Module 7: Things That Float and Things That Don't

Book Summary 

This informational picture book is about density. The author playfully introduces density and instructs a boy and a girl along with the reader through a series of investigations using scientific inquiry beginning with guessing about what kinds of things will float. After testing a couple of items, the author tells the reader to "make a list of what you found," and the illustrations show the chart they are to make. The chart is identical to the way evidence is collected and measured in core science investigations. The author introduces the concepts of weight, size, and shape of objects, instructing the reader to try a loosely crumpled piece of foil and a tightly balled piece. When the tight ball sinks he explains, "The density of the second ball is greater than the density of water. That's why it sank." He repeats and spirals the concept with more experiments, adding more and more scientific vocabulary, until the concept is thoroughly taught.

APA Reference of Book

Adler, D. (2013). Things that float and things that don't. New York, NY: Holiday House

Impressions

While this book is a fun, attractive, and very pleasurable picture book, it is actually a lesson on the concept of density and gives instructions for scientific investigation. It is written in such an engaging way that no kid could possibly resist conducting the experiments. Illustrations of a boy and girl following the instructions make it even more enticing and clear for even very young readers. The information given is up-to-date, accurate science and scientific method. The entire book is filled with simple hands-on investigations, and participation is encouraged and supported with pleasing illustrations of children conducting the experiments.

Professional Review

K-Gr 2--This introduction to density offers new vocabulary in bold font, delightful soft-hued illustrations, and clearly focused content on flotation. The strong examples provide extension activities that can be done at home or in the classroom. The images enhance the concept as readers meet a boy, a girl, and their dog as they embark on an adventure to discover what will float and what won't. For example, a spread depicting how density is relative to the size of the object shows the dog looking over a kitchen sink full of water as a piece of aluminum foil floats as a loose ball and sinks as a tight one. This title supports the Common Core State Standards that focus on measurement skills, interpretation of data, and incorporation of key ideas and details in the text. Recommended for math collections in public and school libraries and classroom shelves.

Smith, M. (2013, August) Things that float and things that don’t. [Review of the book Things 

       that float and things that don’t, by D. Adler]. School Library Journal, 59(8), 118. 

       Retrieved from www.slj.com

Library Uses

Librarians could supplement elementary science class work with fun lessons in the library using this book.

Module 6: What I Saw and How I Lied

Book Summary

Fifteen-year-old Evie and her mother have just welcomed Joe, Evie’s stepfather, home from World War II. When an old army buddy starts calling Joe, he seems agitated. Overnight he whisks the family to West Palm Beach, Florida for a vacation though it is out-of-season and everything is closed. There, they meet a wealthy couple with whom they become friends. But the old army buddy, Peter, turns up and joins their group for social engagements. Peter is devastatingly handsome, and both mother and daughter fall for him. He courts both and eventually tells Evie why he’s there: He and Joe stole valuables from a Nazi warehouse filled with belongings taken from Jewish families sent to concentration camps. Now Joe doesn’t want to give him his share of the money. When Peter turns up dead, Joe is put on trial for murder. During the trial, everything that anyone has been hiding comes out. Joe is acquitted.

APA Reference of Book

Blundell, J.  (2008). What I saw and how I lied. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Impressions

This fast-paced historical fiction selection is filled with details of life in late 1940s America just after the war with touches of anti-Semitism. The characters are written with surprising multidimensionality as the truth about each is slowly revealed. The language is easy and intricately weaves mystery with romance. However, the plot of this book, a believably told coming-of-age story, has some very adult themes, including statutory rape. 

Professional Review

Blundell navigates this multidimensional plotline with unique, well-developed characters and insightful dialogue. Yet it is Evie and her rapidly maturing perception of herself and those around her that carry the story. In many ways, she becomes the adult in the group, motivated by truth and justice rather than greed or superficial appearances.

Lloyd, S. (2008, December). What I saw and how I lied. . [Review of the book What I saw    

       and how I lied, by S. Lloyd.] School Library Journal,54(12), 119. Retrieved from 

       www.slj.com

Library Uses

This book will illicit strong reactions from high school-aged students, and students would benefit through dialogue after reading. The librarian could arrange literature circles around this book and other similarly themed books, or create a blog where students could share their thoughts.

Module 6: Will Sparrow's Road

Book Summary

Will Sparrow is a boy on his own in Elizabethan England. His father sold him to an innkeeper to settle his drinking debts. At his new job, he ate regularly, better than he did at home, but it was never much and never as good as the inn guests got. One day he stole a rabbit pie and ate it. The innkeeper vowed to sell him to the chimney sweeps, a job dangerous to one's health, so Will ran away. On his journey, he met a host of unsavory characters who tried to cheat him. He finally settles somewhat with traveling performers and finds work with a series of carnival acts. Some of the performers are kindly and fair, but most are not. Eventually, he meets the cat-girl and others with whom he finally finds a family.

APA Reference of Book

Cushman, K. (2012). Will Sparrow's road. New York, NY: Clarion.

Impressions

The details in this story paint an accurate picture of what life was like for a boy or a girl on there own in Elizabethan England. The characters are complex and well detailed, as are their surroundings; both are accurately portrayed. The pacing of the story is lively, filled with scary twists and turns, but all ends well for Will and his friends. This book might be too harsh for younger readers, who would learn for the first time how poorly children were treated in the past, but most kids would delight in reading of a character with the freedom that Will had. 

Professional Review

Vivid description brings the period and setting to life, and colorful characters flesh out the simple plotline. Fascinating, sometimes seemingly preposterous, details are solidly corroborated in the informative author's note that reflects Cushman's extensive research. As she did in Catherine Called Birdy (1994) and The Midwife's Apprentice (1995, both Clarion), the author has skillfully evoked a period far outside readers' experience to tell a good and accessible story.

Orlando, M. (2012, November). Will Sparrow's road. [Review of the book Will Sparrow's 
       Road, by K. Cushman]. School Library Journal, 58(11), 102. Retrieved from
       http://www.slj.com

Library Uses

Will Sparrow's Road would be an excellent choice for a book talk on historical fiction, or as a component of historical research. The details of life in Elizabethan England are accurate and plenty. As an example, the description of Will's life could be used in a presentation of the life of children in Elizabethan England. 

Module 5: The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Book Summary

The world has been destroyed by zombies, and only one group of healthy people remain, living in a primitive village surrounded by fences that keep the infected out. Life is dominated by the church and the sisters who act as all facets of government: they write the rules in the form of the village bible, provide for all the needs of the people, and exact punishment for those who do not follow the edicts. Those who rebel or don’t fit in with the sisterhood’s plan are ejected into the forest to become zombies. The night before Mary, the heroine of the story, is forced on pain of death to marry the brother of her true love, the zombies attack and destroy the village. Mary, her intended, her true love, her best friend who is betrothed to her true love, her brother who abandoned her, his wife, and an orphaned boy escape. In the end, we only know that Mary survives through her determination to find the ocean. We do not know what happened to all of the characters, and there are two more books in the series.

APA Reference of Book

Ryan, C. (2009). The forest of hands and teeth. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.

Impressions

This fantasy/horror story is written for grades nine and up, with more difficult vocabulary and detailed sentences. The gruesomeness of the details as zombies are destroyed and humans are attacked, along with the harsh treatment of the characters, are reasons that this book is perhaps better suited to older, more mature students. Complex characters are torn with conflicting emotions of love and survival. Even the more evil of the characters are shown from different perspectives and are viewed with compassion. The plot is tense with a suspense that propels the reader through to the end, where readers are bathed with relief alongside Mary as she stands in the ocean’s waves.

Professional Review

In this sci-fi/horror novel, the suspense that Ryan has created from the very first page on entices and tempts readers so that putting the book down is not an option. The author skillfully conceals and reveals just enough information to pique curiosity while also maintaining an atmosphere of creepiness that is expected in a zombie story. Some of the descriptions of death and mutilation of both the Unconsecrated and the living are graphic. The story is riveting, even though it leaves a lot of questions to be explained in the sequel.      excellent in relation to other titles on the same subject or in the same genre

Banna, D. (2009, May). The forest of hands and teeth. [Review of the book The forest of 

     hands and teeth, by C. Ryan.] School Library Journal, 55(5), 117. Retrieved 
     from www.slj.com

   

Library Uses

Some high school students need encouragement to discuss literature. Science fiction and horror would captivate some of these students and get them talking, and could be their key to understanding literature. Begin with a book talk, reading excerpts, to entice them to read a particular genre. Then a follow up with discussion along the way.

For those kids who arrive in 9^th grade unable to read, pair the book with a CD. If you can get them hooked with an exciting story such as this, then you may uncover the will to read – and that is the secret that will cause them to improve in leaps and bounds.

Module 5: Doll Bones

Book Summary

Zach, Poppy, and Alice, 12, are best friends, or quest friends. Together, they write and act out adventure stories with dolls and action figures. Zach’s father decides that Zach is too old to be playing with dolls and throws his action figures away, which sets off the action of the plot. Too embarrassed to tell the girls, Zach lashes out and tells them he no longer wants to play. The girls feel so strongly about finishing up the story currently underway, they take Poppy’s mother’s antique doll, whom they have named The Queen, from the case so that she can finish the play. But the doll is haunted with the spirit of a murdered girl, Eleanor. The author drops hints along the way that the doll is dangerous. The doll enters the minds of the children shows them scenes from her life. She wants to be buried with her family, and wants the kids to do it, and at times the doll seems to possess one of the children. The three set off in the middle of the night on the quest to return Eleanor to her family so that her spirit can rest. It is a dangerous adventure for the kids, and Eleanor’s creepiness increases with the plot. The story concludes, however, with a happy ending for all.

 

APA Reference of Book

Black, H. (2013). Doll bones. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster

Impressions

Doll Bones is written in a style and vocabulary easy for fourth graders to enjoy but suspenseful enough for much older readers. Intriguing elements, such as a doll filled with the remains of a murdered girl, make it a compelling read even for adults. The main characters stand out as inventive intelligent kids, written fully dimensional, and certainly believable. Minor characters are quirky and interestingly written. The plot pulls us along with suspense and hints of horror and delivers us craftily to a happy, satisfying ending. This fast-paced adventure, written by the author of The Spiderwick Chronicles, is a good addition to an elementary or middle school library.

Professional Review

Black has created protagonists who readers will care about, and amusing secondary characters, like a pink-haired librarian and a crazy bus passenger who seems to be able to see Eleanor. This novel is a chilling ghost story, a gripping adventure, and a heartwarming look at the often-painful pull of adulthood. Black-and-white illustrations actually tone down the scare factor a little, making this a perfect starter story for budding horror fans.

Laferriere, M. (2013, June). Doll bones. [Review of the book Doll bones, by H. Black]. 

     School Library Journal, 59(6), 112. Retrieved from www.slj.com

Library Uses

Doll Bones comes in several formats: print, CD, and Ebook. It could be used in the library for reluctant readers. Reluctant readers could read along as they listen, completing the book on a schedule, and then work with a group to discuss the book. The book is very exciting, and even the most reluctant reader would be enticed to learn what happens in the end.

Module 4: Ruby Holler

Book Summary

Dallas and Florida are orphans being raised in the cold and unloving environment of a children’s home. They have been sent for adoption and returned to the orphanage too many times. They have never known kindness, and so when they are sent to an older couple in the beautiful, forested Ruby Holler, they don’t trust the intentions of the couple and plan to run away when they are able. The children and the old couple have many adventures - including the attempted theft of the couple’s buried riches by the orphanage proprietor, foiled by the kids’ true father - and grow to love each other. But when the old couple’s children fly in to visit, they are overheard telling their parents that the kids need to go back to the orphanage. Dallas and Florida start to leave, but change their minds and determine to stay in Ruby Holler. The narrative comes to a close leaving loose ends, which are hopefully explained in a sequel.

APA Reference of Book

Creech, S. (2002). Ruby holler. New York, NY: Harper Collins

Impressions

Told in a country style with some dialog written in dialect, Ruby Holler is a sweet tale for upper middle and middle school kids. The characters are fairly two-dimensional but serve the plot. The proprietors of the children’s home are drawn meanly enough that the reader can fully understand why the orphan girl, Florida, is so angry and why the boy, Dallas, constantly dreams of a better life. The pacing is exciting as the child pair enter new situations and have dangerous adventures. The reader comes to care about the feelings of the children and is gratified to learn that the couple does love and care for the two, as the theme "love conquers all" plays out.

Professional Review

While the plot is predictable, the story weaves in an interesting mix of mystery, adventure, and humor, along with age-old and modern problems. Creech does a fine job of developing the unique personalities and the sibling relationship, and the children's defense mechanisms ('s dreamy escapism and 's aggression) figure prominently in the interplay among the characters. The text is lively and descriptive with an authentic, if somewhat mystical, rural ambiance. This entertaining read from a first-rate author will not disappoint Creech's many fans.

Vandenbroek, R. R. (2002, April). Ruby Holler. [Review of the book Ruby Holler, by S. 

     Creech.] School Library Journal, 48(4), 142. Retrieved from www.slj.com

 

Library Uses

Sharon Creech has written so many excellent titles, a librarian could host an author study with her books. She could treat it like a literature circle, where students read the Creech book of their choice, discuss the elements when they come back to class in the library, and then create some kind of display for the book they read, be it a poster, a book display, or using Web 2.0 technology. The librarian could use this as an opportunity to teach a selected technology where the students could share and collaborate with each other through the school’s website.

Module 4: Eleanor & Park

Book Summary

Eleanor and Park are awkward teenagers thrown together on a school bus. Eleanor’s home life is pure misery, with a step-father that abuses the entire family, but particularly Eleanor’s mother. Park is half-Asian but is spared the cruelty of the mean kids because he grew up with them and used to date their ring leader. Eleanor is new and so faces bullying at school as well as at home. The teenagers slowly get to know each other and fall in love just as the step-father spins into a rage of abuse. Eleanor flees to her aunt’s and uncle’s with the help of Park. It appears that the two lovers will be parted forever, but in the end readers are given the hint that they will reunite.

APA Reference of Book

Rowell, R. (2013). Eleanor & Park. New York, NY: St Martin's Press.

Impressions

This is a sweetly written teen love story written for today’s youth. It is filled with 80s musical references and includes language and situations that may concern adults, but certainly not teens. The characters, even the bullies, are well developed with both good and bad traits. The plot reads like the lives of so many teens, filled with insecurity, abuse, and a sense of hopelessness. The overriding questions are typical teen angst: who am I, why is life so horrible, what did I do to deserve this, I’m a loser, no one can love me, etc. Park and Eleanor answer each other’s questions. Bullies reveal they have a heart. Dog-eat-dog is understood as self-defense. Well-paced, the reader is taken on a roller coaster of emotions, but the story ends with hopefulness.

Professional Review

The friendship between the teens is movingly believable, but the love relationship seems a bit rushed and underdeveloped. The revelation about the person behind the defacement of Eleanor’s textbooks is stunning. Although the narrative points of view alternate between Eleanor and Park, the transitions are smooth. Crude language is realistic. Purchase for readers who are drawn to quirky love stories or 1980s pop culture.

Schultz, J. (2013). Eleanor & Park. [Review of the book Eleanor & Park, by R. Rowell.] 

     School Library Journal, 59(2), 113. Retrieved from www.slj.com

Library Uses

Inspired by posters on Pinterest, teen angst books like Eleanor and Park could be used to get teens to create posters using the themes, mood, setting, and characters from the books. The posters would essentially be a way for teens to work through their own issues, as well as an elements chart for a book. The posters would also help to sell the books to other readers.