Mallory series group project display

Here are some photos from a group project that I did on the Mallory series. The left panel was on the author Laurie Friedman, the middle specifically about the Mallory series including teaching tips, and the left the groups critiques of specific series books. I had a very talented group member who drew the Mallory on top and each of the group members in character form on the right side of the poster! We wanted to stick to the character of the book so many of the write ups are written like the Mallory books. For example, the author information is written as if Mallory herself wrote it. The first sentence is "Laurie Friedman is the best best best children's author in the world!" Overall, the poster turned out very well!

Mrs. Katz and Tush by: Partricia Polacco

Mrs. Katz and Tush is a great story that brings people's differences together. I love the way the author brings the Jewish and African-American cultures together by having the two main characters sharing their stories and lives. In the book, an older Jewish woman, Mrs. Katz, is visited everyday by a young African-American boy named Larnel. The boy gives the women a cat because she is lonely from the loss of her husband on one condition, and that is that he helps take care of it and visits her everyday. He agrees and fortunately learns so much about Mrs. Katz and her Jewish heritage. Throughout the book both the characters learn that their cultures suffered in many of the same ways. I think this book is very good for children to examine their similarities.

The Hello, Goodbye Window by: Norton Juster

The Hello, Goodbye Window is an excellent book for young readers because it really opens their eyes for bi-racial relationships and imagination. This book is easily relateable for all young children because it describes hanging out at grandma and grandpa's house and enjoying many activities that the little girl does with her grandparents. In the book, the hello goodbye window is a special magical window that the little girl often looks out of to imagines different visitors. I really enjoy this book and think it is great for kids to spark some imagination and to show how important family really is. Also, the best part is the illustrations. I like them because the book is told by the little girl and it also looks like she drew them.

Peeled by: Joan Bauer

I highly recommend Peeled to many older readers because I could not put this book down. This book is set in a small orchard growing town that seems to be always perfect and calm. However, this quickly changed when a murder occurs in town. Many false stories start to be published in the local newspaper and 16-year-old Hildy decides to take matters into her own hands. Hildy is a writer for her own school newspaper and starts to research what is really going on. Readers will love this mystery and want to keep reading to find out what really happens.

Coming on Home Soon by: Jacqueline Woodson

A beautifully illustrated book, Coming on Home Soon is an excellent picture book for younger readers. The book explains the hardships that African-Americans faced during World War II in Chicago especially obtaining jobs and receiving a steady income. Main character Ada Ruth is also struggling with the separation from her mother and longs for the day that she returns. The book itself is great to use with students to explain certain parts of that history and even to show examples of letter writing. I really liked this story line and think all students would enjoy the book and illustrations.

Fever 1793 by: Laurie Halse Anderson

Fever is a great historical fiction book that I really enjoyed reading. This book would be excellent to tie into a lesson because the references about yellow fever are very good. Because this epidemic in Philadelphia was so powerful, it would be great for students to read about what a person during this era would face. In the book, 16-year-old Mattie Cook faces this yellow fever epidemic first hand. Mattie learns that she has to grow up quickly to deal with what is going on in her life. This book is excellent for older elementary and junior high students and can be very beneficial to learning about this time in history.

Mercy Watson to the Rescue by: Kate DiCamillo

Mercy Watson to the Rescue is intended for younger elementary students and is great to help explore their imaginations. Mercy the pig lives with the Watson family and what is really neat is that children can easily relate to her. For example, Mercy is afraid of the dark and often needs to go sleep with her human parents. One night when Mercy crawled into bed with her parents, something happens that Mercy will never forget. Readers will fall in love with this pig and will enjoy the fantasy that the book provides.

Among the Hidden by: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Among the Hidden is a breath-taking book attended for older elementary to middle school students that will capture you from the start. I was not able to put this book down because the story line is very interesting. This book is about a society that only allows 2 children in each family. Due to population regulations, if there is a third child born there will be immense punishment. Because of this, twelve year-old Luke has been in hiding his entire life. Luke's life is very limited and starts to become very lonely. Read out what happens to Luke and the struggles he goes through. I personally really enjoyed this book because it was very suspenseful and the story line is very scary to think about.

Shiloh by: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Shiloh is a true classic that is great for children to read. I love the story line of how main character, 11-year-old Marty, finds a dog and names it Shiloh. He falls in love with it but his parents make him do the right thing and return Shiloh to his owner. Marty discovers that the owner does not treat the dog well at all and he then has to decide what to do. Is it right for him to leave it there or take Shiloh back to a safe home? I very much enjoyed the book because it explains real ethical questions and Marty has to decide what the right thing is to do. The book really teaches a positive lesson that and readers will love the ending. Everyone will fall in love with the little beagle and will feel like Marty is a true hero.

Remember by: Toni Morrison

I think this book is very interesting and the first line of the book really draws readers in. It states, "This book is about you." It is a very powerful way of showing that readers need to remember what happened in the past and why segregation was a horrible thing that happened to our country. I really like that this book had minimal text and the story was told mostly through the pictures. The photos were all very real. Because the text is in first person, the reader really feels like they are the person going through the story line. I think this book would be good to use for an older elementary audience but the words do explain everything very simply.

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by: Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by: Kadir Nelson

Right off the bat, readers will fall in love with this book because of its amazing illustrations. I believe Kadir Nelson's pictures display such a powerful and strong support to the text. The text itself is very interesting because it is somewhat lyrical and readers feel as if God is really speaking in the book. I like the way the text is depicted in the book and how the words of God are bigger and sometimes do not follow a straight line. They stand out to show how important his words were to Harriet. You get the sense that this is the only thing that really is keeping her going...faith. I really like this book and think it explains Harriet Tubman's spiritual journey towards freedom very well to children.

In Buisness with Mallory by: Laurie Friedman

Another great Mallory series book, In Business with Mallory, explains the hardships of choosing between what is right and what is wrong. Like many other kids, wanting something so bad can be a very big issue. Mallory and her best Mary Ann want nothing more than the Perfect Purse that has 12 changeable covers and a butterfly pin. But as expected, mom says no.... Mallory has a mission and that is to buy that purse. Mallory discovers many ways she can raise money but when she gets to the store, there is a big problem. Mallory only has enough money for the purse, but she promised her mom that she would get her brother Max a birthday present. Readers need to see and find out if Mallory chooses the purse or a present for Max. This book is excellent because similarly when you are young there is always that one thing that you just have to have, and you will find anyway to get it.

Happy Birthday Mallory! by: Laurie Friedman

Happy Birthday Mallory is the 2nd book that I have read in the series. Now after reading two, I appreciate that you do not need to read the books in order because they are easy to catch onto and understand all of the characters. I believe this book is great because I can see a lot of young girls relating to the birthday problems that Mallory went through. This year, Mallory is turning 9 and in her mind, that means that she should celebrate the entire month. Mallory comes up with a list of things she thinks needs to be done that month in honor of her birthday. Readers will love the problems that she faces. I could not put this book down and my favorite part is when Mallory tries to "fix" her hair for a new 9-year-old hair style. As you can probably imagine, all of Mallory's big plans, along with a new hairstyle, does not exactly turn out... This book is very humorous and full of surprises!

Red, White, and True Blue Mallory by: Laurie Friedman

This is the first Mallory book that I have read in the series and I absolutely love it! I love the way Laurie Friedman has developed the story line around real situations that are very likely to occur to any third grade girl. When I read this book, I personally kept thinking about my grade school trip to Washington, D.C. and how it was very similar to the book. I really like how Friedman sets the story up like a journal with many pictures to add detail. Readers can really feel like they are the journal that Mallory is constantly writing in. This book is great because not only does it have a typical grade school story line, but it also has many facts and information about all the places Mallory visits while in Washington, D.C. I have to say that I read many new things while reading! Overall, the book is great and appealing to all readers!

Leon's Story by: Leon Walter Tillage

Leon's Story is a great and powerful book about a young African-American boy who struggles with one of the hardest times in American History. The civil rights movement controlled how African-Americans lived at this time and made life miserable. Leon and his family convey a strong composure and their family bonds fight for what is right. I very much enjoyed this book and loved how it was written in the point of view of a young boy and it feels like he really is talking and telling you this story. This book is very good to share in classroom because it gives good historical background about this time period and the struggles that African-Americans had to face. The characters in this book are very strong individuals.

Frindle by: Andrew Clements

This past month, I had the opportunity to meet Andrew Clements and was very excited to read his book Frindle for a second time. I absolutely love this book and think it is great for kids read to hopefully inspire them. I think this book would be really great to read together as a class and then after have students create their own words. While I was reading this book, I felt all of the creative juices flowing in my own brain and would hope children would feel the same way. Nick is such a great and strong character in the book. I do not want to give away the ending but I really liked how Mrs. Granger and Nick's relationship developed. This book is very creative and I plan on using this book in my own classroom someday!

Clementine by: Sara Pennypacker

Clementine is one of my favorite children's books and I highly recommend it to anyone that needs a good laugh. Every chapter I caught myself laughing out loud to the funny things that this third grader does. Clementine cannot seem to stay out of trouble. I have to admit one of my favorite parts in the book is when Clementine helps cut her friends hair off after a mishap and then cuts off her own hair so that her friend Margaret does not feel alone. Readers just begin to love Clementine instantly because she really does try to do the right thing.

Officer Buckle and Gloria by: Peggy Rathmann (Caldecott)

Officer Buckle and Gloria is one of my favorite children's books because of its cute story line and bright pictures. Officer buckle is hard not to love because he does care so much about people and their safety. Gloria and how she brings a lot of humor to the story and helps Officer Buckle bring light to a dry topic. One of my favorite parts in the book is when Officer buckle receives a fan letter from a little girl named Claire saying that Officer Buckle and Gloria make a good team and that she wears a crash helmet. Overall, the climatic scene in the story really stands out to children reading the book and concludes with the best safety tip... "Always stick with your buddy!" This moral in the story is very important and hopefully this book can teach children that.

Yellow Star by: Jennifer Roy

I have to admit that this book was very hard for me because this past summer I took a Holocaust immersion to Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. During this trip, I visited several concentration and work camps along with many ghettos that were once settled by Jews. After this trip, I have had a hard time reading or even watching movies from that era. Because of this it was very hard for me to even start this book. However, I do think the book was very good and well written for the attended audience. Even though it was hard for me to read, I still very much respect the story and think that it is excellent that Sylvia's story was able to be captured. I have to admit that I read the book in two hours and wanted to continue to read to find out what happened to the family. I really enjoyed this true stories' ending when the family finds out that the Star of David is ironically the thing that actually saves them. I also love how 10-year-old Sylvia is praised so much for saving the family. This story needed to be told and it is really neat that the author's note explains what happens to the main characters after the story is over. Yellow Star is a great resource for students of upper elementary to read and help better understand the Holocaust.

Book Talk - A Crooked Kind of Perfect

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by: Sherman Alexie

I absolutely loved reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian! I thought the book was very funny and I really liked the small illustrations throughout the book. This book would be great for a classroom to show culture differences. It told readers to never be ashamed of your heritage but also not be afraid to reach out and become something that you want to be. I really think it is important to give students the taste of many different cultures and this one was great to show what reservation life for Native Americans is like. Junior, the main character, was very humorous and was determined to fit in and overcome many problems that arose in his life. After deciding to not attend school on the rez, Junior had to try and fit into an all white school. Of course he knew this was going to be very difficult but he knew what was best for him and that he would benefit more at the school in town. I think Junior did not know it, but really is such a strong character. I loved when he succeed in basketball and beat the rez team! During that scene, I really felt like I was there cheering him on! Overall, it was a really great book that I recommend.

Weedflower by: Cynthia Kadohata

Weedflower is an excellent book that I recommend to all. It is a great story in perspective of a twelve-year old Japanese-American before and after the events of Pearl Harbor. It is interesting to think that America put most all people of Japanese decent into internment camps. There is not a lot of literature and information about what these people went through, and even though we should be ashamed that America discriminated against these people, it is important to hear what really happened and what they went through. The main character Sumiko and her family's experience was horrible because they lost their home and flower business was not left with a lot. Their strength guided them through this rough time and they all worked together and really tried to make the best of the situation. I really liked that Sumiko and Mr. Moto decided to add some beauty to the camp and try and make it as "homey" as possible by planting a garden. The flowers were almost a sign of hope. One thing that I did not like was the ending... I really wanted to see what happened to the family after they had left the camp. I guess I can imagine what would have happened but I would have rather seen it printed.

Esperanza Rising by: Pam Munoz Ryan

Esperanza Rising is one of this books that makes you want to not put the book down. I really enjoyed this book and can see myself using this book in my own classroom someday. I think this book has a lot of strengths in that it shows the ability to overcome hardships and changes. The main character, Esperanza, really needed to make a lot of changes and acceptances in her life. After loosing her father, Esperanza and her family had to adapt to a completely different lifestyle. At first, Esperanza was very immature about the situation but learned that she had to grow up and understand her new life. Throughout the book, we the readers really got to see her grow up so much and understand people that were less fortunate than she was. The overall moral of the story is money cannot buy everything and especially happiness. The strong symbolism in the book really stood out to me. I very much enjoyed the importance of the crouched blanket, mama's hair, fiestas, and the roses. Each one really stood out to me and made the story even more enjoyable. I recommend this book!