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: