One Crazy Summer

 


Author:Rita Williams-Garcia
Title: One Crazy Summer
Illustrator: No Illustrations
Genre: Historical Fiction
Theme: Struggles in the 60s
Primary and Secondary Characters: Delphine, Vonetta, Fern, and Cecile
Awards: Coretta Scott King Award, Newberry Honor Book, Scott O'Dell Prize
Publishing Company: HarperCollins
How you would use with your students and brief summary: This is a book about an 11 year old girl named Delphine whose mother had happened here and her sisters 7 years ago. One summer her dad and grandmother send her and her sisters to live with her mom and find out the things that made their mom leave. This book has real life struggles of things that occurred in the late 60s and it would be good to use with the students to show them what went on back then.

Junie B. Jones Is a Graduation Girl

Author: Barbara Park
Title: Junie B. Jones is a Graduation Girl
Illustrator: Denise Brunkus
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Theme: Growing Up
Primary and Secondary Characters: Junie B., Mrs, and all of her friends
Awards: None
Publishing Company: Random House
How you would use with your students and brief summary: Junie B. Jones is finally about to graduate kindergarten and go into the first grade, but because she doesn't listen to her teacher's instruction something happens to her beautiful white graduation gown and she's convinced she won't be able to graduate now. This is a great story to use for kindergarteners right towards the end of the year just to show and see how similar things are between their life and what's going on in the book.

Dear Dumb Diary: Let's Pretend This Never Happened

Author: Jamie Kelly

Title: Dear Dumb Diary: Let's Pretend This Never Happened

Illustrator: Jamie Kelly

Genre: Diary

Subgenre: Non-Fiction

Theme: the life of a middle school girl

Primary and Secondary Characters: Jamie, Stinker, Isabelle, and Angeline

Awards: None

Publishing Company: Scholastic

How you would use with your students and brief summary:  This is a diary written by a girl in middle school and the hysterical things she goes through on a daily basis. This would be just a great book to read to the class everyday because it's a complete series of books and it tells the life and trials of what they are also going through.

Charlotte's Web

 
Author: E.B. White
Title: Charlotte's Web
Illustrator:Garth Williams
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Theme: Friendship, Death, and Time Passing
Primary and Secondary Characters:Wilbur, Fern, Charlotte, and other farm animals.
Awards: Newberry Honor
Publishing Company:HarperCollins
How you would use with your students and brief summary: This is a story about a runt pig that was going to be killed after he was born but the farmer's daughter, Fern, begs to save the life of this little big, Wilbur. Wilbur becomes Fern's best friend and they go through the struggle of their lives together. This story is great for explaining to children about death or how quickly time can pass.

Tonight on the Titanic

Author: Mary Pope Osborne
Title:Tonight on the Titanic
Illustrator: Sal Murdocca
Genre: Fantasy
Theme:Adventure
Primary and Secondary Characters: Jack and Annie
Awards: A Magic Tree House book
Publishing Company:  Random House Inc.
How you would use with your students and brief summary: This a good adventure book to use with my students and it tells the story of how the magic tree house sends Jack and Annie onto the deck of Titanic that way they can locate a mysterious gift so that they can save their puppy from a magical spell.

A Porcupine Named Fluffy

Author:  Helen Lester
Title: A Porcupine Named Fluffy
Illustrator:Lynn Munsinger
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Self-Confidence
Primary and Secondary Characters: Fluffy and Hippo
Awards:  None
Publishing Company: Houghton Mifflin Company
How you would use with your students and brief summary: This is one of my favorite childhood book about a porcupine named fluffy that tries everything to make himself feel "fluffy," then he meets a rhinoceros named Hippo and he doesn't feel so bad about his name anymore. This is a good story of acceptance and self confidence in yourself as a person and that's how I would use that with my students.

Bear Feels Sick

 
Author: Karma Wilson
Title: Bear Feels Sick
Illustrator: Jane Chapman
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Friendship
Primary and Secondary Characters: Bear and his friends
Awards: None
Publishing Company:Scholastic Inc.
How you would use with your students and brief summary: This is a story about a bear that's feeling very sick and his friends join together to help find a way that will make him feel better. This is a great book to help show your students the importance of friendship and helping others because one day you might be the person that needs help.