If the Shoe Fits

If the Shoe Fits

By Gary Soto

G.P. Putnam’s Sons (2002) ISBN: 0399234209

Gary Soto, an author of many genres, elucidates both the life of living with little money and the love that endures regardless of a family’s income. In If the Shoe Fits, the main character, Rigo, has three brothers and one sister. As the youngest boy, Rigo gets stuck with his older brothers’ second-hand clothes. Tired of the tired hand-me-downs, Rigo is surprised with a new pair of loafers on his 9th birthday. Proud of his new shoes, Rigo sports them to school, but is quickly picked on by a school bully, Angel. As a result, Rigo throws his loafers in the closet where they stayed all summer, until he gets invited to a girl’s birthday party. Rigo takes out his shoes, wears them to the party, but earns sore feet. Later that night, Rigo’s uncle shares that he has a new job. Rigo notices his uncle’s worn clothes, much like Rigo’s. In the end, Rigo decides to give his loafers to his uncle so that he can wear them to his new job.

Quantitative: Lexile Level--AD730L; ATOS--3.2

Qualitative: If the Shoe Fits is best for students in third grade. Students can connect with the idea of giving to our loved ones as Soto presents. With Spanish words used, language may prove a challenge for some students. For this reason, this book may need adult direction. Soto provides a small glossary in the back of the book to help decipher the Spanish.

Curriculum Suggestions: Soto has a talent for creating realistic fiction. Students could examine Soto’s use of detail and his emphasis on family and community to write their own piece of fiction or an autobiographical narrative. By tracking Rigo’s character development, students will not only see how Rigo changes over the course of the text, but they can also use it as a model to create their own character. If the Shoe Fits could also serve as a text to discuss idioms.

Content Area: English; Health--Bullying; Health--Families; Mexican Americans

Common Core Standards: RL.3.1-6

Addition/Digital Content:

• Gary Soto: Official Site--http://www.garysoto.com

• ReadWriteThink-- www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/calendar-activities/gary-soto-poet-children-20210.html

*Meets the “Reading for Pleasure Picture Book” requirement

When Baseball Saved Us

When Baseball Saved Us

By Ken Mochizuki Lee and Low Books, Inc. (1993) ISBN: 1880000016

*Lee and Low Books Award Winner

When Baseball Saved Us takes place during World War II. The narrator, a young Japanese-American boy, and his family are removed from their homes and forced to live in a desert internment camp after the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. The narrator shares how Japanese-American citizens were treated as traitors because they looked like the enemy. Despite the chaos the narrator’s family experiences, his father builds a baseball diamond for their camp. There this short, unskilled baseball player matures to earn the respect of his teammates. In camp, the narrator hits a game-winning home run. The narrator, once released from camp, must endure racial slurs, teasing, and prejudice. But, just as he did in camp, he earns the respect of his new teammates by hitting another home run and baseball saved him.

Quantitative: Lexile Level--AD550L; ATOS--3.3

Qualitative: When Baseball Saved Us begins with a flashback. This flashback acts as a link to the narrator’s life prior to being removed from his home. This, coupled with the book ending with an interpretive illustration, could prove a challenge for young readers. It is best if this book is read to a group of lower grade students. Deciphering time in the plot may require some scaffolding. Other than the students having to fill in some plot, the narrative progresses with close attention to motifs as a means to present a strong, powerful theme.

The depth of the book’s symbolism will not be obvious to the students in the lower grades. However, if presented to a more mature audience, students with ample background and cultural knowledge has a better chance of recognizing:

• The power of Mochizuki’s use of the flashback earlier in the book.
• The significance of baseball being the game that earns the narrator respect.
• The gravity of putting American citizens into war camps based on their heritage.
• How it feels to be an outsider.

Curriculum Suggestions: When teaching tolerance or a unit on World War II, this book would serve as a wonderful teaching tool. Teachers could encourage:

• Comparing the Jewish and Japanese-American treatment and oppressors.
• Engaging with World War II survivors.
• Discussing the impacts of prejudice.
• The analysis of war propaganda and determine bias portrayal sways popular opinion.

Literature Connection: Farewell to Manzanar By Jeanne Wakatsuki-Houston

Content Area: English; Health--Tolerance; Social Science--U.S. History; Japanese Americans

Common Core Standards: RL.3.1-5, 7

Addition/Digital Content:

• LIst of Internment Camps--http://www.momomedia.com/CLPEF/camps.html

• Ansel Adam’s Photo Collection-- http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/manz/highlights.html

• Teacher Guide created by the publisher-- http://www.leeandlow.com/images/pdfs/baseball.pdf

Personal Thoughts: This story resonates deeply with me. My paternal grandparents were both interned during World War II. My grandmother, who passed just this past Saturday, May 10, 2014, was interned at Manzanar, just below Mt. Whitney. Farewell to Manzanar, a staple of an core literature list, was written by my great, great aunt--Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston. In an Arizona desert, my grandfather managed to create their own city. My great grandfather was the “mayor” of his camp in Gila River. To me, When Baseball Saves Us speaks to human resilience.

*Meets the “Reading for Pleasure Picture Book” requirement

Staying Strong 365 Days a Year

Staying Strong 365 Days a Year

By Demi Lovato        Feiwel and Friends (2013)      ISBN: 9781250051448

In Staying Strong 365 Days a Year, Demi Lovato details the emotional and psychological issues she has endured. Once a child star on the hit children’s program Barney, Lovato has known fame for a very long time. With multiple successful albums to her name, it wasn’t until Lovato was on tour with the Jonas’ brothers (2010) that the depths of her self-medication came to light. Lovato entered a rehabilitation clinic and it is from that experience that Staying Strong 365 Days a Year stems. This book is filled with quotes—one for each day of the year—to inspire a reader to have faith in him/herself. For each quote, Lovato provides a short paragraph of commentary and a goal that relates to the quote. The goals are meant to help readers challenge themselves to grow to be a better person. Lovato has created a modern self-help book for teens that may need daily words of encouragement.

Quantitative: Flesch-Kincade Ease—80.2; Flesch-Kincade Grade Level—6.3

Qualitative: Lovato directly and concisely explains what she feels and why she feels it. With quotes and commentary that is universal, this book could be appropriate for students as young as 5^th grade all the way into adulthood. Although Lovato speaks from a place of experience in regards to substance abuse and eating disorders, any person who struggles on a daily basis or may not have adults around them to teach them how to love themselves could benefit from Lovato’s message. Her message is bolstered by an introduction by Katie Couric. Because the book does not have a plot, younger students may not see the significance of Lovato’s message; however, the daily affirmations does make for smooth reading for those interested in Lovato’s journey.

Standards: RL 6.2, 6

Subjects: English; Health—Eating Disorders; Health—Addiction

Curriculum Suggestions: Although I would not consider this a text to be used in a classroom, I do see its value in addressing the challenges of staying sober and/or coping with trauma. Because of the book’s intertexuality with its use of inspirational quotes, teachers could have students examine the origins of the quotes: What’s the original work? How is the author? What is the genre? These elements make Lovato’s book a way to incorporate text analysis with thematic connections. It would also be interesting to determine if each quote is intentionally placed on a specific day. Do the dates and months matter?

Digital Resources:

Demi Lovato Home Page--http://demilovato.com/category/news/

Demi Lovato “Stay Strong” documentary links--http://www.mtv.com/shows/demi_lovato_stay_strong/series.jhtml   

Huffington Post-Teen--

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/02/demi-lovato-gives-inspira_n_1932644.html

Personal Thoughts: To be honest, I didn’t know much about Demi Lovato. This books was recommended to me by a student so I decided to see what it was all about. Many students that I encounter are desperate for others to understand them and to cultivate their own voice. Lovato puts her celebrity to good use and gives fans and struggling teens a means of connecting to others. Like Lady Gaga, Lovato promotes individuality and acknowledges that life isn’t always easy. Often, adults push students to be adults rather than letting them know it’s okay to be kids.

*Meets the “Reading for Pleasure HS/MS” requirement

Boy 21

Boy 21

By Matthew Quick

Little, Brown, and Company (2012)      ISBN: 9780316127974

* 2014 Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners

Boy 21 is a story about friendship, love, and basketball. The main character, 18-year old Finley McManus, has always been a quiet boy. With his mother having died eight years ago, Finley pours all of his time and energy into basketball. He, along with his long-time girlfriend, Erin, devote tireless hours to their conditioning and training. At the beginning of his senior year, Finley’s coach asks him to do him a favor: Meet and befriend a basketball superstar, Russ, and help him transition to life in Bellmont, NJ, a town notorious for its drug dealers, gang bangers, and poverty. Torn between helping Russ, who is struggling to come to grips with the murder of his parents and his recent transplant from Los Angeles and potentially losing his starting position on the basketball team, Finley begins to realize that people—not a game—matter most. Through his friendship with Russ, also known as Boy 21, Finley comes to terms with his own mother’s death and what life beyond Bellmont might offer.

Quantitative: Flesch-Kincade Ease—91.2; Flesch-Kincade Grade Level—4.8

Qualitative: Based on language and the linear plotline, students as young as the fourth grade could understand Boy 21. However, due to content, this book would be best for students in the upper grades. Boy 21 addresses such topics as drugs, gangs, violence, police evasion, and murder, younger students may not have the emotional or mental maturity to process these topics. Students, depending on how adept a reader they are, may have difficulty understanding Russ’s focus on outer space. Russ’s fixation on the stars and constellations could be misinterpreted by novice readers.

Standards: RL 9/10.1-6

Subjects: English; Health—Relationships; Health—Mental Health; Health—Trauma; Sports

Curriculum Suggestions:

The mental and emotional struggle of both Russ and Finley demonstrates the depths to which students who have endured a traumatic event bury it only to cope with it privately. Because of the novel’s connections to sports, race, and the death of parents, teachers could examine healthy ways of dealing with tragedy as well as researching the impacts of students being involved in extracurricular activities such as sports programs. Gale-Cengage’s Opposing Viewpoints database, provides portal pages that offer students access to credible and reliable articles that speak directly to the major issues Boy 21 addresses. Overall, I see this book fitting best on an outside reading list, especially since the book appears on this year’s list of outstanding books for college bound and lifelong learners. Teachers and teacher-librarians could also encourage students to read other books by Matthew Quick including the Oscar award-winning story, The Silver Linings Playbook.

Digital Resources:

YALSA--http://www.ala.org/yalsa/2014-outstanding-books-college-bound-and-lifelong-learners  

Personal Thoughts: I really enjoyed Boy 21. This story really speaks to young boys, especially those living in communities where gangs, drugs, and violence are prominent. I see this being a great recommendation for struggling and reluctant readers. 

*Meets the “Reading for Pleasure HS/MS” requirement

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower    Gallery Books (1999)  ISBN: 9781451696202

By Stephen Chbosky

Written in a personal journal format, Charlie reveals the challenges he faces during his freshmen year of high school. Charlie begins his story by sharing details of his friend, Michael’s, suicide, which occurred during the boys’ 8th grade year. After Michael’s death, Charlie, along with some of Michael’s other friends, attend counseling. Charlie carries this and his beloved aunt’s death with him as he forges through his freshmen year of high school. Charlie finds two pivotal friends in seniors, Patrick and Sam, a step-brother and sister duo who welcomes Charlie into their pack of wallflowers. Through their friendship and his English teacher’s reading recommendations, Charlie begins to come to terms with the tragedy that he’s endured and the mental illness he bears.  This formative tale underscores a teenager’s experimentation with drugs, sex, and self-discovery.

Quantitative: Lexile—720L; ATOS—4.8

Qualitative: Although the language doesn’t pose much difficulty, the interest level of The Perks of Being a Wallflower is for upper grade students. With issues like sex, drugs, suicide, mental illness, and homosexuality in addition to the use of vulgar language, this book would not be appropriate for the age group Accelerated Reader matches it with. However, these issues connect with various access points that make this book highly engaging for high school students. The journal format of the novel may pose some difficulty. In many instances, Charlie’s first-person narrative includes flashbacks that a reader must interpret. Additionally, because of Charlie’s mental state, he often leaves thoughts or observations open-ended allowing the reader to fill in the gap. Two specific instances occur in the form of the “Dear Friend” that Charlie addresses each journal entry to and the vague details regarding his relationship with his favorite aunt.  With allusions to classical literature and eighties/early nineties music, readers may struggle to understand how the themes of these books and songs relate to the novel as a whole. Both prior and cultural knowledge will definitely assist in a reader’s understanding of the themes Chbosky presents.

Content Area: English; Health—Relationships; Health—Homosexuality; Health—Mental Health; Health--Teen suicide

Standards: RL.9/10.2-5; 9

Curriculum Suggestions: The Perks of Being a Wallflower would be great additional or supplemental reading that connects to the classic novel, Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Students could compare and contrast Charlie’s experiences to Holden Caulfield’s experience. Both books that revolve around teenage angst and with characters struggling to maintain a healthy mental state, the books, when analyzed side by side, add more meaning to one another. What do the students notice about the voices of Charlie and Holden? How does the structure of each novel influence the reader’s attitude toward each character?

Another way teachers can encourage additional reading is through the intertextuality of the novel. Teachers could create “Charlie’s Reading List.” This list could be used, again, as supplemental or additional reading. Since many of the texts are already appear on recommended, core literature lists, English teachers could even organize their class thematically using “Charlie’s Reading List” as an anchor.

Like Catcher in the Rye, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a book that was a challenged book. Teachers could have students examine the books that have been challenged and determine what makes these books controversial. It would also serve as a wonderful display in the library for Banned Book Month.

Finally, teachers may want to have their students keep a personal journal or blog Like Charlie, they may find the exercise therapeutic. Allowing for journal/blogging time in the course of a class period would emphasize the importance and benefits of keeping a journal.

Digital Resources:

·         Perks of Being a Wallflower Screenplay--http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~ina22/splaylib/Screenplay-Perks_of_Being_a_Wallflower.pdf

·         Read Alikes--http://www.cityofpuyallup.org/files/library/9253feee5da2df77.pdf

·         Top 10 ALA Banned Books List--http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10

·         Penzu: Online Journal--http://penzu.com/

Personal Thoughts: When considering a school’s population, The Perks of Being a Wallflower really attracts students that can relate to Charlie and his friends. What the novel really exposes is how guarded students are about their problems. Adults often don’t realize the struggles students bring with them every day. The multiple access levels really speak to a diverse group coping with universal issues.

*Meets the “Reading for Pleasure HS/MS” requirement

Chicka Chicka 123

Chicka Chicka 1-2-3   

By  Bill Martin Jr., Michael Sampson, Lois Ehlert     

Scholastic Inc. (2006)             ISBN: 0439731070

This is book that teaches counting. The narrative follows numbers that consecutively climb an apple tree. As each apple climbs the tree, they begin to eat the apples. Once number 20 gets into the tree, the numbers climb by 10s—30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and so on. All the while zero is stuck at the bottom of the tree, wondering when he can climb up. Ignoring his requests, the numbers continue to climb getting all the way to 99. Once number 99 makes it into the tree, bumblebees arrive forcing all the numbers down the tree; the countdown begins starting with 99 and ending with 1. Once all the numbers are out of the tree, zero finds his spot—on top of the tree with number 10. Together, they make 100 to finish the counting and zero becomes the “hero of the number tree.”

Quantitative: Lexile Level-AD470L; ATOS--NA

Qualitative:   This is a counting story for young readers, specifically kindergartners, learning their numbers. The story personifies the numbers by having them climb, talk, and eat like humans. The physical nature of the numbers climbing up and down the tree represents the counting up and counting down. This visualization will help young learners to see the action of counting.

Content Area: Math--Counting

Common Core Standards: K.CC--Counting and Carnality

Curriculum Suggestions:

This book is a great choice for teaching young leaders to count. Teachers can design other ways numbers can climb up and down in order to visualize the ascension and dissension of the numbers such as climbing a ladder or flying. This will continue to build upon the visualization as well as assisting to develop students’ understanding of personification.

Additional/Digital Content:

·         Chicka Chicka 123 Video-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkhSO5B60ns

·         Making Learning Fun-- http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/ChickaChicka123.htm

·         Pinterest: Chicka Chicka 123-- https://www.pinterest.com/fatanny/chicka-chicka-boom-boom-123/

Further Reading:

·         Chicka Chicka Boom

*Meets the “Reading for Pleasure Picture Book” requirement

Armadillo Rodeo

Armadillo Rodeo

By Jan Brett      G.P. Putnam’s Sons (1995)              ISBN: 0399228039

In Armadillo Rodeo, Bo, a curious armadillo, gets easily distracted by a young girl’s red cowboy boots. Bo mistakes Harmony Jean’s red boots for a red armadillo that he wishes to be his new friend. Bo’s curiosity gets the best of him and he leaves his mother and brothers behind to follow the red “armadillo.” On his adventure, Bo follows his new friend onto a bucking bronco and gets bucked off. Enjoying his ride, Bo continues to follow the boots into the bar-b-q area and eventually makes it to the rodeo’s dance. All the while, Bo’s mother is desperately searching for Bo. At the end of the day, Harmony Jean kicks off her new, red boots and Bo runs up to them asking what’s next. Without a response, he knocks over the boots, goes inside, smells them, and realizes they are not an armadillo. Just as he has this realization, Bo’s mother appears and takes him home.

Quantitative: Lexile Level-670L; ATOS--3.4

Qualitative:   Armadillo Rodeo’s complexity stems from its introduction to new vocabulary related to the rodeo and Western culture. The visuals offer room for filling in the second narrative that relates to Bo’s mother’s search. On each page, illustrations on the margins show Bo’s mother looking for her lost son by asking all the other animals in the area. A young reader would need to interpret these interactions and connect them to the main narrative. This book would be best for 2nd -4th graders.

Content Area: English; Social Science—U.S. History

Common Core Standards: RL.3.3, 7

Curriculum Suggestions:

Armadillo Rodeo offers an opportunity for teachers to examine Western wear, rodeos, and animals that can be found in the Western region. This can be done through a comprehensive unit on the West. A unit such as this could be attached to Western expansion and the culture that has continued from that expansion. Local fairs tend to have rodeos—why does this continue? Exploration of the geographical region and its ecosystem could be included to better understand the expansive nature of Western culture. Because of the language and need for background knowledge, this book would be best for students in 3rd grade.

Additional/Digital Content:

·         National Geographic-- http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/armadillo/

·         Pinterest-- https://www.pinterest.com/wradv/animals-of-the-west/

                       https://www.pinterest.com/iheartkinder/rodeo/

·         Kid Scoop-- http://www.kidscoop.com/webliography/people_and_legends/topics/bill_pickett/

*Meets the “Reading for Pleasure Picture Book” requirement