Pippi Longstocking

Pippi Longstocking

Lindgren, A. (1945). Pippi Longstocking. Rabén & Sjögren.

Pippi Longstocking is a series of books that tell the tales of an adventurous adolescent girl. A series of short stories tell the tales of a girl whose mother =dead and whose father disappeared at sea. Pippi must live alone in a house at the edge of a small town. Pippi is able to survive on her own because of the large amount of money her parents left her with. Her whit and independence help tremendously too. She doesn't go to school because her one attempt to do so did not end well. Moreover, she spends all of her time with her pet monkey and horse and playing with the well-behaved children next door. The unrealistic account of a girl surviving by herself, display ordinary days as exciting and wildly adventurous. 

This story would be great as a read aloud. The teacher could model fluency practices including expression and prosody. The short stories could be used separately or all together as the whole novel. I would use small sections to focus on visualizing and imagery. The story creates some wild scenes that would be fun for students to illustrate. The book also displays great use of figurative language. It could be used in older grades for to teach about the various types of figurative language.  

Here are some potential activities!

Ella Enchanted

Ella Enchanted

Levine, G. (1997). Ella enchanted. New York: HarperCollins.

This story takes places in an enchanted kingdom. When the main character, Ella, was just born, the fairy Lucinda "blessed" her with obedience. Whenever Ella is told to do something, she must do it, including promising never to reveal her terrible secret. After her mother dies, Ella is sent to finishing school with her nasty stepsisters, Hattie and Olive. Hattie soon discovers the curse and takes advantage of Ella. Ella decides the only solution is to run away. After running away, Ella finds Lucinda and begs her to lift the curse. Unfortunately, Lucinda refuses and Ella must go home. It seems she is resigned to a life of drudgery. All the while, her friend, Prince Charmont, is in love with her, but Ella knows she can never marry him. She fears her curse would put him in grave danger. When he commands her to marry him, she struggles not to obey. She scrounges up all of the self confidence and courage she has and cries out "No" which breaks the curse! At last, Ella and her beloved prince can truly live happily ever after.

This book has potential to be included in a fairy tale unit or a a fantasy unit. Student could compare and contrast it to classic fairy tales of examine its plot elements for hints of fantasy. This would have to be used for book circles, as I don't think many boys would choose to read this book. I would like to include this in a unit of fractured fairy tales. All in all, it is a fun adventure that many students would enjoy. 

Here are some potential activities! 

Young Hoosier Book Awards: My Choices

Picture Books:

The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes- Picture Books

Pett, M., & Rubinstein, G. (2011). The girl who never made mistakes. Naperville, Ill.: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.

This is an adorable story about Beatrice Bttomwell, a young girl who is seemingly perfect. Beatrice has never made a mistake and does not intend to. She always has matching socks, puts her shoes on the appropriate feet, remembers to feed her hamster and makes her brother’s sandwich the same way every day. Most importantly, she always wins the school talent show. When her first mistake, EVER, occurs on stage, Beatrice must learn to accept her own imperfections. 

 

This story is quite profound for being a children's picture book. Although I would not use it for a content lesson, this book is great for a grand discussion setting. I would use this as a way to discuss with a younger audience that it is ok not be perfect. Some questions could include those below. In addition to discussion, this book can be used to teach about narratives. Students can write about a time they made a costly mistake and how it made them feel. 

1. How do you feel when you make a mistake?

2. Explain Beatrice’s reaction when she makes a mistake during her performance. She could have cried or ran away, but she laughed. Why do you think that is?

3. How can you learn from your mistakes?

4. Why is it important that everyone just calls her “Beatrice” at the end?

I would recommend this book to win the Hoosier Book Award because it displays strong moral convictions and prompts self-confidence and a positive self-image. It is will written and illustrated in such away the scenario is relatable and believable.  

Intermediate Grades:

Cardboard- Graphic Novel and Fantasy

TenNapel, D. (2012). Cardboard. New York, New York: Graphix.

Interestingly enough, this is a graphic novel. The story is centered on Cam, a young boy, who recieves a cardboard box with magical powers for his birthday. His father, who is morning the death of his wife, is down on his luck and unable to afford anything more than a cardboard box for Cam. The $0.78 gift comes with rules. Cam can make anything it wants out of it, but he must return the scraps to the toy store it came from. Cam makes the best of the lackluster gift and he and his father work through the night to make a life size person. To their surprise Bill, the cardboard person, comes to life! Bill is a boxer complete with red shorts and blue gloves. The conflict evolves when Marcus, the bully next door neighbor, gets a hold of the cardboard scraps. Marcus uses the scraps to create a cardboard army of monsters. Cam and his father are challenged to find a solution before the neighborhood is destroyed.

I loved this book! The author does such a great job illustrating the novel. The overarching theme of creation stresses the importance of how the end product is dependent on the creator. I would like to sue this book in my classroom to help teach characterization and varying types of conflict. The illustrations are a huge portion of the plot development. The students should be taught to decode the pictures to find character traits, emotions and conflict. I would teach about the various types of conflict Cam finds himself in (nature, character, self) and use the illustrations as evidence. Using this book would be great opportunity to appeal to different types of readers. The illustrations may also help struggling readers comprehend. 

I would recommend this book to win the Hoosier Book Award because the graphics provide an alternative method to reading a novel. The story is told through detailed pictures and dialogue. Although this book may not be for all students, the adventure would be entertaining for most.

Middle Grades:

The False Prince-Historical Fiction

Nielsen, J. (2012). The false prince. New York, New York: Scholastic.

         This is the first book in the Ascendance trilogy. The books take place in a divided kingdom that is on the edge of civil war. Bevin Conner, a noble man in the court, takes it upon himself to create a plan to unit the kingdom. His plan in contingent on finding the long lost son of the king. Instead of finding the king's actual son, he seeks to find an impersonator. The prince was lost at sea and is presumed dead after his ship was attacked by pirates from the hostile neighboring country of Avenia. Conner kidnaps three orphans who have a likeness to the prince. It is presumed that the two who are not chosen to impersonate the prince will be killed. The orphans are given a crash court in royalty and the kingdom: riding, fencing, history, and basic literacy. The story is told from the perspective of Sage, one of the orphans. Before the choice is made, Sage withstands a beating for stealing a rock, an encounter with a prince, and an attack from enemy forces. In the end Conner does not choose Sage, and instead chooses Roden. To avoid death, Sage demonstrates expertise at a parlor trick that Jaron was noted for, and Conner changes his mind and chooses Sage instead, deciding that only Sage is capable of fooling the Court. It is then revealed that Sage is actually Jaron! Jaron and the rest of the company must now travel to the capital and convince the court of Sage's true identity. Conflict ensues and Sage's true identify is revealed when he shows the rock he had stolen back from Conner to be true gold. Sage is then crowned as King Jaron.

 

  

This book was well written, but I was not a huge fan. I'm not particularly a fan of time period pieces like this. Sage, the narrator, is also hard to follow and comes off as unreliable. This book could be easily used in a book circle. I think that boys would enjoy the action and quick paced development of this story. I would include other books based in the same time period. Students could choose their book for the book circles. With that said, I would time the book circles at a time we were studying serfdom or the British world history. I could also use this as an independent read for students. They could complete some sort of book report: posters, book tailors, power points, etc.     

Although I did not particularly like this book, I would recommend this book to win the Hoosier Book Award because it presents all the characteristics of a well written novel. The plot is dramatic and presents an interesting and engaging problem. Due to the age of the prince, the story is complete with timeless problems of coming to age and losing innocence. I think middle school student would, especially boys, would like this book for the action and because it is part of a series.  

Check out all of the nominated books here!

The Gardener

The Gardener

Stewart, S. (1997). The gardener. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.

Lydia Grace Finch brings a suitcase full of seeds to the big gray city, where she goes to stay with her Uncle Jim, a baker. There she initiates a gradual transformation, bit by bit brightening the shop and bringing smiles to customers' faces with the flowers she grows. But it is in a secret place that Lydia Grace works on her masterpiece, a rooftop garden, which she hopes will make even Uncle Jim smile. Lydia is a determined young heroine, whose story is told through letters written home. This book takes place during the Great Depression and the smoothly drawn illustrations reflect the time well. 

This book can not only be used with older students to discuss the implication of the Great Depression, but can also be used with younger children. This book can be used to teach younger students letter writing. It provides a clear model for letter format. The illustrations also allow for practice turning pictures to words. Students could be asked to write a letter based on a picture from the book. I like this book a lot because it is a very different format than what we are used to seeing. The letter format introduces an interesting way to sequence a story. 

Here are some potential activities! 

The Watsons go to Birmingham

The Watsons go to Birmingham

Curtis, C. (1995). The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963. New York: Delacorte Press.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham is set in 1963 at the height of the civil rights era. Through the eyes of ten-year-old Kenny, the reader learns about the crazy antics of his family. Kenny believes that everyone in his neighborhood and school must think his family is strange, "The Weird Watsons". Dad and Momma, as the Watson children call their parents, are determined to raise respectful, well-behaved children who make good choices and possess high moral standards. Realizing they have been unable to instill fully their standards in their oldest child, Dad and Momma decide to take By to Birmingham and leave him with his Grandma Sands. They know there is some violence in the South with the beginnings of the Civil Rights movement, but have been assured by Grandma Sands that it is quiet around her. Kenny and his family leave for Birmingham just as the violence moves into Grandma Sands neighborhood. First, Kenny nearly drowns and By saves him, then the nearby Baptist Church is bombed on Sunday morning. In the remainder of the story, Kenny must deal with his emotions due to the escalating violence. The book stresses the importance of respect and acceptance and the negative consequences of discrimination and segregation. 

This book has many of the same themes as Number the Stars. Themes like loss of innocence, segregation, discrimination, and family appear in both novels. This novel could be read in conjunction with number the stars, perhaps in literature circles or book clubs. The book can also be integrated with a unit of study on the Civil Rights movement. Just as the other book, I would not read this book to any grades lower than 5th. The themes and events in this book are important, but hard to digest. I liked this book when I first read it in middle school, but I appreciated the themes the second time around. 

Here is good resource for teachers while reading this novel! 

Number the Stars

Number the Stars

Lowry, L. (1989). Number the stars. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Annemarie Johansen is a young girl who hangs out with her friend Ellen and takes care of her little sister Kirsti. She lives in Copenhagen, Denmark, during World War II. Copenhagen is no longer a peaceful place to live because it is full of enemy soldiers. The Nazis have come into Denmark from Germany and are slowly forcing the Danish people to do what they say. Annemarie's older sister Lise died around the time the war began. Annemarie struggles with how much she misses her. The Nazis have begun gathering up Jews and taking them somewhere unknown. Brave families like the Johansens insist on helping their Jewish friends, no matter how dangerous it might be. Ellen comes to live with Annemarie, pretending to be her sister, and even removing her Star of David necklace to hide her identity.The plot develops in this context as Annemarie must learn to survive and help others through the conflicts of war. The book concludes two years later, as World War II is ending with a spark of hope for herself and her friend.

The central theme of Number the Stars is the difficulty of growing up. The novel focuses on Annemarie Johansen's personal experiences with growing up, but her experiences are common to most young people. Growing up is presented as a struggle for identity. The roles Annemarie must play blur the line between a child's responsibilities and an adult's responsibilities.

 

This book has many heavy themes and historical topics that may be heavy for most students. The book introduces racism and violent segregation and discrimination. I would not read this book to any class younger than the 5th grade. I would include this book in a unit study on World War II. The many themes of this book could also be used in a thematic unit. I would also read this book as a class in order to better address the themes and events occurring. 

Here are some potential activities! 

An Author Study in April...Isn't this Poetry Month Though?

Shel Silverstein: An Author Study 

A Giraffe and a Half

• Silverstein, S. (1964). A giraffe and a half. New York: Harper & Row.

A rhyming book about a giraffe that accumulates some ridiculous things, like glue on his shoe and a bee on his knee,-only to lose them again, one by one.

Where the Sidewalk Ends

• Silverstein, S. (1974). Where the sidewalk ends: The poems & drawings of Shel Silverstein.New York: Harper and Row.

Shel Silverstein's masterful collection of poems and drawings is outrageously funny and profound. You meet a boy who turns into a TV set, and a girl who eats a whale, a unicorn and a Bloath. He writes about Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who will not take the garbage out. His writing is a place where you wash your shadow and plant diamond gardens, a place where shoes fly, sisters are auctioned off, and crocodiles go to the dentist.

A Light in the Attic

• Silverstein, S. (1981). A light in the attic. New York: Harper & Row. 

Silverstein's humorous and creative verse can amuse the dullest of readers. The poems include lemon-faced adults and fidgety kids who cannot sit still. These rhythmic words are full of laughs and smiles.

The Missing Piece

• Silverstein, S. (1976). The missing piece. New York: Harper & Row.

An unhappy circle searches for its missing piece as it rolls along singing a song. The circle is an animal like creature that is missing a wedge of itself. It does not like that it is missing a piece and seeks to find it.

All of these books could be easily used in a poetry unit or an author study. In my author study, I focus on Silverstein's use of poetry and illustrations. There are also many character  lessons by utilizing the themes in his poems. I wrote my author study with the 5th grade in mind, With that said, Shel Silverstein's writing can be used for many different grades and purposes. 

Here are some potential activities! I used this as a resource in my author study unit plan.