Module 15: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

by Sherman Alexie

Summary: Ever since the day Arnold was born, he was destined to a life of hardship.  Arnold was born with encephalitis.  Due  to his disabilities, Arnold has a hard time fitting in on the reservation.  With the encouragement of his teacher, Arnold decides to leave the reservation for school and attend school at the closes public school.  Arnold knows that making this move will isolate him from the others on the rez even more.  He decides to go anyway and even plays for the schools basketball team.  


Alexie, S. (2008). The absolutely true diary of a part-time indian. New York, NY: Little Brown and Company.

My Impression:  This book gets an B+ for high school students.  Some of the slang and phrases in this book could be viewed as highly offensive which is why this book is getting a slightly lower grade.  That being said, the author does a great job of writing in a style that will appeal to avid and reluctant readers alike.  His humor will keep you laughing and wanting to read more.  Overall, this book was a great read!
 

Professional Reviews:

Library Media Connection (January 1, 2008)

This novel features a hard-luck teenager who is dealing with several issues.  Arnold was born with encephalitis, and he has several disabilities.  He grew up on a reservation, and every aspect of "rez" life is discussed; it is not a flattering portrayal.  When Arnold throws his math book in frustration, it hits his teacher.  Events spiral and Arnold decides to attend school off the reservation, which causes major conflict.  Author Sherman Alexie writes whit humor and wit.  The story is bittersweet and intense; events are sometimes shocking, but the author does an excellent job of keeping the novel moving at an interesting pace.  Reluctant readers would enjoy the changes of fonts and the humor of our not-so-mainstream hero.

Garrett, E. (2008, January 1). The absolutely true diary of a part-time indian  [Review of the book The absolutely true diary of a part-time indian, by S. Alexie]. Library Media Connection, 26(4), 75. Retrieved from http://www.librarymediaconnection.com/

Library Uses:  This title would be great for use in a Banned Books Week display along with other titles that have earned their spot on this list.

Module 14: My Dog, My Hero

My Dog, My Hero

By Betsy Byars, Betsy Duffey, and Laurie Myers

Summary: This book begins with a newspaper article stating the hunt for a hero.  The article is followed by eight chapters.  Each chapter represents one dog hero.  This impressive dogs save their owner from a bull, rescue a neighbor from a snake, and save a baby trapped in a car.  The story concludes with another article stating each award the dogs one and the grand winner as well.


Byars, B., Duffey, B. & Myers, L. (2000). My dog, my hero. New York, NY: H. Holt.

My Impression:  I give this book an A+ for elementary readers.  This is a fun collection of short stories that will excited animal lovers.  This is perfect for reluctant readers as they have closure at the end of each chapter.  The realistic nature of the author's writing keep the readers interested and wanting to know who the winner will be. 
Professional Reviews:

Booklist (January 1, 2001)

 Gr. 3-6. Newbery Medal-winner Byars and daughters Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers--dog lovers all--collaborate for the first time in this collection of eight stories about extraordinarily heroic dogs. Each of the first-rate tales is told from the point of view of a contestant entering a dog in the My Hero contest. Among the entries is one from a gruff gardener who has no use for dogs until one alerts him to a poisonous snake lurking in his petunias. In another, a 93-year-old woman relates how a dog's cold nose and loving touch transformed her after she'd given in to depression in a nursing home. Drama, humor, excitement, and love fuel these short, well-written stories that are certain to be relished by dog lovers. The selections can also provide students in English classes with excellent examples of point of view, characterization, and plot construction. Loren Long's evocative full-color artwork not only shows off each canine but also invites readers into the crises and emotions of the episodes.

Mandel, E.  (2001, January 1). My dog, my hero [Review of the book My dog, my hero, by B. Byars, B. Duffey & L. Myers]. Booklist, 97(9), 954. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/

Library Use:  This title would be fun to use during Children's Book Week.  Have an elementary school wide read athon and each teacher could read one or two chapters a day and then the students could vote on who they think derserves the My Hero award.  The final newspaper article announcing the award can be read over the intercom as a school.

Module 13: The Clique

The Clique

By Lisi Harrison

Summary:  Seventh grade Massie Block's world is shaken when an old friend of her dad's moves to Westchester from Florida.  The Lyons family isn't just moving to Westchester, they are moving into Massie's guest house and her mom expects her to buddy up with the Lyon's daughter Claire.  From her fashion style to her personality there is no way Claire stands a chance of joining Massie's quartet of friends.  After many pranks, loads of gossip, and mean girl drama, the reader is left wondering if Massie and Claire will ever be able to become friends in book two.

Harrison, L. (2004). The Clique.  New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

My Impression: This series receives a B from me.  The series is predictable and a little extreme but has great appeal to middle school girls.  Packed with the daily drama preteen and teenage girls face, this book is sure to keep many girls reading.  I would hesitate to recommend this series to girls still in elementary (4th and 5th grade) due to mild language and the girls' behavior.

Professional Reviews:


School Library Journal  (June 1, 2004)
Gr 5-8-- Claire Lyons moves with her parents from Florida to wealthy Westchester County, NY. Until they can get settled, the family stays in the guest house of Mr. Lyons's college buddy, who happens to have a daughter who is also in seventh grade. Expected to welcome her, Massie instead chooses to make Claire's life miserable for no other reason than she's the new girl. Massie enlists her clique of friends at Octavian Country Day School, all part of the beautiful and popular crowd, to help with the harassment, which ranges from catty comments on Claire's clothes to spilling red paint on her white jeans in a conspicuous spot. Tired of it all, Claire tries to fight back, but then the abuse worsens. The book has trendy references kids will love, including Starbucks in the school, designer clothes, and PalmPilots for list making. However, this trendiness doesn't make up for the shallowness of the characters or the one-dimensional plot. Nor is the cruelty of the clique redeemed with any sort of a satisfying ending. The conclusion leaves one with the feeling that a sequel is in the works. Amy Goldman Koss's The Girls (Dial, 2000) shows the same cruelty of girls with a more realistic story and resolution.


Pierce, D. (2004, June 1).  The clique [Review of the book The clique, by Lisi Harrison].  School Library Journal, 50(6), 143.  Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/ 

Library Uses:   Use this book for an online book group for girls only. Put up posters and segments in the school's weekly paper advertising the up coming group.

Module 12: How Angel peterson Got His Name

How Angel Peterson Got His Name

by Gary Paulsen

Summary: Gary Paulsen goes back to the late 40's and early 50's to relive his early teenage years and the crazy things he and his friends did to pass the time.  Some of these adventures include skiing while being pulled behind a car, riding down a waterfall in a barrel, and the creation of the first skateboard. 

Paulsen, G. (2003).  How Angel Peterson got his name. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.

My Impression:  I really enjoyed this book and give it an A for kids 13 and older.  This book is quite engaging and will leave boys wanting to know what stunt Paulsen and his buddies will choose next.  This will be a great read for reluctant readers and daring boys.  This book does contain one incident where the boys see a sign and much like young boys do take it out of context.  In my opinion it turned what could be a great read for boys of all ages to a great read for middle school boys.

Professional Reviews:

Booklist
 

Gr. 6-9. Every boy who is 13 or about to be 13 or who remembers being 13 should read this short story collection based on people and events from Paulsen's own life.  Even though the action takes place 50 or so years ago, they will recognize themselves.  And every girl who has ever liked a 13-year-old-boy, or been related to one, or wondered about one, should read this too, because although the book doesn't explain why boys like to do things like pee on electric fences, it does give us insight into how their funny little minds work.  Writing with humor and sensitivity, Paulsen shows boys moving into adolescence believing they can do anything: wrestle with bears; shoot waterfalls in a barrel; fly eight-by-twelve-foot Army surplus kites-and hang on, even as they land in the chicken coop.  None of them dies (amazingly), and even if Paulsen exaggerates the teensiest bit, his tales are side-splittingly funny and more than a little frightening.

DeCandido, G. A. (2002, December 15). How Angel Peterson got his name [Review of the book How Angel Peterson got his name, by G. Paulsen]. Booklist, 99(8), 754. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/

Library Uses:  Do a book talk or create a display that says, "Do your spring break plans include riding barrels down waterfalls, wrestling bears, or jumping through a flame of fire on a bike?"  Read How Angel Peterson Got His Name to read how Paulsen and his friends spent their time outside of school.

Module 11: The Tarantula Scientist

The Tarantula Scientist

by Sy Montgomery

Summary: Author Sy Montgomery and photographer Nic Bishop travel to South America with tarantula scientist Sam Marshall.  They travel through the jungle exploring tarantula holes and other insects of the jungle.  Throughout their journey in the jungle and Sam Marshall's story of being a scientist, facts about tarantulas are spread throughout the book.


Montgomery, S. (2004). The tarantula scientist. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.

My Impression:  I give this book an A.  I hate spiders, but I found this book to be very interesting and it changed my perspective of spiders.  It is written in a kid friendly manner and does an excellent job of explaining words and terms that kids might not comprehend.

Professional Reviews:


Horn Book (July 1, 2004)

Writer and photographer team up again to bring us another excellent entry in the Scientist in the Field series. We follow arachnologist Sam Marshall on a field expedition to South America, and then back to his laboratory in Ohio to investigate several tarantula species. Information about spider basics, spider silk, and how to observe your own local spiders is woven into the main narrative. Montgomery is effective in showing how scientists' research questions integrate their field and laboratory study, and how Marshall's enthusiasm drives his scientific work. The additional profiles of undergraduates in the lab illustrate manageable projects, inviting young readers to imagine themselves as researchers someday (and the students profiled are women, helping to dispel any stereotypes about which gender likes spiders). Unlike other books in the series, the discussion of Marshall's childhood and initial interest in science is brief. The color photography is outstanding, and so very interesting that even the squeamish may take a second look at the glossy and hairy tarantulas portrayed in close detail in both their natural and laboratory habitats. Appended material includes a list of websites, a bibliography, a glossary, and an index.

 Ford, D. J. (2003, July 1). The tarantula scientist [Review of the book The tarantula scientist, by S. Montgomery].  Horn Book, 80(4), 469.  Retrieved from http://www.hbook.com/

Library Uses: Create a book mark that has a picture of a tarantula and interesting facts about spiders.  To find out more fascinating facts about tarantulas, you should read The Tarantula Scientist by Sy Montgomery.

Module 10: Day of Tears

Day of Tears 

by Julius Lester

Summary: The Butler family is faced with a very hard decision.  Master Butler has lost his money gambling and must figure out how to repay his debt.  In an attempt to clear this debt he begins to sell his slaves leading to the biggest slave auction in history.  Through dialogue, Butler's daughters, Emma (Butler's daughters' care taker), and Emma's parents tell of the events that led up to the sale and separation of Emma and her parents, her bravery, and she continued to live on.


Lester, J. (2007). Day of tears. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children.

My Impression: I give this historical fiction novel an A+.  This account gives me a glimpse of what slaves must have truly felt like when they faced being separated from their families.  This novel brought tears to my eyes and left me wanting to research this day further and read the book again.

Professional Reviews: 

Book List 

Gr. 6-9. From his first book, To Be a Slave (1968), Lester has told the history of slavery through personal accounts that relay the dehumanizing message of the perpetrators.  Here he draws on historical sources to fictionalize a real event: the biggest slave auction in American history, which took place in Savannah, Georgia, in 1859.  He imagines the individual voices of many who were there, adults and kids, including several slaves up for sale, the auctioneer, and the white masters and their families buying and selling the valuable merchandise.  The huge cast speaks in the present tense and sometimes from the future looking back.  A note fills in the facts.  The horror of the auction and its aftermath is unforgettable; individuals whom the reader has come to know are handled like animals, wrenched from family, friends, and love.  Then there's a sales list with names, ages, and the amount taken in for each person.  Brave runaways speak; so does an abolitionist who helps them.  Those who are not heroic are here, too, and the racism in virulent (there's widespread use of the n-word).  The personal voices make this a stirring text for group discussion.  Older readers may want to go on from here to the nonfiction narratives in Growing Up in Slavery. 

Rochman, H. (2005, February 1). Day of tears [Review of the book Day of tears, by Julius Lester]. Booklist, 101(11), 967.  Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/ 

Library Uses: Use a section of this book as a reader's theater.  With permission from parents record the students and play it as a book teaser for other classes.