Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret - Realistic Fiction

By: Judy Blume

This story is hilarious (from an adult's point of view!) I read this book as a preteen and couldn't remember what exactly the story was about. All I remember is that I absolutely loved it. The story is about a girl, Margaret, who seems to be struggling with common preteen issues-puberty, friends, awkwardness, boys, moving, parents. I can see why many preteen girls could relate to this story. Whenever I read about something I was personally going through, it made me feel good to know I was not alone. Even if I was reading a fiction story and the characters were not real, I felt like I could relate and it made me not to feel so self-conscious and awkward.

I can totally see why Judy Blume is viewed as pushing the limits. She talks about issues like menstruating and what it feels like and stuffing bras. Though I don't feel these things are over-the-top, some parents may and it's completely okay for them to not want their kids to read about these issues. Many parents like to expose and discuss topics like these with their children themselves.

In Judy Blume's defense, even if she is writing about periods and bras, she writes in a way so young girls can feel okay about what's happening to their bodies. I remember this as being the most awkward time in my life and it helped me emotionally to read these stories where I could laugh and feel okay.

This book was not written as a comedy, per se, though there are funny parts. As an adult, it is so funny to take a walk down memory lane and relive having secret club meetings with your girlfriends and trying on bras for the first time. Ugh, maybe I'm getting too personal. I was reading this book and thought, wow, this is so me and my friends in middle school when we thought we were so cool and knew it all! See how relateable the text is!

By: Kate DiCamillo

Illustrated by: Timothy Basil Ering

This story was an interesting one. I enjoyed reading the story, though I thought it was a little odd. It's not a book I would normally pick up from the library or bookstore. Overall, I did enjoy the story and cannot wait to read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane!

What I thought was very interesting and different was the reader was spoken to directly. I thought this was engaging and really pulled the reader into the text. Whenever the text asked the reader what he thought about something, I found myself "answering" the question in my head.

I also really liked the mouse, Despereaux. It was so sweet that he liked a human and was willing to risk being shunned by his own family and community. Who hasn't dated someone a family member or friend didn't like? That's a hard situation and poor little Despereaux took a big risk.

I felt really sorry for Miggery Sow. It was sad to hear of being told by her dad that she was traded for such worthless items. Of course, cigarettes, a hen, and a red tablecloth must have been worth something for a father to trade his own daughter. Her mother died when she was six, she got traded to another man by her own father, and then endured abuse by her new "family." She really earned my pity.

I'm not sure if this is a story I would read aloud to my Kindergarten students. The story can be very dark at times with tail-cutting and the prisoner in the dungeon. Though I loved the story myself, I would probably find another story more suitable to read aloud to my class.

Dear Mr. Henshaw - Realistic Fiction

By: Beverly Cleary

Illustrated: Paul O. Zelinsky

This story by Beverly Cleary is an interesting one. The book is written in letter form. Leigh is infatuated with his favorite author, Mr. Henshaw's, stories. While dealing with divorce, a new school and home, Leigh writes to Mr. Henshaw very often as sort of an outlet. There are adult themes in the story. I honestly couldn't relate to Leigh on many things. His parents are divorced. Mine aren't. Leigh and his mom have moved to a new city. I've lived in the same city my whole life. Leigh had to go to a new school. I never had to change schools. Despite the differences between myself and Leigh, there are many kids who can relate to him.

Throughout the story, I felt very sorry for Leigh because of the distance between him and his dad. He longs for his dad to stop by and even call him. When he does, Leigh isn't even called by his name. His dad calls him, "Kid." Leigh is hurt and always has his dad on his mind.

Leigh's only friend in school is the custodian, Mr. Fridley. Leigh describes Mr. Fridley as, "He is so nice, sort of baggy and comfortable." I thought of my favorite pair of jeans or sweats I wear at home. I thought that description was interesting.

Leigh does have many hardships for a boy his age, but he has some happy times as well. When they do come along, I'm happy that finally something goes right for him.

This was a great story. It definitely pulls at the heartstrings and if you have parents who are not divorced and don't really know what it's like to have both parents living separate, it's a real eye-opener.

Mr. Griggs' Work

By: Cynthia Rylant

Illustrated: Julie Downing

I found this story to be very inspiring and motivating. Mr. Griggs seems to be a very sweet and hardworking man. He's a postal worker who absolutely loves his job. I didn't know it was possible to be this happy and still call it work. (haha) :-) It doesn't seem that Mr. Griggs actually delivers the mail. He works in the post office helping customers. In the story, even when he's home washing dishes, he wears his work apron. Everything seems to remind him of his job. I love what I do, but I need a break sometimes. :-)

What is inspiring about this story is how happy he is with his job. My goal in life is to be happy (a goal I've happily reached) and continue to stay happy. In my experience, some people have looked down on teachers, like we're professional babysitters or something. We, teachers, know this is not true. No matter if you're a doctor or garbage collector, the most important lesson in life is to be happy. If you're happy with your job, it helps to fulfill your whole life. This is definitely a feel-good story.

Night in the Country

By: Cynthia Rylant

Illustrated: Mary Szilagyi

This story is spooky-not scary, but spooky. I'm writing this alone at home thinking about what may be lurking outside my front door. Of course, I live in a city-not the country. The story is exactly what the title says: a night in the country. The tone of the story is very quiet, serene even. I can actually imagine myself going to sleep in a bed, in a house, in the country. The weather is warm. It's summer. The windows are open and I'm lying in my bed listening to the sounds the author is describing. It's very peaceful and again spooky. You're not scared, but you know that far off in the distance, there are creatures around. At one point in the story, the author instructs the reader to "listen." Then, the next page, "pump!" An apple falls from the tree and if you're really engaged in the text, you can "hear" the apple falling.

The illustrations are wonderful. They are very clear, but dark at the same time to go along with the nighttime theme. This would be a great story to read aloud to students and have them close their eyes as you read each page. Then, have students describe what they see, hear, and feel. Then, you can reread the story and let them look at the pictures. This provides a great opportunity for students to focus on imagery.

The Relatives Came

By: Cynthia Rylant

Illustrated: Stephen Gammell

This is another story with family as a theme. This book has such a heart-warming feel to it. It reminds me of summer and winter. It reminds me of winter because my family gets together for the holidays and there's always this magic in the air. This story also reminds me of summer because it is light and airy. I can tell the characters are country, or from the country. They're from Virginia and there's definitely some country places in VA. I love the pages when the relatives arrive. Everyone's hugging and kids are running around outside in their socks. The family looks so happy. They eat together, play together, and visit.

One observation I had was about the text. We mentioned this before in class when we talked about another book. Rylant will write a paragraph and the text consists of only one sentence. I, maybe like some others, would see this and say, Those are run-on sentences. It seems to work in this text. On one page, as the relatives were pulling up in front of the house where they were visiting, it stated, "So they drank up all their pop and ate up all their crackers and traveled up all those miles until finally they pulled into our yard." I imagine a child ecstatically and excitedly telling this story to a friend or a teacher. Don't we "speak" in run-on sentences?

I will enjoy rereading this story and also reading it to my class. Spring break is looming and this provides a great time for relatives to come and visit. My students will really be able to relate.

When I Was Young in the Mountains

By: Cynthia Rylant

Illustrated: Diane Goode

This is a story of past memories and growing up. The author is reminiscing about when she was young and lived in the mountains. I did not grow up near mountains so I thought this would be an interesting read. My first thought was, Did Cynthia Rylant grow up in the mountains? Just because she wrote a story about it doesn't necessarily mean it's true. I would probably think she did, though.

Most times, but not all, each page starts with "When I was young in the mountains." It's like the author wanted to remind, or really stress, the setting because this is the basis for the entire story. About half of the pages in the book have no illustrations-just text. The other half does have illustrations and text, but the text is not printed on the pictures. It seems to be nice and simple and I would believe this is how mountain life is. The pictures are detailed, but not in an "in your face" kind of way. The illustrations are very quaint. There must be a lot of snakes in the mountains because they are mentioned a few times. This makes me feel very happy I did not grow up in the mountains.

From what I gather, the author was happy and satisfied with her life because on the last page, she stated she never wanted to go to the ocean or desert or anywhere else for that matter. She felt her life, the one she lived growing up, was enough. Now that she's older, does she still feel the same way?

Sidewalk Circus

By: Paul Fleischman & Kevin Hawks

I was not aware Sidewalk Circus was a wordless book. I'll admit, I wasn't too enthusiastic about reading it. I want words. I like words. I need words. In any event, I started to "read" it. I really loved the pictures and I always tell my K students, Never skip over pictures just because there are no words on the page. And, if you ask them why, they would all say, Because pictures tell a story, too. I guess I need to practice what I preach. I really had to take my time, looking and absorbing each illustration, page by page. Whatever sign the man put on the wall, the local townspeople seemed to have been "performing" that circus act. Even though the story is wordless, there are words on each circus poster and banner.

Is this still considered a wordless book? I guess so. Overall, I feel I should expose my students to wordless books, but I, myself, would not rush to check one out at the library. I did enjoy the detailed illustrations, though. I guess the illustrations would have to detailed if they were the sole means of telling a story.

Weslandia

By: Paul Fleischman

Illustrated: Kevin Hawkes

This was my first Paul Fleischman story I've ever read and really enjoyed the character of Wesley. Poor Wesley is an outcast-very different from the rest of kids his age. I felt sorry for him because he seemed very lonely on the first picture I saw of him, listening to his parents talk about how he "sticks out." What I thought was incredible about Wesley was his incredible motivation. He started working on a project over the summer and this kid seems amazing. He grew plants, made clothes, used a sundial, created games and his very own language. This kid is awesome!

The best part of the story was the end. Unlike the rest of the story, the words on the last page were printed on a pale, yellow piece of paper. Also, the last page of text was only one sentence: "He had no shortage of friends." When Wesley went back to school, his classmates had been amazed at all of his creations. The end text really stood out. I was prepared for a paragraph about how he went back to school and told his teachers what he had done over the summer. This is a great story about it being okay if you're different.

Bridge to Terabithia - Movie

I enjoyed the movie version of Bridge to Terabithia, but I do like the book better. I'm glad I read the story before I saw the movie. I usually always read the book before I view the movie because books have so much more detail.

I did not like the parts in the forest of the wild beasts and the giant. I was very skeptical when I saw the trailer to the movie. It was not something I really wanted to see. I was very happy that the main focus of the movie was not on the science fiction part.

I loved the characters who played Jess and Leslie. Jess was almost exactly as I imaged him to be, but not Leslie. In my mind, I imagined her more of an outcast than she was in the movie. I liked the movie character Leslie. Also, the girl who played May Belle was absolutely adorable! I think she did a great job.

I am left with some questions.... Where is Bessie the cow? Also, I believe the book gave more background about Leslie and her family-like where they came from. The old Perkins place was never mentioned. Also, you could tell Jess had something for his teacher, but the book focused more on that part than the movie did. Also, when they were eating at the museum, there was no mention in the movie about Jess not having any money and he was praying that this fact never came up. (His teacher ended up treating him to lunch anyway.) The story was also modernized which I was not expecting.

Where were all of these details that made the story so rich and meaningful?? I guess that's something only Hollywood can answer.

All in all, I enjoyed the movie, but absolutely LOVE the story more. :-)

Stuart Little - Fantasy

As I've stated before, I am a huge E.B. White fan. I love, love, love Charlotte's Web. Since I've read that story several times and Trumpet of the Swan, I had to read Stuart Little. I actually bought the book about a year ago to read it for the fun of it. I chose to reread it because it is such a fantastic story.

For such a small mouse, Stuart has a great big personality. Even though his parents and brother are humans, Stuart is treated just like one of the family. You can assume his parents love him very much. I think Stuart has a great amount of character about him because even though he's so small, he doesn't want to be "babied" or have extra special treatment because of his size.

I love the different adventures Stuart goes on, many of which happen when he sets off to look for Margalo. In the end, the reader never really knows if Stuart ever catches up with Margalo or not. The reader must decide for himself. I don't really have any negative comments about the story, except the end, and it really isn't even negative. I wish the author wrote that Stuart found Margalo, they moved back to the Littles' apartment in New York City, and lived happily ever after. (Do you think I like the fairy tale genre?!) I don't like being left wondering.... Many other readers may like this, but I don't! :-) I guess it is a good thing for the reader to be able to finish the ending himself, so to speak.

E.B. White is an animal fantasy genius!

Trumpet of the Swan - Fantasy

Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White was, honestly, not a book I was too interested in reading. I am a big fan of the author, loving, of course, Charlotte's Web. Louis, the main character in the story, is a swan, and I have to be honest about this, I'm just not that big a fan of birds, swans, geese...

I decided to read it anyway and I loved the story. I'll do my best not to summarize... Louis is a swan born without a voice, or the ability to trumpet. This is very important to do because as a swan, this is the means to finding a mate. Since Louis does not have a voice, and feels he needs to go to school. He will then learn to read and write and this will enable him to communicate via a chalkboard around his neck. His friend, Sam Beaver, whom Louis meets while Sam is camping with his father, helps Louis get into school. Louis knows he's different and he feels that if he can learn to read and write, this will have to make do since he cannot trumpet. .

What I really enjoyed about this story is the vocabulary. There were words I didn't know, but could figure out with context clues. This wouldn't be a story I would read to my Kindergarten class, but kids in grades 3 and above would enjoy it as a read aloud. Again, the text is so rich with vocabulary, teachers would be able to call attention to many "power" words.

What I think is the most important lesson students can get out of reading/listening to this story is about how it is to be different. All kids are different and having Louis the Swan as a model shows that it's okay if you're not like everyone else. Louis' life isn't an easy one, though he does live a happy and fulfilled life. It's the events which gets Louis to the contentment that's important.

Bridge to Terabithia (Before movie)

This story is definitely a tear-jerker! The ending, which I will not mention in case some of you are finishing it up) was so not expected! There were different parts of the story I could relate to. In Chapter 5, as I was reading the description of the horrible things Janice Avery would do to the kids on the playground, I just shuddered. I remember seeing kids when I was in elementary school getting picked on by girls just like Janice. I would want to take up for them so much. Then, on the other hand, I didn't want to get caught in the path of the "teaser."

I also felt bad for Jess. Living with so many sisters had to have been a nightmare. I have a younger sister and we're still learning to get along and we're both adults. :-) It seems like Jess was kind of ignored by his parents and maybe even a little jealous of the attention his sisters received. I thought it was such an honorable and mature thing to do when he bought his sister a Barbie doll for Christmas even though she probably didn't deserve it. (I've had this thought a few times about my own sister.)

In Chapter 12 when Jess went to the "old Perkins place" because of what had happened (I'm still trying not to give too much information away and it's getting harder to do), all the feelings of my grandfather's death washed over me. He just passed away two years ago and it was a very sudden death. He was as healthy as a horse. Unbeknownst to the family, he developed a staph infection on his brain. He awoke me one morning yelling that he couldn't get up from the floor to which he had just fallen. We called 911 and after two brain surgeries and six weeks in ICU, he died the night after my family had gathered around his hospital bed singing (and crying) "Happy Birthday" to him. The first two days in the hospital were the only two he could mouth out the words "I love you" to me through the ventilator tube going down his throat. I lived with him and that day, I went home to an empty house for the first time in four years.

I felt like Jess felt in Chapter 12. When news so extraordinary hits you, you don't know what to say, to do, to think. I ate breakfast just like Jess ate his pancakes. Why was I doing something so normal when something so abnormal was happening in my life-my first major loss in my life. I didn't want to talk people and I didn't want any people hugging me who were crying themselves.

At the beginning of reading this book, I didn't think I would finish the story being so touched by the friendship between Jess and Leslie. I also didn't think I would end up having something in common with Jess-the feelings of loss.

(Before I wrote this post, I had some thoughts and notes I wanted to make sure I covered. Telling you about the death of my beloved grandfather who I loved more than life itself was not, in any way, planned. Thanks for reading.)

The Great Gracie Chase: Stop That Dog!

I chose this story as my first Cynthia Rylant story because the front cover was very appealing. It's true about what we discussed in class. Front covers do sell books! The front cover has a picture of a dog coming straight toward the reader. It's like the dog, Gracie, is going to run off the page. I found this to be an extraordinary attention-grabber! I also noticed the illustrator is Mark Teague, who is the author and illustrator of my first picture book selection, Dear Mrs. LaRue. I automatically thought, Mark Teague is involved (illustrating) another story about a dog. So, this in itself, made me want to read and study the illustrations.

I will try my best NOT to summarize, but sometimes I think it's important to know a little about the story so you can relate to what I'm writing about. An adorable dog, Gracie, loves quiet and the stillness of her house. One day, this quiet was interrupted and hilarious events soon followed. (There was a happy ending.) The story, I believe is a predictable one, and after the first few pages, students will probably catch on that wherever Gracie goes, the townspeople will surely be chasing her.

This story would be enjoyable for elementary students. The illustrations are wonderful and it would probably be a great way to make connections. Many kids have dogs so these students could make connections between the dog in this story and their own. Students could also make connections between this story and other texts about dogs. (Comparing and contrasting=higher level thinking!) Yeah!

This story could also be read aloud to upper elementary students and could lead a lesson into timelines, order of events. (Of course, lower elementary students could benefit from this story to be used to discuss beginning, middle, and end.)

Overall, this is one of those laughable, funny stories that if it's just read for entertainment value, it would definitely serve its purpose!

excerpt from Dear Mrs. LaRue

Dear Mrs. LaRue

OK, today with my Kindergarten class, I read the story "Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School" written and illustrated by Mark Teague. Let me give a little background.... With the Scott Foresman series, we focus on a letter a week. This includes learning the sound, forming it correctly, producing words with the letter, etc. So, this week, I've been reading tons of books about dinosaurs, ducks, and dogs. (It's "D" week if you haven't already guessed.)There's just too many great books out there to just stick to the "story" of the week.

I read this book when I taught 3rd grade to teach point-of-view, but really thought my K students would enjoy the story.

Briefly, this is a story about a dog who writes letters (from his point-of-view) to his owner who sent him away to dog school. Ike, the "prisoner," is distraught over the fact he was sent away and practically begs his owner to take him back home. He always seems to have an excuse for the reasons he was sent away by Mrs. LaRue.

The story is written is letter form and is also written so it looks like newspaper clippings. This provides a different type of point-of-view. It also has a plethora of vocabulary which I called attention to with my students. Some "wonderful words" include: horror, mistreated, misconceptions, melodramatic, warden, limp, hardship, barren wasteland, stray, scarcely, misery. This provided a wonderful opportunity for me to mention those words and even if students couldn't figure out a meaning within the context clues, I gave some more examples. After some discussion, most students could give me some idea of what a word meant. I have to admit, I was impressed with their thinking.

I also thought the illustrations were fantastic. On each page, there was a colorful illustration of Ike mailing the particular letter, licking the envelope, or writing and/or typing the letter in present tense. On the same page, the action of what he was writing about (past tense) was in duller colors like black, grey, or dark blue. This really gave more meaning to the use of time-past and present. I took full advantage of quickly calling attention to the time difference during the read aloud.

For a "simple" read aloud, this book contained an abundance of mini-lessons. Though the story contained all of the abovc, I will be honest and admit, I didn't necessarily read the book to my students to teach them about vocabulary, past and present tense, and point-ofview. I did choose the story because I thought they would really enjoy it and be entertained by the antics of Ike. I did call attention to the illustrations; the illustrator's use of colors when drawing the pictures from the past and present. We did discuss the different vocabulary words because this story was too good not to.

Here are actual quotes from my students about the story:

"I liked it when Ike put the letters in the mailbox and acted like a human."
"I didn't like the part when he put the cats outside when it was cold. That was not a nice thing to do. Friends don't do that."
"I liked the part when he saved his owner. That was nice to do."
One student even said how he liked how it looks like there's newspaper in the story.