Martina the Beautiful Cockroach

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach
A Cuban Folktale
By: Carmen Agra Deedy
Grades 3-5
FOLK LITERATURE (Folktale)

This is definitely one of my favorite books. I actually plan to purchase this book for my classroom library. The pictures are gorgeous. The pictures are practically 3-D. I feel that students at any age would enjoy this book just because of the pictures and the content. Also it is a folktale and genres of books are discussed in grades 3-5 and this is a book that could be included in the folktale genre. This book just brought me joy and I loved how she valued her family, especially her grandmother. This book was about a female beautiful cockroach who is at the age that she needs to find the one she is going to marry. She goes on the look by sitting on her balcony and the animals come and ask her hand in marriage. One thing of advice her grandmother gave was she needed to pour coffee on each animal that came to ask her hand in marriage to see how they would react. The animals that initially came acted in an angry way and it showed her that she didn't need to marry them and they were not the one for her. At the end she was frustrated but then met a small brown mouse and hesitantly went to pour the coffee on him and he got there first. She had met her match!! She asked him how he knew that is what she was doing and he said he had a Cuban grandmother too. They ended up being together. Again this was a wonderful book and makes me think of my great family at home and the great advice they give me each day because they know what is best for me just as her grandmother knew by pouring the coffee on everyone would show her who she wanted to be with or who she didn't want to be with according to their reaction.

The Watson's Go To Birmingham

The Watson's Go to Birmingham

By: Christopher Paul Curtis

Grade 5

HISTORICAL FICTION

NOVEL

This book is a wonderful book that they cover in the fifth grade. This book is about Kenny and his family who lived during the time of the Civil Rights Movement. Kenny lives with his parents, older brother, and younger sister. At their home in their neighborhood they never really experienced negative results of being black in the 60s. Kenny's older brother had been getting into lots of trouble so that spawned the family into taking a trip to to Birmingham, Alabama to take Byron to live with his grandmother. When the the family went to Alabama they experienced a lot of racism that they were not use to! There were two major events in the story. The first major event was Kenny almost drowned and Byron had to save him. The other major event that occurred in the book was the bombing of the church. Joetta, Kenny's sister, went to church one day and Kenny heard that the church had been bombed. He thought that his sister was dead and had been killed in the bombing. It took some time for them to realize that she wasn't killed. Byron had to help console Kenny to make him realize it is okay. The family then heads back to Flint, Michigan along with Byron. Kenny is helped by Byron to realize the unfairness of the horrible tragedy of racism and the bombing! This book is incredible and very touching. I will have this in my classroom if I teach fifth grade in the future. I will go over the Civil Rights Movement with my students and what life was like living during this time. I think this is an incredible example of what life was like for the African Americans during the 60s in the south. It will truly represent to the students the horrible mistreatment and injustice that occurred.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid- The Last Straw

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

The Last Staw

By: Jeff Kinney

Grades 4-5

REALISTIC FICTION

GRAPHIC NOVEL

I loved this book and it is was very humorous. I am working in a fifth grade classroom this semester and they absolutely love the Wimpy Kid's series because they are so humorous and very cool because they are very different. They are graphic novels so it is written in comic book style. The are novels in cartoons. The character Greg, a middle schooler, in this novel starts out by complaining. He thinks that the New Year's resolutions that his family have put into place for self-improvement are disrupting his life. His daddy is not in a good mood because he is on a diet, his little brother is giving up his pacifier so he is in a bad mood, and his mom is wearing exercise clothes that embarrass him. Greg is pretty cocky and thinks he is one of the best people that he knows and really can't think of any way to improve himself. He has many issues with his older brother and father throughout the book. Some of the issues comes from him being interested in a girl named Holly Hills. He tries to join the boy scouts to make his father happy and tries to find ways to attract Holly. I really like in his journal where he talks about trying to pursue Holly at the skating rink and asking her to couple skate with him. Well the couple skate didn't turn out for him, she announced his name wrong, called him Fregley and then he knew that she wasn't worth his time. He was over girls. That was example of the humor. At the end Greg was done with school for the summer. His Dad finally had lightened up and told him they could rethink the military academy and he could just do push-ups and sit ups every once awhile and just do a summer conditioning program at Spag Union instead of fulltime. He was so surprised. He then went to his friend Rowley's house before his Dad could change his mind and then while he was with Rowley a cute girl named Trista came up and introduced herself to them. He invited her to the pool. He realized at the end things were actually going his way but still was cocky thinking he was the best person he knows. I think this is a great book but would be difficult to incorporate in the classroom. They could read this book for independent reading which is in the fifth grade objectives or even we could discuss the characteristics of what a graphic novel is and then we could have it in the classroom. Either way it is such a cute book and I love the set up of the book. I would love to have this series in my future classroom!!

Abe Lincoln- The boy who loved books

Abe Lincoln: The boy who loved books

By Kay Winters

Grade 3

BIOGRAPHY

This was a great book to inform younger readers of the life of Abe Lincoln. It gave great details about his life but in a way that is enjoyable and engaging for the students. The book started where Abe was born in Kentucky in 1809 until he takes over as the 16Th president. On one page in the book I liked what it said and pretty much summed up Abe's life and what was represented throughout the book. "Abraham Lincoln- born in a log cabin, child of the frontier, head in a book- elected our sixteenth president. From the wilderness to the White House. He learned the power of words and used them well." Abraham came from basically nothing to being president of the United States. The book harps on the fact that Abe loved books and books are what changed his life and changed the world through him. This book would be fabulous to have the classroom. I feel that it has wonderful facts about the life of Abraham Lincoln and would be great to use to teach students about his life. I know that the book is attention-grabbing and would be easier for students to read than trying to read a text book. I know that as a teacher I would check the background on Abraham Lincoln to make sure the book is completely accurate but would totally use this over a textbook or possibly in conjunction with a text book. Also I feel this sends the message of the importance of reading to the students. I would point this out to them as their teacher. Reading changed his life and affected the world just as they could with simply reading and learning. Who knows they may be the next president??

Howie Helps Himself

Howie Helps Himself

By Joan Fassler

Grade 3

REALISTIC FICTION

This story is a very simple story but the application in the classroom could be huge. This story is about a little boy who is physically handicapped. He can't do a lot with his hands, legs, and can't really even hold himself up very well. He depends on his mother, grandmother, and other people a lot to provide his entertainment. The issue is he gets upset when they don't have the time to play with him. One thing that Howie wants more than anything is to be able to roll his wheelchair all by himself without the help of anyone! He practices and practices to gain strength in his arms and hands to be able to maneuver the wheelchair by himself. He does eventually gain the strength to wheel his wheelchair right up to his dad to pick him up. It was such an amazing and inspiring moment. I know one specific application in the classroom that I have done before is have the students pick a specific problem in the book and find a way to create something to fix the problem. Out of this book I chose the issue of Howie always needing his mom and grandmother to give the ball back to him while he is playing. I noticed that he got upset when they didn't have the time to play with him. I made up a lesson asking the students to find a way to solve this problem. I created a box with wheels that he can roll the ball in to and then pull it up and the ball roll back to him. This is great for students to be able to problem solve and use strategies for that. This all helps to create great group work also. It is taking this book to the next level. Also students can also be asked to make a text to self connection. They could possibly think about a time in their lives when there was something they couldn't do but with a lot of hard work and determination they were able to complete what they wanted to. They could do a write up on this and turn this in for a grade.

2050 Voyage of the Starseeker

2050 Voyage of the Starseeker
Book 2 Rescue in Space
By: Elaine Raphael
Grades 3-5

SCIENCE FICTION

This book was definitely not one of my favorite books because I am not really interested in Science Fiction but I know that I could have some future males in my classroom and this would be great book to be included in my library. This is actually a series. In this book young astronauts go on an adventure in space. In the book they are on their way to an asteroid. They actually encounter space miners there. The earth and their lives are in danger. They are trying to find a way to save the earth and themselves! I would incorporate this book in a science when we are studying asteroids. It is just another way to introduce the students to these concepts. I have seen teachers throughout being in the classroom always incorporate literature within their lessons because it grabs and engages their attention without being boring.

The Egyptian Cinderella

The Egyptian Cinderella

By Shirley Climo

Grade 3

INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE

This book is an amazing book with great history behind the story. This is definitely not the classic Cinderella but a very different Cinderella that represents how in Egypt Cinderella would be portrayed. At the beginning of the story it gives the background of Rhodopis. She was taken from her home in Greece and sold as a slave into Egypt. She actually got very lucky because her master was actually very nice to her and gave her sweet gifts. She dealt with some issues though. The female servants who are higher than slaves were mean to to her and teased her about her blond hair, green eyes, and pale skin that burned in the sun. What was interesting is she made friends with the local animals and began dancing and singing with them after she completed her work for the day. She got lucky one night when her master happened to wake up and saw her dancing. After seeing this he decided to order her a pair of "dainty slippers" made specifically for Rhodopis. The servants got very jealous because they still had old crummy sandals to wear. To be spiteful the servants gave her more chores and told her they were going to visit the Pharaoh but she wasn't going to be able to go because she has too many chores to do. She continued her chores after they left and then the hippopotamus jumped into the river and got mud on her slippers. After she cleaned her shoes a falcon suddenly appeared to her and took one of her slippers. The falcon took the slipper and dropped it into Amasis' lap, the Pharaoh. He took this as a sign from the god Horus that the person who fit into the shoe would be his queen. The Pharaoh went out on his journey to find who fit into it. The servant girls tried to force their way into the shoe and failed and then he found Rhodopis and slipped the shoe on and it fit!!! He claimed that she was the most Egyptian of them all with her blond hair, green eyes, and pail skin. He knew this was the one he was supposed to be with. I loved this reading and would actually have the students do a little research on Egypt in the past and have the students locate some characteristics in the book that are characteristics of Egypt. I think this is great to help incorporate both history and reading together in one. I would also have the students compare and contrast them with other Cinderella stories.

Abiyoyo

Abiyoyo

By Pete Seeger

Grade 3

MULTICULTURAL

This book is a very cute book that is based on a Southern African lullaby and fairy tale. The book is about a giant who appears in a small South African town. He scared the people so much and they would run and hide. There was nothing that would make Abiyoyo go away except a little boy and his ukelele. What was interesting is no one in the town could stand the little boy playing his ukelele so he and his father were forced to live on the edge of town (his dad was disliked because of his magic tricks) but the playing of the ukelele drew the giant in. One day the boy and his father went out and they found Abiyoyo. The boy started to play his ukelele and the giant was drawn in and started to dance. The boy started to play faster and the giant started dancing faster and got out of breath. He then staggered and fell down on the ground and then the father was able to make him disappear with his magic. The once disliked boy and his father were now heroes in their town. They no longer cared if the boy played his ukelele. This would be a great book to include when multicultural books are being covered within the classroom. I think it would be interesting for students to compare and contrast Abiyoyo with another multicultural book by using a double bubble map or vein diagram.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

By Mary Winget

Grades 3-5

BIOGRAPHY

This is a wonderful book on the life of Martin Luther King Jr. When he was born in the US, African Americans didn't have the same rights as whites. Martin Luther King dreamed big and he wanted people to have the same opportunities as everyone else no matter what their skin color is. He was not one to resort to weapons but used his words and actions to get his desires across. He made a huge impact on freedom, the freedom for Americans specifically black Americans. This book clearly defines each important thing along the path of his life and the desire for equality. This book is broken up into chapters to go through his biography which is a great way to organize the material. The book is very informational and would be an amazing book to have in the classroom. It is basic enough for students to be able to understand but has a lot of facts that are important to this part in history. Martin Luther King is a key figure for civil rights and should be studied in EVERY classroom. This book is a great tool to incorporate and I have already purchased it for my future classroom library:).

The Talking Eggs

The Talking Eggs

By: Robert D. Souci

Grade 3

MULTICULTURAL

In this book there were two girls who lived with their widowed mother. The daughters were Rose and Blanche. Rose was mean and was not very bright and Blanche was sweet and kind and very intelligent. The mother really liked Rose the best because they were both very similar. Blanche was always forced to do all of the chores while her mama and sister sat around doing nothing. Blanche was sent out one day to get water for her mother and sister and ran into an old woman who needed drink and she gave her the drink and the woman was very thankful and told her that God would bless her one day. Once she got back her mama and sister were very upset that she took so long and said that the water was too hot and they dumped the water out and hit Blanche. She ran away from home because she was afraid and then ran into the old woman once again. The old woman told her to come with her to get supper and a clean bed. Well they went into her shack and the woman handed Blanche a beef bone and told her to put it in the pot and she did as she was instructed and then looked and saw the the pot was filled with thick stew, bubbling away! Next the woman gave Blanche only one grain of sand and told her to grind it up and put it in the stone mortar and when she did that the mortar began overflowing with rice. After all of this happened they went out to the back porch and dozens of rabbits came out of the bushes dressed up in coats and dresses. They were dancing and playing the banjo. Blanche loved this and didn't want to leave! She was then told she was to go home and the woman told her to go the chicken house and was instructed to only take the eggs that said take me. She then threw the eggs behind her as the woman had instructed her on the way home. Things came out of them like diamonds and rubies. Others things also popped out of the eggs. Her mother became greedy and decided she wanted all of the things Blanche had and then would kick Blanche out. Rose was sent out to visit the woman but the visit didn't go like Blanche's. She made fun of everything that she saw and received nothing. She didn't listen and took all of the pretty eggs instead of the ones that said take me. When she threw them over her shoulder all of these bad animals came out and started to chase her. She ran to her mother's cabin and her mother tried to save her but ended up getting chased also. When they finally got home Blanche had left to the city and lived a great life and remained very kind. For the rest of Rose's life and her mother's life they searched for the old woman and the talking eggs but never found them. I loved this story. It was so great and definitely has a theme to the book. This would be a great book to use to teach lesson, theme, or message. They cover this specifically in the fifth grade and that is included in their standard course of study.

The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain

The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain

By: Peter Sis

Grades 3-5

AUTOBIOGRAPHY

This book was a great book and very heart wrenching. The author in this book is clearly sharing with his readers what life was like in Prague, Czechoslovakia when he was growing up. It is basically representing what communism was like during that time period. It shows that communism was all about controlling every little detail in life and he clearly represents this in his writing. This book shows that life under a totalitarian regime is horrible and can try to hold people back but it also shows that this type of regime can discourage creativity but not kill it. Sis is a prime example someone young during this time period who had a natural desire to be free and expressed himself through his creativity. I think this book is a great book to include in the classroom especially if you are covering communism. This is great introduction to someone who lived during this period and show what they went through. I feel this book is very informational especially the journal entries. This book is different in dealing with the set up also. It has journal entries on some pages, very short sentences on others,and pictures on just other pages. I think it is great to incorporate different books that are not all the classic way!

The Phantom Tollbooth

The Phantom Tollbooth
By Norton Juster
Grades 3-5
MODERN FANTASY
NOVEL

This book is about a 10 year old boy, Milo, who is bored with everything in life who on a journey learns to appreciate the little and ordinary things in life. There is nothing and no one who can catch his attention. He is in this mindset until one day when he came home from school and finds a package with a giant toy tollbooth sitting in his house. Milo puts the tollbooth together and takes a ride on his toy car through the booth where the adventure begins! Milo visits Dictionpolis, the land of words along his adventure. He also visits Digitopolis, the land of numbers, in his adventure. He meets many characters along the way like the Mathemagician and Officer Short Shift who show him how great life is and how interesting life is. Milo learned many lessons about life along the way that reshaped his thinking and reshaped who he is. I loved this book and I think it would teach students in the classroom a lot about life. I feel that many students have the same mentality as Milo had and I really feel that this book could have a huge impact on them and change their perspective on life. I would have the students make a connection to the text and share if they have ever had the same view on life as Milo and if the book has helped open their eyes any. Hopefully the students in the classroom will learn to appreciate the ordinary things in life through his adventures.

Martian Rock

Martian Rock

By Carol Diggory Shields

Grade 3

SCIENCE FICTION

In this book 3 astronauts and a mascot take off from their home planet Mars . They are hoping to find intergalactic friendship. They wanted to find evidence of life somewhere else. They went place to place and found no life forms and were getting very frustrated. They were just fixing to give up but came across the south pole. They didn't think they saw anything but all of the sudden the captain spotted something. The alien life form strolled up to them and nodded to them and gave a squawk. The rest of the life-forms (penguins) came and greeted the Martians and befriended them. The Martians were really excited and called home and said there was life on a planet next door to them. I would use this book during a science lesson on planets and space. I would probably use this to introduce the solar system because it talks about different characteristics of what they were viewing in space on their voyage. This seems like a fun and engaging book that would be great implement in a science lesson!

Ella Enchanted

Ella Enchanted

By Gail Carson Levine

Grades 3-5

MODERN FANTASY

NOVEL

In this book Ella, the main character, was born with the gift of obedience by a fairy Lucinda. Ella has to obey any order that is given to her. At the age of 15 Ella's mother passed away and her father sends her to finish up school with the two awful daughters of Dame Olga (Hattie and Olive). Hattie comes to realize that Ella always obeys sand takes advantage of her but luckily Ella had a friend Areida who helps her through it. Ella wants the curse of obedience to be lifted so she goes in hope to find Lucinda at the wedding but is kidnapped along the way by ogres and she is able to hypnotize them to sleep and was saved by Char and his knights. Ella found Lucinda but she refused to get rid of the curse but for Ella she was lucky because her fairy god-mother Mandy saw it as another order and then reversed it. Ella then returns to her father and decides to marry Dame Olga in order to pay off his debts because he never found a rich husband for Ella. Ella then runs into Prince Char once again and he leaves but they write to each other a lot. Dame Olga makes Ella a slave in her own house after Ella's father leaves for business. Throughout all of this occurring Ella falls in love with Char and he wants to marry but she knew with her curse she would put him and the country in danger because she could even be ordered to kill him and she would because she is under the curse. Ella tricked him into believing she was with another man. She was so distressed and missed him so much and decided to go to the royal ball to see him under a disguise. On the third night of the ball Hattie became jealous and takes off Ella's mask and Ella runs and loses her slipper along the way. She tries to run away but Char found her and orders her to marry him. She fought the battle trying to stay strong against the order and said no to him. She realized after this she had broken the curse and decides to marry him. This book is great and can be used in different ways within the classroom. I would once again use it and compare and contrast it with the classic Cinderella and may even have the students compare and contrast it with Bigfoot Cinderella.

BIGFOOT CINDERRRRELLA

BigFoot Cinderrrrrella
By Tony Johnston
Grade 3
FOLK TALE (Folk Literature)

This is a story set in an old-growth forest and has Bigfoot creatures as the characters within the book. The story is right along the lines of the classic Cinderella with a twist. Rrrrella was the main character in the book she was big, strong, and had huge feet. She came from a family with two stepsisters but they were very different. They were puny with tiny feet. Rrrella was treated very badly by her stepsisters just like the normal Cinderella and of course they tried to hold her back from going to the fun-fest to try to marry the Bigfoot prince. The way to end up with the Bigfoot prince was to be able to knock him off of the log and also be a nature lover. Rrella was all of those things but was held back. Her stepsisters didn't allow her to go! Then all of the sudden her beary godfather appeared. It was the bear that she had helped earlier in the book by providing him with fish to eat. The beary godfather gave her bark-clogs to keep her on the log and then matted her fur and tangled it like Bigfoot prince liked. He then sent her off to the fun-fest. She was the only one that was able to dunk the prince but as soon as she did it she realized that she had to be back before the sun set, she took off running and her fur went sleek and wildflowers sprouted. The prince was distressed but then found one of her clogs and went on a search throughout the forest to find who fit into the shoe. He eventually found Rrrella and they got married. Her stepsisters and mother were very upset but were still invited to the wedding on conditions of not picking flowers, not pulling trees, and not kicking the royal family. This is a great book to incorporate into the classroom because it gives the students a chance to compare to the classic Cinderella. I would have the students compare and contrast the differences and similarities between the classic Cinderella and Bigfoot Cinderella.

Fearless Jack

Fearless Jack

By Paul Brett Johnson

Grade 3

FOLK TALE (Folk Literature)

This book is such a cute book. This book is a retold Appalachian folk tale. The main character Jack was sent by his mother to find a job to help take care of them. Along the way some yellow jackets got in his way and he got angry and took off his hat and gave the yellow jackets a smack and he killed ten yellow jackets at one time. He was pretty happy with himself and wrote on the bill of his cap Fearless Jack Killed Ten at a Whack. Jack continued down the road to town to find a job. When he was in town he came in contact with a sheriff after he was knocked to the ground after something came whirling through the town. He introduced himself to the sheriff and the sheriff noticed Jack's hat but even questioned that Jack killed anything. The sheriff then told him he was in the right place because they had some wild varmints there killing livestock and thrashing crops. People were even scared to go outdoors. The sheriff told him that there would be a reward of 100 dollars for the capture of these varmints. A varmint was the culprit of what caused Jack to jump out of the way when he came into town. The first varmint he came in contact with was a wild boar and the boar ended up chasing him and he was able to "accidentally" trap him in a corn crib. He then went back to the sheriff and played up the capture and received a hundred dollars from the sheriff. Jack was going to go home but then the sheriff offered another 100 dollars if he could capture the wild grizzly bear. He then had an encounter with the bear and "accidentally" captured it and played it up and received another 100 dollars. Then the final varmint was the unicorn and he had another "accidental" encounter and in the end the unicorn was scared off to never come back. Then the sheriff paid him and he took 1000 dollars home. In the end he was accidentally rich and was a hero in town!

Strega Nona

Strega Nona
By Tomie dePaola
Grade 3
FOLK TALE (Folk Literature)

I loved this book Strega Nona it is such a cute book to use in a classroom. I feel it is more suitable for third grade than 4Th or 5Th just because of the content. The book is about a woman named Strega Nona who was known as "Grandma Witch". She was was able to cure, make potions, and do magic in her town. People always went to her for help. One day Big Anthony, who was in the town, became interested in her magical pasta pot that was full all of the time. He looks after her house and tends to her garden but one day he got overly intrigued with the magical pot when she went over the mountain to visit Strega Amelia. Out loud he recited the magic verse over the pasta pot but something terrible happened! He was giving the pasta to everyone in the town and was so excited but didn't realize that the pasta was continuing to bubble and boil. The pasta filled up Strega Nona's house and came out of her house and started down the roads of the town. He recited the magic song again but nothing helped because he forgot the three kisses. The pasta spread throughout the town and Strega Nona knew exactly what happened when she came back and then she sang the magic song and blew the 3 kisses and the pot stopped. The people of the town got upset and wanted him tied up but Strega Nona said no and decided his punishment would be to eat the pasta all up so that she could get into her house and sleep. It is just a fun book and would be wonderful to have in the classroom.

The Journal of Jasper Jonathan Pierce

By: Ann Rinaldi

Grades 4-5

HISTORICAL FICTION

NOVEL

This book was about a 14 year old orphan traveling as an indentured servant to the New World. Jasper had been separated from his brother and decided to keep a journal of his journey to share with his bother some day. In the journal Jasper talks about the journey over the ocean. He discusses in the journal their near death experiences from almost starving to death on the boat and on land. The journal is filled with the struggles they experienced along the way. He also journals about their tough encounters with the Indians when they arrived. He felt the struggles they went through was worth it because they got to escape the domination that was occurring in England and go towards the idea of religious freedom! In his journal he discusses the time that he got to live with the Indians and learn their ways. If it weren't for the Native Americans the Pilgrims probably wouldn't have survived in the New World. This book would be great to include in the classroom. This book could be integrated with history and language arts. This book is fiction but has a lot of the historical facts included from the voyage of the Pilgrims to the New World. Students could truly learn a lot about this time period and what occurred through reading this interesting book instead of strictly reading textbooks that they lose interest in easily. I would definitely include this in my classroom when covering this topic.

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace
By Mary Hoffman
Grades 3-5
REALISTIC FICTION

This book has a great underlying message that you can be anything you want to be. In this book it is a story about a young girl Grace who loved stories. She loves books or movies and would love to act them out. One day in class the teacher told her class that they were going to do the play Peter Pan. Grace knew she wanted to be Peter Pan but when she raised her hand a boy in the class Raj told her that she couldn't be Peter Pan because that was a boy's name. Grace still continued to have her hand up. Then another student named Natalie whispered to Grace and said you can't be Peter Pan because he isn't black. Grace got very upset and went home and told her family what happened. Her family was very upset with what occurred to Grace. They reassured her that she could be anything she wanted to be if she put her mind to it. One day Grace was out with Nana and they went to the grand theatre and Nana showed Grace a picture of who was starring in Romeo and Juliet and it was a girl from Trinidad. The girl playing the part was not of the typical race of Juliet. They got tickets for the show and went. After the ballet Grace played the part of Juliet. She realized she could be anything she wanted to be. At the end of it all Grace got to play the part of Peter Pan. This book is great because this shows students that they can do anything that they put their minds to and nothing can hold them back like gender or race. This book has a wonderful message behind it!

The Chalk Box Kid

The Chalk Box Kid

By: Clyde Robert Bulla

Grades 3-5

REALISTIC FICTION

This book is a very touching and would be great to use in a future classroom! The book is about a 9 year old boy named Gregory who experiences many upsets throughout his lifetime. At the beginning of the book Gregory's father loses his job at the factory and they as a family have to move to a smaller house on the poorer side of town. The students he went to school with at his new school weren't really accepting of him. Also at his new house he had no place to play so he had to come up with something to do. One day Gregory goes out and discovers an old burned-out factory near his house. Gregory was able to locate old chalk amongst the debris and begins to draw flowers on the blackened walls. He continued and continued to draw flowers and developed a flower garden. He became very excited and realized he had finally found his own voice through his art and his own secret place to go. Gregory and his family's life eventually turns around but he has now found his own voice. I feel many students in the classroom could relate well to this book because many probably have experienced similar loss or loss in general in their lives. Students could probably make a connection to their own lives and express how they dealt with their loss and found their own voice.