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Summer Reading Challenge - Week 5







Smile (Smile, #1)
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Smile
by Raina Telgemeier
AR 2.6
Genre: Realistic Fiction/Graphic Novel

One night after a Girl Scout meeting, Raina trips and falls down resulting in a serious injury to her two front teeth.  It's an accident that changes everything as she learns to deal with bullies, overcome adversity, and persist through the ordeals of multiple dental surgeries and procedures to bring back her smile.  The story is based on the author's life and has many valuable lessons to share.

14 Cows for America
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14 Cows for America
by Carmen Agra Deedy/illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez
AR 4.1
Genre: Nonfiction/327.676 - International Relations

When America was attacked on September 11, 2001, there was an outpouring of support from other countries.  Those of us who were old enough (not my elementary students, who weren't even born yet!) can remember headlines like Le Monde's "We Are All Americans" declaring that support to the world.  Many of us may not have heard the story of a small village in Kenya that signified their support by donating their most cherished possessions in honor of America.  This is the story of how the village learned of the tragedy many months later.  Kimeli Naiyomah was living in New York City on September 11, 2001, and returned to his village the following spring.  When he asked the elders if he could offer his only cow - a symbol of life - they give their blessing.  His gift inspired others in the village to do the same.  The story ends with this powerful sentiment:  "There is no nation so powerful it cannot be wounded, nor a people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort."

Bridges!: Amazing Structures to Design, Build & Test
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Bridges!  Amazing Structures to Design, Build & Test
by Carol A. Johmann and Elizabeth J. Rieth
illustrations by Michael Kline
Genre:  Nonfiction/624.2 -  Civil Engineering

Blending science, history, and hands-on activities, this book teaches you all about bridge-building basics.  You will not only learn about the different types of bridges, but also the many different professionals involved in designing and constructing them.  For each chapter, there are projects and suggestions for students to make decisions about materials, costs, and design of bridges.  The last chapter is a list of bridges by state representing the different styles of bridges.  I would pair this with a Google Earth search for a virtual tour of bridges, and of course hands-on bridge building activities!

Discovering New Planets
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Discovering New Planets 
by Mae Jemison and Dana Meachun Rau
A.R. 5.5
Genre: Nonfiction/523.2 - Astronomy

 Ever since Mike Brown (Huntsville native and Grissom High School graduate, by the way) discovered a dwarf planet that led the scientific community to demote Pluto as one of the 9 planets in our solar system, I have found the space research more interesting.  It truly is the last frontier!  Learn about how planets are made, discovered, and explored by reading this book.  Then, be thankful that we live in a community so close to Huntsville, Alabama where you can explore your interest deeper at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, meet local scientists working on these issues, and carve out a career for yourself some day.
The 100 Year Starship
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The 100 Year Starship
by Mae Jemison and Dana Meachun Rau
A.R. 5.6
Genre: Nonfiction/629.45 - Astronautics

Did you know that NASA and DARPA are working on a plan for interplanetary space travel?  That's the space beyond our solar system!  Of course, this isn't necessarily new as you will find by reading the book.  NASA has been researching this since the 1970s.  In that time, they've cut the travel time from 70,000 years to about 40,000 years.  Dr. Jemison, co-author of this book, is leading the 100-Year project to figure out how to address all the challenges of interplanetary space travel, including how to get there, how to survive once there, and why this all matters.  

Product Details
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D-Day
Days that Changed the World Series
by Colin Hynson
A.R. 8.3
Genre:  Nonfiction/940.54 - Military History of World War II

 The soldiers' courage on that day overwhelms me every time I read about it.  This book introduces the D-Day landing by providing the events that led up to the invasions at Normandy, Omaha, Utah,  Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches.  Then, it follows the soldiers liberation of France, Belgium, and Holland on their way to defeating Germany in battles on their own soil.  It's an information packed text that is sure to make you understand why the men and women who fought and supported that war through efforts at home are rightly known as The Greatest Generation.

Noah's Ark
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Noah's Ark
by Jerry Pinkney
A.R. 3.3
Genre:  Nonfiction/222 - Historical books of Old Testament
Caldecott Honor Book

This picture book adaptation of the flood story from the Bible portrays the ark construction, the migration of the animals to the ark, the 40 days of falling rains, and the final receding of the waters beautifully.  The larger format helps to convey the epic nature of this story.  I read the dedication, "to the caretakers of all things, big and small" as a call to us all to be stewards of the land and life around us.

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Summer Reading Challenge - Week 4






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The One and Only Ivan
by Katherine Applegate
A.R. 4.0
Genre:  Fantasy
Newbery Award

This is the story of the real-life Ivan, an ape held as the main attraction in the Big Top Mall and Video Arcade.  He spends his time watching TV and talking to his friends, Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, the stray dog.  He has human friends, too, and will need to find a way to communicate with them to keep his promise to Stella.  The events in the story are not real, but the emotions they create definitely are.  You will cheer for Ivan, think a little deeper about your own humanity, and never forget this book.  

Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes from 50 Celebrated Cartoonists
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Nursery Rhyme Comics
by Charles Duffy
A.R. 3.8
Genre: Nonfiction/398.8 Nursery Rhymes

Collaborating with 50 famous cartoonists, Duffy has compiled a collection of nursery rhymes in comic form.  Today, students know fewer nursery rhymes than they have in the past.  This collection will help introduce them to the classics in a unique way.  There are some tough vocabulary words in some of these nursery rhymes and the comic illustrations give young readers visual cues to help them understand.  We have access to several comic strip and animation apps that students can use to create their own comic versions of nursery rhymes once inspired by this collection.

The Milk Makers
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The Milk Makers
by Gail Gibbons
A.R. 3.0
Genre:  Nonfiction/637 - Farming

This book begins with the cows grazing in the field and ends with a family sitting at a table enjoying their carton of milk from the grocery store.  In between,  the reader learns about all the things the cow and the farmer does to bring that milk to the market.  The informative, engaging writing is accompanied by beautiful drawings with labels and diagrams to help explain all the complicated processes. 

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Old Liberty Bell
by Frances Rogers and Alice Beard
Genre:  Nonfiction/974.8 - American History

This book was published in 1942 making it a good candidate for weeding except that it is so interesting.  It tells the story of the liberty bell from its commission by the Assembly of the Province of Pennsylvania in 1752 through its participating in the 150th anniversary of Independence Day in 1926 (which was less than 20 years prior to the publication of this book!).  You'll learn how it got the famous crack, how it was saved during the Revolutionary War, and how it was used throughout our history to ring for freedom and liberty. 

Jim Thorpe's Bright Path
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Jim Thorpe's Bright Path 
by Joseph Bruchac, illustrated by S.D. Nelson
A.R. 5.5
Genre:  Biography

Jim Thorpe was a Native American born in 1887.  He had to overcome many personal hardships, including the loss of both parents and his twin brother before he finished high school.  He remained devoted to hard work and developing his athletic potential eventually winning gold medals in pentathlon and decathlon at the summer Olympic games and playing professional baseball and football.  In 1999, Congress passed a resolution honoring him as the athlete of the century.  I'm guessing many of my students still have never heard of him.  These shorter biographies for the upper grade level readers don't get as much attention as they should.  I need to do a better job promoting them so that students can learn from the triumphs and trials of ordinary people that became famous.

Elvis Presley
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Elvis Presley
by Adele Q. Brown
A.R. 6.8
Genre: Biography

I dare say, all of my students have heard of Elvis.  This is a thorough biography of Elvis's early life through his death.  It's a great text for teaching nonfiction reading skills too, with plenty of captions, timelines, insets, and headings/subheadings to organize the information.  A child of the 70s, I knew most of the facts here except for one disturbing new one for me - Elvis received his only failing grade in music class.  It really makes you think, as a teacher, about how to authentically assess what your students know and can do in a given subject.

The Elements
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The Elements (A True Book series)
by Matt Mullins
A.R. 6.0
Genre:  Nonfiction/546 - Chemistry

Like all the books in the True Book series, this text begins with a true or false question to frame your reading.  Did you know that chemistry developed out of attempts to find a way to make gold from less expensive matter and to find a potion that could extend life?  The elements are the building blocks for all matter, which is the focus of chemistry.  Eye-catching pictures, diagrams, and captions draw your attention to key facts while the text is organized in concise sections to aid comprehension.  You'll learn all the famous scientists in chemistry, including Boyle, Brand, Mendeleev, Ramsey, Rutherford, and Newton and how their contributions led to the creation of the periodic table we know today.  Read this book to learn all about how the periodic table is used to organize elements and how scientists are still discovering new elements today. 

   

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Summer Reading Challenge - Week 3

The Aurora County All-Stars
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The Aurora County All-Stars
by Deborah Wiles
A.R. 4.5
Genre: Sports and Realistic Fiction

House Jackson spent the year off from baseball recovering from a broken elbow.  His teammates don't know he also spent that year reading to the town's mysterious, and recently deceased, citizen, Mr. Norwood Boyd.  Now, that he is finally able to return to baseball, it looks like the only game they play all year will be preempted by the town's 200th anniversary pageant.  It's up to House to figure out a solution, explain his connection to the mysterious Mr. Boyd, and come to terms with his past.  This is not your average coming of age story.  To be honest, there were times when this book got long and boring to me... not unlike a baseball game (even though I am a fan).  Stick with it, and you will be rewarded with some glorious plays by the end.


Antarctic Journal
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Antarctic Journal
by Meredith Hooper
illustrate by Lucia deLeiris
A.R. 5.3
Genre:  Nonfiction/591.998

Meredith Hooper and Lucia deLeiris traveled to Antarctica together to combine research with art.  You might be surprised to learn about all the life living in the freezing waters surrounding the Antarctic and the importance of sea ice on the entire ecosystem.  I know I was.  It's a short, but informative read that goes well beyond the focus of penguins and icy tundras in the Antarctic.


Bad Kitty School Daze
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Bad Kitty School Daze
by Nick Bruel
A.R. 3.3
Genre:  Fantasy

Puppy has managed to drag Kitty into another bad situation.  This time, they are both sent to school for manners training.  Things only get worse when Petunia, a bulldog at school, admits that she cannot stand cats.  Kitty thinks quickly and convinces Petunia that she is a cow.  How long can she keep up the charade?  Will Puppy, Petunia, and Kitty learn to get along with each other?  You'll have to read this book to find out.

*I didn't have time to read my 7 books this week.  I'm busy preparing for ISTE.  It's a long road trip, so maybe I'll make up for it next week.

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Summer Reading Challenge - Week 2



Milton Hershey: Young Chocolatier
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Milton Hershey: Young Chocolatier
by M.M. Eboch
AR 4.1
Genre: Biography
Childhood of Famous Americans Series

Reading an entrepreneur's biography never fails to inspire and astound me.  I wish I was a risk taker, but I'm not; and I know I could never continue in the face of repeated failures on the scale of bankruptcy and shame that most eventually successful people have in their background.  Hershey started 3 candy companies before he had any sustainable success.  He also had to overcome childhood poverty and a father whose irresponsible dreaming cost them their home when he was a child and multiple businesses as an adult.  Unlike his father, Milton Hershey coupled idealistic dreams with hard work and tenacity.  After becoming a successful, not to mention extremely wealthy, businessman, Hershey never forgot his ideals.  He created a town around his factory that offered the workers comfortable, unique homes, park space, entertainment, and educational facilities.  He also opened a boys' orphanage and maintained hands-on involvement in the lives of the boys to ensure that they had a happier childhood than his own and access to opportunities to improve their futures.


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Woody's 20 Grow Big Songs
by Woody Guthrie and Marjorie Mazia Guthrie
Genre: Nonfiction/782.42 


Finding this book in the collection delighted me.  Folk music has always been among my favorite styles, and Woody Guthrie's music filled my childhood.    Written for his children, the songs are perfect for sharing with our K-5 students.  There were some old standards that I knew well, like Howdy Do, Bling Blang, and Riding in My Car. Others were new to me.  If only I could play an instrument, I'd be using these in my story time.  There are great action songs like Dance Around that will get kids moving and following directions at the same time.  What a refreshing change All Work Together would be to the Clean Up Song and yet serve the same good purpose.  Oh yeah!  This is a keeper.  I'm looking for the recorded songs to go with it.



God is in the Mountain
by Ezra Jack Keats
Genre:  Nonfiction/290

Keats selected quotes from world religions and published them with illustrations of the natural world.  There is no indoctrination here, just a common "awareness of a dimension without which life is indeed meaningless."  I enjoyed this work immensely. 

The Trail of Tears
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The Trail of Tears
by R. Conrad Stein
AR 6.8
Genre:  Nonfiction/970.004



This brief text tells the heartbreaking story of the Cherokee removal from their land in Georgia.  In spite of treaties, a Supreme Court decision upholding the Cherokee's right to their land, and a peaceful, productive nation of educated people, the government of Andrew Jackson forced them off their lands with no time to even gather their possessions.  A quarter of all the Cherokees died along the Trail of Tears making their way west to land that would, in time, be taken from them again.  
  
The History of Money


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The History of Money
by Roberta Basel
AR 3.1
Genre: Nonfiction/332.4

 Have you ever wondered how paper bills became what we know as money?  If so, this book has you covered from bartering to shells and beads to the computerized money we use today.







Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse
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Mirror, Mirror
by Marilyn Singer
illustrated by Josee Masse
Genre: Poetry/811


A reverso is a poem that when read from top to bottom is one poem.  Then, when read from bottom to top, with changes allowed for punctuation and capitalization only, it is another poem.  This book of reversos is especially enjoyable as the poems tell both sides of traditional fairy tales.  Consider this excerpt from In the Hood:

     In my hood,
     skipping through the wood,
     carrying a basket, 
     picking berries to eat --
     juicy and sweet
     what a treat!
     But a girl
     mustn't dawdle.

                         Mustn't dawdle...
But a girl!
What a treat--
juicy and sweet,
picking berries to eat,
carrying a basket,
skipping through the wood

in my 'hood.
I'm keen to try this form on my own and introduce it to my students.  This is definitely an exercise that meets common core standards of rigor.



Glacier National Park
by Mike Graf
National Parks Series
AR 4.5
Genre: Nonfiction/917.86

Glacier National Park is bigger than Rhode Island, has received a foot of snow as late as August, and home to more than 1,800 different kinds of plants.  This book, like the others in the National Parks Series, gives you basic information about the history of the park, weather, wildlife, and activities.  Most of the national parks are west of the Mississippi river, but all of them hold treasures waiting to be enjoyed.  Read this series and you'll be ready to pack your bags for one trip or more! 

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Geronimo Stilton Saves the Sphynx - Review by Thomas W.

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Summer Reading Challenge - Week 1



Summer, this summer especially, is a busy time for me.  I am attending 5 professional development conferences, presenting at one conference, taking two continuing ed classes, participating in countless Webinars, redesigning my library curriculum to allow for individual learning in a game-based, badge system, installing the digital diner, and looking for funding.  That's just my professional life!  And, I do have a lot going on with my family, including trips to Washington, D.C., San Antonio, Atlanta, and the beach.  Plus, we are experimenting with gardening and farming again this year.  Still, I know there is time for a reading challenge.  So, here it is.  I am going to read at least 7 books a week and write about them here.  My son is participating in the challenge.  He's going to read at least 20 books this summer and prepare a digital project for 10 of those.  I hope I'll be able to post his progress here, too.



So, last week was the first official week of summer.  I made it!  I read 7 books.

Walk Two Moons
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Walk Two Moons
by Sharon Creech
AR 5.4/Realistic Fiction
Newbery Medal Winner

 Salamanca (Sal) Tree Hiddle is going on a roadtrip from Ohio to Idaho with her grandparents, hoping to find her missing mother and bring her back home.  Along the way, she entertains them with the story of her friend, Phoebe Winterbottom, whose mother has also gone missing.  Sal's mother left by her own choice, but Phoebe is convinced her mother was kidnapped.  Perhaps by "the lunatic" that visited the house just days before, or maybe by Mrs. Cadaver across the street because Phoebe is certain that she killed her own husband years earlier.  There are mysteries, sadness, and challenges for both girls along the way.  Their unlikely friendship provides the framework for hope and the power of relationships that bind and define us.


The Westing Game
The Westing Game
by Ellen Raskin
AR 6.3/Mystery

Samuel Westing has been murdered and 16 of his heirs, all hand selected to reside in his latest apartment building, have been called together for the reading of the will.  One of them is the murderer, and it is up to the rest of them to decipher the riddles of his will to discover the guilty heir.  The first one with the answer inherits the $200 million estate, but it's a dangerous and confounding adventure filled with suspicion, explosions, and dubious partnerships to the end. 


Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave   

Dave the Potter:  Artist, Poet, Slave
by Laban Carrick Hill
AR 6.0/Biography
Caldecott Honor

Dave was a slave that lived in the 1800s near  Edgefield, South Carolina.  His pottery was a remarkable accomplishment on its own, further enhanced by the beautiful poetry he etched into it.  Not much is known about his life, so the pots and poetry are the focus of this picture book biography.  His haiku-like poetry will surely inspire you while giving a glimpse into the thoughts of the man.  

 I wonder where is all my relation
friendship to all-and, every nation
                  ----August 16, 1857

put every bit all between
surely this Jar will hold 14
                  ----July 12, 1834


I, made this Jar, all of cross
If, you don't repent, you will be lost===
                  ----no date

They Dance in the Sky: Native American Star Myths
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They Dance in the Sky: Native American Star Myths
by Jean Guard Monroe and Ray A. Williamson
AR 6.4/Non-fiction, Mythology/808.83

Fifth grade students become intrigued with mythology every year after hearing their teacher, Mr. Brandon, tell the famous Greek and Roman myths about constellations.  They clamor for more, so I was delighted to find this collection of Native American Star Myths, which also happens to be a Common Core recommended text.  I can definitely see using this in library lessons to compare and contrast the stories from their class and those in the book.  The authors have done a nice job connecting the Native American myths to classic Greek and Roman myths while leaving plenty of room for analysis and interpretation.  Only the most interested students would read this book cover to cover, but the arrangement by region and ample index make this an accessible book for all.   My favorite:  the Cherokee explanation of the Milky Way as a trail of cornmeal spread across the sky due to its more visible appearance in the summer when the corn is ready to harvest.

Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909
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Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909
by Michell Markel
AR 5.0/Nonfiction

Clara Lemich was a young girl when her family immigrated to the United States around the turn of the century.  Once arriving in New York, her father was unable to find work, but Clara was hired along with other young girls to work as a seamstress in a garment factory.  Working conditions were inhumane and unsafe, but how could the workers convince the owners to provide better working conditions when they were so easily replaced by other desperate young girls trying to support their families?  With the leadership of brave Clara, the workers across the garment industry joined together to strike for fair treatment.  Assisted by the powerful Women's Trade Union League made up of wealthy and middle-class women, the strike finally succeeded in providing fair wages and safe working conditions for most.  This is an inspiring account of the good things we can accomplish when we stick together and how anyone, even if they seem small or weak, can make a positive change.

Homes on the Move
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 Homes on the Move
by Nicola Barber
AR 4.3/Nonfiction - 643
Homes Around the World Series

Take a look inside these moveable homes from yurts to houseboats to RVs.  People who live a mobile lifestyle have a lot more options for housing than you might think.  Some of the moveable homes seem more temporary than moveable, like the igloos built by the Inuit for hunting trips.  I don't think they are really taking these things with them.  Others like the Turkish huts made from wooden poles, goat skins, and woven mats are definitely built for traveling and reassembling where needed.  This book not only describes the variety of mobile homes, there is information about how homes are transported, by camel for instance, and the kinds of cultures that either require or generate from the nomad lifestyle.  Interesting and informative, the text also includes directions for making your own model igloo. 

Trash
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Trash
by Andy Mulligan
AR 5.1/Realistic Fiction

Two confessions:   First, I didn't read this one, but listened to the unabridged version on tape on the way to Washington, D.C.   It is beautifully performed by multiple readers who capture the voices of the multiple narrators of the story and is available at the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library.  Second, even though it's AR level is 5.1, there are some tough thematic elements that makes it more appropriate for middle schoolers, but it really depends on the reader.  We do not have this book in the Walnut Grove school library.  Though I enjoyed it very much, I probably won't add it to the collection.

Raphael, Gardo, and Rat are preteen boys in an unnamed 3rd World Country.  They make their living sifting and sorting through the mountains of garbage.  In fact, the garbage site is a community of its own called Behala.  The description of poverty and deprivation are starkly drawn as is the picture of waste by the affluent.  On one "unlucky-lucky day," Raphael finds a mysterious bag containing a key, a wallet, and photos of a man and his daughter.  When the police arrive the next day desperate to recover the missing bag, Raphael and Gardo know they must uncover the secrets even though it means facing danger and forfeiting a handsome reward.  With their friend, Rat, the boys rely on their ingenuity, resourcefulness, courage, and loyalty to each other to stay one step ahead of the authorities.  

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