and I hope that the author continues to use their relationship as a driving force of the overall story.

Professional Review: Teale, W. H., Kim, J., & Boerman-Cornell, W. (2008, 05). Amulet: Book one-the stonekeeper. Book Links, 17, 7.

Grades 4-7. Kibuishi, the creator of the action-packed Daisy Kutter series, sets his sights on a slightly younger crowd here. This first volume in the new Amulet graphic novel series introduces Emily, who has relocated to a strange house in the woods, where she finds a magical amulet left behind by her great grandfather. Soon after, she and her brother engage in a wild adventure to learn the secrets of the amulet and save their mother. Emily is as high-spirited a heroine as you are likely to find, and, propelled by uncluttered visuals, her action-packed adventure sequences move at an exciting clip. However, there are also dark elements in the tale—the gut-wrenching opening in which Emily loses her father in a car accident. the autumnal tones of the animation-like art, and the ambiguous agenda of the amulet itself. Part fantasy (anthropomorphized animals, elves) and part manga (transforming robots, tentacled monsters), this volume has much to appeal to readers, though they may be in for a more emotionally complex read than expected.

Library Uses: Students will create their own comic strip, poster, or book trailer to promote this graphic novel. Include discussions on why graphic novels are important to read. 

Module 12: Rosa by Nikki Giovanni

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Book Summary: After a day of hard work as a seamstress, Rosa Parks was released from work early to enjoy her day and take care of her sickly mother. She entered the bus and sat in the “neutral” section, where blacks could sit if their seats in the back were full. When the bus driver demanded that Rosa and the few black people to move from their seats to make room for white arrivers, only Rosa refused. She was tired of being pushed around by white people. It was time to make her stand—by sitting down. She allowed the bus driver to call the police and arrest her. Encouraged by Rosa’s stand, a group of women in the Women’s Political Council created bus boycott posters, and they recruited Martin Luther King Jr. to be their peaceful bus boycott leader. A year later, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was illegal, and we have Rosa Parks to thanks for changing what was unjust in the land.

APA Reference of Book: Giovanni, N., & Collier, B. (2005). Rosa. New York, NY: Henry Holt.

Impressions: I have heard Rosa Park’s story many times and have even read a lot of her autobiography, but I did learn new sides to the story on this read, especially regarding what the Women’s Political Council risked in order to promote the bus boycotts in Montgomery. The illustrations are beautiful, and they present the story’s seriousness. The colors used also are the ones I typically connect with a 1960s television show or music video, so the use of them to present this time period and its unrest is very smart. This is a great book for teaching students about the Civil Rights Movement and about standing up for what is right.

Professional Review: Rochman, H. (2005). Rosa. The Booklist, 101(19), 1797.

Gr. 3-5. Far from the cliché of Rosa Parks as the tired little seamstress, this beautiful picture-book biography shows her as a strong woman, happy at home and at work, and politically aware ("not tired from work, but tired of . . . eating at separate lunch counters and learning at separate schools"). Her refusal to give up her seat on a bus inspires her friend Jo Ann Robinson, president of the Women's Political Council, and the 25 council members to make posters calling for the bus boycott, and they organize a mass meeting where the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. speaks for them. Paired very effectively with Giovanni's passionate, direct words, Colliers large watercolor-and-collage illustrations depict Parks as an inspiring force that radiates golden light, and also as part of a dynamic activist community. In the unforgettable close-up that was used for the cover, Parks sits quietly waiting for the police as a white bus driver demands that she give up her seat. In contrast, the final picture opens out to four pages showing women, men, and children marching for equal rights at the bus boycott and in the years of struggle yet to come. The history comes clear in the astonishing combination of the personal and the political. -Hazel Rochman

Library Uses: This book can be used to begin a thematic reading unit on the Civil Rights Movement. Rosa Park’s actions on the bus created a ripple effect in the movement toward African-American rights in the United States. Students will discuss "What ifs?" and analyze the effects of character actions, such as what would happen if Rosa had not done each of these actions or had not said what she had said? 

Module 11: Sit-In-How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney

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Book Summary: Four college students took a seat at Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1960. Martin Luther King Jr.’s peaceful words of “We must meet hate with love” echoed in their heads as they sat in a restaurant and ordered food that they knew would not be served to them because of the prejudice against their skin color in a “Whites only” restaurant. However, no matter how badly they were treated, they refused to give up politely requesting their right to be served food. Soon, many other people, whites included, joined in on this peaceful protest during the restaurant sit-in. By working together for what was right, these students would soon pave the way for integration and rights for all.

APA Reference of Book: Pinkney, A. D., & Pinkney, J. B. (2010). Sit-in: How four friends stood up by sitting down. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

Impressions: The style in which this book was written was interesting to me. Important quotations from Martin Luther King Jr. or important ideals that the students fought for were in a much larger, colored text to emphasize the importance of the changes that these students were making for society. The book was written almost like a “food recipe” for creating freedom, peace and equality for all. It is a great book for teaching about the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement, and the timeline presented in the book is helpful to readers in understanding the background information and setting for the historical story.

Professional Review: Rochman, H. (2010). Sit-in: How four friends stood up by sitting down. The Booklist, 106(11), 60.

Grades 2-4. This compelling picture book is based on the historic sit-in 50 years ago by four college students who tried to integrate a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. Food-related wordplay adds layers to the free verse, as in the lines about the protesters’ recipe for integration: “Combine black with white / to make sweet justice.” The double-page spreads in watercolor and thick ink lines show both the scene in Woolworth’s and across America as blacks and whites organize sit-ins and watch coverage of protests on TV. Finally, the young people at the counter get what they order, “served to them exactly the way they wanted it––well done.” The recipe metaphors are repetitive, but at the core of the exciting narrative are scenes that show the difficulty of facing hatred: “tougher than any school test.” Closing pages discuss the role of adults, including Ella Baker and then presidents Kennedy and Johnson, and include a detailed civil rights time line, “a final helping” about the historic struggle, and a bibliography. Even young children will grasp the powerful, elemental, and historic story of those who stood up to oppressive authority and changed the world.

Library Uses: This book can be used to continue in a thematic reading unit on the Civil Rights Movement. Students can focus on the character motivations for the sit-ins in the 1960s and create their own reader's theater enactment of civil rights moments.

Module 10: The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson

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Book Summary: Clover has always been told to never cross the fence into the other side, the “white side,” because it is not safe for her. When she begins to become friends with Annie, the little white girl on the other side of the fence, she struggles with maintaining her friendship when society tells them that they cannot play together. Finding a loophole with the rules to not go to the other side of the fence, Clover and Annie decide to sit on it and enjoy their friendship. They note that one day the fence will finally be knocked down.

APA Reference of Book: Woodson, J., & Lewis, E. B. (2001). The other side. New York, NY: Putnam's.

Impressions: Leave it to two young girls to prove to society that people are taught to be racist. Clover and Annie may notice each other’s skin color, but they don’t care. They just see another girl to play with by the fence. The time period influences about race and skin color don’t affect the girls, and they never quite understand why they are never allowed on the other side of the fence. I love how the fence is both a literal barrier between the white family and the black family as well as a metaphor for the barrier that society has placed between those who are white and black. The fact that the girls say that someday the fence will be knocked down is a reference to the day where kids and adults can co-exist and enjoy each other’s company regardless of their skin color.

Professional Review:  The other side [Review]. (2001). Kirkus Reviews, (1).

Race relations, a complex issue, is addressed in a simple manner through the eyes of two young girls, one black and one white, on either side of a fence that divides their yards and, in fact, the town. Both girls have been instructed not to go on the other side of the fence because it's not safe. Each stares at the other, yearning to know more, but they don't communicate. When Annie, the white girl, climbs on the fence and asks to jump rope, she is told no by the leader of the black group. The narrator, Clover, has mixed feelings and is unsure whether she would have said yes or no. Later, the girls, with their mothers, meet on the sidewalk in town, looking very much the same, except for the color of their skin. When asked why the mothers don't talk, the explanation is, "because that's the way things have always been." During the heavy summer rains, Annie is outside in her raincoat and boots, having fun splashing in puddles--but Clover must stay inside. When the rains stop, Clover is set free, emerging as a brave soul and approaching Annie in the spirit of her freedom. Eventually, the story finds both girls and all of Clover's friends sitting on the fence together, kindred spirits in the end. "Someday somebody's going to come along and knock this old fence down," Annie says. What a great metaphor Woodson has created for knocking down old beliefs and barriers that keep people apart. Children learn that change can happen little by little, one child at a time. Award-winning Lewis's lovely realistic watercolor paintings allow readers to be quiet observers viewing the issue from both sides. (Picture book. 5+)

Library Uses: Librarians can use this book to bring up the ideas of prejudice. Have students discuss what prejudice is and if it is learned or born within a person. Look at symbolism and metaphors. Have the students answer the following question: What does the fence symbolize? Have the students create a fence and research two sides of an issue, placing differing viewpoints on each side of the fence. Discuss findings.

Module 9: Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

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Book Summary: The small town of Cryer’s Cross is terrified when two teenagers suddenly vanish within months of each other. One of them was Kendall’s best friend (and semi-boyfriend), Nico, and she doesn’t know how to move on without him. As she becomes friends with a neighboring brother and sister, she begins to question what happened to Nico. Mysterious messages begin to appear on Nico’s old desk, and only she notices because of her OCD. Kendall crosses a line between ghosts and reality as she is compelled by the mystery of deaths in Cryer’s Cross.

APA Reference of Book: McMann, L. (2011). Cryer's Cross. New York, NY: Simon Pulse.

Impressions: It is refreshing to read books that use the present tense since I feel that it is so rarely used as a story-telling device. This narration style really leads to readers feeling what Kendall is feeling at every moment. I was with her during her doubts and fears, and I was rooting for her to overcome them and finally discover the mystery behind Nico and Tiffany’s deaths. While everyone else wanted her to move on, I think that it was important for Kendall to almost be drawn into death’s grip. She had to face the danger and find the truth about her friend’s death before she could move on with her life. I really like how it is Kendall’s “disability” of OCD that actually ends up saving her from being driven to suicide by the ghost boys. The supernatural element was a great touch, although I feel like it all was wrapped up a little too quickly in the ending. Have the ghosts been put at rest? I don’t think so. It definitely leaves a bit to the imagination.

Professional Review: Yusko, S. (2011). Cryer's cross. The Booklist, 107(12), 70. 

Grades 8-12. Kendall is a senior in a one-room high school where last spring Tiffany, a freshman, disappeared. Now it is the start of a new year, and Kendall’s boyfriend, Nico—the only one who truly understood Kendall’s OCD— has gone missing, too. While compelled to straighten the desks before class one morning, Kendall discovers that Nico’s desk was also Tiffany’s desk. This seems like more than a coincidence, but Kendall is afraid that people will think she is crazy. The town’s dark past is a well-kept secret, and though she doesn’t want to admit it, Kendall will need the help of brooding newcomer Jacian if she is going to find Nico. Kendall is a unique character, and the details of her OCD compulsions are well drawn. Haunting passages from another world, which provide just enough detail to intrigue and disturb readers, are intertwined with Kendall’s story. Part mystery, part ghost story, and part romance, this book has enough to satisfy a variety of readers and will find popularity with McMann’s established fan base and new readers alike.

Library Uses: This novel would be a fun addition to a reading unit right before Halloween. Murder mysteries are always a great way to practice making predictions and noticing foreshadowing clues. During a read aloud, stop and have students discuss their thoughts and make predictions as you read. At any point, if students notice something is being hinted at or foreshadowed, they should share it and make more predictions for what will happen next. Provide a scavenger hunt throughout the library using QR codes as clues for students to solve a mystery and analyze plot structure.

Module 8: Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

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Book Summary: After Kira loses her mother to an illness, she must face the fact that her simple village does not want a girl with a twisted leg anymore. Much to her surprise, not only does the council of the village defend her against angry accusers, but they give her an important job: to be the new weaver of the Singer’s robe, to design the future. However, this new cozy life isn’t what it seems to be. People who question the way things are end up taken to the field to die. A little girl is locked up in a room, and Kira wonders if she and the carver of the future, Thomas, are actually being shackled for their artistic gifts as well. It takes a feisty boy named Matty to bring Kira the one color denied to her in weaving, blue, and with it, a person lost to her before her birth. Kira knows that the fate of the future is in her hands, and she will not let anyone tell her how to shape it.

APA Reference of Book: Lowry, L. (2000). Gathering blue. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

Impressions: Just like The Giver, this novel creates suspense through young characters questioning the world and becoming determined to change it for the better. Kira is such a strong protagonist, especially since she has a physical disability. She is strong because she does not let her leg defeat her in the obstacles of life, and she does not allow others to control her mind and creativity by the end of the story. I am honestly left with so many questions. Does Kira change the robe to the future that she wants? Does she weave in blue threads, and how do the council members react? Does she eventually go to live with her father? Darn Lowry and her cliffhangers! I guess I will just have to read the next book and hope that I find out somehow.

Professional Review: Gathering blue [Review]. (2000). Kirkus Reviews, (12).

Lowry returns to the metaphorical future world of her Newbery-winning The Giver (1993) to explore the notion of foul reality disguised as fair. Born with a twisted leg, Kira faces a bleak future after her mother dies suddenly, leaving her without protection. Despite her gift for weaving and embroidery, the village women, led by cruel, scarred Vandara, will certainly drive the lame child into the forest, where the “beasts” killed her father, or so she’s been told. Instead, the Council of Guardians intervenes. In Kira’s village, the ambient sounds of voices raised in anger and children being slapped away as nuisances quiets once a year when the Singer, with his intricately carved staff and elaborately embroidered robe, recites the tale of humanity’s multiple rises and falls. The Guardians ask Kira to repair worn historical scenes on the Singer’s robe and promise her the panels that have been left undecorated. Comfortably housed with two other young orphans—Thomas, a brilliant wood-carver working on the Singer’s staff, and tiny Jo, who sings with an angel’s voice—Kira gradually realizes that their apparent freedom is illusory, that their creative gifts are being harnessed to the Guardians’ agenda. And she begins to wonder about the deaths of her parents and those of her companions—especially after the seemingly hale old woman who is teaching her to dye expires the day after telling her there really are no beasts in the woods. The true nature of her society becomes horribly clear when the Singer appears for his annual performance with chained, bloody ankles, followed by Kira’s long-lost father, who, it turns out, was blinded and left for dead by a Guardian. Next to the vividly rendered supporting cast, the gentle, kindhearted Kira seems rather colorless, though by electing at the end to pit her artistic gift against the status quo instead of fleeing, she does display some inner stuff. Readers will find plenty of material for thought and discussion here, plus a touch of magic and a tantalizing hint (stay sharp, or you’ll miss it) about the previous book’s famously ambiguous ending. A top writer, in top form. (author’s note) (Fiction. 11-13)

Library Uses: Have students choose an artistic talent and showcase it to explain the school’s history. Have some students decide what is to be done, said, and created, and then discuss the effects these restrictions have on creativity. See what the results will be when artists have free reign to show their imagination and also when they have no choices in what they do.

Module 7: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

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Book Summary: Melinda is starting high school with no friends, no purpose, and no words. Everyone hates her for calling the police during a party over the summer, and she isn’t able to confess the truth. Throughout the school year, she clams up more and more after dealing with fake friends, hateful people, and inconsiderate teachers. It takes a kind art teacher who pushes her to delve into her emotions for her to look at life through open eyes. She admits that she was raped, and she finally has the words to stand up to her rapist, to stand up for herself.

APA Reference of Book: Anderson, L. H. (1999). Speak. New York, NY: Farrar Straus Giroux.

Impressions: This is a powerful book that I wish I had read when I was a teenager. It is told simply, but Melinda’s thoughts and emotions are raw and relatable. Almost every teen has had a period in their life where they felt like they didn’t belong. The inability to speak about their problems and to instead suffer through life is a real obstacle for many young adults. This book should encourage any person who has ever lost control to find a positive outlet and speak up for themselves when they are ready to. I can also connect to this book deeply because of the underlying issue of rape. I, too, have gone through a similar experience at a very young age and felt like I couldn’t tell anyone and that it was my fault for letting it happen. While reading this novel, I began crying because I have more reassurance that it is okay, that I am okay. Just like Melinda discovered, we can all be reborn as seeds after something kills us inside. The important thing thereafter is for us to decide to grow into an even stronger tree, flexible to the wind that tries to knock us down.

Professional Review: Carton, D. (1999). Speak. The Booklist, 96(2), 247.

Gr. 8-12. Having broken up an end-ofsummer party by calling the police, highschool freshman Melinda Sordino begins the school year as a social outcast. She's the only person who knows the real reason behind her call she was raped at the party by Andy Evans, a popular senior at her school. Slowly, with the help of an eccentric and understanding art teacher. She begins to recover from the trauma, only to find Andy threatening her again. Melinda's voice is distinct unusual, and very real as she recounts her past and present experiences in bitterly ironic, occasionally even amusing vignettes. In her YA fiction debut, Anderson perfectly captures the harsh conformity of high-school cliques and one teen's struggle to find acceptance from her peers. Melinda's sarcastic wit, honesty, and courage make her a memorable character whose ultimate triumph will inspire and empower readers.

Library Uses: Explore theme. Review with the students what theme is. What are some possible themes for this novel? Have an open and respectful discussion and/or journal writing for this novel because of its controversy and sensitive topics.

Module 6: Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco

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Book Summary: Trisha grew up in a home that promoted reading, so she loved books. When it came time for her to read, however, she struggled for years. She became more interested in drawing because of her lack of success in reading, but she was teased and bullied for years for her inability to read. It wasn’t until Mr. Falker became her new teacher that change began to take place for Trisha. Not only did he praise her intelligence and artwork, but he reprimanded her bullies. He soon discovered that Trisha did not see letters and words the way other students did, so he began to teach her how to read in a different way. Full of empowerment at learning how to read, the author admits that she was actually Trisha, and that Mr. Falker is her hero.

APA Reference of Book: Polacco, P. (1998). Thank you, Mr. Falker. New York, NY: Philomel Books.

Impressions: It is incredible how the reader can go through the entire book thinking that it is fictional but then find out on the last page that the story is actually a memoir of Patricia Polacco’s struggle to read. As an English and reading teacher, this book is very powerful to me. So many people associate reading with intelligence, but some students may have disabilities that prevent them from reading or learning in the same way as all the other students. Mr. Falker was a special teacher who understood this fact and was able to not only determine that Polacco had dyslexia, but he was able to work with her and another reading teacher closely to help her learn how to read. I was trained in teaching reading to dyslexic students, and as I worked with them, they began to read better every day! Their fluency and comprehension increased a vast amount by the end of the year, and I was so proud. This is a great book for teaching students that they are not dumb just because they have a learning disability and for teaching educators to always look for any method possible to reach every individual student.

Professional Review: Rochman, H. (1998). Thank you, mr. Falker. The Booklist, 94(17), 1522.

Ages 5-9. Like many of Polacco's picture-book stories, this one is autobiographical. Who would believe that this gifted storyteller had started off with a serious learning disability? From kindergarten on, Trisha gets attention because she can draw; but she hides the fact that she can't read--all she sees on the page are "wiggling shapes" --until her fifth-grade teacher discovers Trisha's problem, gets her special help, and sets her free. "That little girl was me," Polacco says in a final note. As always she tells the story with intense emotion: no understatement here; reading is "torture." The big line-and-watercolor illustrations are bright with color and theatrical gesture, expressing the child's happiness with her grandparents in a family of readers, her fear and loneliness in the classroom ("she hated hated hated school"), her anguish when the kids jeer at her in the schoolyard, and her joy when finally she reads the words on the page ("she was happy, so very happy"). Trisha isn't idealized: we see her messy and desperate, poring over her books. This will encourage the child who feels like a failure and the teacher who cares.

Library Uses: This is a great book to teach students about diverse learners. Present a book talk and discussion about the ways that each students learn. Students will determine their own learning styles and methods and connect how they learn to what Trisha goes through in the story.

Module 5: Looking for Alaska by John Green

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Book Summary: Miles Halter lives a boring high school life with no friends and no purpose. Searching for his “Great perhaps,” he decides to enroll in a prestigious boarding school in Alabama. There, he meets the wild and intelligent Alaska among his new circle of friends. Life seems great. Miles, or “Pudge,” opens up, tries new things, enjoys discussing religion and famous last words, and becomes a prankster. His great new life changes when Alaska suddenly gets in a car accident, and Miles and their group are desperate to find answers.

APA Reference of Book:  Green, J. (2005). Looking for Alaska: A novel. New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books.

Impressions: This book is incredibly powerful. I love all the “last words” that Miles quotes. I love the realistically sarcastic dialogue. Most of all, I love how this book makes me think. What is the “Great perhaps” for me? How do people get out of the labyrinth of suffering? The novel was written well and can definitely be used as a mini-mystery as the reader follows the foreshadowed clues to figure out what happened to Alaska. This story is so grippingly real.

Professional Review: Looking for Alaska. (January, 2015). School Library Journal, 61(1).

Gr 10 Up-The Printz Award-winning novel that kickstarted John Green's career and introduced a whole generation of teens to a new era of YA literature is turning 10 this year. Though the text itself remains the same, there are many extras included in this edition. There is an introduction by Green himself, a helpful Q & A section, and, perhaps most interesting for scholars, portions of the original manuscript that didn't make it into the final book, along with correspondence between Green and his editor. Purists may gasp to hear that the now-iconic "smoking" cover has been redesigned. But take heart; the new jacket, created by Rodrigo Corral, pays homage to the original with a deep black background and a subtle wisp of smoke. Replace worn copies and introduce a whole new crop of teens to this new classic. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.

Library Uses: Have high school students write a personal literary analysis based around Alaska’s great question: “How will you personally ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering?” Answer the question based on your personal experiences and thoughts and include any quotations or examples from the text that help support your writing.

Module 4: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

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Book Summary: All Jesse cares about is proving that he is the best runner in the fifth grade. He also really cares about drawing, but he can never admit that because nobody at school or in his family truly understands him. That all changes when Leslie Burke moves to their small town and flips Jesse’s world upside down. He is able to stand up to bullies and befriend her, much to his surprise, and he finds that he is drawn to her spirit and imagination. Together, they find a place in the woods where their misunderstood creativity can flow free in their own world, Terabithia. Here, they are no longer lonely kids but kings and queens who protect their lands from invaders and giants and mystical spells. Soon Jess learns that while the world is not as magical as the time he spends with Leslie in Terabithia, he can overcome any obstacle in life through the transformation that takes place in him after creating the world with Leslie. When Leslie dies in a tragic accident, all that he has learned from her is put to the test as Jess must find ways to surpass his guilt and keep Terabithia alive for her.

APA Reference of Book:  Paterson, K. (1977). Bridge to Terabithia. New York, NY: T.Y. Crowell.

Impressions: I cannot stop crying after reading this book! It is enchanting in its imagination, and I can feel everything that Jess feels as he grows through his experiences. Leslie helps Jess discover who he was always meant to be through their adventures in Terabithia, and Jess becomes a better person for it. It is not just the experience of loss that makes me emotional, but it is the way that Patterson has woven a tale of growth, connecting people, and overcoming life’s obstacles that makes me feel strongly about this story. I love how Jess introduces his sister, May Belle, to Terabithia in the end because it shows that while he will always hold on to Leslie and what she taught him, he will use everything he learned from her to give others a life full of purpose and imagination. It is a well-written novel that I would love to explore again.

Professional Review: Forman, J. (1977). Bridge to Terabithia [Book Review]. School Library Journal, 24(3), 61.

“Gr 4-6 – Jess’ ambition is to be ‘the fastest runner in the fifth grade,’ and he is well on this way when Leslie arrives on the scene…and beats him in a race. The two quickly find that they have much in common – and each has something to give the other. Leslie opens Jess to a whole new world of myth and fantasy while he gives her an empathy for the underdog, even when the underdog is a big, ugly seventh grade girl bully. The two friends build a secret hideout and invent an imaginary kingdom they call Terabithia, but soon torrential rains make it risky for them to get there. When Jess gets back from a day trip to Washington, D.C. with a teacher he learns that Leslie drowned trying to reach their meeting place and reacts first with shock, then selfishness, and finally grief. Though he gets support from most of his large, usually bickering family and from his teacher, Jess alone has to work through his shattering loss, and it is he who decides how to best memorialize Leslie and what she meant to him. Not only is the story unusual because it portrays a believable relationship between a boy and a girl at an age when same-sex friendships are the norm but it also presents an unromantic, realistic, and moving reaction to personal tragedy. Jess and Leslie are so effectively developed as characters that young readers might well feel that they were their classmates.”

Library Uses: Students can choose five traits that they believe make a great friend. Each student will then be paired with another student who matches most of the same chosen friendship traits. They can then work together to create a world that represents them and explain why it is important.

Module 3: Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg

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Book Summary: When Peter and Judy’s parents leave them home alone for an evening, they decide that they need to do something exciting to pass the time. They go outside and discover a board game with a note that says to “read instructions carefully.” Having found something exciting to do, they go home and begin playing the jungle adventure game, Jumanji. Judy follows all of the instructions and notes that “once a game of Jumanji is started it will not be over until one player reaches the Golden City.” Once they begin playing, situations and jungle animals begin to appear from the game, causing them a lot of stress. True to the rules, Judy pushes Peter to finish the game, and they are relieved when their adventure is finally over. However, soon the game is being played by a couple of boys who do not normally follow the instructions…

APA Reference of Book: Van, C. A. (1981). Jumanji. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co.

Impressions: First of all, the illustrations in this book are beautiful. The use of black and white toned pictures and realistic lines portrays a story where the mundane turns into an exciting adventure. While the book does not have the emotional depth of the movie adaptation, it is a great story for teaching children to make their own excitement and to always follow the directions carefully.

Professional Review: Pollack, P. (1981, May). [Review of the book Jumanji, by Chris Van Allsburg]. School Library Journal, 27(9), 60.

Jumanji is a jungle adventure board game come to life via the magic that, in Van Allsburg's world, is always waiting to leak into the everyday. With successive dice rolls, deepest, darkest Africa invades the neat, solid, formally arranged rooms of the unsuspecting players' house. The players-a blase brother and sister home alone-are momentarily dumbstruck but not really upset. They steadfastly go on with the game as monkeys, grinning with wicked gleam, raid the kirchen and hunker around the game board; rhinos charge intently through the living room (and righ into once line of vision); a Python coils on the mantel, its pattern set off by leafy slipcover design to give a jungle camoflage effect. S in The Garden of Abdul Gasazi (Houghton, 1979), which Jumaji outdoes in story terms, real ad unreal rub shoulders in three-dimensional drawings extraordinary for the multiplicity of gray tones the artist chives and the startling contrasts with brilliant white. The eye-fooling angles, looming shadows and shifting perspective are worthy of Hitchcock, yet all these "special effects" are supplied with only a pencil.-Pamela D. Pollack, "School Library Journal"

Library Uses: Librarians can use this book to teach students how the artist’s style of illustrations (line art, use of black and white versus color) can contribute to the story the author is portraying. 

Module 2: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

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Book Summary: Margaret Simon is almost twelve, and she has a lot to worry about as she starts to grow up! Will she fit in with the suburb kids after moving from New York? Does she like the cutest boy or the neighbor who mows her lawn? Will she EVER get her period and grow breasts? While these questions seem to plague most girls, Margaret feels that she is different. Every other girl feels so certain on their faith and their opinions, but Margaret is not so sure about what to believe in or what type of person she wants to be. It seems that the only person that she can confide in is God, but she must take a journey of self-reflection and discovery to connect with him.

APA Reference of Book: Blume, J. (c1970). Are you there God? It's me, Margaret. New York, NY: Dell Publishing Company.

Impressions: The book was great in its simplicity. It is important for a story about a young girl to actually feel like it was being narrated by an eleven-year-old and not an adult. It really does connect to the realities that any pre-teen girl faces, no matter the time period. However, the ending was way too abrupt for me. I feel like there is no solid conclusion on Margaret’s feelings about God, religion, and prejudices. The story ends right when Margaret begins to see that her perceptions of people shouldn’t be determined as truth, and her character growth isn’t elaborated due to the swift ending. I am disappointed in that fact. Also, her faith in God is restored based on the fact that she got the body maturation that she prayed for? I feel like this ending is weak and unsatisfying to me as a reader. The book was great for expressing a pre-teen’s journey of self-discovery, but I just wanted more of the story.

Professional Review: Elson, A. (2012). Are you there God? It’s me Margaret [Review of the book Are you there God? It’s me Margaret, by J. Blume]. Moment, 37(3), 68.

Are You There God? It's Me Margaret is an outstanding book about a girl with a very hard life. To start off, she just moved to a new town. Moving is challenging enough, but, in addition, her body is changing, and she has to choose a religion for herself.    

It definitely is not easy to move. I know much about this because I, being a member of a military family, have moved several times to new duty stations across the United States. When Margaret moves, she feels very alone until she bonds with a group of friends. I, too, have made some amazing new friends without forgetting my old ones.

This book made me think about what it would be like if I had no religion and had to choose one. How do you choose a religion? Though Margaret says she has no religion, I think that she has a Jewish perspective on life. I see this because Margaret always seems to have a personal relationship with God. Whenever she needs help dealing with the everyday problems of a tween, she always turns to God. For example, when Margaret needs confidence about her body changing, she asks God for advice.

Are You There God? It's Me Margaret is a timeless classic. The questions about tween life are still the same. I know this is true because even my mother, who read this book about 40 years ago, still remembers turning to the book for questions about her body changing. I have her original copy of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, which I hope to pass down to my children when they are ready.

This book has made me think about friendship, religion and how tweens live. Everybody should read this book because it is amazingly great.

Library Uses: This novel can be used to teach students about internal conflict. Margaret has many internal conflicts in this story, such as worrying about her growing body and debating her religion. Students can do a quick write on internal conflicts that they are personally facing and discuss how internal conflicts can influence the plot of a story.

Module 1: Miss Smith Reads Again by Michael Garland

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Book Summary: The students in Miss Smith’s class love it when Miss Smith reads. When she reads, the books come alive, and any characters and surroundings go back into the book when it is finished being read. The students are soon transported into the setting of the story, but they are warned that they must never interfere with the characters in a story because the story can change. When Miss Smith reads a story about dinosaurs in Doyle’s The Lost World, a student interferes with a T-Rex attack, and they lose their teacher in the jungle. The students must work together to save Miss Smith and have her finish the story so that they can escape this dangerous story.

APA Reference of Book: Garland, M. (2006). Miss Smith reads again!. New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books.

Impressions: The first thing that I noticed was that the class and teacher are very diverse! This made me very happy because I am a huge supporter of books reflecting the diverse people that we see in life today. I really liked how this book had a clear plot with a problem that the students had to solve in order to finish the book. This would be a great story to analyze for plot structure, imagery, and conflict.

Professional Review: Miss Smith reads again!. (2006). Kirkus Reviews, 74(11), 571.

The second-grade teacher with the fiery orange brush cut and leather jacket introduced in Miss Smith's Incredible Storybook (2003) returns, opening her magical volume to transform the classroom into Arthur Conan Doyle's Lost World. Thrills ensue, as the class meets some of the characters, evades a tyrannosaurus, rescues Miss Smith from a pterodactyl's nest and then, despite having broken the cardinal rule not to interfere with the storyline, returns to the present. In what reads like an editing error, readers are told twice that the children have escaped the toothy predator, and the relationship between Doyle's tale and this one is perfunctory at best. Still, the combination of dinosaurs, exciting adventures and a decidedly unconventional teacher who literally brings her lessons to life traverses familiar territory for Magic School Bus fans, and the glossy, elaborately detailed illustrations are another draw. (Picture book. 6-8)

Library Uses: Students can use this picture book in the library by performing in reader’s theater. Students may choose scenes from a book and dress up and act out what would happen if the book were to come to life through reading. Students may also create visuals based on the descriptive words in the book to portray the imagery in the book.