The Wizard, The Witch and Two Girls From Jersey

Title: The Wizard, The Witch and Two Girls From Jersey
Author: Lisa Papademetriou
Genre: Modern Fantasy

Summary:
This book tells the story of mortal enemies Veronica Lopez and Heather Simms. One day the two girls find themselves fighting over the last copy of Queen of Twilight in a local bookstore. When a pricing wand misfires, it sends the two girls straight into Chapter Two of the classic fantasy novel that they were fighting over. It takes them a moment to realize that they aren't in a New Jersey anymore. Unfortunately before they realize where they are, the two girls accidentally kill the book's heroine, Princess Arabelle, who is also "The One." In the Queen of Twilight only The One can restore light and peace to the land of Galma. Galma has long been under the rule of the evil Twilight Queen. Now it is up to Veronica and Heather to save the land of Galma from the Twilight Queen. Along the way they meet many memorable characters who offer them assistance in their quest. Will the two girls save the magical land of Galma? Will they ever figure out how to escape the pages of the novel? Read this book to find out what happens to the unlikely set of friends.

Making the Connection:
This book offers a great story that will keep your students laughing the whole time. The Wizard, the Witch, and the Two Girls From Jersey is perfect to read to your class when introducing modern fantasy. This book is also a great way to show your students how fantasies are written and that they too could write their own fantasy. Having your students write their own fantasy after reading this book would be a fun writing activity and a good way to assess whether they completely understand the concept of fantasy.

The BFG

Title: The BFG
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrations: Quentin Blake
Genre: Modern Fantasy

Summary:
The BFG tells the story of a little girl named Sophie. The story begins one night when Sophie is having trouble sleeping. She decides to go look out one of the windows in her orphanage and then her world changes. Before Sophie is a giant! She watches the giant walk down the street and blow something into the windows he passes. Next the giant sees Sophie and kidnaps her. He takes her back to his cave where he explains that what she saw him doing was blowing dreams into the minds of children. He also goes on to tell her that he is the Big Friendly Giant (BFG) and is different than his fellow giants in many ways. For one he does not eat children. Read this book to find out more about the plan Sophie hatches with the BFG, involving dreams, the Queen of England, and stopping the other giants from eating anymore children.

Making the Connection:
This book is great to use when teaching students about context clues. The author utilizes many different nonsensical words in The BFG that can only be defined through the use of context clues. This book is also jam packed with similes, metaphors, and other figurative language; making this a great book to use when introducing these concepts to your class. An important chapter in this book is entitled Dreams. This chapter within itself could provide your class with fun lesson activities. For example you could have your students make their own recipe for a dream. Ask them to make a recipe for a dream. Students could set up their recipes like a cooking recipe with ingredients and mixing instructions. Students should also include a short description of the dream (which could be a "Golden Phizzwizard" or a "Trogglehumper"). When all of the recipes are finished, they could be made into a "Dream Recipe Cook Book". Another idea would be to have your students create a commercial for either Snozzcumbers or Frobscottle. Students would be expected to write a script for their commercial and produce it. This activity would also allow you to intergrate FLIP cams into your classroom.

Technology:
To add a different type of technology to this blog, I decided to make a Wordle for the BFG. I chose to focus on the first page of the Dreams chapter and below is the link to what I created.

The BFG Wordle

The Stories Julian Tells

Title: The Stories Julian Tells
Author: Ann Cameron
Illustrator: Ann Strugnell
Genre: Fiction

Summary:
This book is made up of six chapters and each chapter tells a story about a little boy named Julian. The first story describes the time that Julian's dad made the most perfect pudding. After finishing the pudding, Julian's dad asks Julian and his little brother Huey to guard it. If you finish this chapter you can figure out what goes wrong when Julian and Huey are on guard duty. Another chapter in the book describes the time when Julian convinced his younger brother the catalogs were magical books that when opened released a bunch of gardening cats. This book is a short read that is nothing short of comical. Read The Stories Julian Tells to find out what kind of trouble Julian's over active imagination gets him into.

Making the Connection:
This book is a great story to share with your students when you are trying to incorporate more chapter books in the classroom. This book also provides a lot of fun writing opportunities. For example after reading this story you could have your students write about one of their craziest childhood memories. You could also have your students pay close attention to the chapter when Julian describes making a wishing kite, and have them write about what they would wish for.

The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship

Title: The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
Author: Arthur Ransome
Illustrator: Uri Shulevitz
Genre: Multicultural or International Literature

Summary:
The Caldecott winner tells the story of a couple who had three sons. The oldest two sons were very smart and were loved very much by their parents. The third son on the other hand was considered simpler than a child. One day the Czar declared that he would give his daughter's hand in marriage to the man who could bring him a flying ship. The two oldest brothers jumped at the opportunity to marry the Czar's daughter and with their parent's blessings, they set out into the world to figure out how to build a flying ship. The youngest son was not happy about being left at home, so he begged his parents to allow him to go. Annoyed by their simple son's constant pestering, the Fool's parents let me follow in his brother's footsteps. However the Fool went without his parent's blessings or any of the supplies that had graciously been provided for his older two brothers. Not long into his journey the Fool meets an old man. The old man is no ordinary person, he is actually a very wise being who is able to see that the Fool is not only a simpleton but a kind soul. Upon this realization, the old man tells the Fool how to obtain a flying ship. The old man only asks one thing of the Fool, and that is that the Fool has to give every person he meets a ride in the flying ship. Read this story to see if the Fool ever obtains a flying ship and if he marries the Czar's daughter.

Making the Connection:
This book is based off of an old Russian tale and would be a good story to include when talking to your class about multicultural or international literature. This book can also be considered a folk tale and could be used when covering traditional or folk tales in your class. A fun writing assignment for your class could be rewriting the story from the Princess' point of view. The Princess is never really considered during the whole story, so it would be neat to see what your students imagine she would think about her father being so mean, having to marry a stranger/or a fool, or just being a princess in general.

The Korean Cinderella

Title: The Korean Cinderella
Author: Shirley Climo
Illustrator: Ruth Heller

Summary:
This book tells the classic story of Cinderella with a Korean flare. In this version of the Cinderella story, the main character's name is Pear Blossom. Pear Blossom is an extraordinary beauty. When she was just a young girl her mother died and she was left solely in the care of her father. Uncertain of how to raise his daughter alone, Pear Blossom's father went to the village's matchmaker to find a new wife. His new wife however was cruel and had a daughter who was just as mean. Together they made Pear Blossom's life miserable. They made her work well before the sun came up and long after it went to sleep. They also hated Pear Blossom for her immense beauty, so they did all in their power to hide it. One day when her stepmother and stepsister were being especially cruel in choosing her chores, Pear Blossom received help from a magical frog. Pear Blossom was hesitant to accept the frogs help at fist because she believed him to be a tokgabi, which is a type of goblin. She eventually did accept his help and was able to complete the impossible task she had been given by her stepmother. This infuriated her stepmother and thus Pear Blossom was given another seemingly impossible task. To complete this task she received help from a bunch sparrows. Her completion of the second task just angered her stepmother further. Pear Blossom's stepmother continued to give her impossible tasks and with the help of some special animals, Pear Blossom was able to complete them. Read this story to find out what happens to Pear Blossom and how this story compares to the original tale of Cinderella.

Making the Connection:
Cinderella like many other popular stories has many different variations. Like the Scar-Face Girl, this book would be a great way to talk to students about comparing and contrasting. After reading this book you could have students identify what elements were the same among the different tales of Cinderella and which elements were different. This book also has a multicultural aspect that would be a great way to start discussions about literature from around the world.

Pink and Say

Title: Pink and Say
Author and Illustrator: Patrica Polacco
Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary:
This book is set against the back drop of the Civil War. The story is told through the point of view of a young white boy named Say. Say is an injured Union soldier who has been left behind and thinks he is going to die. Luckily however a boy his own age named Pink finds him and brings him to safety. Pink is the color of "polished mahogany" and unlike anyone Say has ever known. Pink brings Say to his mother's house where the are both able to heal, rest, and form a never ending friendship. During their time together Pink teaches Say many things and forever changes his life. He teaches him about bravery, friendship, and fighting for what you believe in. He even offers to teach him how to read one day. The boys decided to rejoin the war once they have fully recovered because they were putting Pink's mama, who lived in Confederate territory, in jeopardy. On the day of their departure however, marauders paid a visit to their house. Read this story to see what happens to these two young boys.

Making the Connection:
This is a powerful book (I personally cried) that will be loved by anyone who reads it. It is a terrific book to use if you are covering the Civil War in history. Before reading this book to your class it would be a good idea to have your students complete a KWL chart about the Civil War. When you do begin reading this book to your students, have them write down words or phrases from the story that they think describes the Civil War. After completing this book students can easily transition into conducting their own research of the Civil War. While doing their own research have students keep adding words and phrases to the list that they started when you initially read them Pink and Say. After your students have a long enough list, split them into groups where they will begin to compile an ABC book of the Civil War. Besides giving students insight to the Civil War, Pink and Say also sends a great message to students about the power of friendship.

Grandfather's Journey

Title: Grandfather's Journey
Author and Illustrator: Allen Say
Genre: Multicultural or International

Summary:
This Caldecott winner tells the story of a man from his grandson's eyes. The grandfather in this book was born and raised in Japan. He loved his home land very much but he longed to see the world. One day he left Japan and began his journey across the Pacific to North America. He explored North American by train, riverboat, and foot. He met many people and feel in love with the new world around him. He continuously traveled until one day his journey brought him to California. He had never seen any where so beautiful. It was in California that he decided to make his home. He traveled back to his homeland, Japan, where he married his childhood sweetheart. He then brought his new wife back to America where they had a daughter. He lived in California with his family until his daughter was completely grown. It was at this time that he could no longer cope with his home sickness. He decided it was time to show his daughter the place he and his wife had once called home. It was in Japan that his daughter got married and bore a son. The grandfather wanted more than anything to show his new grandson California. Unfortunately he was unable to do so because of the war going on in their country. The grandfather never got a chance to take his grandson to California. Years later the grandson finally traveled in his grandfather's foot steps to the new world. Like his grandfather, he finally understood what it was like to call two places home.

Making the Connection:
This story is a great window into two very different cultures. When discussing the similarities and differences between America and Japan during this time period, you might have your students practice utilizing graphic organizers (e.g. venn diagrams). Through the books illustrations readers are able to see what the world looked like in the 1930's and 1940's. The illustrations in this book would also be a good example to show students when discussing how pictures enhance a text. This book would also be an awesome way to make connections to your history unit, especially if you were discussing World War II in your class.

Peyton Manning

Title: Peyton Manning
Author: Jeff Savage
Genre: Biography
Summary:
This biography tells the story of professional football player, Peyton Manning. Peyton was born March 24, 1976. From a young age Peyton and his two brothers were encouraged to play football because is was their father's sport of choice. Peyton always loved playing football and also possessed a lot of natural talent. His football career really took of when we was selected as a started for his high school's varsity team. From his impeccable high school career, Peyton received many offers to play in college. He eventually decided to play for the University of Tennessee. Originally Peyton was chosen to play third string, however due to injuries he quickly turned into Tennessee's starting quarter back. He went on to have a great college career that lead to him being the first draft pick in the NFL. Peyton Manning signed with the Colts after college and has been with them ever since. With the Colts Peyton has been able to win numerous games including a Super Bowl Title. Peyton Manning is a huge philanthropist and gives back in many ways. He personally started the PeyBack Foundation that gives hundreds of thousands of dollars to organizations like Toys for Tots ans the Boys and Girls Club every year. Peyton Manning is defiantly still a player to watch and is a very interesting person to read about.

Making the Connection:
As I mentioned before, this book is a biography and it would be a great way to introduce biographies to your class. It is another book from the Amazing Athletes collection and it is a great read for any of your students who are interested in sports. This biography is full of energy and vivid pictures that will capture your students from start to finish.

Alex Rodriguez

Title: Alex Rodriguez
Author: Jeffery Zuehlke
Genre: Biography

Summary:
This short biography tells the story of famous baseball player, Alex Rodriguez. The book describes Rodriguez's life from childhood to his life in the major league. Alex Rodriguez was born in New York City on July 27, 1975. Growing up he always had a passion for baseball. He learned to play at a very young age because his father had once played professionally. Rodriguez discovered early on that he not only had a passion for the sport but also a lot of natural talent. He worked hard to achieve his dream of going pro and he played in his first major league game at only eighteen. Since then his career has only gone up. In 2000, Alex Rodriguez signed a contract to play for the Rangers for ten years. His contract was worth $252 million dollars and was the largest contract in sports history. After playing with the Rangers for a few years, Rodriguez was traded to the New York Yankees. It was with the Yankees that Rodriguez finally accomplished his dream of going to the World Series.
This book is written in a way that would captivate any child's attention. The whole book is written in such a way that you feel excited every time you turn a page. This biography is just one from a collection called Amazing Athletes. I recommend any of the titles from this collection because they are all very informative and present facts in a fun, clear, and concise manner.

Making the Connection:
This book is a perfect example of a biography to use in the classroom. I think that most children assume biographies must be written about a person who is either very old or deceased, and this book shows them otherwise.

A Picture Book of Harriet Beecher Stowe

Title: A Picture Book of Harriet Beecher Stowe
Author: David A. Adler
Illustrator: Colin Bootman
Genre: Biography

Summary:
This book tells the story of Harriet Beecher Stowe who is best known as the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Harriet was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, on June 14, 1811. She was born and raised during a time when slavery was prominent in America. She was always an avid learner and found early in life that she had a true passion for writing. Harriot Beecher Stowe published many works during her lifetime, but the one that she is best remembered for is Uncle Tom's Cabin. Harriot was very much against the idea of slavery and she voiced her opinions on the matter through her writing. Uncle Tom's Cabin tells the story of a slave named Tom who was being tortured by his master because he would not reveal the hiding place of two run away slaves. The book was originally released as installments in an antislavery newspaper and was then published as a book once the installments were completed. It was a book that changed history because it showed the masses the injustices of slavery. Those who hated slavery now hated it more, and those who once had no opinion on the matter quickly formed one. It is said that in 1862 Harriot met President Abraham Lincoln who upon shaking her hand said, " So this is the little lady who made this big war." Many give Harriet Beecher Stowe credit for really beginning the Civil War.

Making the Connection:
This biography is a great book to use in the classroom for a number of reasons. It is a good example to show students when initially introducing the concepts of biographies and it is great to use when talking about the Civil War. This book also shows students that everyone has the power to make a difference. It teaches children that if you stay strong in your convictions and you fight for what you believe, you can change the world.

John Phillip Duck

Title: John Phillip Duck
Author and Illustrator: Patricia Polacco
Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary:
This book tells the story of a young African American boy named Edward. Edward lives on a farm with his family during the time of the Great Depression. To make money young Edward works with his father at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. During the week both he and his father stay at the hotel but on the weekends they get to come home to their farm. One weekend while working in the field with his dad, Edward finds an abandoned baby duck. Edward takes the duck in and nurses it back to health. Since the young duck requires constant care Edward decides to bring him to the hotel with him during the week. The duck quickly becomes loved by the hotel's staff. With the staff's help Edward manages to keep his pet a secret from the hotel's manager, Mr. Schutt. One day however Mr. Schutt discovers Edwards secret. Read this story to find out how Edward convinces Mr. Schutt to let him keep his pet.

Making the Connection:
Though this book is fiction parts of it are actually based on history. In 1933 the Peabody Hotel did become home to a group of ducks. These ducks, along with a bellman named Edward Pembroke started a tradition at the hotel that still occurs today. I think that students would love reading this book and researching the books historical roots. This book would be a great choice to read to your class when introducing the Great Depression. You could also use this book to teach a lesson on making predictions. Before reading the book with your class you could have your students write down three predictions about the story based on the pictures. After reading the story you caould have your students compare and contrast their predictions to what actually happened in the book.

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse

Title: Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse
Author and Illustrator: Kevin Henkes
Genre: Modern Fantasy

Summary:
This book tells the story of a quirky little mouse named Lilly. Lilly loves to go to school and most of all she loves her hip teacher Mr. Slinger. Because of Mr. Slinger Lilly wants to grow up to be a teacher. One Monday Lilly comes back to school "especially happy." Over the weekend her Grammy had taken her shopping and given her a new pair of sunglasses, three shiny quarters, and a brand new purple purse that played music every time it was opened. In class Lilly is unable to concentrate on anything but her new things. Lilly refuses to pay attention to the lesson and continuously distracts her classmates by trying to show off her new possessions. Eventually Mr. Slinger asks Lilly to give him her sunglasses, quarters, and purse till the end of the day. This makes Lilly extremely mad and angry. She then decides to act out in a way that will hurt Mr. Slinger the way he hurt her. Read this book to find out how Lilly acts out and how it affects her relationship with her favorite teacher.

Making the Connection:
This book is a good way to talk to your students about handling their emotions. Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse teaches children that it is important to think before you act and that your actions can have a negative affect on others. This book would also be an easy way to introduce a writing lesson. For example this book is all about Lilly's most prized possessions, so you could have your students write about their most prized possessions. This would also allow you to get to know your students a little better.

Because of Winn-Dixie

Title: Because of Winn-Dixie
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Genre: Fiction

Summary:
This Newberry winner tells the story of a little girl named Opal. The story takes place the summer that Opal and her father, who is a preacher, move to Naomi, Florida. One day while running an errand at the local Winn-Dixie, Opal meets someone who will change her life. That day Opal meets a big ugly, dog who is clearly a stray. Not wanting anything bad to happen to the dog, Opal decides to take him home with her and name him Winn-Dixie in honor of the place of their first meeting. This story goes on to tell how Opal's friendship with Winn-Dixie changes her life for the better. Because of Winn-Dixie Opal learns about her mother, how to make friends, and how to forgive. This book portrays a colorful cast of characters and a heart warming story that will touch every reader.

Making the Connection:
Using this book in the classroom is an excellent way to build student's knowledge of literary elements. Because of Winn-Dixie is the perfect book to further discuss the concepts of plot, setting, characters, and themes in your class. A cool activity to utilize in your classroom upon the completion of this book would be making a character scrap book. First you would have to pick four or five characters for your students to concentrate on. Next students would go back through the text and pick out passages that described each of the specified characters. Students would look for not only each character's physical description, but also descriptions of their personality and behavior. Once students had collected enough information to list at least five traits for each character, they would then begin compiling their scrape books. The students would be expected to list each character's traits and provide a picture of what the character looks like based on their physical descriptions (which is great because the book has no pictures). The students would then share their completed scrapbooks with their peers.

The Rainbow Fish

Title: The Rainbow Fish
Author and Illustrator: Marcus Pfister
Genre: Modern Fantasy

Summary:
This popular children's book tells the story about the Rainbow Fish, who is the most beautiful fish in the sea. The Rainbow Fish is very proud of his beauty and refuses to play with all of the other "ordinary" fish. One day a small fish asks the Rainbow Fish for one of his beautiful scales. The Rainbow fish is dismayed by the request and rudely refuses to give the small fish anything. The small fish is so taken aback by the Rainbow Fish's rudeness, that he tells all the other fish and they decide to completely ignore the Rainbow Fish. The Rainbow Fish then becomes lonely and sad that no one is paying attention to his beauty anymore. Since he was now both the most beautiful and the loneliest fish in the sea, the Rainbow Fish went to his only friend, the Starfish, for advice. The Starfish listened to his friend's problems and told him the only one who could help solve his predicament was the wise Octopus. The Rainbow Fish then decides to seek out the Octopus for his wisdom. Read this book to find out the advice the Rainbow Fish receives and whether or not he takes it.

Making the Connection:
This book is a great way to facilitate discussion in your class about the importance of sharing and the down falls of being vain/proud. After reading this book with your class a really fun activity would be to make a class rainbow fish. You would start by giving each student a scale. On their scale student's would be asked to write one thing that makes them special. They would then decorate their scale and attach it to a large fish that you had pre-made. The end result would be a fish that was made up of all the little things that your student's think make them special. This story could also be great to use when beginning to teach a science unit on oceans/ocean life. It is important to try to make connections over all the disciplines that you teach, and The Rainbow Fish would be a great way to achieve that.

The Rough-Face Girl

Title: The Rough-Face Girl
Author: Rafe Martin
Illustrator: David Shannon
Genre: Traditional or Folk Literature

Summary:
The Rough-Face Girl is the Algonquin Indian version of the story we know as Cinderella. This book tells the story of a young girl who lives with her father and two sisters in a Algonquin tribe. In this tribe there lives an Invisible Being who is considered the most eligible bachelor. Every girl in the tribe wants to marry him, but the catch is only the girl who can see the Invisible Being will become his wife. To prove that they can see the Being, the girl in question must be able to fully describe him to his sister. If they pass the sister's test they can then marry the Invisible Being. The story then goes on to describe how none of the girls in the village are able to pass the sister's test, including the Rough-Face Girl's two cruel sisters. One day the Rough-Face Girl decides to try her luck at the sister's test. Because her father has already given all of his fortune away to her greedy sisters, the Rough-Face Girl is forced to go to the Invisible Beings home in an outfit made of bark and jewelry made from broken shells. She is ridiculed by the whole tribe because of her ridiculous attire and her less than perfect looks. The people are so blinded by her physical appearance that they are unable to see her immense inner beauty. Will the Rough-Face girl succeed where every other available girl in her tribe has failed? Will she be the wife the Invisible Being has long searched for? Read this book to find out.

Making the Connection:
By using the book The Rough-Face Girl in the classroom, I think that you would be able to do so many things. This story is a great way to introduce your class to folk literature. It also possesses a multicultural element that could be a useful lead-in to international literature. You could use this book to teach a lesson on comparing and contrasting differences. You could begin by having your students read both this story and another version of the Cinderella story. Next you could have your students make a chart listing the similarities and differences between the two versions. This story also shows children the importance of inner beauty and teaches the age old lesson that "you can not judge a book by it's cover."