The Sun is Also a Star

Yoon, Nicola. (2016). The Sun is Also a Star. New York, NY: De la Corte Press.

Awards: New York Times Best Seller, Michael L. Printz Honor Book

Grade level: 8+

Lexile level: HL650L

Pages: 384

Summary: Natasha's dad got in trouble with the police, so now the entire family is hours of being deported to their homeland, Jamaica. She is having a difficult time saying goodbye to New York City, specially the Bronx, the place she's called home since she was eight. She goes to the INS building in downtown Manhattan to find a way to stay in the States, she is counting on fate, even though she doesn't believe in it. 

Daniel comes from South Korean immigrant parents. Pressure by his family to be like his older brother Charles, he is also in downtown interviewing for an application to Yale to become a doctor, even though his heart is in poetry. In the middle of all their chaos, by the laws that make our universe work, their paths cross and they are destined for their futures. 

Reader's response: Some of the chapters of the book are written in first person from Natasha and Charles point of view, others are written in third person telling the perspective, history, and future of characters they encounter through out the course of a 12 hour day. All the characters lives are connected in some way, from Irene, the guard at the INS building, to the word "irene" used by Jeremy, the immigration attorney, to describe Jamaica. This novel can be a biographical reading to students that come from immigrant parents, have two cultures, and are trying to find their place in world. Many students that were brought to America as children and don't remember their native land or their faraway relatives can relate to Natasha. It can be read by vicarious experiences, for others to see the struggles of immigrant students. It is great that Nicola Yoon drew from her own life experiences to describe the characters and details in the story, she comes form Jamaican immigrant parents and her husband is Korean-American.  

Also by Nicola Yoon: 

The Secret of the Fortune Wookie: an Origami Yoda Book

Angleberger, Tom. (2012). The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee: an Origami Yoda Book. New York, NY: Abrams Books.

Lexile level: 680L
Grade level: 4-8
Pages: 188
Subjects: Finger puppets, Origami, Eccentric and Eccentricities,
Interpersonal relations, and Middle School

Summary: McQuarrie Middle School has become boring now that Dwight is suspended and has to attend Tippett Academy, if he's absent so is his finger puppet, origami Yoda. Dwight gives a gift to his friend, Sara, a fortune Wookiee in the form of Chewbacca. The Wookiee, with Han Foldo translations, comes to life and is able to give advice to students and solve many of their problems, for example what to do when someone you like likes someone else. Some predictions come true, but some students think is a hoax. Meanwhile at his new school, Dwight shows everyone how to make an origami Yoda, but the students' origami finger puppets don't come to life like his. Dwight stops bringing Yoda to school, because he feels like an outcast. Students at McQuarrie M.S. are concern that Dwight would try to fit in at his new school and forget about origami Yoda forever.

Reader's response: Origami Yoda Series by Tom Angleberger are definitely for all the Star Wars Fanatics. Even though this book targets middle school readers, no one is too old for Star Wars or too old to create origamis. Definitely a book to use with our reluctant readers, the plot is easy to follow and students can make many connections to their middle school life. Each chapter is an entry for a case file on the characters. Each character does the writing and illustrations for that chapter. The illustrations add humor to the book and the vocabulary is appropriate for middle grade audience. What I like most about this book is that the characters are all different, they teach us that is ok to be unique. If students like reading The Diary of the Wimpy Kid, they will like reading the Origami Yoda Series.


OrigamiYoda.com

Activity Kit from Abrams Books

Origami Yoda Series:

Grasshopper Jungle

Smith, Andrew. (2014). Grasshopper Jungle. New York, NY: Penguin Random House. 

Awards: 2015 Michael Printz Winner
Grade level: 7-12
Pages: 388
Lexile level: 910L
Subjects: Survival, Friendship,
Gender-identity, Insects, Science-Fiction

Summary: Austin and Robby Brees were beaten up behind the Ealing Mall (Grasshopper Jungle) by some boys from Hoover High School. Robby got a bloody nose and use the blood to write a message to his attacker on the concrete. Both friends climb to the top of the mall's roof and find an access trap door that led them to the story where Austin worked. They shuffle through his bosses's belonging and find a globe with some writhing labeled "Contained Plage 412E." Their attackers also find the mall's access trap and steal the globe. While escaping they dropped the globe on top of Robby's blood, the boys get infected with a strange plague that turns them into huge, man-eating praying mantis. Austin, Robby and their friend Shann find an underground shelter name the Eden Project which contains all survival necessities. In order to stop the praying mantis they have to shoot them with Robby's blood, but they are unsuccessful. All three friends and their parents start a new life in Eden.

Reader response: The novel can be use to teach cross curriculum between Language Arts and History. In the novel, Austin recorded his life's history and that of his ancestors. Students can research information about their ancestors and make connections to their lives. In this science-fiction novel, the characters encounter unusual fantasy like creatures, and at the same time experience teenage love. Very unique.

Andrew Smith Official Site

Other books by Andrew Smith:

Reality Boy

King, A.S. (2013). Reality Boy. New York, NY: Hachette Book Group.

Grade level: 7th-12th

Pages: 353

Lexile Measure: HL620L
Subjects: Family problems, Emotional problems,
Reality television programs,
Self-actualization (psychology), and Fame 

Summary: Gerald Faust was five years old when his mother decided to participate in a Nanny reality T.V. show to help with Gerald's anger outbursts. His whole childhood was broadcast on international TV without his approval. He was so traumatized by the show that he would leave feces all around the house earning him the nickname of "The Crapper". The show concentrated on showing the viewers how terrible things were in Gerald's life: how his older sister Tasha does horrible things to him and his younger sister Lisi, how his mother prefers Tasha, and his parents arguments, and his father non-presence. The more dysfunctional the family, the higher the ratings. Gerald is tired of the director telling him how to act and what to say, he just wants control over his life. Twelve years later, his nickname has stuck like glue, he still has violent outbursts, and no friends. His anger management guidance doesn't help much.  He meets Hannah, the junkman's daughter as she calls herself, and she becomes his first girlfriend. Hannah sees Gerald as a boy not a TV reality star, and she helps him discover hope in his life. He gives himself chance to start all over and have a normal life.  

Reader's response: Wow! This novel reminds me so much of all the reality shows that we see on TV, but we don't know exactly how much is real and how much is acting. Many people that participate in reality shows don't know the value of what their giving up, their privacy. I like how is told in the point of view of the protagonist. I also enjoyed the way the book is written, some chapters are telling the story during the filming of the reality show when Gerald is five and some chapters are telling the story after the show when Gerald is in high school.  This is a great novel to teach young adults about the many ways anger presents itself and how we can cope with it. The book will appeal to many different readers since we all have experience anger in some point in our life, but not all of us are able to control it. 

Official Page of A.S. King

Reading Guide fro Little Brown and Co.  

Interview with A.S. King by YALSA-The Hub

Other books by A.S. King:

Period 8

Crutcher, Chris. (2013). Period.8. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Awards: YALSA Best Fiction YA Nominee, Teen Choice Book of the Year Nominee, and PNBA Award Nominee

Grade level: 9th-12th

Pages: 288

Lexile level:  HL660L

Summary: Period 8 is a safe haven where students can talk about their feelings, concerns, or  troubles, the only rule is to keep it real. It's run by Mr. Logs, who has earn the trust of the students for many years. Paulie "the Bomb" Baum is dating Hannah, but they broke up because he confesses cheating on her with Mary Wells. Just like thin air Mary Wells goes missing. At first everyone points the finger at her strict father. She suddenly appears again, claiming she only needed time off, but her behavior says other wise. Paulie's friend, Arney Stack, starts acting suspicious and getting too close to Hannah. Then, just like at the beginning, Mary Wells goes missing again.  Mr. Log will help the students solve the mysteries in Period 8.

Reader's response: Chris Crutcher characters represent everyday students and their everyday problems. Young adults can identify with Chris Crutcher's novels, read the book and feel like if they are reading a part of their own story. Period 8 is a thriller novel, the author adds tension and mystery to the novel as the plot progresses. At the end of the novel, Mary Wells goes missing again and the reader is left with uncertainty about her whereabouts, unable to infer what happened, or predict what her future holds. I would of like to know the end of Mary Wells, since she was a big part of the plot and climax.  

Chris Crutcher Official Website

A Guide to Teaching Challenge and Banned Books Featuring the Novels of Chris Crutcher

Textbook Reflections YA Literature

Textbook Reflections 1-13

Textbook Reflections 10-13

Textbook Reflections 10-13

Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir

Engle, Margarita. (2015). Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Awards: YALSA Excellence in Young Adult Non-fiction Finalist, Pura Belpre Award, and Walter Dean Myers Award Honoree
Grade level: 4th-8th
Pages: 208
Genre: Non-fiction--Biography
Format: Poetry

Summary: Margarita is a Cuban-American girl who lives in the noisy and dynamic city of Los Angeles, CA. Being from two different nationalities makes Margarita feel awkward and she's always comparing both cultures. She feels like an outsider in her social life that she has "disappearing friends." She waits impatiently for summers to fly back to her lovely island, Cuba. In the 1960's, United States invades cuba at the Bay of Pigs and the Cold War begins. The US enforces a travel ban from and to Cuba making Margarita afraid for the safety of her faraway relatives. Being Cuban in the US during that period of time invited comments at school and visits from the government. Margarita questions if she would ever be able to return to the island again.

"Someday, surely I'll be free 

to return to the island of all my childhood 

dreams."

Reader's response: Enchanted Air is Margarita Engle's childhood memoir about growing up Cuban-American in the States, two different worlds. In the author's notes, Margarita mentions that she finally got to return to Cuba in 1991. She also adds a timeline of the Cold War with notes about political changes. This poetry non-fiction book can be use to teach cross curriculum activities between social studies and language arts. In language arts students can learn about writing and reading poetry, metaphors, and multiple meaning words, which are use frequently in this book. Students can also write their own memoirs just like Engle. For social studies, students can research about the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis and create a timeline of the events.

Teaching Guide by Simon and Schuster 

Other books by Margarita Engle:

March Book Three

Lewis, John. Aydin, Andrew. Powell, Nate. (2016). March:Book Three. Marietta, GA: Top Shelf Productions. 

Awards:  YALSA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction, National Book Award, Coretta Scott King Award, Michael L. Printz Award, Walter Dean Myers Award, and Robert F. Sibert Award
Grade Level: 7th-12th
Pages: 256
Genres: Non-fiction--Biography
Format: Graphic novel

Summary: In September 1963 an African-American church in Birmingham, Alabama was bombed, taking innocent lives. Lewis was a leader in the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and with the help of other civil rights activist helped made the Voting Right Act a reality in 1965. The book is framed by the inauguration of Barak Obama in 2009.

Reader's response: This is the third and final volume of U.S. Congressman John Lewis's graphic novel memoir. The first book focuses on Johns's childhood in Alabama, meeting Dr. Martin Luther King and his participation in sit-ins. The second book in the trilogy recounts his leadership in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960's and the March in Washington. Book number two ends with the bombing of the church in Birmingham and that is where book 3 starts. This graphic novel is both educational and inspirational, the black and white panel art illustrations bring the events to life. A must read in a history and social studies class when learning about the Civil Rights Movement and important African-American leaders that fought for civil and human rights. March is a great way to engage students in historical events and important figures without the use of a textbook.



Get Graphic: The World in Words and Pictures

John Lewis Official Site

Nate Powell's Blog

Andrew Aydin Official Site

Teaching Ideas by Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

Books in the March trilogy:

The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao

Awards: Pulizter Prize
Outstanding Books for the College Bound List
Grade level:
Pages: 352
Lexile level: 1010L


Summary: Oscar Wao is a Dominican-American living in Paterson, New Jersey, he struggles to fit in with the Latino community and finding his identity as well as love. Lola, his sister, rebels against her mother and is sent back to the DR to live with her grandmother. During a flashback to their mother's adolescence in DR, we learn that she falls in love with a gangster, the relationship puts her life in danger so she leaves for the US. During college Oscar becomes withdrawn and depressed. He takes a trip back to the DR where falls in love with Ybon. He runs the same fate as his mother, his love relationship is life threatening, except that Oscar's life is taken. Before his death, Oscar sent letters to his family and friends in the US, they compile them and make a book.

Reader's response: The book is narrated by Yunior, the protagonist college roommate. The novel also includes flashbacks that tell about Oscar's mother and grandparent's lives during the Trujillo regime in the Dominican Republic. Some parts of the novel are narrated by Lola, Oscar's sister, in a 2nd person point of view then switch back to 3rd person. All the character are connected through their Dominican heritage. The narrator includes side footnotes, DR history, and quotes from other books. It was very interesting how the book was written in different points of view from different characters and how it took sudden flashbacks to tell stories from the past that mold the stories from the present.

Other books by Junot Diaz:

Junot Diaz Official Site

Vocabulary List

A Monster Calls

Ness, Patrick. (2011). A Monster Calls. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Awards: Top Tep Best Fiction for Young Adults

Carnegie Medal, Kate Greenaway Medal

Age Rage: 11-13

Pages: 216

Lexile: 730L

Reader's Summary: Conor O'Malley's mother is dying of cancer and Conor is having nightmares that a monster is trying to pull his mother into a pit. One night he wakes up and there is a real monster, a tree creature outside his bedroom window. Coincidentally he always wakes up at 12:07 a.m. During the day the monster transforms himself into a yew tree in the cemetery behind Conor's house. The monster tells Conor 3 that he unconsciously acts out in his real life. Conor has been in denial about his mother's terminal cancer, that the monster intervenes to help him see and cope with reality. Connor's mother passes away by him on her side at 12:07.

Reader's response: The idea of this novel was started by the author Siobhan Dowd, who died from cancer before finishing the story. Author Patrick Ness was asked to take over the work so it could be published. The protagonist in this novel is only 13 years old, but is carrying so much weight on his shoulder that the easiest thing to do is deny reality. Many of us have been in this position, mourning a loss of a love one. The story gives us a lesson that is ok to let go when you have been caring for someone for so long. That we are all strong to confront our fears. The black ink illustrations from Jim Kay only make the monster more terrifying and add suspense to the story. This is a great novel to share with anyone who is suffering the loss of a love one and you don't know how to show you care.

Discussion Guide by Candlewick Press

Other books to consider: