A Time of Miracles

A Time of Miracles
Book Review III

Author: Anne-Laure Bondoux
Translator: Y.Maudet
Genre: Fiction
Subgenre: Historical
Primary Characters:
Secondary Characters:
Publishing: Delacorte Press 2010
Awards: Mildred L. Batchelder 2011

Theme: Relationships can hold strong even as the world crashes down around you.

Summary: During the war in Caucus, Gloria and Koumail are refugees running from one shelter to the next. Gloria has a terrible cough and Koumail's real name is Blaise Fortune. Gloria tells him that she adopted him after a terrible train wreck where his real mother died. He goes by Koumail in order to fit in with the others. At their first sheter, Koumail attends a poor school in an elderly lady's shack. When they are forced to flee to the next safe place, Koumail experiences love for the first time. Here they are paid to dig wire out of a junk yard. Unfortunately, Gloria and Koumail are forced to flee again. This time they are headed to France with false passports that Gloria has made.  Somehow the pair got separated on their way across the border. Koumail was sent to a foster building and was put through so that he could be come a French citizen. When he turns eightteen, he goes on a hunt for Gloria. He finds her back in the Caucus in a hospital due to her coughing spells.Once reunited, Gloria tells Blaise Fortune the truth about his childhood. He is in fact Gloria's child and was not adopted. The train wreck did happen, and Gloria had a hand in it. She felt terrible about it and decided to make up a story about the life of Blaise Fortune in order to protect him as a person.

Uses with students: In a classroom, this novel can be used in a discussion concerning the effects of war on people in history. Also, students can pretend to be Blaise and write letters to those whom he had to leave behind.

Bink and Gollie

Bink and Gollie
Book Review III

Author: Kate DiCamillio and Allison McGhee
Illustrator: Tony Fucile
Genre: Fiction
Subgenre: Graphic Novel
Primary Characters: Bink and Gollie
Secondary Characters: their pet goldfish
Publishing: Candlewick Press 2010
Awards: Theodor Seuss Geisel Award 2011

Theme:  A perfect friendship can overcome any obstacles be it personalities or differences.

Summary: Bink and Gollie are best friends despite their many differences. They spend a lot of their time in their super tree house. Bink has it stocked full of peanut butter and Gollie makes the best pancakes in the world. The two girls are always on the go, roller skating to all of their destinations. They have a pet goldfish who Bink and Gollie toss into the lake. Months later they see the same goldfish frozen in the ice of the lake. In another adventure, Bink and Gollie go looking for socks and create a sock bonanza. This graphic novel tells of the many adventures of two best friends who overcome their differences and spouts of jealously.

Uses with students: In a classroom, this graphic novel brings an excellent introduction of graphic novels. A teacher can have students discuss how it was a story even though there were limited words.

Holes

Holes
Book Review III

Author: Louis Sachar
Illustrator: Jeff Newman
Genre: Fiction
Subgenre: Fantasy
Primary Characters: Stanley Yelnats and Hector Zeroni
Secondary Characters: Mr. Sir, Warden, Mr. Pendanski, Xray, Armpit, Zigzag, Katherine Barlow, and Sam the onion man
Publishing: Farrar, Straus,and Giourx 1998
Awards: Newbery Award 1999

Theme: One's family history determines one's destiny.
Friendship is something to always value deeply.

Summary: Stanley Yelnats is wrongly accused of stealing a pair of tennis shoes due to his family's curse. He is sent to a correction facility named Camp Green Lake. At the camp, boys have to dig holes in order to build character or so they say. Stanley meets a boy named Zero, and they become friends. Little do they know, their ancestors once had interactions as well. They eventually get fed up with digging holes and decide to flee into the desert. They find refuge under a rowboat and survive of Sploosh, onions, and muddy water. The two boys find a buried treasure in a hole. Unfortunately, the Warden knows they found it, and try to take it away. However, an attorney comes to release Stanley and sees that the hidden treasure had Stanley's great-great-great grandfather's name on it. Stanley used the treasure to buy his family a new house, Zero used his money to find his mother, and Camp Green Lake was ultimately turned into a girl scout camp.

Uses with students: In a classroom, this book can be used as a silent reading book. Also, it could be used in a lesson on flashbacks in literature.

Maniac Magee

Maniac Magee
Book Review III

Author: Jerry Spinelli
Illustrator: Carol Palmer
Genre: Fiction
Subgenre: Juvenile
Primary Characters: Jeffery Magee "Maniac Magee", Mars Bars Thompson, and Amanda Beale
 Secondary Characters: John McNab, Earl Grayson, and James Hands Down
Publishing: Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers 1990
Awards: Newbery Award Medal 1991

Theme: People from all different backgrounds and races can be friends.

Summary: Jeffery Lionel Magee's parent died in a car wreck when he was only three years old. He is sent to live with his Aunt Dot and Uncle Dan. After a few years, Jeffery has had enough and runs away to a town called Two Mills. The town is divided into two sections: one for black citizens and one for white citizens. He runs everywhere, and one day he runs into a girl named Amanda Beale, and they become really good friends. Jeffery earns the nickname "Maniac" because of the crazy tasks he does around town. He is constantly moving from place to place: Amanda's to the zoo with Earl Grayson. He meets a black boy named Mars Bars who challenges him to a foot race. Maniac Magee wins despite every one's belief. Every morning, Mars Bars begins running with Maniac, and the two become good friends. In the end, Mars Bars tries to persuade Maniac Magee to move back in with Amanda after he rescues Russel from the same railway where Maniac's parents had died.

Uses with students: In a classroom, this novel could be used as a silent reading book. It could also be used to aid in a discussion about the importance of being friends with everyone and overcoming tragedies.

Gooney Bird and the Room Mother

Gooney Bird and the Room Mother
Book Review III

Author: Lois Lowry
Illustrator: Middy Thomas
Genre: Ficiton
Subgenre: Realistic
Primary Characters: Gooney Bird Greene, Mrs. Pidgeon, and Barry Tuckerman
Secondary Characters: Felicia Ann, Keiko, and Malcolm
Publishing: Houghton Mifflin Company Books 2005
Awards: N/A

Theme: A gifted child needs to be challenged and encouraged.

Summary: Mrs. Pidgeon's second grade class needs a room mother desperately. She offers the leading role in their Thanksgiving pageant to the student who can find a room mother for the class. Gooney Bird, who loves being smack dab in the middle of everything quickly begins her search. She locates a room mother, but tells her class that she wishes  to stay incognito. Since she found the classroom a room mother, Mrs. Pidgeon gives Gooney the lead role. In the end,  the room mother turns out to be Mrs. Pidgeon's very own mother.

Uses with Students:  In a classroom, this chapter book could be used to introduce students to a plethora of new vocabulary words. Also, it could be used as a silent reading or read aloud book in any lower grade level classroom. There are illustrations dispersed throughout which will keep the attention of younger beginning readers.

Matilda

Matilda
Book Review III

Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Genre: Fiction
Subgenre: Fantasy
Primary Characters: Matilda, Ms. Honey, and Ms. Trunchbull
Secondary Characters: Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood
Publishing: Puffin Books 1988
Awards: Federation of Children's Book Groups Award (UK 1988)

Theme: Despite the lack of affection and attention at home, children should have some safe place where they feel loved.

Summary: Matilda is a very talented and bright child. She is extremely gifted and has somewhat of magical mind powers. She taught herself how to read at a very early age of three. Her parents pay her very little attention which is devastating for a child. Once she is old enough to go to school, her parents do not hesitate to send her off. At school, she meets her teacher Ms. Honey. Ms. Honey is the nicest person Matilda has ever met and their relationship blossoms quickly. Unfortunately, Matilda also meets Ms. Trunchbull who is a very cruel and ruthless woman and who also happens to be the principal at Matilda's school. She makes both Matilda and Ms. Honey's life miserable. Matilda, being the gifted child she was, decided to take matters into her own hands and ran Ms. Trunchbull out of town. In the end, Ms. Honey adopted Matilda with the consent of her parents. They both live happily ever after.

Uses with students: In a classroom, this book would make an excellent silent reading book. After reading the book, students could write a journal entry about what they would do if they had magic powers like Matilda.

Be Good to Eddie Lee

Be Good to Eddie Lee
Book Review III

Author: Virginia Fleming
Illustrator: Floyd Cooper
Genre: Fiction
Subgenre: Realistic
Primary Characters: Eddie Lee
Secondary Characters: Jim Bud and Christy
Publishing: Philomel Books 1993
Awards: N/A

Theme: No matter the appearance, the inside and personality is what truly accounts for anything.

Summary: Eddie Lee is a very outgoing child. He also has down syndrome. His neighbors Christy and Jim Bud find him rather annoying and bothersome. Altough Christy considers Eddie Lee a pest, they become really good friends in the woods one day. He showed her many beautiful things that she had overlooked. In the end, friendship was among one of their discoveries.

Uses with students: In a classroom, this book could be used to teach students the importance of accepting people even though they may be different than themselves.

Behold the Trees

Behold the Trees
Book Review III

Author: Sue Alexander
Illustrator: Leonid Gore
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Subgenre: Picture Book
Primary Characters: Trees
Secondary Characters: People from the time periods mentioned
Publishing: Arthur A. Levine 2001
Awards: Children's Literature Council of South California for Distinguished Literature Quality 2005

Theme: Be kind to the planet: plant trees.

Summary: Trees have been around since the beginning. This story tells of trees around the world and in different periods in time. For example, the centuries of wandering, the Year of Kings, and the Roman Rule. At first, people would just cut down trees without replanting any which caused the world to have less trees. Finally, some people realized what was happening an decided to plant trees.

Uses with students: In a classroom, this book can be used to teach children about the different time periods represented in the book, or it could also be use to learn about Arbour Day and  Israel's equivalent holiday.

In the Tall, Tall Grass

In the Tall, Tall Grass
Book Review III

Author/Illustrator: Denise Fleming
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Subgenre: Picture Book
Primary Characters: Animals
Secondary Characters: Insects
Publishing: Henry Holt and Company 1991
Awards: Boston Globe-Horn Award Honor Book 1991

Theme: Different organisms inhabit an environment together, and live in perfect harmony.

Summary:  This picture book describes different animals and insects that live in the tall, tall grass.
It tells how they interact and survive in the same environment.

Uses with students: In a classroom, this book could be used to teach students rhyming terms. Also, this book could be used during a science lesson on different ecosystems or environments.

Nicky and the Fantastic Birthday Gift

Nicky and the Fantastic Birthday Gift
Book Review III

Author/Illustrator: Valeri Gorbachev
Genre: Fiction
Subgenre: Animal Story
Primary Characters: Nicky
Secondary Characters: Momma, Ned, Nora, Nathan, and Nelly
Publishing: North South Books 2000
Awards: N/A

Theme: A heart felt gift is more valuable than any other.

Summary: It's mother's birthday, and the kids are making her presents all except for Nicky. He wants to give Momma a gift that is extraordinary. The other children give their mother her gifts while Nicky is still working hard on his gift. He drew his mother a picture and along with it came an elaborate story telling. They all eat cake and dance, and mom says that all her presents were fantastic gifts.

Uses with students: In a classroom, this book would make a good silent reading book or a book center reading story. Also, like Nicky, the students could learn how to use their imaginations, and perhaps make a gift for someone.