Home of the Brave

Home of the Brave

by Katherine Applegate

Applegate, K. (2007). Home of the Brave. New York: Square Fish.

Interest Level: 6 - 8

Grade Level Equivalent: 4.3

DRA: 60

Guided Reading: W

Genre/Theme: Realistic Fiction/ Poetry

Home of the Brave is about Kek, an African refugee. He leaves his family, and everything he knows in order to come to America. It is written in poem form. It is about his experiences in America, and also reflections on his past.

I feel as though everyone should have to read this book because of the influx of African refugees in America. Kek is a character that everyone can connect to and have sympathy for. The way this book is written gives a real in depth look at what it means to be a refugee. I think this can help students who have always been American citizens better understand how hard it would be to move to another country. I think that it is very important that students who are African immigrants have someone to connect to, and this book would give them that. 

This book could be used as an introduction to poetry. It could be connected to a social studies lesson about immigration and/or Africa. It could be used to talk about the way that we treat others, developing empathy in our students.

This book could be enjoyed by all ages, and so many things could be done with it in the classroom. I would most definitely use this book in any 3-12th grade classroom.

 

The City of Ember

The City of Ember

by Jeanne DuPrau

DuPrau, J. (2003). The city of Ember  . New York: Random House.

 

Interest Level: 6 - 8

Grade Level Equivalent: 5.1

Lexile® measure: 680L

DRA: 50

Guided Reading: U

Genre/Theme: Fantasy

The dark city of Ember is in grave danger. The supply rooms are running out of everything. Soon there will be no supplies and no food to eat, not to mention the lights keep flickering and the city might soon be in total darkness. The only people who can save the city are 12 year olds, Lina and Doon. They hold the instructions to escape the city, but everyone believes they are just silly children with crazy imaginations.

The City of Ember is the first in a series of four books. It is really suspenseful and easy to get into. It is a series that I would keep in my 5th or 6th grade classroom.

This book would spark many writing prompts. I would have students write about a city that they have imagined. Who runs it? What does it look like? What is school like there?

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

The Invention of Hugo Cabret 

by Brian Selznick

Selznick, B. (2007). The Invention of Hugo Cabret. New York: Scholastic Press.

Interest Level: 4 - 7

Grade Level Equivalent: 5.2

Lexile® measure: 820L

Guided Reading: NR

Genre/Theme: Comic Books and Graphic Novels

Mystery and Suspense

Topics: Cleverness, Creativity and Imagination, Coping with Death, Grief, and Loss, Overcoming Obstacles

Orphan, thief, and clock minder, Hugo Cabret lives a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station. When his life collides with Isabelle and her seemingly terrible caregiver Hugo's secrets are in jeopardy. Only his creativity, a mechanical man, and a little bit of bravery can save him.

The illustrations in this book completely make the story what it is. The illustrations not only add  to the words, but tell a story all on their own. I liked how the author used still images from some of the old films that were described in the movie. One activity that a class could do would be to research some of the old films and directors mentioned in the book, as all of them are real. 

This book could also be used to discuss death and loss. This is something all of the characters in the book experienced. Students could identify how each character experienced a loss of a person or of some other part of their life. We could then have a class discussion on connections we could make to our own lives. We could talk about how the characters dealt with it, and healthy and nonhealthy ways people in real life deal with loss.

I would use this book in a 4th or 5th grade classroom. It could also be used in older grades for striving readers as the pictures really aid in the reading of this story.

Until They Bring The Streetcars Back

Until They Bring The Streetcars Back

by Stanley Gordon West

West, S. G. (1997). Until they bring the streetcars back  . Bozeman, Mont.: Lexington-Marshall Pub..

Grade Level: 6-10

Genre: Fiction

Until They Bring The Streetcars Back is the story of Cal Gant's senior year of high school in St.Paul, Minnesota in 1949. Cal seems like an average senior in high school with some family problems and girl problems until he meets Gretchen Luttermann. When he meets Gretchen, he is quickly entrusted with her deepest secret, and is thrust into a life that he never would have expected. Gretchen is in grave danger, and Cal is the only one who can save her from her tortured life.

 
This book has some very heavy issues including: incest, rape, abuse, teen pregnancy, death, teen relationships, and crime. Cal and Gretchen go through a lot together in this book. I would only use this book with my most mature students, and only if I sent a note and maybe a copy of the book home with parents. Literature is a good way to bring up these tough topics in a classroom, and these tough topics would give way to some great discussion that would most definitely develop the critical thinking skills of students. These discussions would have to be closely monitored by adults, as they could get out of hand, and there might be lots and lots of questions. 

Teachers have used this book as early as 6th grade. I would not feel comfortable using this book any earlier than 8th or 9th grade, and only then with close monitoring by the teacher and parents.

A great activity to do with this book is “Container with a Lid”. Container with a Lid is a reader response activity that gets students thinking about themes and characters. After reading the novel students will fill a container with ten found objects representing a character or theme in a book. This will be shared with the class or their book group.

 

The London Eye Mystery

 The London Eye Mystery

by Siobhan Dowd

Dowd, S. (2007). The London Eye Mystery. Ney York: Yearling.

Grade Level: 3-5

Genre: Fiction/Mystery 

The London Eye Mystery is told from the perspective of Ted, a young boy with Autism. Ted lives with his mom, dad, and older sister Kat. Kat and Ted do not get along very well in the beginning. Ted's aunt Gloria and cousin Salim come to stay with them for a few days before they move to America. The family decides that they will take a trip to the London Eye ferris wheel to show Salim and Gloria. There is some trouble with the ticket sales, and so the three children decide that Salim should be the one to use the ticket given to them by a mysterious man. Salim goes up for the ride, and never comes down. The family is in a panic, and only Ted and Kat can find him. 

There is not very much literature written from the perspective of a person with a disability, and for that reason alone this would be a great book for young readers. I would use this book to talk about disability. While students are reading this book, they can keep track of the things that are a little bit different about Ted. We can use this as an opportunity to talk about why he is different, but also why he is just like anyone else. This is an opportunity to talk about social development and how we should treat people who seem to interact differently than many people.

I would also use this book to teach and work on predicting. Mysteries are a great opportunity for this as the students really do not know what will happen. Students will keep track of predictions and clues they used to make these predictions, and at the end of the book they will write about if they were right or wrong.

There are many opportunities for learning in this book, and it is a fun and easy read for many students. This is a book I would use in my classroom.