Informational Book Review: Hoot, Hoot, Hooray!

Picture courtesy of Amazon.com

Title: Hoot, Hoot, Hooray!
Author: Ashley Brown Blewett
Genre: Informational, Nonfiction, Children's Literature
Illustrator: Not Available
Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books
Copyright Date: 2015
Pages: 112
Awards: N/A

Summary:The National Geographic Kids Chapter books provide very interesting and engaging information about animals. This particular book is about a pair of owls who need saving in order to thrive in the wild. Paul and Babe, two owlets who are found by two men who were logging in the forest are taken to their mother who helps safe displaced animals. Soon the owlets found themselves in the Owl Moon Raptor Center where they were rehabilitated and sent to be free. There is another fascinating story about a baby elephant calf who lost her mother’s to poachers. The elephant named heavenly was saved by a team who worked around the clock to release her in a fenced in area called a stockade. The last story is about a black bear who was found injured in the snow. If you want to more about his story I encourage you to pick up this book.

Educational Purpose: I would use this book to have students learn about animals. There are three animals introduced in this book, the owl, elephant, and a black bear. I would assign an animal to each of the students and would have them research or collect more information about the animals. Students who have the same animal would then get in a group and share their research. Students would then create a poster board with the new information and present it to the rest of the students.

Grade Level: (Second-Fifth Grades) This book is meant to challenge the reader and introduce more complex vocabulary words. The books will have more text and less pictures. The topic is familiar and will draw the reader in. These books are intended to expand their knowledge and reading skill. Lexile 670L. 

Ratings:

					Comments
Plot	Excellent plot that is clever and has many surprising twists.	Good plot that has some surprises.	This is an okay plot that is kinda interesting.	Loose plot with many holes, and fails to grab the reader’s attention.	This is such a fun book because it has multiple stores with different problems.
Character	Excellent characterization. The characters are complex and provide a strong emotional impact on the reader.	The characters are believable and the reader can relate to them, and feel an emotional tie to the characters.	The characters are lacking but likable. There is some emotional attachment to the characters.	The characters are poorly described, and leave the reader feeling detached from the book.	If you love animals this book will draw you in. You will be hoping for the survival and release of each and every character.
Illustration	Excellent illustrations. Very detailed, creative, and connected to the book.	Illustrations were good and showed something important about the book.	The illustrations were okay, they were not very creative.	There was no illustrations, or they were not interesting.	There were no illustrations, but there were lots of photographs of animals.
Recommendation	Excellent book that I highly recommend having in your classroom or library. This book will captivate, enchant, fascinate, and basically make you obsess about it.	Good book that I recommend having in your classroom or library. The book was interesting and kept my interest and was overall very engaging.	This book was okay. I believe this would be a book to check out from the library if you're feeling bored.	This book was awful and I cannot recommend it for your classroom or library. This book will leave you wishing you could rewind time so you don’t read it.	This is such a fun book, I highly recommend it. Great resource to have in your classroom.

Multicultural Book Review: Jingle Dancer

Picture courtesy of Amazon.com

Title: Jingle Dancer

Author: Cynthia Leitich Smith

Genre: Native Americans, Cultural, Children's Literature 

Illustrator: Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu

Publisher: HarperCollins

Copyright Date: 2000

Pages: 32 Pages

Awards: One Book One San Diego for Young Adult (2013)

Summary: This is a book about a young girl named Jenna who wants to dance at the Powwow like her Grandmother Wolfe but has a problem because her dress does not jingle. She watches videos of her grandmother dancing and loves the sound of her tink, tink, tink, tink dress. So she dreams up of being a jingle dancer and decides to ask for bells to create her own dress regalia. Jenna visits family members like Great-aunt Sis, Mrs. Scott, and Cousin Elizabeth where she gets enough bells. She promises to dance for them because they won’t be able to dance in the Powwow. Jenna and her Grandmother work together to sew on the jingles, and Jenna continued to practice her bounce-steps. During the Powwow Jenna jingle danced for all her family members, but especially for her Grandmother “who warmed like Sun.”

Educational Purpose: I would incorporate this book for a lesson about Native American Indians and their traditions of a Powwow. This book will help students to acquire knowledge, and appreciate the tradition of American Indians. During the reading I would have students keep a piece of paper for words that they do not understand. At the end of this book is a glossary that explains some of the cultural vocabulary words the students would be exposed to. I would also have students watch a live video of a Jingle Dancer. Also, I would ask a guest speaker to come in and share about the Powwow and to show the students how to dance the jingle dance. 

Grade Level: (Kindergarten-Second Grade) This book has topics that are familiar and likeable to the readers. New vocabulary will be introduced, and there are a lot of pictures and little text. The story will engage and teach a new concept to students. Also, this book is meant for students who are learning how to read. Lexile 710L.

Ratings:

					Comments
Plot	Excellent plot that is clever and has many surprising twists.	Good plot that has some surprises.	This is an okay plot that is kinda interesting.	Loose plot with many holes, and fails to grab the reader’s attention.	This is a great story that introduces the reader to Native American culture. Throughout the novel you are waiting to see if everything words out.
Character	Excellent characterization. The characters are complex and provide a strong emotional impact on the reader.	The characters are believable and the reader can relate to them, and feel an emotional tie to the characters.	The characters are lacking but likable. There is some emotional attachment to the characters.	The characters are poorly described, and leave the reader feeling detached from the book.	The character were very engaging. You are connected and cant wait to find out if Jenna will get to dance will bells.
Illustration	Excellent illustrations. Very detailed, creative, and connected to the book.	Illustrations were good and showed something important about the book.	The illustrations were okay, they were not very creative.	There was no illustrations, or they were not interesting.	The illustrations are absolutely amazing. The use of watercolors brings a realness to the pictures.
Recommendation	Excellent book that I highly recommend having in your classroom or library. This book will captivate, enchant, fascinate, and basically make you obsess about it.	Good book that I recommend having in your classroom or library. The book was interesting and kept my interest and was overall very engaging.	This book was okay. I believe this would be a book to check out from the library if you're feeling bored.	This book was awful and I cannot recommend it for your classroom or library. This book will leave you wishing you could rewind time so you don’t read it.	I highly recommend this book. This is a great Native American resource for teachers to have in their classroom.

Biography Review: The Diary of A Young Girl

Picture courtesy of Amazon.com

Title: The Diary of a Young Girl
Author: Anne Frank
Genre: Biography
Illustrator: Not Available
Publisher: Bantam; Reissue edition (June 1, 1993)
Copyright Date: 1947
Pages: 304
Awards: YALSA Best Books For Young Adult

Summary: Anne Frank is given a diary on her thirteenth birthday and this is where the story begins. She is a young Jewish girl who has to go into hiding during World War II, along with her family members. A total of eight individuals hide in the secret annex where they have to be extremely quiet so that they will not be overheard. Emotions and fear plague all of the members in the house as they hide from the Nazis. Anne is a very opinionated and documents what happens in the secret annex to her diary named kitty. For over two years the individuals are all in hiding until they are discovered and deported to concentration camps.

Educational Purpose: I would use this book with a Holocaust unit. I would assign three books, and this would be one of the choices. The reading groups would be split by Lexile level. The Diary of a Young Girl would be for the higher leveled reading group. While reading this book students would need to answer questions from a comprehension packet about the novel.  I would also allow students to watch the movie after. Another way that I would use this book would be with a read aloud. While reading we would have class discussions about the content in the novel, and the students would answer quiz questions. At the end of the book, I would show the Diary of Anne Frank movie to the students.

Grade Level: (Sixth-Eleventh Grade) This book has no illustrations, and is a longer chapter book. There are complex vocabulary words that are introduced and abstract ideas that will challenge the reader. The intended purpose is to expand the readers knowledge and reading skills. Because this subject content can be sensitive the teacher needs to make sure they are using age appropriate examples. Lexile 1080L.

Ratings: 

					Comments
Plot	Excellent plot that is clever and has many surprising twists.	Good plot that has some surprises.	This is an okay plot that is kinda interesting.	Loose plot with many holes, and fails to grab the reader’s attention.	This is a very engaging text, and keeps the reader interested in what is going to happen next.
Character	Excellent characterization. The characters are complex and provide a strong emotional impact on the reader.	The characters are believable and the reader can relate to them, and feel an emotional tie to the characters.	The characters are lacking but likable. There is some emotional attachment to the characters.	The characters are poorly described, and leave the reader feeling detached from the book.	The characters are very complex and you feel an emotional connection to them, especially Anne Frank. You also feel like you are one of the individuals living in the secret annex at times.
Illustration	Excellent illustrations. Very detailed, creative, and connected to the book.	Illustrations were good and showed something important about the book.	The illustrations were okay, they were not very creative.	There was no illustrations, or they were not interesting.	There are no illustrations available.
Recommendation	Excellent book that I highly recommend having in your classroom or library. This book will captivate, enchant, fascinate, and basically make you obsess about it.	Good book that I recommend having in your classroom or library. The book was interesting and kept my interest and was overall very engaging.	This book was okay. I believe this would be a book to check out from the library if you're feeling bored.	This book was awful and I cannot recommend it for your classroom or library. This book will leave you wishing you could rewind time so you don’t read it.	I highly recommend this book. I read this in elementary school and vividly remember it.I believe that this is a great resource for the classroom and can be integrated with a history lesson.

Historical Fiction Review: Run, Boy, Run

Picture courtesy of Amazon.com

Title: Run, Boy, Run

Author: Uri Orlev

Genre: Historical Fiction

Illustrator: Not Available 

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company

Copyright Date: 2001

Pages: 186

Awards: The Batchelder Award 2004

Summary: This book is about a boy who survives the Holocaust. However this is not the typical Holocaust book because this book shares a young man's journey of surviving outside of the concentration camps and what he had to do in order to live. It starts out with him being separated from his mother and then living on his own. He then finds a group of boys who he joins and they steal food and live in the forest. Srulik (also named Jurek in the book) lives on his own when separated and learns how to survive. He wanders from farm to farm and carrying out jobs for food and housing. He works on a farm and has an accident with his arm that results in the loss of his right arm. He learns how to overcome his disability and survive on his own with just one arm. He helps out the Russian soldiers who then take him under their wing, and then the war is over. Eventually Jurek is captured by the Jewish orphanage people who help him learn his origin and then he falls in love and lives happily ever after.

Educational Purpose: I would use this book in a Holocaust Unit. There would be three books at different levels and Run, Boy, Run would be for the lower level readers. Students would have to complete a comprehension packet with questions related to the text as they read. When the students finish the book I would have them do a book report, but I would let them choose how they want to present the book. I would provide three options:  timeline of the book with at least ten events from the book, a new book jacket for the book, or a book in the bag (ten items that represent people, places, and events from the book). Then students would present their book report to the class. 

Grade Level: (Sixth-Eighth Grade) This book has no illustrations, it is a chapter book that is longer in length. There are more complex vocabulary words that are introduced, and abstract ideas that will help challenge the reader. The intended purpose is to expand the readers knowledge and reading skills. Lexile 570L. 

Ratings:

					Comments
Plot	Excellent plot that is clever and has many surprising twists.	Good plot that has some surprises.	This is an okay plot that is kinda interesting.	Loose plot with many holes, and fails to grab the reader’s attention.	The plot is complicated and has a lot of twists and surprises. Very good story.
Character	Excellent characterization. The characters are complex and provide a strong emotional impact on the reader.	The characters are believable and the reader can relate to them, and feel an emotional tie to the characters.	The characters are lacking but likable. There is some emotional attachment to the characters.	The characters are poorly described, and leave the reader feeling detached from the book.	The character is very complex and interesting. Throughout the story you are hoping for his survival.
Illustration	Excellent illustrations. Very detailed, creative, and connected to the book.	Illustrations were good and showed something important about the book.	The illustrations were okay, they were not very creative.	There was no illustrations, or they were not interesting.	No illustrations available.
Recommendation	Excellent book that I highly recommend having in your classroom or library. This book will captivate, enchant, fascinate, and basically make you obsess about it.	Good book that I recommend having in your classroom or library. The book was interesting and kept my interest and was overall very engaging.	This book was okay. I believe this would be a book to check out from the library if you're feeling bored.	This book was awful and I cannot recommend it for your classroom or library. This book will leave you wishing you could rewind time so you don’t read it.	I would highly recommend this book. This is a good resource for teachers to have in their classroom library.

Realistic Fiction Review: The One and Only Ivan

Picture courtesy of Amazon.com

Title: The One and Only Ivan

Author: Katherine Applegate

Illustrator: Patricia Castelao

Genre: Children's Literature, 

Publisher: HarperCollins

Copyright Date: 2012

Pages: 336

Awards: 2013 John Newbery Medal

Summary: This is an incredibly sad story that will break your heart and then against all odds mend it. Ivan who is a gorilla has been living at the Big Top Mall and Video Arcade for most of his life, along with his friend Stella the elephant and Bob the stray dog. The living conditions are not great, along with the treatment from their human Mac. Ivan's true passion is making art, and he spends the days trying to capture his surroundings through art. A new friend named Ruby enters and that is when Ivan decided he will do anything to make sure that Ruby has a better life than what their friend Stella had. 

Educational Purpose: I would use this book as a novel study. Students would focus on word work, comprehension strategies, and point of view while engaging in daily discussions. Students will also keep a vocabulary journal throughout reading, identifying unfamiliar words. Also there would be learning extensions throughout the novel. One of the extensions would be to have students research about gorillas or elephants (their choice). For this research they would need to find out information about their habitat, diet, physical descriptions, and other interesting facts. 

Grade Level: (Third-Fifth Grade) The topic will be familiar and likable to the readers. New vocabulary will be introduced, and will expand the readers reading skills. This is a chapter book with some small illustrations. Lexile 570L.

Ratings:

					Comments
Plot	Excellent plot that is clever and has many surprising twists.	Good plot that has some surprises.	This is an okay plot that is kinda interesting.	Loose plot with many holes, and fails to grab the reader’s attention.	This is a very engaging book.
Character	Excellent characterization. The characters are complex and provide a strong emotional impact on the reader.	The characters are believable and the reader can relate to them, and feel an emotional tie to the characters.	The characters are lacking but likable. There is some emotional attachment to the characters.	The characters are poorly described, and leave the reader feeling detached from the book.	The characters are amazingly developed. Throughout the novel you are cheering and hoping for the best. You become emotionally attached to the animals in the story.
Illustration	Excellent illustrations. Very detailed, creative, and connected to the book.	Illustrations were good and showed something important about the book.	The illustrations were okay, they were not very creative.	There was no illustrations, or they were not interesting.	The illustrations are delicate and do a good job shedding some light on what the author imagined.
Recommendation	Excellent book that I highly recommend having in your classroom or library. This book will captivate, enchant, fascinate, and basically make you obsess about it.	Good book that I recommend having in your classroom or library. The book was interesting and kept my interest and was overall very engaging.	This book was okay. I believe this would be a book to check out from the library if you're feeling bored.	This book was awful and I cannot recommend it for your classroom or library. This book will leave you wishing you could rewind time so you don’t read it.	This book would be a good resource for students who love animals, and also a good way to help teach students empathy. I highly recommend this book for your classroom or your own personal library.