Monday, November 19, 2018

TIME-LINE PROJECTS: BIOGRAPHIES & HISTORICAL FICTION

TIME-LINE PROJECTS 
BIOGRAPHIES & HISTORICAL FICTION
Grade 6

MIDDLE SCHOOL COLLECTION

DIARIES 

Land of the Buffalo Bones by Marion Dane Bauer
Fourteen-year-old Polly Rodgers keeps a diary of her 1873 journey from England to Minnesota as part of a colony of eighty people seeking religious freedom, and of their first year struggling to make a life there, led by her father, a Baptist minister. 

ANCIENT HISTORY
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth Speare
A young boy seeks revenge against the Romans for killing his parents, but is turned away from vengeance by Jesus.  

Call Me Isis: Egyptian Goddess of Magic by Gretchen Maurer
"Isis, Egyptian Goddess of Magic, thinks herself destined for a charmed life as the Goddess-Queen of Egypt. But in one fell swoop she loses her love, her home, even her magical powers. For the sake of Egypt and her infant son, Horus, she has to put this topsy-turvy world aright. Her adventures take her out into the realm of humans, and down into the underworld. How will she reclaim Egypt's throne for Horus, against the will of the evil usurper, Seth? Will she be able to save Egypt from ruin? And where can you find her now?"--Back cover.   

14th-15th CENTURY & MIDDLE AGES
Bound by Donna Jo Napoli
Ming Dynasty China
In this Cinderella story set in 14th-century China, "Napoli grants her heroine an independence that remains authentic to her time, and creates both an adventure and a coming-of-age story that will have readers racing to the finish," according to our Best Books citation. Ages 12-up. (Aug.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Crispin at the Edge of the World by Avi
Branded as traitors by the king's authorities, Crispin and his guardian, Bear, flee to coastal towns in fourteenth-century England, where they perform a musical juggling act and bond as a family after befriending a disfigured girl. 

Crispin by Avi
Branded as traitors by the king's authorities, Crispin and his guardian, Bear, flee to coastal towns in fourteenth-century England, where they perform a musical juggling act and bond as a family after befriending a disfigured girl. 

Crispin at the End of Time by Avi
Crispin and Troth, wandering the French countryside following the death of their beloved mentor, Bear, find refuge at a convent, and when Troth decides to stay, Crispin continues on alone, joining a band of traveling musicians who he soon realizes are murderous thieves.

16th CENTURY
The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blake
A young orphan boy is ordered by his master to infiltrate Shakespeare's acting troupe in order to steal the script of "Hamlet," but he discovers instead the meaning of friendship and loyalty.

17th CENTURY
 Sugared Plum by Mary Hooper
In June 1665, excited at the prospect of coming to London to work at her sister Sarah's candy shop, teenaged Hannah is unconcerned about rumors of Plague until, as the hot summer advances and increasing numbers of people succumb to the disease, she and Sarah find themselves trapped in the city with no means of escape.   

A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials by Ann Rinaldi -
While waiting for a church meeting in 1706, Susanna English, daughter of a wealthy Salem merchant, recalls the malice, fear, and accusations of witchcraft that tore her village apart in 1692.   

18th CENTURY 
 Ann's Story, 1747 by Joan Lowry Nixon
Ann, a young girl in eighteenth-century Williamsburg, wants to become a doctor like her father, but she is not allowed even to study Latin or mathematics.

Anson's Way by Gary Schmidt While serving as a British Fencible to maintain the peace in eighteenth-century Ireland, Anson finds that his sympathy for a hedge master, a teacher devoted to teaching Irish children their forbidden language and culture, places him in conflict with the law of King George II.

The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands
In 1665 London, fourteen-year-old Christopher Rowe, apprentice to an apothecary, and his best friend Tom try to uncover the truth behind a mysterious cult, following a trail of puzzles, codes, pranks, and danger toward an unearthly secret with the power to tear the world apart.

Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare
An Englishwoman, Miriam Willard, becomes a captive during the French and Indian War in 1754. After a harrowing march north to Montreal she discovers a city filled with the intrigue of war. 

American Revolution
Cast Two Shadows by Ann Rinaldi 
In South Carolina in 1780, fourteen-year-old Caroline sees the Revolutionary War take a terrible toll among her family and friends and comes to understand the true nature of war. 


Sophia's War by Avi
In 1776, after witnessing the execution of Nathan Hale in New York City, newly occupied by the British army, young Sophia Calderwood resolves to do all she can to help the American cause, including becoming a spy.

19th CENTURYAirman by Eoin ColferIn the 1890s on an island off the Irish coast, Conor Broekhart is falsely imprisoned and passes the solitary months by scratching designs of flying machines into the walls, including one for a glider with which he dreams of escape.

The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich
Omakayas, a seven-year-old Native American girl of the Ojibwa tribe, lives through the joys of summer and the perils of winter on an island in Lake Superior in 1847.

The Borning Room by Paul FleischmanLying at the end of her life in the room where she was born in 1851, Georgina remembers what it was like to grow up on the Ohio frontier.

Bloody Jack:
Being an Account of  Curious Adventures of Mary Jacky Faber "Ship Boy" by L.A. Meyer
Mary's family dies of the pestilence in the eighteenth century, forcing her to join a gang of ragamuffins living in London's underbelly. When the leader is killed, Mary dresses as a boy and gets a job in the Royal Navy, calling herself Jacky (which is changed to Bloody Jack when she kills a man). Stock minor characters allow the plot to sail along at a fast clip.

Blue Fingers: A Ninja's Tale by Cheryl Aylward WhiteselHaving failed apprenticeship as a dye maker, Koji is captured and forced to train as a ninja, where he remains disloyal until he discovers samurai have burned his former village.  

The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel
Aboard "The Boundless," the greatest train ever built, on its maiden voyage across Canada, teenaged Will enlists the aid of a traveling circus to save the train from villains.  

A Chapel of Thieves by Bruce Clements
In 1849, Henry, a resourceful young man, sets off from Missouri to Paris in hopes of saving his older brother, a self-styled preacher, from the clutches of a clever charlatan.   

Curiosity by Gary Blake
In 1835, when his father is put in a Philadelphia debtor's prison, twelve-year-old chess prodigy Rufus Goodspeed is relieved to be recruited to secretly operate a chess-playing automaton named The Turk, but soon questions the fate of his predecessors and his own safety. 

Land of the Buffalo Bones by Marion Dane Bauer
Fourteen-year-old Polly Rodgers keeps a diary of her 1873 journey from England to Minnesota as part of a colony of eighty people seeking religious freedom, and of their first year struggling to make a life there, led by her father, a Baptist minister. 

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
Thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle, the only passenger on a voyage from England to America in 1832, must take serious matters into her own hands when she learns that the captain is murderous.


Civil War

Evvy's Civil War
 
Iron Thunder by Avi
Thirteen-year-old Tom Carroll takes his place as head of the family after his father dies fighting for the Union; but his job at the local ironworks, where he helps build an iron ship for the Union army, and his loyalty come into question when he is approached by Confederate spies to sell secrets about the ship to the South. 



20th CENTURY
WORLD WAR II

The Art of Keeping Cool by Janet Lisle 
In 1942, Robert and his cousin Elliot uncover long-hidden family secrets while staying in their grandparents' Rhode Island town, where they also become involved with a German artist who is suspected of being a spy. 

A Boy No More by Harry Mazer
Japanese Internment CampsAfter his father is killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor, Adam, his mother, and sister are evacuated from Hawaii to California, where he must deal with his feelings about the war, Japanese internment camps, his father, and his own identity. 

Caleb's Story by Patricia MacLachlan - early 20th century
Sequel to: Skylark.
The stranger lurking on the Witting family's prairie farm turns out to be their long-lost grandfather, whose presence, plus prodding from Caleb, forces Jacob to deal with his past.
 

🌟The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradly

The War I Finally Won by Bradly
"As the frightening impact of World War II creeps closer and closer to her door, eleven-year-old Ada learns to manage life on the home front"-- 

POST WORLD WAR II

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer CholdenkoA twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards' families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister.

Bat 6 by Virginia Euwer Wolff
In small town, post-World War Oregon, twenty-one 6th grade girls recount the story of an annual softball game, during which one girl's bigotry comes to the surface.  

Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin
In the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union, Sasha idolizes his father, a devoted Communist, but when police take his father away and leave Sasha homeless, he is forced to examine his own perceptions, values, and beliefs.   

Casualties of War by Chris Lynch
One of four friends who have volunteered to fight in the Vietnam War, the intellectual Beck is in the Air Force, where he is part of a crew spraying Agent Orange, but the destruction of the jungle and his isolation from the fighting going on below is starting to affect him. 

The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox
In 1940, during the Blitz, Katherine, Robbie and Amelie Bateson are sent north to a private school in Rookskill Castle in Scotland, a brooding place, haunted by dark magic from the past--but when some of their classmates disappear Katherine has to find out if the cause is hidden in the past or very much in the present.   
 





 

Wednesday, November 07, 2018

IF YOU LIKE....


THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John GreenCancer, Love

SummaryDespite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars brilliantly explores the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

HIGH SCHOOL
    Everything, Everything by Yoon
    Sarah Dessen books Dreamland (highly recommended)
    If I Stay by Gayle Forman
    Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
    Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes
     
    MIDDLE SCHOOL
    Shug by Jenny Han
    Wendy Mass/Naylor

THE LAST by Kathryn Applegate - Quests
Summary
Fantasy, Quests, Animal Stories, Magic, Endangered Species
Byx is the youngest member of her dairne pack. Believed to possess remarkable abilities, her mythical doglike species has been hunted to near extinction in the war-torn kingdom of Nedarra.
After her pack is hunted down and killed, Byx fears she may be the last of her species. The Endling. So Byx sets out to find safe haven, and to see if the legends of other hidden dairnes are true.
Along the way, she meets new allies--both animals and humans alike--who each have their own motivations for joining her quest. And although they begin as strangers, they become their own kind of family--one that will ultimately uncover a secret that may threaten every creature in their world.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Wing and Claw: Cavern of Secrets














      THE LAST by Kathryn Applegate - Quests


      Wing and Claw: Cavern of Secrets





      SIMON VS THE HOMO SAPIEN AGENDA by Becky Albertalli

      Realistic Fiction, Gays, Friendship, Secrecy, Schools

      Hornbook Review 2015
      "Sixteen-year-old Simon loves emailing Blue, an anonymous boy from school. But when another student sees the correspondence, the blossoming romance is threatened. Set in Georgia, this realistic coming-out story features a cast of unique, believable characters. Simon's humorous narrative alternates with his emails with Blue as Simon wonders, 'Don't you think everyone should have to come out? Why is straight the default?'"

      My Comments
      The beginning hooks you and sets the tone for Simon's anxiety at being exposed by another student. It also shows a high school boy who has close friends, is loyal, and has courage. This book shows the complexities of high school life and will speak to kids trying to navigate the social scene and family life.
       

      GOODBYE, CHUNKY-RICE by Craig Thompson

      Graphic Novel, Hero's Journey, Grief, Loneliness, Friendship, Courage
       
      Important lessons about friendship, loss, and loneliness.
       
      Kirkus Reviews (April 15, 2006)
       
      "Though the title and the deceptively simple character drawings suggest a kids' comic, rarely are graphic novels aimed at adults as sweetly affecting as this.
      Chunky Rice is a very cute turtle. Dandel, his girlfriend, is an equally adorable mouse deer (as identified by the book, though she appears more rodent-sized than cervine). Chunky must explore the world by water, for that is his nature. As he says, "My home is on my back." Dandel must remain on land, for that is her nature. Before his bittersweet but inevitable departure, the two construct an entire world of sand castles, and he proceeds to tell her a bedtime story, the tale of the doomed lovers of Greek mythology, Orpheus and Eurydice (or, as rendered by graphic-artist Thompson, "Or-fee-us" and "Yourid-uhsee"). It's unclear whether what follows the bedtime story is dream or reality, but Chunky seems to emulate the example of another mythological hero, Odysseus, as he makes his way to what looks to be an ocean-bound tugboat with a grizzled, mercenary captain. Chunky has brought all his prized possessions, including his collection of Motown records, but the country-and-western-loving captain tells him he must travel light for a life on the sea. His shipmates include female Siamese twins, whose different sizes and sleeping patterns complicate their attachment. As Chunky sails the ocean and Dandel drops love letters into bottles carried by the waves, not much happens to propel the narrative. Yet the artistic range displayed within the black-and-white drawings, as Thompson evokes the turbulence and majesty of the sea, shows a more sophisticated command of technique than he employs with his characters (who are almost Peanuts-like). Originally published in 1999, this reprint represents the debut of another promising artist within the Pantheon stable.
      For characters who must pursue their own destinies, love is as boundless as the sea."
       
      My Comments
      Intriguing. Not an easy read, but incredibly creative. Put this out there and the right kids will find it.

       

       

      Monday, October 22, 2018

      THE BOOK MOBILE!

      The Book Mobile Today!
      Grade 6 Hallway, Periods 5-6
      October 22, 2018
      FEATURING


      Monday, October 08, 2018

      SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL by Patricia MacLachlan

      Historical Fiction, Blended Families, Pioneers, Farm Life, Westward Expansion.

      58 pages

      From the Publisher
      "This beloved Newbery Medal-winning book is the first of five books in Patricia MacLachlan's chapter book series about the Witting family.
      Set in the late nineteenth century and told from young Anna's point of view, Sarah, Plain and Tall tells the story of how Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton comes from Maine to the prairie to answer Papa's advertisement for a wife and mother. Before Sarah arrives, Anna and her younger brother Caleb wait and wonder. Will Sarah be nice? Will she sing? Will she stay?
      This children's literature classic is perfect for fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie books, historical fiction, and timeless stories using rich and beautiful language. Sarah, Plain and Tall gently explores themes of abandonment, loss and love.
      Read the rest of the Sarah books by Patricia MacLachlan: Skylark, Caleb's Story, More Perfect than the Moon, and Grandfather's Dance."
      My Comments
      Timeless. simply written with beautiful imagery, MacLachlan successfully conveys feelings of loss, courage, acceptance, and love. Consider this book for small reading groups, English Language Learners, or historical fiction collection for middle grades.

      Monday, October 01, 2018

      AMAL UNBOUND by Aisha Saeed

      Realistic Fiction, Multicultural, Courage, Resistance, Family

      226 pages

      From the Publisher
      "Saeed's timely and stirring middle-grade debut is a celebration of resistance and justice."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

      The compelling story of a girl's fight to regain her life and dreams after being forced into indentured servitude.


      Life is quiet and ordinary in Amal's Pakistani village, but she had no complaints, and besides, she's busy pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher one day. Her dreams are temporarily dashed when--as the eldest daughter--she must stay home from school to take care of her siblings. Amal is upset, but she doesn't lose hope and finds ways to continue learning. Then the unimaginable happens--after an accidental run-in with the son of her village's corrupt landlord, Amal must work as his family's servant to pay off her own family's debt.

      Life at the opulent Khan estate is full of heartbreak and struggle for Amal--especially when she inadvertently makes an enemy of a girl named Nabila. Most troubling, though, is Amal's growing awareness of the Khans' nefarious dealings. When it becomes clear just how far they will go to protect their interests, Amal realizes she will have to find a way to work with others if they are ever to exact change in a cruel status quo, and if Amal is ever to achieve her dreams.

      My Comments 
      Love, love, absolutely love this one. Accessible for a wide reading level, great discussion points, and educational. Winner all the way! 

      Monday, September 24, 2018

      THE LIFTERS by Dave Eggers

      Adventure, Fantasy, Magic, Friendship, Courage


      From the Publisher
      "Twelve-year-old Granite "Gran" Flowerpetal has just moved from the sunny coast to a hilly inland town full of trouble and mystery. He feels unheard at home and invisible at school--and then there's the issue of the many buildings in town collapsing into the earth. What can be done? One person, Gran's intriguing but difficult-to-please classmate, Catalina Catalan, knows what to do. But she avoids Gran like the plague. Will she reveal what happens underground? Will she tell Gran about the Hollows? The Lifters? And how the town, and the world, might be saved?"

      My Comments
      Intriguing. A little strange. What I found interesting is the fact that none of the adults in the book confronted the reality that the town was sinking. They continued as if this was a normal situation. You can interpret it metaphorically or take it on the face as a good adventure story.

      Monday, September 17, 2018

      OLD & NEW SCIENCE FICTION IN THE LIBRARY!

      A few new titles and series out of many!
      • Circus Galacticus by Deva Fagan
      • City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
      • The Keys to the Kingdom by Garth Nix
      • The Pendragon Series by D.J. MacHale   
      • Rule of Three by Eric Walters
      • So You Want to Be a Jedi by Adam Gidwitz 
      • The Six by Mark Alpert (HS)
      • Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements
      • The Wild Robot by Peter Brown 
      • Zeroes Series by Scott Westerfeld

      DESCRIPTIONS

      "Orphan Trix, daughter of astronauts, struggles to connect with others in her world. When the Circus Galacticus comes to town, Trix, discovering a place she fits in, blasts off on an intergalactic adventure. Fagan's science-fiction tale, complete with space artifacts, a mysterious masked man, and a bevy of whimsical aliens, also contains family secrets, developing friendships, and lessons in diversity and acceptance." (Horn Book Guide, Spring 2012)

       



      .THE CITY OF EMBER SERIES"The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. But now with terrifying blackouts sweeping through the streets, Lina and Doon know it's only a matter of time before the lights go out and never come back on again. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she's sure it holds a secret that will save Ember. Together, she and Doon explore long-forgotten parts of their dying city as they race to solve the mystery. If they succeed, they will have to convince everyone to follow them into danger and an exciting new world. But if they fail? The lights will burn out and the darkness will close in forever." (Publisher)


      THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM  SERIES by Garth Nix
      "One mysterious house is the doorway to a very mysterious world--where one boy is about to venture and unlock a number of fantastical secrets! "  (Publisher)

      7 Books...one for each day of the week
      MISTER MONDAY through LORD SUNDAY!

      PENDRAGON SERIES
      "The scary adventures of Bobby Pendragon who, having learned that he is a traveler--someone who can ride "flumes" through time and space--is off to alternative dimensions." (Follett) 



      RULE OF THREE SERIES by Eric Walters
      " One shocking afternoon, computers around the globe shut down in a viral catastrophe. At sixteen-year-old Adam Daley's high school, the problem seems to be a typical electrical outage, until students discover that cell phones are down, municipal utilities are failing, and a few computer-free cars like Adam's are the only vehicles that function. Driving home, Adam encounters a storm tide of anger and fear as the region becomes paralyzed. Soon as resources dwindle, crises mount, and chaos descends..." (Publisher)


       SO YOU WANT TO BE A JEDI by Adam Gidwitz
      "Acclaimed, New York Times best-selling author Adam Gidwitz delivers a captivating retelling of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back like you've never experienced before, infusing the iconic, classic tale of good versus evil with a unique perspective and narrative style that will speak directly to today's young readers while enhancing the Star Wars experience for core fans of the saga." (Publisher)  






       THE SIX by Mark Alpert
      Adam, crippled by muscular dystrophy, and five other terminally ill teenagers sacrifice their bodies and upload their minds into weaponized robots to battle a dangerously advanced artificial intelligence program bent on destroying humanity.

       THINGS NOT SEEN by Andrew Clements
      "When fifteen-year-old Bobby wakes up and finds himself invisible, he and his parents and his new blind friend Alicia try to find out what caused his condition and how to reverse it." (Publisher)








       THE WILD ROBOT by Peter Brown
      "Roz the robot discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island with no memory of where she is from or why she is there, and her only hope of survival is to try to learn about her new environment from the island's hostile inhabitants." (Follett)
      ZEROES SERIES by Scott Westerfeld
      "Superheroes Fiction/Interpersonal Relations - Told from separate viewpoints, teens Scam, Crash, Flicker, Anonymous, Bellwether, and Kelsie, all born in the year 2000 and living in Cambria, California, have superhuman abilities that give them interesting but not heroic lives until they must work as a community to respond to a high stakes crisis. Don't call them heroes. But these six Californian teens have powers that set them apart." (Publisher)




      SCARY BOOKS! Mary Downing Hahn

      Ghosts and Mysteries!

      Mary Downing Hahn is the queen of downright scary...but just perfect for middle school. Always a winner. Can't keep her on the shelf so we keep her books stocked! Check out our library catalog to see the list of her books, or just go to Hahn in the middle school section of the library.

      https://follett.eastchester.k12.ny.us/


      TRACK SERIES by Jason Reynolds

      Realistic Fiction, Sports, Friendship, African American, Courage

      From the Publisher
       "Ghost. Lu. Patina. Sunny. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team--a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics if they can get their acts together. They all have a lot to lose, but they also have a lot to prove, not only to each other, but to themselves."

      My Comments
      Absolute winner for middle school. Put this right up there alongside other sports authors, Walter Dean Myers, and a wide range of realistic fiction authors.  

      Sunday, September 16, 2018

      HELLO UNIVERSE by Erin Entrada Kelly

      Realistic Fiction, Friendship, Bullies, Hearing Impaired, Missing Children

      313 pages

      Newbery Award 2018

      From the Publisher
      Winner of the Newbery Medal

      "A charming, intriguingly plotted novel."--Washington Post

      Newbery Medalist Erin Entrada Kelly's Hello, Universe is a funny and poignant neighborhood story about unexpected friendships.

      Told from four intertwining points of view--two boys and two girls--the novel celebrates bravery, being different, and finding your inner bayani (hero). "Readers will be instantly engrossed in this relatable neighborhood adventure and its eclectic cast of misfits."--Booklist

      In one day, four lives weave together in unexpected ways. Virgil Salinas is shy and kindhearted and feels out of place in his crazy-about-sports family. Valencia Somerset, who is deaf, is smart, brave, and secretly lonely, and she loves everything about nature. Kaori Tanaka is a self-proclaimed psychic, whose little sister, Gen, is always following her around. And Chet Bullens wishes the weird kids would just stop being so different so he can concentrate on basketball.

      They aren't friends, at least not until Chet pulls a prank that traps Virgil and his pet guinea pig at the bottom of a well. This disaster leads Kaori, Gen, and Valencia on an epic quest to find missing Virgil. Through luck, smarts, bravery, and a little help from the universe, a rescue is performed, a bully is put in his place, and friendship blooms.

      The acclaimed and award-winning author of Blackbird Fly and The Land of Forgotten Girls writes with an authentic, humorous, and irresistible tween voice that will appeal to fans of Thanhha Lai and Rita Williams-Garcia.

      "Readers across the board will flock to this book that has something for nearly everyone--humor, bullying, self-acceptance, cross-generational relationships, and a smartly fateful ending."--School Library Journal

      My Comments
      Great for incoming grade 6 summer reading lists and class discussions. Accessible and high interest for a wide audience. Great plot creates suspense with realistic, loveable characters.
      Highly recommend. Give to teachers.