Module 10-Historical Fiction

Al Capone Does My Shirts

Choldenko, G. (2004). Al Capone does my shirts. New York: Putnam.

Summary
In 1935 Moose Flanagan and his family move to Alcatraz Island and live there, right next to the prison, with the rest of the guards' families.  His new surroundings are quite different and life so close to convicted criminals has its challenges.  Moose's younger sister is autistic, although that was not known in the time period of the story, so her many ups and downs add to the trials that Moose faces throughout the story.

Impression
This is my favorite genre and this book did not let me down.  I love that it takes place on Alcatraz and that so much attention to historical detail was put in to the story.  It is a work of fiction, so creative liberties are of course taken.  But this book and it's sequel; Al Capone Shines My Shoes, are great stories.

Review
Gr. 5-8. Twelve-year-old Moose moves to Alcatraz in 1935 so his father can work as a prison guard and his younger, autistic sister, Natalie, can attend a special school in San Francisco. It is a time when the federal prison is home to notorious criminals like gangster Al Capone. Depressed about having to leave his friends and winning baseball team behind, Moose finds little to be happy about on Alcatraz. He never sees his dad, who is always working; and Natalie's condition-- her tantrums and constant needs--demand all his mother's attention. Things look up for Moose when he befriends the irresistible Piper, the warden's daughter, who has a knack for getting Moose into embarrassing but harmless trouble. Helped by Piper, Moose eventually comes to terms with his new situation. With its unique setting and well-developed characters, this warm, engaging coming-of-age story has plenty of appeal, and Choldenko offers some fascinating historical background on Alcatraz Island in an afterword.

Booklist. (2004). 100(11).

Library Use
1. Novel study along with a research project about Alcatraz and/or some of its infamous inhabitants.

Module 9-Mystery

Dying to Meet You (43 Old Cemetery Road Series #1)

Klise, K. (2010). Dying to meet you. 43 old cemetery road. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Summary

Children's author I.B. Grumply hasn't written anything in 20 years.  Trying to overcome his writer's block and get his new mystery book to his publisher, he rents an old Victorian mansion in Ghastly, Illinois for a summer.  When he moves in he finds that a young boy, Seymour Hope, lives there while his parents are in Europe for the summer.  Unhappy about this, Mr. Grumply writes complaints to his lawyer and to the realtor, but the contract was signed and Seymour stays.  However, the boy, his cat, and the author are not the only inhabitants of the Spence Mansion.  The house's long dead builder, Olive C. Spence, still remains.  With the help of Seymour and Olive, Grumply overcomes his writer's block and also his grumpiness.

Impression

This was a fantastic story!  I read it in about 45 minutes and could not put it down.  It is written in the form of letters between the characters and newspaper articles form the town of Ghastly.  All of the characters have names that are puns like the realtor Anita Sale and the publisher Paige Turner.  Humor is ever present and there's also a happy ending.  It is truly an easy and fun read and I can't wait to share it with my students as well as the rest of the series!

Review

Grades 3-6. This epistolary graphic mystery may take genre-bending into the realm of genre-pretzeling, but it still delivers an unlikely story with a great deal of likability. The famed children’s author (who despises kids, naturally) Ignatius B. Grumply moves into an old Victorian mansion to finish his latest book. Turns out a young boy abandoned by his parents lives upstairs, and a ghost named Olive lives in the cupola, making for an uncomfortably full house. The entire interaction between the three (and a handful of supporting cast members) takes place in their written communiqués, a conceit that falls apart under close scrutiny but if taken at face value allows for a surprisingly jaunty read. Given that a bulk of the physical space is taken up by letterheads, this thin book can be read in a flash, and even though it is the first in the 43 Old Cemetery Road series, it stands on its own and features a touching conclusion. Maps of the house, portraits of the characters, and the boy’s drawings add a nice layer to the mildly self-referential whole.

Booklist. (2009). 105(15).

Library Use

1. This is just a great book to recommend to students who want a fun and easy read!

Module 8-Fantasy and Science Fiction

Gregor the Overlander

Collins, S. (2003). Gregor the overlander. New York: Scholastic.

Summary

Gregor is a 10 year old that lives in New York City.  With the disappearance of his dad almost two years ago, his family has been under some very hard times.  One day, when doing laundry with his baby sister they fall through a grate miles and miles below the surface of Earth and end up in the Underland.  Violet eyed humans, six foot tall cockroaches, giant rats and bats all dwell here and claim that Gregor is their long prophesied "warrior".  Gregor and his little sister embark on a quest that holds both the Underland and Gregor's family in its grip.

Impression

This book is magical and so much can be read between the lines.  A lost father figure, a young boy coming of age, family ties, making the right choices no matter how hard they are, relationship tension among different races...so much is covered in the pages of this amazing story.

Review

Grade 4-8-In this accessible, almost-cinematic fantasy, Gregor and his two-year-old sister fall into an amazing underground world. Taken in by people who have lived beneath the earth for centuries, the 11-year-old learns about the giant-sized talking creatures that also reside there, including bats, cockroaches, and vicious rats. Gregor just wants to get home, but a prophecy hints that he may be the "overlander" destined to save the humans from the warlike rodents. He is reluctant until he learns that his father, who disappeared from their New York City home a few years before, is a prisoner of the rats. Gregor is not an eager hero, but with common sense, quick thinking, and determination he grows into the role. His sister, who provides some comic relief, also plays a key part because of her ability to befriend creatures, especially the giant cockroaches. Plot threads unwind smoothly, and the pace of the book is just right. Exciting scenes and cliff-hanger chapters are balanced by decisions and interactions that drive the action. Gregor is not the most compelling figure at first, but as the story progresses he becomes more interesting, maturing through the challenges he faces. Supporting characters are generally engaging, particularly the enigmatic warrior rat that claims to support the protagonist's mission. This is an engrossing adventure for fantasy fans and for those new to the genre.

Engelfried, S. (2003). The book review. School Library Journal, 49(11).

Library Use

This is just a great book for a continuing read aloud to students!

March 7-Realistic Fiction

Frindle

Clements, A. (1996). Frindle. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Summary

A creative student takes a cue from his teacher about the origin of words, and decides to change the word pen to frindle.  His action sweeps through the school, town, and eventually the country (even some parts of the world) as the word becomes the common name for a writing instrument with ink.  A battle with his teacher ensues, although all the time she is only rooting for him to be successful and learn from this venture.

Impression

This was a great novel that shows that thinking outside the box can lead to great things.  That even one young boy can change the world!  I like how his teacher was on his side the whole time (we always are) and the end wrapped up the story in a very loving and positive way.

Review

Gr. 3-6. Ten-year-old Nick Allen has a reputation for devising clever, time-wasting schemes guaranteed to distract even the most conscientious teacher. His diversions backfire in Mrs. Granger's fifth-grade class, however, resulting in Nick being assigned an extra report on how new entries are added to the dictionary. Surprisingly, the research provides Nick with his best idea ever, and he decides to coin his own new word. Mrs. Granger has a passion for vocabulary, but Nick's (and soon the rest of the school's) insistence on referring to pens as "frindles" annoys her greatly. The war of words escalates--resulting in after-school punishments, a home visit from the principal, national publicity, economic opportunities for local entrepreneurs, and, eventually, inclusion of frindle in the dictionary. Slightly reminiscent of Avi's Nothing but the Truth (1991), this is a kinder, gentler story in which the two sides eventually come to a private meeting of the minds and the power of language triumphs over both. Sure to be popular with a wide range of readers, this will make a great read-aloud as well.

Booklist. (1996). 93(1).

Library Use
1. Read aloud that leads to a writing project where students invent a new word for a common object.
2.  Author study of Andrew Clements.

There's a Boy in the Girls Bathroom

Sachar, L. (1987). There's a boy in the girl's bathroom. New York: Dell Yearling.



Summary

Bradley Chalkers is mean, hateful, annoying, and dumb...and that's his own opinion.  Others feel the same way about the oldest kid in fifth grade, even the teachers.  A new counselor comes to the school and thinks just the opposite about Bradley and a new kid slowly becomes the friend Bradley never had. 

Impression

There's a part of this story for almost every student.  A bully, a child without friends, adults that don't care, along with one that does, being a new kid in school, finding the wrong friends and a best friend.  And a little bit of bathroom humor never fails to get a few laughs!

Review

Gr 4-7 An unlikely protagonist, Bradley Chalkers is a friendless, lying, insecure bully who is the oldest boy in his fifth-grade class. In this humorous novel that tells of Bradley's learning to like himself and to make friends, Sachar ably captures both middle-grade angst and joy. Bradley's triumph comes through the friendship of a new boy at school and the help of the new school counselor. Readers, like the astute counselor, can see the strengths that Bradley has, and will cheer at his minor victories and cringe at his setbacks along the way. The story is unusual, witty, and satisfying, if not always believable: a few incidents just do not work. For instance, even though Bradley has not been doing his homework, his complete ignorance of it is unlikely (``He hadn't realized. . .he would need to bring his book home''), and his total unfamiliarity with birthday parties is too extreme for a ten year old, even one who hadn't been to a party in three years. Yet Bradley's need for acceptance even as he holds back from classmates who might mock or hurt him is genuine, and his eventual success will gratify readers.

Gale, D. (1987). The book review. School Library Journal. 33(87).

Library Use

1. Louis Sachar novel unit or author study.