Novels in Verse, Fantasy, Sports, SciFi 7/11

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai. Harper, 2011.  In this award winning novel, a young girl named Ha is forced to flee to the United States from Vietnam in the late 1970s. After her father goes missing years prior to the start of the novel, Ha and her family must survive on their own. They settle in Alabama and  adjust to the different culture. Told entirely in verse, the author is able to capture the struggles many refugees face when coming to America. Concepts addressed included, war, immigrations, assimilation and family. Most appropriate for upper elementary students in 5^th -6^th grade.

Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher. By Bruce Coville  Pocket Books, 1991. Jeremy is a junior high school student who wants to be an artist. He is bullied in school and is not treated fairly by his art teacher. After school he stumbles into a magic shop, and the owner Mr. Elivies decides to sell him a magic ball for twenty-five cents. Jeremy later finds out the ball is a dragon egg and that he must care for the newly hatched baby dragon. He names the dragon Tiament and they bond. With the help of his friend Mary Lou and a librarian named Miss Priest, Jeremy is able to uncover information about caring for dragons. When Tiament grows older, Jeremy must return her to Mr. Elivies' shop where she eventually must return to her own universe. Even though Jeremy is sad by this, he still is able to communicate with her through his senses and  his mind. This is a great book that can be used with junior high school students as in introduction into more advanced fantasy novels.   

  Love of the Game by John Coy. Feiwel and Friends, 2011. Jackson and his friends Diego, Gig, and Isaac have just started middle school. They are all avid sports fans who hope to play sports during the school year. Unfortunately, 6^th graders are not allowed to try out for the school team but are able to play for the community team.  The boys are excited to play football except for Diego who wants to play soccer. Told primarily from Jackson’s point of view, the readers are able to see firsthand the events that shape young adolescence lives during a very challenging time period. Divorce, bullying, crushes, deployment are just a handful of the various topics discussed in the work. Best for 6^th-8^th graders. 

The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man by Lloyd Alexander. Yearling, 1992. Lionel is Magister Stepanus’ cat and wants to become a human. They live in magical Dunstan Forest.  Magister Stepanus is very hesitant to turn Lionel into a human believing that they are all immoral beings.  After finally convincing his master to transform him, Lionel ventures off into the corrupt town of Brightford where he encounters an evil police officer named Swaggart and a mayor named Pursewig. Not only do they try to take advantage of the entire community, they also disrespect Miss. Gillian the town innkeeper whom Lionel befriends. Along the way Lionel meets Dr. Tudbelly in intelligent doctor who uses an armamentarium of potions to help defeat the corrupt officials. In his innocent way, Lionel and his friends are able to expose the corruption and free the townspeople from the evil. This can be used as tool to expose children to the negative and positive aspects human behavior. Great for students in 3^rd-5^th grade.

The Teachers from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler. Scholastic, 1989. In this collection of short stories,  a young boy dreads the first day of  school and meeting his new teachers. In the story The Gym Teacher from the Black Lagoon, the boy hears a series of rumors describing the gym teacher as a monster who makes the students complete absurd tasks like running laps around the world and lifting heavy cars. In the end he meets the real teacher who is a very nice, normal person. This is a very amusing collection of stories for children in 3^rd -5^th grade.   

Sports Shorts by Joseph Bruchac, David Lubar, Marilyn Singer, Terry Trueman, Dorian Cirrone, Tanya West, Alexandra Siy, Jamie McEwan. 2005. In this anthology of various sports prose, the authors convey stories that can be appealing to all different types of non-traditional athletics such as the underdogs.  This collection is optimal for students in junior high school.

Mama Played Baseball by David Adler. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2003.  In this illustrated picture book, a young girl named Amy watches her mother play baseball in an all women’s baseball league during World War Two while her father is stationed overseas. Amy attends her mother’s baseball games and watches them in awe. She helps her mother practice by playing catch together on the front lawn. She also documents her mother’s accomplishments in drawings. Eventually, Amy father returns home after the war and she is able to express her pride and admiration about her mother to her father.  This a great picture book that can help young students in elementary school learn about the bravery and determination of female athletes.

The Little Gentleman by Philippa Pearce. Greenwillow Books, 2004. When Mr. Franklin breaks his leg, he recruits his housekeeper’s granddaughter to assist him. Bet is told to read aloud in the forest.  While doing this, she meets a talking mole whom she befriends. Both Bet and the Mole embark on an open and honest relationship discussing many sensitive topics about life. This is a touching account of one child’s adventure with a magic mole. This book is appropriate for students in 4^th -7^th grade.    

Chick Lit, Gay.Lesbian, Fractured Fairytales

The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel. Simon and Shuster, 2007.  Emma, Jess, Megan and Cassidy are four sixth grade students from Concord, Massachusetts with very distinct personalities.  When their mothers decide to formulate a book club featuring the classic work of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, the girls are forced to evaluate themselves and their own friendships, as well as the ones they have with their own mothers. Over the course of a school year, the daughters learn a series of lessons and discover that many aspects of their lives are very similar to Alcott and her famous characters.  This is a wonderful book for young adult readers from sixth to eighth grade. Concepts addressed included bullying, friendship and loyalty.  

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things. By Carolyn Mackler.  Candlewick Press, 2003. Virginia is a fifteen year old girl who is a bit overweight and has low self-esteem. She is insecure and feels as if she is the black sheep of her “perfect” family. She especially feels inadequate in the eyes of her mother whom constantly critiques Virginia’s body.  Virginia’s life drastically changes when her older brother gets expelled from college. She embarks on an emotional journey of self reflection and self-discovery to find out who she is as an individual. I would definitely recommend this award winning young adult novel to junior high school and high school students. Relevant issues such as date rape, dieting, body issues, depression, cliques, death and romantic relationships are addressed and are all extremely relatable.

Get It While it’s Hot Or Not. By Valerie Hobbs. Orchard Books, 1996. In this young adult novel, Megan, Kit, Mia and Elaine have been friends since eighth grade and pledge to remain that way forever.  Now as juniors in high school, their friendship is tested when Kit gets pregnant. The other girls under Megan’s leadership devise a plan to care for Kit.  As a school journalist as well, Megan decides to expose the issue of teen sexuality in her high school environment. Along the way, she encounters various roadblocks that prevent her from addressing the issue. Megan must accept the consequences of her behavior when she decides to defy school policy and express her views. This book is most appropriate for high school students due to issues of teen pregnancy, AIDs and sexuality.

Anna and the French Kiss. By Stephanie Perkins.  Dutton, 2010. For her senior year of high school, Anna’s father decides to send his daughter to an American boarding school in Paris. There, she meets Etienne St. Claire a fellow student of French, English and American heritage. As their friendship develops into a romantic one over the course of the school year, confusion and miscommunication occur.  This is a great read for high school students. The historical and cultural references are extremely helpful in understanding premise of the story.  Sexuality and language are addressed causing the book to be a bit inappropriate for students younger than eighth grade.    

Along for the Ride by Sarah Desson. Viking, 2009. After graduating from high school at the top of her class, Auden decides to spend the summer with her father and his pregnant wife in a small seaside town.   After living most of her life with her structured scholarly mother, Auden embarks on a journey to reevaluate her life and discover interest outside of the classroom. In Colby, Auden works at her sweet stepmother’s clothing boutique and meets a group of coworkers whom she befriends. She also meets a boy named Eli who helps her to break out of her shell. Auden discovers some dark aspects about Eli’s past and tries to support him as well. This is a great book for high school students, it address issues of female friendships, mother-daughter relationships, death and loss.  

Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake.  Alfred A. Knopf, 1982.  In this anthology, Dahl expresses his unique talents by creating his own versions of fairytales. In these versions, the traditional characters are intertwined together to create dark, gory alternative characters that deviate greatly from the more recognizable ones that we are all familiar with.   For example, Little Red Riding Hoods shots the Wolf with a pistol and uses his remains for a coat. The cartoonish style illustrations convey a dark and eeriness.  Very creative adaptations for older children in the upper elementary grades.

The Stinky Cheese Man by Jon Sciezka. Illustrated by Lane Smith.  Viking, 2002.  In Jon Sciezk’s humorous collection of fairytales, the reader is able to experience a different take on the traditional genre. Such collections include, “The Princess and the Bowling Ball”, “The Really Ugly Ducking” and “Jack’s Bean Problem.” The illustrations are very unique and abstract looking, the work is definitely recommended for younger readers in 2nd-4th grade.

Absolutely, Positively Not By David Larochelle. Scholastic, 2005. Steven DeNarski is a sixteen year old boy from Minnesota who is coming to terms with her sexuality. He is able to eventually accept the fact that he is a homosexual with the help of his friends, family and a support group. This is a very useful book for students in junior high and high school as a teaching tool for used for teaching tolerance and acceptance.