Module 9: The Dollhouse Murders

Book Summary:  Amy is visiting her Aunt Clare at a home owned by her great grandparents and discovers an old dollhouse that is an exact replica of the home itself.  Every time Amy sees the house the dolls inside the house, who represent her relatives, have moved.  Amy keeps telling her aunt that the dolls are trying to tell her something, but her aunt says they are not.  Amy begins to research at the local library and soon discovers the family secret which has been hidden for generations.  Her grandparents were murdered.  Amy’s mentally challenged sister, Louann joins her at her aunt’s house and together they unravel the mystery and Amy begins to accept her sisiter for who she is.  

My Impressions:  This book instantly grabbed my attention and kept my interest in a one sitting read.  Although I found it a little scary for the younger reader, I felt that the pacing and characterization were wonderfully done. 

Professional Review:  Gr 4-7 – Amy arranges to spend a few days alone with her Aunt Clare in the home once owned by her great grandparents.  She is particularly relieved to have some time for herself, free of having to care for her retarded sister, Louann.  When she discovers an exquisite dollhouse in the attic, an exact replica of the family home, her aunt is unenthusiastic about her find and furious when she sees the placement of the dolls; years ago her grandparents had been murdered and the figures are now where the police found them the night of the crime.  She accuses her niece of insensitivity in reproducing the scene, but the girl denies responsibility for moving the dolls.  An emergency at home means Louann must also stay at Clare’s and at first Amy is angry at having her plans to be alone shattered, but then the two girls discover the solution to the terrible crime.  The comination of a beautiful, fascinating dollhouse, dark family secrets, ghostly events, danger and suspense are sufficient to make this a likely choice for escape reading. 

Library Uses:  The Dollhouse Murders could be used in a library to allow students to build their own replica dollhouse.

This book could also be used in a genre study to teach elementary students the components of a good mystery novel.  This book has the components of realistic characters, the reader is able to follow the clues and make predictions throughout the story, the plot is engrossing.  The reader wants to read to the end to find the truth.

Wright, B.  (1983). The Dollhouse Murders, New York: Apple Paperbacks.

Harris, K., & Gerhardt, L.N. (1983).  The Dollhouse Murders

          [Book Review].  School Library Journal, 30 (3), p84.

Module 8: James and the Giant Peach

Book Summary:  James has to go live with his two mean aunts after his parents are killed in an accident.  James is very unhappy there until he meets a man who gives him some magic tongues from crocodiles.  That begins a domino effect of events when James drops the tongue; it turns into a giant peach.  A centipede, an earthworm, a ladybug, a grasshopper, a spider and a glow worm live inside that peach.  James decides to join these creatures and they begin to travel the world until they land in an ocean where sharks attack until James catches a seagull to carry the peach away.  They end up in New York City where they become famous and find jobs for themselves.  James makes many friends and becomes happy with his life.

My Impressions:  This book begins very slowly and was very difficult to get into.  The aunts were so cruel, locking James in the basement, not allowing him to attend school, to play with other children and were denied food.  However, when James becomes friends with all of the insects in the peach the book begins to get more intriguing.  I love Dahl’s word play throughout the book including “But don’t forget to sprinkle them with a pinch of grime.”

Professional Review:  Horn Book starred (September, 1996)

The text in this new edition remains unchanged, but the book is updated with Smith's black-and-white pencil sketches. His interpretation of the fantasy -- which contemporary young readers will recognize from Disney's film version -- is not quite as magical as Burkert's delightful renderings in the original edition. The new edition will suffice, but readers shouldn't skip the first. 

Library Uses:  Dahl does a great job with word play.  A librarian could do an ongoing lesson on idioms using the book James and the Giant Peach. 

Dahl, R.  (1961).  James and the Giant Peach, New York: Puffin

          Books. 

Parrish, O.  (1996, September) Book Review for James and the

       Giant Peach.  [Review for the book James and the Giant Peach by

       R. Dahl].  Horn Book 72 (5), p 75.

Module 7: Because of Winn-Dixie

Book Summary:  Opal, who is ten years old and the daughter of a pastor, comes home with a stray dog which she names Winn-Dixie.  At this time many things began to change in the town of Naomi.  Winn-Dixie and Opal make friends with many people that are outcasts in the town.  The theme that revolves around these friendships is not to judge people, but to accept them for who they are.  Opal has to apply this to her own mother, who had abandoned her. 

My Impressions: This book can make you laugh and bring tears to your eyes in the very real storyline.  It is a very deserving winner of the Newbery Honor award.  The theme is something that we frequently need to revisit with this generation and manages to get that point across very clearly. 

Professional Review:  "He was a big dog. And Ugly. And he looked like he was having a read good time. His tongue was hanging out and he was wagging his tail. He skidded to a stop and smiled right at me. I had never in my life seen a dog smile, but that was what he did. He pulled back his lips and showed me his teeth. Then he wagged his tail so hard that he knocked some oranges off a display, and they went rolling everywhere, mixing in with the tomatoes and onions and green peppers."
Because of Winn-Dixie, 8
And, that is just how ten-year old India Opal Buloni meets this dog for the first time in a Naples, Florida, supermarket -- a dog who will change her life forever. Because of Winn-Dixie is a heartwarming and unforgettable story of family, friendship, feelings, change, summertime, the South, and, of course, a very special dog.
Published in 2000 and written by Kate Dicamillo, Because of Winn-Dixie was named a 2001 Newbery Honor Book for distinguished writing (Candlewick Press, 184p. ISBN 0763607762). Many techniques to connect with this outstanding book for young people follow.

Library Uses:  This book could be used in a variety of ways in the library setting;

·       Discussions about the writer’s craft and DiCamillo’s use of vivid language including similes and the images they evoke.

·       Character sketches to display in the library could be made by dividing the class and having them choose different characters within the book.

·       As a group or individually letters could be written to Opal’s mother describing all that had happened throughout the summer “Because of Winn-Dixie.”

DiCamillo, K. (2000).  Because of Winn-Dixie. Somerville,

          Massachusettts, Candlewick Press.

Brodie, C.S.  (2007, March) Book Review for Because of Winn-Dixie.
     Review of the book Because of Winn-Dixie by K. DiCamillo]. 
     School Library Media Activities Monthly23 (7), p55-56.

Module 7: Stargirl

Book Summary:  Stargirl had been homeschooled for most of her life and lacks the trends of modern teenagers.  She is extremely kind to all and becomes instantly popular in her new school.  However, the differences which kept everyone so interested in her soon become the very things that turn her friends against her.  Stargirl soon has a boyfriend (the narrator) and he likes her the way she is, but hates the pressure from his friends.  He asks her to change.  She tries, but it does not change the way that people treat her. After she wins a huge contest and people do not show up to congratulate her she goes back to her old ways.  Leo no longer speaks to her and does not invite her to a dance.  She goes and once again wins people over.  Then, Stargirl disappears or “vamooses”.

My Impressions: I think many of the issues faced in the book are faced by students today.  Today’s society has a very high mobility rate.  Students are new to a school every day in our country.  I am not sure that many of them are as absolutely determined to stand out as Stargirl seemed to be.  In every school there is a “mean kid” who is determined to make other students miserable.  Spinelli uses figurative language that gives the reader great mental images.

Professional Review:  Jerry Spinelli Stargirl 186 pp. Knopf 8/00 isbn 0-679-88637-0 15.95 (g) Library edition isbn 0-679-98637-5 17.99 (Intermediate, Young Adult)

Cynics might want to steer clear of this novel of a contemporary Pollyanna, whose glad-game benevolences include singing Happy Birthday to her classmates, dropping change in the street for children to find, and--to her downfall--joining the cheerleading squad and rooting for both teams. High school junior Leo is at first nonplussed by Stargirl's not-so-random acts of kindness, but he really loves her from the start. After Stargirl is shunned for her disloyal cheerleading, Leo persuades her to go along with the crowd, and she even reclaims her birth name, Susan. Predictably, this doesn't work for Stargirl; on the author's part, it occasions much heavy-handed moralizing about conformity. While it is true that we are meant to see Stargirl as larger-than-life ("She seems to be in touch with something that the rest of us are missing"), there are no shadows to contour her character, and thus her gestures seem empty. While Spinelli's Maniac Magee was on the run for a reason and Pollyanna needed something to be glad for, Stargirl has nothing to lose. But as a story of high school outsiders and light romance, this will find an audience, and the book does bear many strong similarities to Maniac Magee, offering a charismatic female counterpart.

Library Uses:  In the library Stargirl could be used for bringing together new students in the form of a book club.  Those students would build a support group, a group of friends who are new to a school.  The book will encourage these students to be true to themselves and not give in to the peer pressures of fitting in at a new school. 

Spinelli, J. (2000).  Stargirl. New York: Harper Trophy.

Sutton, R.  (2000, July/August) Book Review for Stargirl. 

          [Review of the Book Stargirl, by J. Spinelli].  Horn Book

          Magazine 76 (4), p465-466.

Module 6: Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse

Book Summary:  Lilly loves school and everything about school including her teacher.  Lilly brought her new purple purse full of special treasures to school and does not want to wait until sharing time to show everything in it.  Mr. Slinger takes up her purse and all that was in it that she was so proud of.  At first Lilly is very angry, but then she is very sorry and does her very best to make it up to her teacher.

 My Impressions:   Lilly is a character that many young students and their teachers can make connections to.  It has an ending that all will love.

Professional Review:  PreS-Gr. 2--[In Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse,] Lilly loves everything about school--even the squeaky chalk and the cafeteria food. But most of all, she loves her teacher, Mr. Slinger, who is a sharp dresser and greets his students with an uncharacteristic "Howdy." The little mouse will do anything for him--until he refuses to allow her to interrupt lessons to show the class her new movie-star sunglasses, three shiny quarters, and purple plastic purse. Seething with anger, she writes a mean story about him and places it in his book bag at the end of the day. But when she looks in her purse, she discovers that he has written her a kind note and even left her a bag of treats. Filled with remorse, Lilly sets out to make amends. Rich vocabulary and just the right amount of repetition fuse perfectly with the watercolor and black-pen illustrations. With a few deft strokes, Henkes changes Lilly's facial expressions and body language to reveal a full range of emotions. When she realizes how unfair she has been, Lilly shrinks smaller and smaller. When all ends well, she leaps for joy in her familiar red boots right out of the picture's frame. Clever dialogue and other funny details will keep readers looking and laughing. As the cover and end papers attest, Lilly emerges once again a star. 

Library Uses:  Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse can be used at the beginning of the school year in an elementary school or preschool library to teach expectations for story time.  Librarians would like for young children to focus on the story at hand and not be focused on the trinkets they so often like to bring with them. 

Henkes, K.  (1996).  Lilly’s purple plastic purse.  New York:

       Greenwillow Books.

Saccardi, Marianne.  (1996, August).  [Review of  “Lilly’s Purple

          Plastic Purse” by K. Henkes].  School Library Journal 42 (8),
        p. 122.

Module 5: Esperanza Rising

Book Summary:  Esperanza and her mother were forced to leave their home of riches and luxury in Mexico after her father died.  They went to work in migrant labor camps in California just before the great depression.  Her mother becomes very ill and Esperanza has to pull from her great inner strength.  She never regains all of her material riches, but she has many family and friends. 

My Impressions:   Esperanza Rising was a touching story about a young girl who went from being the daughter of a rich and powerful family in Mexico to a migrant worker in California. This book has won a variety of awards including the Pura Belpre award because once you start reading you get caught up in the story and it is difficult to put down. It is a very well written novel that shows how many hispanics lived on both sides of the Rio Grande River.

Professional Review:  At times Esperanza Rising, although it takes place in Depression-era Mexico and the United States instead of Victorian England, seems a dead ringer for Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess. Both are dramatic riches-to-rags stories about girls forced to trade fancy dolls and dresses for hard work and ill-fitting hand-me-downs after their beloved fathers die. Thirteen-year-old Esperanza even possesses a touch of Sara Crewe's romantic spirit. The daughter of an affluent Mexican rancher, she had been taught by her father to believe that the "land is alive," that she could lie down beneath the arbors in her family's vineyards, press her ear to the ground, and hear a heart beat. Yet can this still hold true for Esperanza when she no longer reigns as queen of the harvest but labors in the fields of a foreign country, picking grapes on someone else's land for pennies an hour? The transition does not come easily for her, and thus her story ultimately diverges from The Little Princess's fairytale script to become a poignant look at the realities of immigration. Political as well as personal history inform the sometimes florid narrative (loosely based, we are told in an afterword, on the experiences of the author's grandmother). Esperanza's struggles begin amidst class unrest in post-revolutionary Mexico and intersect with labor strikes in the United States, which serve to illustrate the time period's prevailing hostility toward people of Mexican descent. In one of the more glaring injustices she witnesses, striking workers, who were born American citizens and have never set foot on Mexican soil, are loaded onto buses for deportation. Through it all, Esperanza is transformed from a sheltered aristocrat into someone who can take care of herself and others. Although her material wealth is not restored in the end, the way it is for Sara Crewe, she is rich in family, friends, and esperanza--the Spanish word for hope. 

Library Uses:  This book allows many opportunities for curriculum support through the library.  The study of the Great Depression can be shared through the eyes of the Hispanic culture.  It would also be interesting to study what students learned about child labor in the migrant worker camps.  That could be extended through further research into many different writing methods.

Ryan Munoz, P.  (2000).  Esperanza rising. New York: Scholastic.

C.M.H. (2001, January). Book Review. [Review of the Book

Esperanza Rising, by P. Munoz Ryan].  The Horn Book Magazine 77 (1), p 96.

Module 5: Goin' Someplace Special

Book Summary:  Set in the segregated 1950s in Nashville, Tricia Ann, a very brave African American girl goes through a lot to get to the integrated public library.  The statement, “You are somebody, a human being – no better, no worse than anybody else in this world” went through her head throughout the story.

My Impressions: Goin' Someplace Special, with its vivid illustrations and vocabulary, made me feel as if I were in the 1950's in the midst of the segregation issues. I believe that the author's use of language as well as the watercolor illustrations taking us back in time helped it stand above the rest for the Coretta Scott King award.

Professional Review:  Young `Tricia Ann is off to Someplace Special--and about to "burst with excitement" because her grandmother is letting her go there alone for the very first time. The journey is not an easy one: she must face the indignities of life in the Jim Crow South. She has to sit behind the sign on the bus that says "COLORED SECTION." She is not allowed to sit in the park by the Peace Fountain her stonemason grandfather helped build. She visits her friend the doorman at the elegant Southland Hotel and is asked to leave. "What makes you think you can come inside? No colored people are allowed!" the manager says. Despite these humiliations, `Tricia Ann is strengthened at every turn by people who care about her and who bolster her with reminders to "Carry yo'self proud" and "Don't let those signs steal yo' happiness." Soon she reaches her beloved Someplace Special--the public library. The words carved in stone proclaim: "Public Library: All Are Welcome." Jerry Pinkney's illustrations place `Tricia Ann at the center of each page, willing to face the challenges the outside world throws at her. Whether `Tricia Ann is in her grandmother's kitchen (surrounded by bountiful fresh fruits and vegetables and the love they symbolize) or fearfully looking over her shoulder on the bus, Pinkney makes it clear that she will triumph. Though this story takes place in an unnamed Southern city, the helpful author's note states that McKissack was raised in Nashville, where, unlike many other Southern cities of the 1950s, the public libraries welcomed African Americans. The library pictured on the final pages, bathed in hopeful lemon sunshine, is the downtown library of 1950s Nashville. There are many books about a child's first trip alone, and many books about racism and the struggle for civil rights, but this book is about more than either: it is the story of a child facing a difficult time sustained by the support of the adults in her life. McKissack and Pinkney strike just the right balance in a picture book for young readers and listeners: informative without being preachy; hopeful without being sentimental.

Library Uses:  Goin’ Someplace Special can be used in a variety ways to support history curriculum through the library:

·       Black History Month

·       Civil Rights

·       Segregation History

·       Human Rights

All of those topics can be discussed and reinforced, but can be taken to a deeper level by asking the listeners to put themselves in the place of the main character in reference to the above topics.

McKissack, P. (2001). Goin’ someplace special. New York: Athenuem Books for Young Readers.

Smith, R. (2012, February 19).  Book Review. [Review of the Book Goin’ Someplace Special, by P. McKissack].  The Horn Book Magazine 77 (6), p736.

Module 4: Sarah, Plain and Tall

 
Book Summary:  Papa advertises for a wife and Caleb and Anna want to know all about the woman who is coming.  Sarah comes and wins their heart.  She learns a lot about the world of farming, but misses her family and the sea of Maine as well.  They become a family.

My Impressions: A touching story which keeps you wondering right up until the very end. 

Professional Review: 

Kirkus Review (1985)

A warming, delicately tuned story set in an unspecified rural American past, about a motherless farm family and the woman who comes from Maine for a trial visit after Papa advertises for a wife. Even before she arrives, Sarah wins Anna and Caleb with her brusque but touching letters. ("Tell them I sing," she writes to Papa in answer to their question. We already know that Papa hasn't sung since Mama died, when Caleb was born.) Sarah learns to plow and teaches the others, even Papa, to play. She also talks about the colors of the sea, which she had to leave when her fisherman brother married and his wife took over the house in Maine. Anna and Caleb know that Sarah misses the sea, and they hang on every hint that she might stay. She does, of course, to everyone's satisfaction. JLG.

Library Uses:  This book can be used to teach the geographic locations of the states in the book.  Another idea would be to bring art into the library.  Have students of all ages watercolor the seascape as Sarah does. 

MacLachlan, P. (1985). Sarah, plain and tall. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books.

JLG.  (1985) Book Review. [Review of the Book Sarah, Plain and Tall, by P. MacLachlan].  Kirkus Review retrieved from http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=60399cccbdb8b1bc104da07857c6c7f1

Module 4: Dear Mr. Henshaw

 Book Summary:  Leigh is a young man who begins writing to his favorite author, whom he has admired since he was a second grader.  Leigh shares his issues with being the new student at school and someone stealing from his lunch kit.  He also shares his sadness about his parents divorce and having to live with his mom and her not being home much.  He doesn’t see his dad much as his job of trucker keeps him away on the road.

My Impressions: This book brings to light issues that many of our students relate to today.  Although some may say that the book is outdated I think it can still be used for some students to make real connections to the things they are living with on a daily basis.

Professional Review: 

Cleary, Beverly, Dear Mr. Henshaw, New York: William Morrow, 1983, Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinski.

     For those of you and your students who haven’t read this 1983 Newberry Award Winner, this book should be one of the next ones on your list.  Through letters to his favorite author, Mr. Henshaw, and through diary entries, Leigh Botts shares his innermost feelings about his parents’ divorce; living with his mother; missing his father, a long distance truck driver; his scheme to catch the school lunchbag thief; and his aspiration to become a great writer.

          Beverly Cleary has told Leigh’s story with tremendous warmth, humor, and poignancy.  For example, after receiving a response from Mr. Henshaw, Leigh writes,

                   Dear Mr. Henshaw,

Mom is nagging me about your dumb old questions.  She says if I really want to be an author I should follow the tips in your letter.  I should read, look, listen, think and write.  She says the best way she knows for me to get started is to apply the seat of my pants to a chair and answer your questions and answer them fully.  So here goes.  (p. 14).

          This book should appeal especially to aspiring fifth-seventh grade writers.  The illustrations by Paul O. Zelinsky intensify the mood of this story and contribute to its universal appeal.

 Library Uses:  This book would be a great book to use for a new student book club or a book club for students who are new to your school.  Either of these groups could take the step and learn letter or journal writing to share their feelings.

Cleary, B. (1983).  Dr. Mr. Henshaw. New York: Harper Trophy.

Calmes, R. (1986, March) Book Review. [Review of the Book Dear Mr. Henshaw, by B. Cleary].  The Journal of Early Adolescence 6 (1), p103.

Module 3: The Three Pigs

Book Summary:  This version of the three little pigs begins like the others.  However, this time the wolf huffing and puffing blows the first pig right off of the page and into the world of imagination.  The wolf is folded up as a paper airplane.  The pigs run from the wolf in a creative, imaginative way until they reenter the story with those they encountered along the way, the cat and the fiddle and a dragon, in tow. 

My Impressions:  This book has great illustrations to draw in every reader.  The illustrations falling off of the page made me giggle.  The ever changing perspective keeps you guessing along with the wolf being folded into a paper airplane.  This book is a must have for a library.

Professional Review: 

School Library Journal (April, 2001)

K-Gr 6-In Tuesday (Clarion, 1991), Wiesner demonstrated that pigs could fly. Here, he shows what happens when they take control of their story. In an L. Leslie Brooke sort of style (the illustrations are created through a combination of watercolor, gouache, colored inks, and pencils), the wolf comes a-knocking on the straw house. When he puffs, the pig gets blown "right out of the story." (The double spread contains four panels on a white background; the first two follow the familiar story line, but the pig falls out of the third frame, so in the fourth, the wolf looks quite perplexed.) So it goes until the pigs bump the story panels aside, fold one with the wolf on it into a paper airplane, and take to the air. Children will delight in the changing perspectives, the effect of the wolf's folded-paper body, and the whole notion of the interrupted narrative. Wiesner's luxurious use of white space with the textured pigs zooming in and out of view is fresh and funny. They wander through other stories-their bodies changing to take on the new style of illustration as they enter the pages-emerging with a dragon and the cat with a fiddle. The cat draws their attention to a panel with a brick house, and they all sit down to soup, while one of the pigs reconstructs the text. Witty dialogue and physical comedy abound in this inspired retelling of a familiar favorite.-Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA

Library Uses:  This book, along with another version of the three pigs, could be used to compare and contrast two versions of the same story.

Another use would be to stop in before the end of the book and allow students to turn and share (or write) their own ending to the story before continuing and hearing the author’s version of the end of the story.

Wiesner, D. (2001). The three pigs. New York: Clarion Books.

Lukehart, W. (2011, April 1). [Review of the book The Three Pigs, by D. Weisner].  School Library Journal 47 (4) p 63.

Module 3: The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

 Book Summary:  Philippe Petit had a tight rope between the twin towers.  Many people watched and the police threatened to arrest him.  He knew as long as he stayed in the air and performed he could not be arrested.  Once he came down and was arrested he was sentenced to perform for children in the park.  There were boys there that pulled and his rope to make him fall. 

My Impressions: The illustrations and the story draw in readers to a very touching story.  The tribute to the twin towers in the clouds is also very beautiful.

Professional Review:  School Library Journal (November 1, 2003)

K-Gr 6-As this story opens, French funambulist Philippe Petit is dancing across a tightrope tied between two trees to the delight of the passersby in Lower Manhattan. Gerstein places him in the middle of a balancing act, framed by the two unfinished World Trade Center towers when the idea hits: "He looked not at the towers, but at the space between them and thought, what a wonderful place to stretch a rope-." On August 7, 1974, Petit and three friends, posing as construction workers, began their evening ascent from the elevators to the remaining stairs with a 440-pound cable and equipment, prepared to carry out their clever but dangerous scheme to secure the wire. The pacing of the narrative is as masterful as the placement and quality of the oil-and-ink paintings. The interplay of a single sentence or view with a sequence of thoughts or panels builds to a riveting climax. A small, framed close-up of Petit's foot on the wire yields to two three-page foldouts of the walk. One captures his progress from above, the other from the perspective of a pedestrian. The vertiginous views paint the New York skyline in twinkling starlight and at breathtaking sunrise. Gerstein captures his subject's incredible determination, profound skill, and sheer joy. The final scene depicts transparent, cloud-filled skyscrapers, a man in their midst. With its graceful majesty and mythic overtones, this unique and uplifting book is at once a portrait of a larger-than-life individual and a memorial to the towers and the lives associated with them.-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Uses:  This book could be used to introduce September 11 and/or the history of the World Trade Center.  Students could research when and how the towers were built, how they were used, and what happened on September 11, 2001.

Gerstein, M. (2003). The man who walked between the towers. Brookfield, Connecticut: Roaring Book Press.

Lukehart, W. (2003, November 10). Book Review. [Review of the Book The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, by M. Gerstein]. School Library Journal 49 (12), p 46.

Module 2: Ramona and Her Father

Book Summary: Ramona’s family is all in a slump.  Ramona’s father lost his job, her mom has to work full time and Beezus just thinks Ramona is a pest.  Ramona is determined to make everyone happy, but in doing that she annoys her family.  She researches many ways to make money and decides that she is going to be on commercials.  That did not work out as she had planned and her dad assured her that he would not trade her for a million dollars.  The story ends well when her father gets another job and the family gets back to what the Quimby’s call normal.

My Impressions: As I read this book I realized how many students it could reach today.  While it was written in the 1970s it reflects the lives of many students living in today’s economy.  I had to giggle as I was taken back in time with some of the things mentioned, but yet could place the same situations in today’s times.  Cleary manages to have her characters be silly and funny even in real world serious situations that so many of our patrons experience.

Professional Review:  Gr 3-5 – Pest, gutsy Ramona is now seven and a second grader – still ingenuous and loving but a bit more grown-up, at least enough to wonder what’s in those X-rated movies.  The Quimbys – everyone’s favorite family – are suddenly hit by disaster when Dad loses his job.  Mom is forced to work full-time, the cat refuses cheaper food and eats the Halloween pumpkin instead; Beezus is preoccupied and beleaguered by Creative Writing; and Dad keeps house in desperation, chain smoking and sitting by a phone that never rings.  Ramona takes matters into her own hands; primping and simpering, she practices being “dainty and adorable” to make a million dollars doing child roles in commercials; she also starts an intensive campaign to stop Dad from smoking.  It all ends happily with Dad getting a job and promising to try to stop smoking.  Old friends will not be disappointed in spite of the seriousness if the situation:  Cleary reassures young readers by seasoning the bitterness with love and laughter that relieve the tensions. – Marjorie Lewis, Scarsdale Junior High School Library, N.Y.

Library Uses: 

·       Read Aloud – This book would be a great read aloud in many schools where students are facing these same issues with the economy.

·       Literature Circle – Arrange for a group of students to meet and discuss the book.  They can in this group share their emotions and responses to the book and build a community.

·       Writing Group – Ramona’s experience with creative writing could be brought out and challenge students to interview someone who _______________ (fill in with something that the students are currently working on).

Cleary, B. (1975). Ramona and her father. New York: Morrow.

Lewis, M. (1977, November). Book Review. [Review of the book Ramonda and Her Father, by M. Lewis]. School Library Journal 24(3), p 54.

 

Module 2: Corduroy

  Book Summary: Corduroy is a bear that lives on a department store shelf until a girl named Lisa finds him and promptly falls in love with him.  Her mother tries to talk her out of getting him because he was missing a button.  Corduroy sneaks off the shelf to search for his button, but was returned to the shelf.  The next day Lisa returns to the store with her own money from her piggy bank.  She buys Corduroy, takes him home, sews a new button on and loves him.

My Impressions: This book is a classic.  The book relates to many children who have stuffed animals as a friend.  Corduroy is more for the younger crowd and was enjoyed by our family for many years.  There are many sequels to Corduroy, but none of them really have the quality of the original story. 

Professional Review:  Freeman, Don. Corduroy. Viking, 32 pp.  It is love at first sight when young Lisa sees Corduroy, a stuffed bear with one button missing from his overalls, for sale in a department store, but she lacks enough money to buy him.  The happy conclusion is deeply satisfying.

Library Uses:  There are several elements to use as social lessons for children while using this book as a read aloud or story time.  Corduroy has something he doesn’t like about himself that other people notice as well, but he can’t fix it on his own, he needs some help.  The discussion could also lead to Corduroy deciding he wants to live in a palace, but eventually he was happy where he was because he had a home and someone to love him. 

          A librarian reading this book could also take the route of discussing damages to books.  Corduroy had a flaw (his missing button) perhaps due to some mistreatment or an accident when a child took him off the shelf.  If a patron to the library sees a book that needs a little help to be appealing to all readers please let the librarian know so that we can love it back to the shelf.

Freeman, D. (1968). Corduroy. New York: Viking Press.

Burns, M. (1997, March/April). Book Review. [Review of the book Corduroy, by D. Freeman]. The Horn Book Magazine 72(2), p 187.

Module 1: Bats at the Library

Book Summary:  These bats are bored with the normal evenings.  They come through an open window and have some fun in the public library.  The fun includes making shape shadows, playing in the water fountain and at the copy machine and having a story time.  This book is showing readers all that they can see in a library visit.

My Impressions: This book had distinct, bright and colorful illustrations that keep the reader engaged. This book took readers through a visit to the library in a creative way through nocturnal animals.  The book shows both younger and older visitors in a way that can relate to many.

Professional Review: An open library window is an invitation for a colony of bats in this sequel to Bats at the Beach (2006). Once inside, older bats look for favorite books, while younger ones explore and play. Storytime settles everyone down and transports them into the tales, filled with bat characters playing new roles. The bat homage to classic hildren’s books includes titles like Goodnight Sun, while images such as Little Red Riding Bat will amuse children who are familiar with the originals. The rhymed narrative serves primarily as the vehicle for the appealing acrylic illustrations that teem with bats so charming they will even win over chiroptophobes.

Library Uses: This book could be used as an introduction to literary discussion groups in the library. The bats found something they were interested in (insect books) and formed into discussion groups.  

Lies, B. (2008). Bats at the Library.  Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Perkins, L.  (2008, October 15).  Book Review. [Review of the book Bats at the Library, by B. Lies].  Booklist 105 (4), 1 p.