A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time is a science fiction chapter book good for ages ten and up. This book is an adventurous piece of work written by Madeleine L'Engle which tells a story of the fight between good and evil. The theme of this book is how love can conquer all!

 

A few motivational activities I would include after reading this novel would be sonnets and character webs. Character webs are great for helping students keep track of the characters and roles in the novel. This book's theme is the power of love so students would be able to write sonnets to tell about A Wrinkle in Time. The students should be provided with example of sonnets for students to study.

 

Questions I would ask are:

- How do you think the group is going to fight evil?

- Why does the dark thing seem evil?

- Why is love the only thing that IT could not control?

 

Some of the events in the book is somewhat hard to imagine. Students should be encourage to use their imagination and create their own illustrations that other classmates could view to help bring the characters to life!

 

This book is a part of the series about the Murry family called Time Fantasy series, including A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Titling Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time.

 

This book is a great science fiction book for grades 6th and up! There are many activities that could be included in the classroom after reading each chapter and offers readers a chance to show how creative and engaging they could be after reading it.

 

 

Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is such a phenomenal author that is well known in the classroom. In her book chapter book Shiloh, the author writes about an eleven- year-old boy name Marty who finds an abused dog. The beagle follows Marty home, and he names it Shiloh only to find that his parents doesn't approve of him keeping it and instructs him to return it to his abusive owner.

 

This story encourages readers to think about right and wrong and the power of kindness and love. The genre of this novel is realistic fiction and offers several themes including courage, bravery, and abuse.

 

There are a few motivational activities that could be included during and after reading this book. One activity would be to create a personal journal to use throughout the readings. Students would pretend that they are Marty and would write how they think he would feel after each chapter is read. Another activity would be a pet report. Students would provide a picture of their pets and write about how they got them, how they care for their pets, and what their pets mean to them. If the students didn't have a pet , they could write about a pet that is a member of the family.

 

Questions I would include during and after the readings are:

 

- Why does Marty think Shiloh is abused?

- How would you feel if you were Marty?

- What do you feel is wrong or right about this situation?

 

This author has written many books including Do Feed the Bears and Night Cry.

 

This book a great book for grades 3-5 and would be great for comprehension and recall activities and higher level thinking skills in the classroom. This book is a wonderful read and is recommended by many teachers.

 

 

 

A Girl Named Disaster

A Girl Named Disaster, written by Nancy Farmer, is a very long and sophisticated chapter book. The book centers around a young African woman named Nhamo who is on a quest to find her father and escape from a marriage to a cruel man. Nhamo is only eleven and during her journey she is dealing with near death experiences, loneliness, and starvation.

This book is a realistic fiction chapter book good for readers in 6-8th grades. There are 42 chapters in this book and could be very complicated if not guided by the teacher.

After reading this book, I would pose questions such as:

• What are the two religions in the book?
• According to Nhamo's uncle, what happens to children who don't obey their parents?
• What are the beliefs of the two religions?

A motivational activity I would include after reading this book would be creating an illustrated children's book in groups. I think this is a very creative way of using some of the stories in the book  that Nhamo uses to teach lessons. Another activity would be the re-creating of the setting in a shoe box diorama that would be displayed until the novel is complete.

Other books this author has written are:

• The Ear, The Eye, & The Arm
• The House of the Scorpion
• Do You Know Me?

This book gives readers a chance to imagine what Nhamo's life is life is life through her dramatic and humorous storytelling. Nhamo is a very young brave girl who is determined to survive her harsh circumstance.

Number the Stars

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry is a story of bravery and love for what is right! The genre of this book is historical fiction and gives readers accounts of actual events which took place in Denmark during World War II. Ten year old Annemarie Johansen lives in Copenhagen in 1943 and is having a very difficult time getting used to the changes that the Nazis have made and with the separation between her and her best friend.

 

Number the Stars uses symbolism throughout the novel which is a great concept to teach in the classroom. With themes such as bravery and true friendships, motivational activities would be easy to include as well.

 

Questions I would ask before reading this book would be:

1. What do we know about the events that took place in Denmark during World War II?

2. How would you feel if you were Annemarie during that time?

3. What group was Annemarie's family a part of and what was their purpose?

 

One motivational activity I would use with this book would be to do a symbolic poster where they would choose symbols to represent each chapter they read, then write why they chose that symbol. Another activity would be filmstrips. Each students would have a partner and they would create a filmstrip for one of the chapters. In each film strip the students would include illustrations and small captions each details.

 

There are so many activities that could be included after reading this novel. It is very educational and the cover is also illustrated by Lois Lowry.

 

 

 

Her Mother's Face by Roddy Doyle

 

This book is about a young girl named Siobhan and her father dealing with the loss of her mother and his wife. Throughout the years the two continuously feel sad until Siobhan follows advice from a mysterious woman.

 

This picturebook is fiction and is created with watercolors and charcoal. The illustrator, Freya Blackwood is very creative in painting pictures that readers could actually feel while reading. The facial expressions and memories drawn from Siobhan memories of the short times she had with her mother were beautiful!

 

This book is very motivational for some readers who understands what it feels like to lose their mother. Motivational because the words from the mystery woman helps Siobhan deal with the loss by giving her encouraging words and telling her that when she look in the mirror she would see how her mother would look at her and how much she would look like her when she grows up.

 

One activity I would do with my class is a writing piece that allows students to write about a time that made them sad. My intent would be to do this in their journals. Daily journal writing is good for some students who may be dealing with hard times like Siobhan. Another activity would be to draw a picture of a person who they love and miss. This would be an activity that students could show their artistic abilities as well.

 

Questions I would include after reading this aloud would be:

- How did Siobhan deal with her mother's death?

- How did Siobhan feel when she would see other children with their mothers?

- What did Siobhan name her daughter?

 

Another book this author has written is Wilderness and The Giggler Treatment.

 

Great book to read to help those who are weeping or having difficulty dealing with a situation in their life!  

 

 

Sam and the Tigers

 

Author Julius Lester presents a new edition telling of an African American child known as Sambo. In his book, Sam and the Tigers, the author uses his memory of the past and creativity to create a picturebook of an imaginary  place where animals and people live and work together. The genre is fiction.

 

 

The illustrator, Jerry Pinkney uses pencils and watercolor to give readers full-color artwork for visualizing the imagination use of the author. The story starts off with the classic fairytale line, "Once upon a time." This tone is an interesting way to spark suspicion of young readers!

A question I would ask prior to reading this book would be:

- Has anyone ever heard of the stories about Sambo?

After finishing the book with my class, I would ask the following questions:

- Do you think Sam was brave for facing the tigers?
- How would you have reacted if you were in that situation?
- How many people were named Sam in this story? Where did the story take place?

There are a few motivational activities I would include after reading this book. One activity would be a learning about the different places where the animals come from. The book is about animals and people working and living together. Another activity would be to learn about the history of Sambo. Perhaps the children could write about or draw their own imaginary place as well.

I specifically liked this book because the author took a new way of introducing historical events as fun by reconceptualization. The use of syllables and the illustrations were very parallel to the story. Great book with a unique intent to retell a story from the past.

Peeny Butter Fudge

Peeny Butter Fudge, written by Toni Morrison and Slade Morrison is a wonderful picturebook filled with rhymes that young readers would enjoy. This book is about children spending the day with their grandmother, who ignores their mother’s carefully planned schedule in favor of activities that are much more fun!

The illustrator, Joe Cepeda, used beautifully created pictures made in oil paints that would easily draw the attention of young readers!

This book comes with an activity that students could do with a parent or in the classroom. The activity is a recipe called Peeny Butter Fudge! This will not only motivate young readers but it would also engage them in hands on activity that could easily involve math and science.

Questions I would include with this book would be:

1.       What are some of the rhyming words used in the book?

2.       What kind of activities do you do with your grandmother?

3.       What kind of fun would you have included with your grandmother that was not in the book?

This book is so full of creativity! I would definitely read this to young students and family members. I enjoyed this book so much that I had to buy it for a friend’s daughter! The colors and rhymes are fun and the recipe included was perfect for young readers!