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"Characterization"
Sofia is an 8-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. On select Saturdays, Sofia will share her favorite books with kids! She is one of the most well-read elementary schoolers that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!
Sofia is an 8-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. On select Saturdays, Sofia will share her favorite books with kids! She is one of the most well-read elementary schoolers that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!
Wonder
Author: R. J. Palacio
Published: February 14th 2012 by Alfred A. Knopf
Hi!
It’s Sofia Martinez again. Today I will review Wonder by R.J. Palacio. It is recommended for ages 8-12. Wonder is a long chapter book. Chapters are sections of a book. This book also has a thing that most books don’t have: parts. Parts have several chapters in them and in this case each part is written from a different perspective.
Wonder is a funny but also sad book. It is about a kid named August that looks different and because he looks different people aren’t always kind to him. His nickname is Auggie. Auggie had many surgeries so his mom had to homeschool him. Now that everybody his age was moving to middle school, his mom thought that Auggie should go, too.
Like all new kids, Auggie faces difficulties. Auggie still makes friends though. One of them is Summer. When she realizes how her friends are being mean to him, she goes over to his table during lunch to give him company and they end up becoming friends.
I really like Wonder because of its different points of view. You usually don’t get to see the same situation described by different characters and know how they experienced it. I also like Wonder because you don’t know what’s going to happen next. You just can’t put the book down until it is finished.
Once I saw that three copies of Wonder were available at our library, I borrowed them all so I could have a book club with my mom and grandma. We finished at the same time! We also came up with discussion questions. Here are some of them:
- Why do you think there are so many parts where Auggie tells the story again from his perspective? How does that help the story?
- How do you feel about Via describing her brother Auggie? What do you think about their relationship?
- Are there any parts of the story that made you sad?
We also watched the movie after reading the book. The movie is very good. It is a bit different from the book but not much. I was surprised how some of the characters looked, for example Summer.
If you want a book that will change the way you look at things, Wonder is perfect for that. Have fun reading it!
If you enjoy Wonder, you might also enjoy the sequel: Auggie and Me by R.J. Palacio.
**Thank you, Sofia, for your continued brilliance. You inspire us!**
Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History
Author: Walter Dean Myers
Illustrator: Floyd Cooper
Publication Date: January 24, 2017 by HarperCollins
Summary: In this picture book biography, the late New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers and acclaimed artist Floyd Cooper take readers on […]
Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History
Author: Walter Dean Myers
Illustrator: Floyd Cooper
Publication Date: January 24, 2017 by HarperCollins
Summary: In this picture book biography, the late New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers and acclaimed artist Floyd Cooper take readers on an inspiring journey through the life of Frederick Douglass.
Frederick Douglass was a self-educated slave in the South who grew up to become an icon. He was a leader of the abolitionist movement, a celebrated writer, an esteemed speaker, and a social reformer, proving that, as he said, “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”
The story of one of America’s most revered figures is brought to life by the text of award-winning author Walter Dean Myers and the sweeping, lush illustrations of artist Floyd Cooper.
Review: We bought this book in 2017 when it first came out, and we read it again and again and again. My kids love to listen and learn about one of the most brilliant people to have ever lived. His story is incredibly inspiring. Even as a young boy, Douglass defied the world and never took no as an answer. The details of his story within this book show children (and adults) that they must push for what is right and commit to changing the world for the better. This book belongs in every classroom (and not just relegated to the classroom library). It should be shared collectively and purposefully with kids.
Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: There are endless uses for this book. One suggestion is that it could serve as a read-aloud and close reading at the start of a research or biography unit. Kids might look at the use of pictures and the pacing of the story to write their own nonfiction picture book.
Discussion Questions:
- How does Douglass regularly display strength and resolve throughout his life?
- How is the book paced to reveal key moments of Douglass’ life?
- What other famous figures related to issues of equity showed this kind of resolve? How do their stories connect to Douglass’ story?
Flagged Passage:
Read This If You Love: Nonfiction picture books, Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, Schomburg: The Man Who Built the Library by Carole Boston Weatherford, Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe, Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra by Andrea Davis Pinkney, We March by Shane W. Evans, Harlem’s Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills by Renee Watson, Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford
Recommended For:
We at Unleashing Readers would like to introduce you to Sofia, an 8-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Sofia will be writing a new column called Sofia’s Kids’ Corner. On select Saturdays, Sofia will share her favorite books with kids! She is one of the most well-read elementary schoolers that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!
Smile
Author: Raina Telgemeier
Published: February 1, 2010 by Scholastic/Graphix
Dear readers,
Hi, my name is Sofia Martinez. I am 8 years old and love to read. I would like to introduce you to some of my favorite books. Today I will start with one of my favorite graphic novels: Smile by Raina Telgemeier.
If you do not know what a graphic novel is, it is basically a comic but not just superhero stuff. Have a look at the picture down below, a page from Smile.
The story is about Raina dealing with dental drama and other problems like bullies, boys and family. The book starts with Raina falling and knocking out her two front teeth after a girl scout meeting when she was in sixth grade. The reader follows her story all the way up to high school. Before I read this book I did not know there were so many types of dentists: orthodontist, endodontist and periodontist.
Smile can make you laugh or cry. The reason I like this book is because it is the kind of book that you want to read again and again. I feel like I have read Smile a thousand times already. I also like that Raina makes her drawings look realistic. Smile has about 200 pages, but you can read it faster than most books because it is mostly filled with pictures. Don’t get me wrong, there are still a lot of words and action. The author, Raina Telgemeier, says Smile is a graphic memoir (memoir means it is a true story about the author’s life). This book is recommended for ages 8-12. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did!
If you enjoy Smile you might want to check out the other graphic novels by Raina Telgemeier. For example, Guts, Sisters, Ghosts, and Drama.
**Thank you, Sofia, for your brilliance. You inspire us!**
This is My America
Author: Kim Johnson
Published: February 28, 2017 by Balzer + Bray
GoodReads Summary: Dear Martin meets Just Mercy in this unflinching yet uplifting YA novel that explores the racist injustices in the American justice system.
Every week, seventeen-year-old Tracy Beaumont writes letters to Innocence X, asking the […]
This is My America
Author: Kim Johnson
Published: February 28, 2017 by Balzer + Bray
GoodReads Summary: Dear Martin meets Just Mercy in this unflinching yet uplifting YA novel that explores the racist injustices in the American justice system.
Every week, seventeen-year-old Tracy Beaumont writes letters to Innocence X, asking the organization to help her father, an innocent Black man on death row. After seven years, Tracy is running out of time—her dad has only 267 days left. Then the unthinkable happens. The police arrive in the night, and Tracy’s older brother, Jamal, goes from being a bright, promising track star to a “thug” on the run, accused of killing a white girl. Determined to save her brother, Tracy investigates what really happened between Jamal and Angela down at the Pike. But will Tracy and her family survive the uncovering of the skeletons of their Texas town’s racist history that still haunt the present?
Fans of Nic Stone and Jason Reynolds won’t want to miss this provocative and gripping debut.
Review: This is a book that will stick with me forever. The characters are powerfully written, and the plot unfolds itself beautifully. It tackles complex themes that offer excellent fodder for classroom discussion. Some of these include implicit and explicit racism, the ripple effects of White supremacy and racism, White privilege, and injustices in the judicial system. I could go on. This book is truly exceptional, and I envision it winning some big awards this year. There is so much to unpack and so much to admire in Johnson’s writing. It’s absolutely brilliant. If you buy no other book this summer, buy this one. It will make you think deeply about equity and justice.
Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I highlighted so many passages of this book while I was reading it. There are so many sections that would make phenomenal close readings in the classroom. I highly recommend pairing this text with portions or all of Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.
Discussion Questions: What are some of the injustices in this text?; How can we, as a society, work to change these injustices?; How do the injustices have a ripple effect on other characters?; How does Johnson layer the plot to elevate the reading and message of the text?
Flagged Passage: “Corinne never held that memory [of Daddy getting arrested], but I know she feels it in everything we breathe. It’s in the polite nods across the street we have to make, the way our family turns down our music when there are others around. Say yes ma’am and no sir. Leave our jackets and backpacks in the car when we go shopping.
It’s in the way I carry myself that tells our story now. I can’t risk being accused of anything. Because if something goes wrong or missing, I know it’s in the back of someone’s mind that maybe I had something to do with it. And it’s in the way that the voice of the strongest woman I know stumbles when saying, ‘Hello, Officer’ as she walks through the visitation gates to see Daddy.”
Read This If You Loved: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson; The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas; All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely; X by Ilyassah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon; The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon; How it Went Down by Kekla Magoon; Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles;
Recommended For:
Abby in Oz
Whatever After #13.5 (Special Edition #2)
Author: Sarah Mlynowski
Published April 7th, 2020 by Scholastic
(Series debuted May 1st, 2012)
Series Summary: Siblings Abby and Jonah have a magic mirror that leads them into different fairy tales, from Snow White to Rapunzel to the Little Mermaid. In each fairy tale, Abby and Jonah accidentally mess up the story — and hilarity and hijinks ensue!
Abby in Oz Summary: In this second Special Edition of the New York Times bestselling Whatever After series, Abby and her friends enter the magical Land of Oz . . . with hilarious and empowering results!
Follow the yellow brick road . . . I’m with my best friends Robin and Frankie (and my sometimes friend, Penny) when a TORNADO scoops us up and whisks us away. As soon as we land, I can tell we’re not in Smithville anymore — we’ve been transported into The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!
We’re excited to meet Dorothy and Toto . . . but the story isn’t going as planned. The Wicked Witch of the East locks us in her dungeon, so we have no way of getting the magic slippers that will take Dorothy home. Plus, the Emerald City is under attack, and the Wizard himself may be in danger!
Now we have to:
– Befriend the Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow
– Flee the flying monkeys
– Learn to steer a hot-air balloon
– Find the courage, heart, and smarts to save the day
. . . or we’ll never escape — and everyone knows there’s no place like home!
Praise for Abby in Oz:
“Hilarious…with unexpected plot twists and plenty of girl power.” –Booklist
“My daughter loved the young, sassy girl on the cover and I loved the premise of the book…The best part is that they mess up the story and the lead female character has to learn how to stand on her own. The feminist in me adored it, and the mother in me loved how my daughter would long to cuddle in close as we read together.” –The Washington Post
“An uproariously funny read.” –Kirkus Reviews
About the Author: Sarah Mlynowski is the New York Times bestselling author of the Whatever After series, the Magic in Manhattan series, Gimme a Call, and a bunch of other books for tweens and teens, including the Upside-Down Magic series, which she is cowriting with Lauren Myracle and Emily Jenkins. Originally from Montreal, Sarah now lives in the kingdom of Manhattan with her very own prince charming and their fairy-tale-loving daughters.
Review of Abby of Oz: I am a huge fan of this series. I already love fairy tale retellings, but this is such a unique way of telling them, and I love how each are different and do not follow a predictable pattern.
This newest installment is a special edition of the series and is a bit different. While Abby and Jonah normally go through a magic mirror, the special editions find Abby and her friends entering books because an evil fairy is trying to trap Abby in the story. The addition of Abby’s friends’ personalities definitely makes for an interesting story and more conflict throughout the book.
Lastly, I could not review any book in this series without celebrating the audiobooks–they are phenomenal!
Teachers’ Tools for Navigation (series): Immediately, when reading this series, I thought of a creative writing activity for students to take part in and would be a great introduction to the series: Have students take parts of fairy tales that they feel are wrong, unjust, dated, they didn’t like, or even something that would be fun to change; come up with a plan on how they would fix it if they were in the fairy tale; and have them rewrite the fairy tale.
Then, I would read parts of some of the books out loud where Abby does just that: she changes fairy tales for the better! (Even if it is a bit of a mess along the way…)
Discussion Questions (series):
- What did Abby change in the fairy tale/story? Do you think this is a good change or not? Explain.
- What did Abby do to make the change happen?
- Do you think it is okay ethically for Abby/Jonah/Abby’s friends to change things in the story?
- Do you think Abby would be as successful as she is without the help of Jonah/her friends?
- Why do you think the magic mirror allows Abby and Jonah to go through the mirror?
- What fairy tale would you want to go into if you were being transported into one? What would you want to change? Make sure stays the same?
Flagged Passages: Visit the Scholastic website for the series to view the series trailer. I also highly recommend listening to an audiobook sample!
Read This If You Love: Fairy Tale Retellings
Recommended For:
In My Heart
Author: Mackenzie Porter
Illustrator: Jenny Løvlie
Published March 10, 2020 by Little Simon
Goodreads Summary: A working mother reassures her child that even when they’re apart, they’re always in each other’s hearts. This lovely board book is perfect for moms to share with their little ones.
Though we’re not together
we’re never truly apart,
because you’re always on my mind
and you’re always in my heart.
This is what a mother tells her child as she leaves for work each day. This lovely board book perfectly captures the sentiment that many women feel about being a working mom. The lyrical text takes us through a mother’s day away, showing us that although she’s working hard, her child is always on her mind and always in her heart.
Ricki’s Review: This book really hit me in the gut. I couldn’t read it without crying. I have a lot of mom guilt related to my status as a working mom. I genuinely believe that it is best for my kids, yet I struggle with the emotions that come with this decision. This book was as much for my kids as it was for me. There are many books that address concepts like going to school or learning to meet new people, but this is the first book that I’ve read that addresses the concept of working moms (particularly at this age level). I will cherish this book and read it to my children again and again.
Kellee’s Review: As a working mom, mom guilt is real. It is hard when I cannot come and be a reader in Trent’s class every time or be part of all celebrations in his classroom, but I also love working; however, there are very few books that reinforce the normality of this situation. As Simon & Schuster shares, 70% of moms are working moms, so there are so many of us that need this book to read to our children to explain that work is part of our life but that they get the opportunity to be in an awesome school situation while we are doing a job we love and need. And no matter what we love them! The author and illustrator do a great job of showing that balance. Thank you to them both for bringing this book to life!
Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Ricki is purchasing an extra copy of this book for her kids’ daycare/preschool. It is a great book for early childhood educators to use. Children might draw pictures of the emotions that they experience before, during, and after reading this book.
Discussion Questions: How do you feel when your parent goes to work? Why? What might you do to cope with these feelings?
We Flagged:
Read This If You Loved: The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn; Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney; Stella Luna by Janell Cannon
Recommended For:
and
Eat the Cake
Author: M. H. Clark
Illustrator: Jana Glatt
Published February 1, 2020 by Compendium
Summary:It’s your day to be wild and fearless and free. It’s your day for becoming the next thing you’ll be. Though today is your party, it doesn’t stop here–it should keep right on going and last you all year.
Roll out the streamers, blow up the balloons, and celebrate all the great things that are coming your way! With its colorful cast of characters, delightfully detailed illustrations, and playful rhymes, this festive book will ignite good feelings for birthdays and any occasion where cake is appropriate. (And cake is always appropriate!) A fun and joyfilled gift for anyone ages 5 to 105. Features a hardcover with embossing.
Review: We all need to celebrate ourselves! This book gives readers the perfect excuse to do so! This is a very motivational text that reminds readers all of the reasons that they should be proud and happy to be themselves. Readers will come away from this book wanting to try new things and go to new places. This book would make a WONDERFUL gift to readers of all ages. Folks tend to buy the Oh, the Places You’ll Go book, but Eat the Cake offers something new and fresh (and something that another relative might not buy!).
Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: If I was still teaching K-12 and had the means to do so, I would buy this book for every single one of my students at graduation. It would make a wonderful read aloud for the last day. I don’t think I could read this to my exiting students without crying! I will be purchasing this treasure for my graduate assistants. 🙂
Book Spreads! Book Spreads!:
Read This If You Loved: Oh, the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss, Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast by Josh Funk, Inspirational Books
Recommended For:
**Thank you to Compendium for providing a copy for review!!**
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