The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

I know I’m only a year old and a fish to boot, but I have heard the expression “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.”  From a fish perspective, this could not be a more uninviting cover, I mean white background with simple black lettering, and a pair of shoes.  I don’t even have feet and especially don’t dream of running.  My dreams primarily consist of large fingers chasing me around my bowl or swimming in the ocean with sharks.  The Library Ladies got this book in the library not too long ago, and I think Mrs. Edwards promoted it as a California Young Reader Medal (CYRM) book at one point.  When she talks about it now, she often brings up the plain cover and even admits to judging books by the cover herself!!  But apparently after she read it, she really ‘connected’ with the story… whatever that means.  This is what she says about The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen.

Jessica is a junior in high school, and if someone asks her who she is, she will respond with, “I am a runner.”  Jessica isn’t just a runner though, she’s the best, and although she is only a junior, she has already captured the attention of several colleges.  On the way home from a huge meet at her school’s big rival, the bus is involved in a terrible accident.  A vehicle slammed into the side of the bus right where Jessica and one of her best friends was sitting.  Jessica woke up several days later to discover that she was missing a leg!  The accident not only left her an amputee, but she also found out that one of her teammates had been killed.

Jessica went into a shell; she didn’t want to talk to anyone and struggled to catch up in her classes.  She was even seated in ‘preferential’ places in her classes (the back of the room).  It was here that she gets to know Rosa, a girl in her math class who has cerebral palsy.  As Rosa and Jessica become friends, Jessica begins to realize that life isn’t all about running for her, and for some people it means something so much more.  Check out this incredible story of perseverance and friendship today!

This is a fantastic story to connect with any student who has something so important that it is part of their identity like sports, a hobby, playing music, creating art, or any number of things.  Students can connect because this story is so powerfully possible.  In addition to the empathy they may feel for the character at losing what defined her, students can also begin to have a greater understanding of the mental strain that people who face sudden amputations may have.  The author Wendelin Van Draanen also brings into the story cerebral palsy, which is a condition that very few students understand.  This trailer is one of the more powerful ones I have found; again, the music and connection to the book while providing just enough of a teaser for readers is well done.  

Works Cited

Book Trailer: The Running Dream. (2012, October 4). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/5uIAW8G3LCU.

“The Running Dream.” www.scholastic.com, 2012. JPEG file.

It's Friday in The Brary!!  I'm swimmin' with the big boys.  #bookfacefriday 

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Last year Mrs. Snyder suggested this book to Mrs. Edwards.  It’s called Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline.  It sticks out in my mind, mostly because every time Mrs. Edwards brings it up, she reminds Mrs. Snyder of all the ‘cry moments’ from the story.  Apparently this was a pretty powerful novel, so I did a little Google research about it… which you can imagine is very difficult for me with the whole water versus computer thing, but I have skills!  Here’s what I found out:  From the 1850’s to early 1900’s, displaced or orphaned children were transported from New York across the Midwest United States.  These children were placed (auctioned off) with families, often being separated from their siblings or used in a servitude position.  It was intended to be a ‘Child Welfare Program,’ but with very few regulations and no oversight, children were sold for reasons far surpassing those of families who just wanted to love children.  

Orphan Train is an intriguing, suspenseful, emotional story of Molly who has been bouncing around through various foster homes and is close to ‘aging out’ of the program with no one to help her in life.  Molly doesn’t get along well with her current foster mother and spends a lot of time not at home.  She is visiting the library one day and decides to ‘keep’ a tattered copy of Jane Eyre, her favorite novel, but gets caught when the security system activates.  She is sentenced to community service and lands a cleaning job with Vivian, an elderly woman who needs assistance cleaning out her attic.  Although Molly really just wants to do what she must to get credit for her service hours, Vivian insists on pushing conversation and reminiscing about the things that Molly uncovers.  

We learn Vivian’s amazing tale of being a child on the Orphan Trains in the early 1900’s and Molly finds a deeper connection with Vivian than she ever could have imagined.  Read this incredible story of finding family after giving up all hope of looking!!

This is an excellent story for students living in foster homes or those who have been orphaned to identify and find hope.  It isn’t often that teenagers seek solace or understanding from the elderly, even their own grandparents, as they more often assume that these people lived in a too-far-removed time and simply don’t understand what dilemmas are happening to modern kids.  This story really exposes the universal theme of desolation, hope, and what family actually means to many kids.  The images above are taken of a real poster and orphan train headed across the Midwest.  I think this trailer does a great job of providing an intriguing taste of this excellent novel.

Works Cited

Book Trailer: Orphan Train. (2013, April 1). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/JmgbE6I9Hnw.

Kidder, Clark. “Homes Wanted for Children.” (2014). JPEG file.

“Orphan Train.” wcfcourier.com, 2013. JPEG file.

Wendinger, Renae. "The Orphan Trains and Newsboys of New York.”  (2013). JPEG file.

The Fenway Foul-up

Mrs. Edwards just got back from a two week long adventure with her sister and dad in Washington DC, Boston, and Philadelphia.  Among the places they visited, the ballparks of the cities were on her list.  Her husband and sons LOVE baseball.  The oldest and most iconic ballpark is Boston's Fenway Ballpark.  It opened it's doors in 1912 and has been the host of the Boston Red Sox since its premier.  Mrs. Edwards was able to visit this amazing ballpark, which reminded her of the very first chapter book series her son read when he was in second grade.  The series is called Ballpark Mysteries by David Kelly and each book is set at one of the big-league ballparks across the country.  The first book of the series is The Fenway Foul-up.

The Ballpark Mysteries series follows the adventures of two young cousins, Kate and Mike.  Kate's mom is a sports writer, so she travels all over the country chronicling baseball teams.  But, while Kate's mom is watching the players, Kate and Mike get to enjoy the games.  They get tickets to the game and behind-the-scenes passes, which works out well for them as there is usually some dastardly mystery occurring.  In The Fenway Foul-up, the Boston Red Sox's famous player Big D has 'lost' his favorite bat.  As Kate and Mike soon discover, Big D's bat was stolen!!  Now Kate and Mike must solve the mystery of Big D's stolen bat or he may never be able to hit again and the Red Sox could lose the big game!

This was such a fun book for Mrs. Edwards's son to read.  He currently has nine of them, and he is anxiously waiting for the next book to be published.  These are great books for early readers, girls or boys, and kids who like mysteries or baseball.  The author David Kelly even includes "Dugout Notes" about the ballparks and teams at the end of the book.

Ballpark Mysteries Book 1: The Fenway Foul-up by David A. Kelly
Copyright:  2011
ISBN 10:  0375867031
Where to find it:  F Kel
Lexile level:  590L

Using this book in a 2nd-3rd grade class to explore informational text and writing.  Although the story itself is fictional, the 'Dugout Notes' provided by the author are plain factual information.  This information could easily be a stepping stone for students to read and understand informational text, and perhaps expand into a research 'report.'  I use the term report loosely because I think there are so many more fun things for younger students to create information-based work such as:  a padlet, a movenote, a cahoot, an animoto, or a fun video to present their information.

Standards Covered:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.1
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.2
Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.6
With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.2
Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.

Spirit Animals: First Born

Well, it's summertime, and Mrs. Edwards has taken me to her house for the summer.  I keep an eye on her children while they read over the summer.  Her oldest son, who is 8 and going into 4th grade, is currently working on a series called Spirit Animals.  The first book is by Brandon Mull, titled First Born.  Spirit Animals: First Born is about four children in the land of Erdas about to find out if they have the spirit animal bond.
 

In the land of Erdas, some special people have the gift of being able to conjure and speak to the Spirit Animals.  Four children, Conor, Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan each see a flash of light one fateful day.  After that the animals come.  For Connor, it's a wolf; Abeke, a jaguar; Meilin, a panda; and Rollan, a falcon... beasts of legend.  Erdas is plagued by dark forces from the past and the children with their Spirit Animals must go on an epic quest where they will learn about themselves and their Spirit Animal.  This is an outstanding series so far, and Mrs. Edwards son gives it two enthusiastic thumbs up.

Spirit Animals: Wild Born by Brandon Mull

Copyright:  2013

ISBN 10:  0545522439

Where to find it:  F Mul

Lexile level:  680L

I think this would be a fun book to explore creative epic writing with students.  One of the cool things with this series is that the books have a special code for http://spiritanimals.scholastic.com/books where kids can find their own spirit animal and go on adventures with it.  Kids can use the spirit animals they get to craft a new story with themselves as the star.

Standards covered: 

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.1  Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3  Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3  Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Well, the ladies are at it again... reading and talking up some books!  This next book was also a California Young Reader Medal candidate for this past year, Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor.  I feel that I am a little biased in recommending this book because of the cover.  I'm blue, it's my favorite color, the cover has a beautiful blue mask... It reminds me of me. :)

Daughter of Smoke & Bone is an incredible angels versus demons story, but not one you would think.  These aren't heavenly, Biblical-type angels or demons from Satan.  The angels in this story, while beautiful, are warriors: deadly, soldiers, and merciless killers.  Our 'demons' quickly find a soft-spot in our hearts with the introduction of Karou, the story's human protagonist.  Karou has very limited knowledge of her past and why it is that she lives with 'monsters.'  She is an incredible artist and goes to a private art school in Prague with her best friend Zuzana.  She also has blue hair, can speak dozens of languages, and knows a variety of fighting styles all of which came from wishes.  One of her secrets is her traveling.  She is able to sneak all over the world through magical passages and doorways where she collects assorted teeth for Brimstone, her Chimera guardian.  As the story progresses, she is thrust into a meeting with Akiva, an angel, and cannot help but to wonder how and why he is so familiar.  This is a fantastic story that will make any reader question what they feel about angels or demons.  And when you finish this, you'll be happy to know that Karou's story doesn't end with this novel... check out the sequels!!

• Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
• Copyright:  2011
• ISBN 10:  031613399X
• Where to find it:  F TAY
• Reading Range/Lexile:  850L

I could see some of the English teachers using this book to create an argumentative paper or debate discussing just who the 'bad' and 'good' guys really are.  Students would be expected to use the text, actions and interactions with characters, and character backgrounds as evidence for their arguments.  Further, I would suggest that for a fun activity, students create a Chimera to represent who they feel best embodies their own character traits.  Students could use their computers to create a digital version of their Chimera, and name for it.  

The standards one would cover are:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.3--Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1--Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2--Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3--Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

Unwind

It has been a remarkably chaotic year in my library.  We've had the inclusion of computers for all students as well as various changes at the campus, and my library seems to be at the center.

I noticed Mrs. Edwards started reading this book called Unwind by Neal Shusterman a couple months ago.  She is now reading the third of this trilogy that apparently couldn't end with the third book, so the author added a fourth and called it a dystology (I'm a fish... I don't know what that means).  So she's been raving and telling all the students about it:

Imagine a world in the not so distant future where if you were deemed a failure or troublemaker, you could be 'unwound.'  Well, what does that mean anyway?  Nowadays, when kids get unruly they are sent to the corner or their room for a time-out, to 'unwind' and relax a bit, but that isn't the case in Neal Shusterman's novel Unwind.  Years before Connor was born, the United States had it's second Civil War over the great abortion debate.  At the end of this, was born the Bill of Life, which states simply that should parents decide they no longer want their children, sometime between 13 and 18 years of age they can rid themselves of the children retroactively.  Children will be taken from the house to a special camp where they are then 'unwound.'  Unwound kids are taken apart, piece by piece; arms, legs, organs, body parts, all surgically removed while the patient is awake then 'donated' to those who are more needy; they survive in a 'divided state.'  Connor's parents have chosen to have him unwound, but the day of his arrest he escapes and kidnaps a tithe boy (a child set to be unwound since birth because of a religion) and an orphan girl.  They trek across the country doing whatever they need to survive and not get caught.  This book (and the series) will keep you on the edge of your seat as you are constantly wondering if the next person who 'helps' them won't do it for their own selfish reasons and turn the 'Unwinds' in.  Check out the trailer below, then get in to the library and check out the book!  You certainly won't regret it.

• Unwind by Neal Shusterman
• Copyright: 2007
• ISBN 10:  1416912053
• Where to find it:  F Shu
• Reading Range/Lexile: HL940L

I could see this book being the discussion starter for an in-depth debate or argumentative paper on pro-choice versus pro-life and what some potential conflicts or solutions would be to both options.  I would also want the students to explore the possibility of a law such as this going into effect.  Is it unConstitutional or plausible?

The standards one would cover are:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1--Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1--Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.3--Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain.