Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars

Cover image courtesy of RainbowResource.com

Who: Number the Stars, though a fantastic story and a Newbery Medal winner, is for a younger crowd than The Giver. In classic Lowry style, there are puzzles for the reader to solve but these are fewer and more accessible for a slightly less mature readership. Amazon recommends 9-12, though I am sure certain eight- and thirteen-year-olds would enjoy Number the Stars, too.

What: Ten-year-old Annemarie has grown accustomed to running into German soldiers standing on every corner in her hometown of Copenhagen, Denmark. She is used to the scarcity of premium foods such as cupcakes and coffee. She has even grown to accept the death of older sister in a mysterious car crash. But life is thrown out of whack when the Jews of Denmark are suddenly targeted by the Germans, including Annemarie’s best friend Ellen. Now Annemarie must turn her flicker of courage into a wellspring of bravery and quick thinking as she does her part to help the Danish Resistance sneak her Jewish friends out of the country.

Why: There are many good things to say about the short and sweet tale. Number the Stars, though fictional, is a historically accurate portrayal of the Danish Resistance in the time of the second World War. Additionally, the friendship between Ellen and Annemarie is a treat for any reader to become a part of and the adult figures are more complex and human than parent figures in the movies and on television today. Lowry’s puzzles are points of growth and understanding for young readers who will have to keep reading to find the answers to their questions. Number the Stars is an early childhood education about war, friendship, sacrifice and courage.

Lois Lowry’s The Giver (1993)

Cover Image courtesy of IndieBound.com

Who: For mature, young readers who can ponder puzzles, reflect on death, and consider the power of choice

The protagonist is twelve years old, which sounds like a good median age for me. Amazon, however, lists it as a “young adult” novel.

What: Jonas has progressed through each stage of life easily. As he reaches the end of his eleventh year he begins to wonder what Assignment he will be given. In Jonas’ world no one has to wonder how to pick a career because an occupation is chosen for them. Though his friends are given tasks that fit them perfectly, Jonas is selected for a special job that begins to deeply challenge the way he views his community.

The Giver has been published in over thirty languages. It is now part of a Trilogy, which you can read more about on Lois Lowry’s professional website.

Why: The Giver is likely to introduce many new concepts to students. It is puzzling, a trait skillfully developed by Lowry, and readers will have to “fill in the blanks” several times over the course of the novel. They will feel rewarded when they discover the truth behind each puzzle, but may for the first time encounter an ending that is not so happy.

Older elementary students and tweens may identify with Jonas when he discovers that fitting in and being like everyone else may be more superficial than he once believed. Jonas’ special knowledge begins to make him an outsider and the sameness of his perfect community begins to feel more eery as the story progresses.

Current Amazon Bestsellers in Children’s Books

What’s a great way to find out you’ve completely lost touch with kids today? Check out the bestselling kid’s books. Seriously, I have read all of ZERO books on the Best Sellers list on Amazon.com (as of this evening, October 9, 2011). None! The Heroes of Olympus, what?

What about you? If you have kids at home, are you more likely to recommend a classic that you read as a kid or a popular book with swords and dragons all over it? I’m not sure how I’d really act in this situation, yet, but I want to say that I’d rather they pick up the good old Harry Potter or some classic twentieth-century goodness.

But what do we lose with this attitude? Current titles are more likely to discuss topics that are relevant OR (more likely) present characters who are easier for your kids to relate to than say… Anne of Green Gables OR negotiate through multicultural worldviews important for interacting in the world and classroom today. Right? They might have very valuable opportunities for meaning making within them that older or more classic titles didn’t anticipate. I’m no psychology major, but I think this theory is worth looking into.

The Prometheus Project cover courtesy of Story Snoops.com

Last week I posted about Shel Silverstein’s post-houmously published Every Thing On It. I would love to check this out and see what goodies are in there.

I’ve heard great things about The Prometheus Project. If I get a chance to read an optional book for class this semester I will definitely pick this up.

I’m beginning to recall someone, a child I think, rave about the Heroes of Olympus books. Have you read them? What did you think? If they really are new spins on Greek mythology then I have to admit I’m surprised they are bestsellers. Sure, Greek mythology is interesting, but I didn’t really think it could be reheated and eaten for dinner again. Well done, Rick Riordan.

Okay super teachers and book nerds, that’s all I’ve got for tonight. I honestly do no recognize any of the other best sellers but I’m going to work on that and report back soon.

Eight Online Resources for Children’s Literature

Teaching Books is the jackpot for teaching books of any kind. There are author interviews, profiles, lesson ideas, summaries, step-by-step book guides and feedback from other educators on a wide range of books. There is a member fee, however, but it is nominal for this tremendous resource.

Cinderella Stories is certainly a niche resource, but their ample links to articles and helpful info on teaching Cinderella will be a lifesaver for your in-depth fairy tale or cultural stories section

Carol Hurst boasts a wealth of information, links and lesson ideas for pretty much any curriculum topic you can name. This is a great comprehensive guide for plugging in books to strict curriculum plans and vice versa: taking a great book and organizing a unit around it. Subscribe to the free email newsletter.

Kahn Academy‘s history section is a fantastic way to supplement literature studies. Enhance students’ understanding of a fictionalized time period by learning what those times were really like. Have students speculate on how realistic or true-to-the-times the book is that you are reading.

Penn State Online Master of Education You know I’ve gotta plug my program! I love Penn State’s curriculum and instruction classes and I’ve learned so much about children’s literature in just three semesters.

Teaching Literature is the place to start any literature study. They have so many guides, lists, links, definitions, summaries, novel guides, in-depth analysis, and on and on and on. There is just so much here it would be difficult to exhaust this resource.

Have you tried searching for videos about your book on YouTube? Here is an excellent video of Sandra Cisneros speaking about The House on Mange Street. Tuype in the name of the author or the title to find resources you can use in the classroom.

Top Online Universities To further develop your knowledge base, take a couple refresher courses online or earn a new degree to get ahead in your field.

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (Newberry Award Winner)

Maniac Magee cover image courtesy of Amazon.com

 

Target Age: 8-12

Summary: This is a tale of an ordinary boy who inspires an extraordinary legend. Jeffrey Lionel Magee was orphaned at a young age like many well-loved protagonists. He is scooped up by his bitterly feuding aunt and uncle where he remains for years until he just cannot take their animosity one more bit. In a move reminiscent of Forrest Gump, Jeffrey just starts running. After a mysterious extended period of time, the details of which may have been lost forever, Jeffery arrives in a new town. Here he encounters something foreign and terrifying: racism. In this part of Jeffrey’s adventure he acquires a new nickname, Maniac, and tries out different homes, each one ending too soon and causing Jeffery to wonder if he’ll ever have a place to call home.

Why I liked It: I read Maniac Magee this week for one of my classes, Studies of Children’s Literature. I’m getting a masters degree in education. I was excited to read it because I remember loving it the first time around in the sixth grade. Of course once I jumped into it, I realized I had forgotten pretty much everything. It’s kind of in your face. I was surprised that I had forgotten how it kind of toes the line with some of the language and ideas.

Don’t get me wrong. I loved it and would recommend it to almost any kid between 8 and 12. The only kids I wouldn’t recommend it to are the ones who do not have adults or other kids to discuss it with. This is a book just begging to be talked about.

I like the “kid-ness” of Maniac Magee. It doesn’t paint a neat and tidy, please-and-thank-you version of childhood. The characters are all very different, already very much their own persons, and all reflect the family and environment they are growing up in. Maniac is impulsive but orderly and methodical. Amanda Beale is intelligent, brave, occasionally emotional and determined to make the world the way she wants it to be (love her tirade at in the last chapter!). Mars Bar Thompson is loud, proud, and athletic, but clearly vulnerable in a way most kids will relate to.

There is a lot to love in this book, but one final thing I will say is that I really appreciated how Spinelli crafted the adult-child relationships in this book. They are realistic. Jeffrey perhaps idols parents he never really got to know. He recognizes that how preposterous his aunt and uncle’s hateful relationship is. He learns to love an older man as a father figure but also realizes what he himself can teach the man. He sees some adults as the cream of the crop, like the Pickwells, and that some are wretched, like John McNab. The adults in this book aren’t just props around a kid’s stage. They are real people that a realistic child character learns to understand and deal with. They aren’t hollow Disney adults.

Controversial Content?

The racial divide in Two Mills that Jeffrey encounters is a serious issue that the kids and adults eat, sleep and breathe. You’ll come across several racial slurs and misconceptions about blacks and whites. My opinion is that there is nothing in the book that cannot be discussed.

What Students Might Like

Spinelli employs several different types of humor deftly. There’s something for everyone: irony, sarcasm, trash-talking, jokes about smells, funny scenarios including bunting frogs with baseball bats, etc. Maniac and several of the other kids are also very athletic! They might like reading about someone who loves to run, because he seriously runs all the stinkin’ time.

Topics for Discussion

• Why does Grayson ask Jeffrey if people in the East End eat mashed potatoes?
• Myths, legends and tall tales
• Why did Maniac Magee love running so much? What do your students enjoy doing that helps them blow off steam?
• Why does the stopball pitch work every time?
• What does a home mean? What makes a home? What is so significant to Jeffery about an address? What do your students enjoy about their own home?
• Homelessness, especially the staggering number of kids and teens who are homeless. Talk about ways to help the homeless.

Resources:

http://www.carolhurst.com/titles/maniacmagee.html

http://newberryproject.blogspot.com/2008/11/maniac-magee-1991.html

New Shel Silverstein Title Coming Next Week

Next week, Shel Silverstein fans will get a big treat. Another collection of the Renaissance man’s poems will be published, posthumously of course as Silverstein passed away in 1999. There are more than 130 never-before-seen poems inside, says Amazon, where the book is available for pre-order at a discounted rate of $11.75. The title is Every Thing On It.

Here’s a Silverstein classic from Where the Sidewalk Ends, which was published in 1974.

“Tree House”

A tree house, a free house,

A secret you and me house,

A high up in the leafy branches

Cozy as can be house.

A street house, a neat house,

Be sure and wipe your feet house

Is not my kind of house at all–

Let’s go live in a tree house.

Love for Silverstein’s work, even just his work for children, is widespread across many generations. His poetry and prose is simple, funny, at time irreverent, grubby, dreamy, honest and its oddball characters are surprisingly believable. Each poem hosts a new person or animal to meet. They are people we know. They are us. Us in school, us in our dreams, the people at the grocery store and at the office.

Of course, there will be children in your class who have a difficult time connecting with Silverstein at first. They may not derive any pleasure from poetry or feel that the poems are too silly. So many kids have already been exposed to a tremendous amount of adult content and conversations that the simpleness and wholesomeness of the Silverstein poems may seem too babyish.

Your goal with these students doesn’t have to be to convert them to Shel fans. But you can aim to develop a sense of appreciation or understanding. Here are a few ideas I have for teaching Shel Silverstein poetry.

• Have a guest come in to do a dramatic reading of the poems (I’d start with “Sick” in Where the Sidewalk Ends)
• Let each student pick a poem to read to the class
• Ask students to pick a poem and describe who the character reminds them of
• Use a poem as a jumping off point and ask students to write “the next chapter” either as prose or poetry
• Silverstein’s artwork could be an inspiration for aspiring artists. Have students illustrate a poem that they have only heard, and then show them Shel’s illustration only after they’ve completed their own drawing or painting.
• Let the show go on! Have students create a skit to act out a poem.
• Help kids recognize rhyming words by clapping when they hear a pair of them.

ShelSilverstein.com has a great kit for hosting a Shelebration at your school. You could also work Silverstein poems into your curriculum year round by finding poems that illustrate different things you want to teach. Falling Up has a poem entitled “Writer Waiting” that describes all the great things computers can do (correct spelling, copy and paste) but demonstrates that the computer can’t write anything without someone thinking up the ideas and typing out the words. There is a great poem called “Whatif” in A Light in the Attic that can help you talk to the class about fears and worries.

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: It’s Okay to Hate This Book

Photo by Patrick Feller

The number one thing I took away from my recent Fantasy Fiction class completely floored me. It was such a basic lesson that not only did it surprise me, but I was surprised that I was surprised. Are you following me?

Here it is:

Not everyone is going to love the same books I love.

Whoa! Mind blowing, right? For some reason this genuinely surprised me. After reading my classmates’ very different reactions to some books, I quickly realized how important this simple truth is for every new teacher to understand. We read several great books in the Fantasy Fiction class as well as some that weren’t that great in my opinion. But from day one, it was obvious that not all of my peers felt the same way about some of the books as I did. Shocking, I know. Hearing their opinions was priceless and revealed how diverse a roomful of opinions in a typical classroom would be as well.

Why is this? I think it has everything to do with each student’s unique personality, intelligence and creativity. Each kid in your class is going to have a different appetite for imaginative stories. Some will want realistic, believable tales and others will squeal for magic and fantasy. Introducing a child to a character in a book is exactly like introducing them to a new student. They might like each other and they might not. As for different types of intelligences, some kids might be mesmerized by the action of one story while others will see through it and scoff. Some students may dislike the way a book looks or sounds in their head. It could have something to do with right brain/ left brain differences.

It’s important to understand that these different reactions occur so you can work with them instead of against them. It’s okay for your students to not like a book. It doesn’t mean they don’t like reading. In fact, if you encourage them to say what about the book turns them off then you have a better chance of steering them toward a title that is more up their ally. Understand that when people approach the task of reading they are expecting different things. Demonstrate to your students that there really are books out there for each of them– books that fit their personality and characters that are cool or realistic or brave or friendly or smart or whatever they’re looking for.

Recognizing that your class is going to have a range of opinions on a story also opens your learning time up for a richer discussion. Instead of praising a book and asking students what they like, inquire about what confused them or what they didn’t like. Was there anything they didn’t agree with? What did they think about the this or the that? The ending? The character? Her feelings? The battle scene? How would they have changed it or added to it if they were the author? Their reactions are likely to be more complex than they (or you) had realized.

Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book

I love good books. Who doesn’t? I say that because I was going to write, “I love children’s literature,” but then I thought of all the atrocious children’s lit that is out there so I retracted my statement.

This summer I took an online course on Fantasy Fiction for Children from the incredible Marek Oziewicz. It was through Penn State’s World Campus and was completely wonderful in every way. Plus, it is an accredited program. Great reading list, compelling class discussions, reasonable assignments. We revisited some classics like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and discovered some new-to-me titles such as Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book.

Cover of The Graveyard Book courtesy of NeilGaiman.com

The Graveyard Book is apparently the book that took Gaiman from a cult-following to wide scale recognition. It was a #1 New York Times Bestseller and it won the 2009 Hugo Award in addition to a Newberry Medal.

From the Edinburgh international book festival last week, Gaurdian.co.uk reporter Michael MacLeod reports that Gaiman commented, “For years up to The Graveyard Book I loved the fact that I tended to exist in either, ‘Neil Gaiman, never heard of him,’ or ‘Neil Gaiman, oh my he’s my favourite author.’ Somehow The Graveyard Book achieved critical mass.”

You can watch the author, who really looks more like a rockstar than an accomplished novelist, read The Graveyard Book in its entirety on MouseCircus.com “the official Neil Gaiman website for young readers.”

Gaiman lends his witty but gracious voice generously to his Twitter @neilhimself, but according to him that might not be the best place to direct elementary students. As a teacher, however, you can get to know him a bit better through his Twitter feed as he oftens posts links to recent interviews and articles.

Here’s the pitch:

The Graveyard Book is a fantastic book for imaginative readers willing to plunge into a graveyard full of characters and terrifying situations along with the protagonist, Bod, whose family was knocked off by a mysterious villain when he was a wee lad.

Yes, it’s a fantasy. So the world in The Graveyard Book operates a little differently than the one we walk around in. It’s a very welcoming world, however, with life, death and the in-between, but no real mention of any Judeo-Christian elements such as heaven, hell, God or the devil.

Bod is a great character for kids to befriend because he is so authentic about what he’s thinking and feeling. He is a kid in every way, cautiously deciding between revenge and patience when he is bullied at school, ready for adventure, often bored and extremely resourceful. Bod is curious about why his friends, who are dead, behave the way they do and he struggles to understand his differences, seeing as he is still alive. Bod must learn the meaning of life and the joy of living for himself.