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THE BOOK THIEF

1.    BIBLIOGRAPHY

Zusak, Markus. 2007. THE BOOK THIEF. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-375-83100-3

2. PLOT SUMMARY

THE BOOK THIEF is a story narrated by Death himself. Death tells about the life of Liesel the orphan in Nazi Germany. Starting with the death of Liesel’s younger brother, this book is a dramatic telling of events surrounding Leisel, her new best friend and the different people in her poor neighborhood. A stranger eventually makes his way into the house and is hidden away in the basement because he is the worst thing you can be in Nazi Germany; he is Jewish. There are many twists and turns as Liesel grows up and matures during this volatile time in history and ends on a bittersweet note.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The concept of Death narrating a story filled with such pain and remembrance of history told in a relatable way is very intriguing and fun to read. There are many historical details mixed in and a human element of feeling because of the amount of detail Death uses to retell Liesel’s thoughts and emotions. When the man under the stairs writes and illustrates a book for Liesel, Zusak incorporates the very rough drawings into the pages of this story and this gives THE BOOK THIEF a very nice intimate quality.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)  

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Zusak not only creates a mesmerizing and original story but also writes with poetic syntax, causing readers to deliberate over phrases and lines, even as the action impels them forward. Death is not a sentimental storyteller, but he does attend to an array of satisfying details, giving Liesels story all the nuances of chance, folly, and fulfilled expectation that it deserves.”

BOOKMARKS MAGAZINE: “…The Book Thief "will be widely read and admired because it tells a story in which books become treasures." And, as we all know, "there's no arguing with a sentiment like that."

5. CONNECTIONS 

*This book is a way to introduce readers to topics like the Holocaust.

*Similar Books:

Boyne, John. THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS. ISBN 978-038575 1537 

WHEN YOU REACH ME

1.    BIBLIOGRAPHY

Stead, Rebecca. 2010. WHEN YOU REACH ME. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN 978-0-385-73742-5

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Miranda is a sixth grade student with a best friend named Sal, but lately Sal doesn't want to spend time with Miranda and it all relates back to that one incident where a bigger kid punched Sal in the stomach. That one incident introduces Miranda to Marcus and from there the adventure begins. Miranda finds three notes hidden in places where no stranger could possibly have left them and they all have mysterious and ominous meanings. Through discovering new friends and renewing an old friendship Miranda learns an eye opening lesson about life and time.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This book is a good read with drama, smiles and mystery. The story line seems innocuous to begin with and slowly develops into an intriguing story full of time travel pondering and a simple revelation at the end of the story. The story is very simple and could use more complexity and explanation of the character Marcus. All of the chapters are narrated by Miranda, but an improvement would be to provide a few chapters from the perspective of Marcus in different states of time; from youth to middle aged to homeless old man. There are no illustrations inside the book, but the outside cover is colorful and designed to look as a map of a city with pictures of different items mentioned in the book.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)  

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “As Miranda reminisces, the time sequencing is somewhat challenging, but in an intriguing way. The setting is consistently strong. The stores and even the streets–in Miranda's neighborhood act as physical entities and impact the plot in tangible ways. This unusual, thought-provoking mystery will appeal to several types of readers.”

AMAZON.COM REVIEW: “Rebecca Stead's poignant novel, When You Reach Me, captures the interior monologue and observations of kids who are starting to recognize and negotiate the complexities of friendship and family, class and identity.”

5. CONNECTIONS 

*This book is a great way to introduce friendship themes and the concept of time travel. 

*Similar Books:

L’Engle, Madeleine. A WRINKLE IN TIME. ISBN 978-0312367541

Fitzhugh, Louise. HARRIET THE SPY. ISBN 978-0440416791

LUNCH LADY AND THE AUTHOR VISIT VENDETTA

1.    BIBLIOGRAPHY

Krosoczka, Jarrett J. 2009. LUNCH LADY AND THE AUTHOR VISIT VENDETTA. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books. ISBN 978-0-375-96094-9

2. PLOT SUMMARY

In this kitchen caper, Lunch lady and her fearless sidekick solve the crime of the missing gym teachers by identifying the true and devilish intentions of the famous author that recently visited their school. Lunch Lady is not alone in her crime fighting ways; she receives help from her sidekick and some unsuspecting students. From the moment the odd author shows up to Lunch Lady battling hoards of killer bunnies, Lunch lady knows that she is the one to stop this revenge seeking criminal.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This short graphic novel is a quick and easy read with lots of mystery to draw the reader in. The hero of the story is Lunch Lady who works in the kitchens at a school by day and in her spare time she solves crime and defeats bad guys. This unique story line is funny and silly with a classic comic book feel and plenty of action. Large lettering and a simple color palate with precise pen strokes give a bold appearance to all of the illustrations and lettering making it easy for young readers to follow the story line.  

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)  

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “The illustrator uses a fine line of pen and ink with touches of yellow. Balloon call-outs are large and clear and work well for beginning readers and those new to the graphic-novel format.”

BOOKLIST: “…unravel the mystery in this third entry in the three-tone graphic-novel series. Krosoczka has created a clever diversion this round, with appeal not just for kids but also for other children’s authors.”

5. CONNECTIONS 

*This book is a great way to help students bridge from picture books to chapter books.

*Similar Books:

Krosoczka, Jarrett J. LUNCH LADY AND THE CYBORG SUBSTITUTE. ISBN 978-0375846830

Cammuso, Frank. KNIGHTS OF THE LUNCH TABLE: NO. 1. ISBN 978-0439903226

ONE CRAZY SUMMER

1.    BIBLIOGRAPHY

Williams-Garcia, Rita. 2010. ONE CRAZY SUMMER. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children’s Books. ISBN 978-0-060076089-2

2. PLOT SUMMARY

In Oakland, California in 1968 Delphine and her two younger sisters embark on a journey to meet and rekindle a relationship with the mother that abandoned them and still doesn’t want them. Who else has a mother that won’t let you in the kitchen, cook you a meal, tuck you into bed or let you stay in the house during the day? Well, that is the kind of mother that Delphine and her sisters have and she is one crazy mother. Not only is she crazy, but her friends in the Black Panthers are also crazy with their black power and rights demonstrations. Through a series of strange events and experiences Delphine and her sisters grow together with each other and by the end of their visit they even make a connection with their crazy mother.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The author shares the unique up close experience of a young girl who finds herself at the epicenter for black rights in her mother’s neighborhood. The main character struggles to accept her mother and take care of her younger siblings all while slowly growing and accepting the message of The Black Panthers in the community. This book is about personal growth, acceptance, and learning that life outside of your comfort zone is extremely challenging, but rewarding. Williams-Garcia demonstrates the race struggles of the time through commentary between the different characters in the story. This story is a creative way to express the history of racism and the work that The Black Panthers did to help build up black communities and fight the man even though these activities were not always the best and often led to violence and arrests.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Review: “It's the summer after Black Panther founder Huey Newton was jailed and member Bobby Hutton was gunned down trying to surrender to the Oakland police, and there are men in berets shouting "Black Power" on the news.”

BOOKLIST Review:  ““No one told y’all to come out here,” Cecile says. “No one wants you out here making a mess, stopping my work.” Like the rest of her life, Cecile’s work is a mystery conducted behind the doors of the kitchen that she forbids her daughters to enter.”

5. CONNECTIONS  

*This is a book that should prompt discussion about the role of The Black Panthers, racism, and even questions about single parent homes.

*Other similar books

Hoose, Philip. CLAUDETTE COLVIN: TWICE TOWARD JUSTICE. ISBN 0312661053

Haskins, Jim. POWER TO THE PEOPLE: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY. ISBN 978-0689800856 

LILY'S CROSSING

1.    BIBLIOGRAPHY

Giff, Patricia Reilly. 1999. LILY’S CROSSING. New York, NY: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0-440-41453-9

2. PLOT SUMMARY

LILLY’S CROSSING is the adventurous story of a young girl on her summer vacation to the bay during the summer of 1944. Lily’s vacation starts off with disappointing news from her summer friend that she is moving away and may never come back. Even though a long trusted friend is gone, a new kid appears with a strange accent and a love for orange cats. Lily’s befriends this new face and learns how to be a true friend all while World War II rages on across the globe and inconveniently interjects itself between her and her beloved father.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The story of Lily’s summer is full of her daily activities and musings about life and wild lies that correspond with her daydreams. Giff portrays Lily’s day to day life with accuracy of how hard money, groceries, and other things like gas were to get a hold of. Giff also includes details about listening to the news on the radio constantly and having it as a soundtrack to the life of everyone during the war. The war touches everyone and the daily reminders of ships passing in the ocean and patrol flights flying overhead are tough enough, but when young soldiers go missing in action and fathers are taken over seas to the front lines to rebuild; there is a depth of realism brought to the reader that is a very tangible.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

AMAZON.COM REVIEW: ”Left alone with her grandmother in the family's summer home in Rockaway, New York, Lily befriends Albert, a shy Hungarian refugee her own age.”

PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY: "has all the ingredients that best reward readers."

5. CONNECTIONS

*This book is a good way to help young readers understand what World War II was like for many young children that sacrificed along with the whole country. Teaching guides can be purchased on Amazon.com to accompany the book.

*Look for these similar books.

Burg, Ann. REBEKKAH’S JOURNEY: A WORLD WAR II REFUGEE STORY. ISBN  978-1585362752

Herman, Charlotte. A SUMMER ON 13^TH STREET:2. ISBN 978-0525446422 

THE WEDNESDAY WARS

1.    BIBLIOGRAPHY

Schmidt, Gary D. 2007. THE WEDNESDAY WARS. New York, NY : Sandpiper. ISBN 978-0-618-72483-3

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Schmidt has written a funny and entertaining comedy that gradually introduces the reader to some of the history of the Vietnam War from the viewpoint of a seventh grade boy named Holling Hoodhood. Holling begins his school year as normal, but realizes quickly that his homeroom teacher Mrs. Baker hates him even though he isn’t the type of kid that teachers hate. Holling faces many new experiences and challenges as he finds new perspective on life all while learning Shakespeare.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This story is an easy gentle read that starts with a simple life problem and cleverly evolves to incorporating current events of the time such as the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and the new outrageous contract agreements of famous baseball players. Schmidt layers in details and wraps them into the story to make them pertinent to the main character and other characters.

Holling evolves throughout the months (chapters) by experiencing new situations with friends, classmates, and even Mrs. Baker. Mrs. Baker introduces Holling to Shakespeare and prods him along as he learns to interpret and apply Shakespeare to his own life. The story follows Hollining’s day to day adventures and experiences and by the end the story has become its own comedy with Hoodhood as the star that has chosen and is still choosing his projection through life. The details are accurate and interesting without being overbearing to the story and allow the plot to thicken and develop without getting caught up in tedious information that may bore a young reader.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “…first-person narration perfectly captures Holling's progression from an angst-filled yet innocent boy, to a wiser, self-aware young man.”

BOOKLIST: “…with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, who Holling is convinced hates his guts. He feels more certain after Mrs. Baker assigns Shakespeare's plays for Holling to discuss during their shared afternoons.”

5. CONNECTIONS 

*This book would be a great way to get students interested in the Vietnam War, Hippies, and even Shakespeare.  This book could be read to spur interest in these topics and prompt discussions and further readings.

*Similar Books:

Kadohata, Cynthia. CRACKER! THE BEST DOG IN VIETNAM.  ISBN 978-1416906384