A Fine, Fine School

Creech, Sharon. (2001). A Fine, Fine School.

Genre: Fiction
Awards: New York Times Best Seller
Lexile Measure: AD300L
DRA: 18
AR: 2.7

Sharon Creech Offical Site

Summary: Mr. Keen, the principal at the school, is proud of the fine students, the fine teachers, and the fine school that decides to have school on the weekends, holidays, and in summer. The students don't like the idea, but don't know how break the news to Mr. Keen. Tillie, a student at the school, decides to tell the principal how students don't have the time to learn kid things like climbing a tree, skipping, swing, and train their dogs. Mr. Keen decides that kids are missing out on being kids and decides to give the school back the weekends and summer offs.

Read aloud by Andrea Chavarria

Reader Response: This book is a great book to read to students before a holiday break or before summer. Students can write in their journals reasons why their school is such a fine school and/or pros and cons of extending the school year. You can also extended and write the pros and cons of closing or opening year round different buildings in the community. This book can also be use to help write a persuasive letter to the principal convincing him to either extend or shorten the school year, just how Tillie gave valuable reasons to her principal.

Other books by Sharon Creech:

BabyMouse: Beach Babe

Holm, Jennifer. (2006). BabyMouse: Beach Babe. New York, NY: Random House Children's Books.

Genre: Fantasy
Format: Graphic Novel
Lexile Measure: N/A
DRA: N/A
AR: 2.0


Baby Mouse by Random House

Jennifer Holm Official Site

List for using graphic novels in the classroom by Mathew Holm


Summary: Baby Mouse wants to be a surfing star so she heads down to the beach, but encounters a shark which puts a stop to her dream. During her trip at the beach her baby brother, Squeak, just wants to play with her but she thinks his too young. She then finds a magic lamp in a trash can and wishes for some random wishes. At the end she realizes she doesn't have anybody to play with and sees the importance of Squeak companionship.

Reader Response: Baby Mouse graphic novels give young readers a nice bridge between picture books and long novels. Graphic novels develop a reading habit, because they're long enough to practice fluency, but short enough for young readers to finish on their own.

Books included in the Baby Mouse Series:

How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous

Bragg, Georgia. (2011). How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous. New York, NY: Walker.

Genre: Non-fiction

Lexile Measure: 950L

DRA: 50

AR: 5.0

Georgia Bragg Official Site

Summary: The book opens with "If you don't have the guts for gore, don't open this book". The book tells the story of many famous people in history and how they had a disgusting death. George Washington got the beetle blister treatment and Henry the VIII eat himself to death. The book also provides about the place, traditions, and culture of that time period.

Reader Response: This book is great for getting students interested in history. It contains disgusting and gross details and illustrations, but that's exactly what kids enjoy. The book is not to scare kids, but to get them interested in reading and to make a connection between history, science, medicine, and cultures. The book can be use as a resource in a biography research project. The author also provides a bibliography reference for students to search more information about the awful ends of the awfully famous, as well as definitions for scientific terms and history vocabulary. 

Another book by Georgia Bragg:

The Crossover

Kwame, Alexander. (2014). The Crossover. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Format: Poetry

Awards: Newberry Medal and Coretta Scott Award

Lexile Measure: 750L

DRA: M/A

AR: 5.0

Alexander Kwame Official Site

Poetry Foundation.org

Summary: Josh and JB are 13 year old twins, that come from a professional and educated African American family. Josh admires his father and wishes to grow up like him, a respected and admire professional basketball player. JB gets a new girlfriend and spends less time with Josh, making Josh feel jealous of his brother. The father has poor eating habits leading him to have a heart attacks. Josh has trouble coping with his father's sickness and takes his anger out on his JB, making them fight and distance away from each other. When the boys loose their father they realize they need each other. 

Reader Response: I enjoy how the novel is written in poetry format. The author uses free verse to convey the characters thoughts and feelings, some haiku poetry from the boys' mother, and rap and hip-hop to convey the energy of a basketball game. The 10 rules of basketball are also expressed in verse. This book will get all of the basketball fans reading and pondering about the author's life message in the story. Teachers can use The Crossover to teach cross curriculum activities like fiction reading skills and poetry.

Other Books by Alexander Kwame:

Good Master! Sweet Ladies!

Schlitz, Laura Amy. (2007). Good Master! Sweet Ladies! Boston, MA: Candlewick Press. 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Format: Drama

Awards: Newberry Medal Award

Lexile Measure: N/A

DRA: 70

AR: 7.6

Reading Guide by Candlewick Press

Summary: The setting is England in 1255 in a medieval manner. All 24 characters are children that tell their own personal story of survival in the Middle Ages. The characters are sons or daughters of the nobility, people that make the community. Even though each character has its own monologue they all have a relationship or know one another in some way, since they all live in the same manor. There is Hugo, the lord's nephew, who is forced to prove his manhood by hunting a wild boar; Nelly who supports her family by selling live eels; and Mog who gets a lesson from her mother on how to save a cow from a greedy landlord; and many more. 

Reader Response: To be honest I wasn't interested in Middle Times until I read this book. One of the best things I like about this book is the fact that it was written by a librarian to her students. The book gives information about the daily life and struggles of children in the Middle Times, usually when we learned about that time period we focus on the life of adults. Because all characters are children it gives students opportunities to make text to self connection. I also like how is written in monologue and dialogue given students or a whole class to act out the book. Another positive for this book is the side notes with background information about the characters, their actions, and motives.