Walk Two Moons

Walk Two Moons

by

Sharon Creech

Summary: 

        Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech is about a thirteen-year-old girl, Salamanca Tree Hiddle, who is trying to find her missing mother. Salamanca’s mother left her family in order to find herself and never returned. After her mother is gone for a year, Sal and her father leave their farm in Bybanks, Kentucky and move to Euclid, Ohio when her father finds a new job thanks to Mrs. Margaret Cadaver. Sal does not like anything about Ohio including Mrs. Margaret Cadaver. Sal and her Gram and Gramps embark on a trip from Ohio to Idaho in hopes of finding Sal's mom, Sugar. As they travel, her grandparents ask Sal to tell them a story. She tells her grandparents about her new friend, Phoebe Winterbottom, and her family. Phoebe's mother also mysteriously vanished, but after her disappearance, strange anonymous messages began appearing on the family’s porch. As she tells her story Sal begins to think about her own family's history, including her mother's mysterious trip to find herself in Idaho. Will Sal find her long lost mother or something else instead?

Evaluation: 

     Walk Two Moons is a must read for children ages 8 years and up. Being a realistic story of love and loss, mixed with humor and suspense it keeps young readers engaged. Also the fact that there are stories-within-a-story helps the readers to compare the reactions of the two friends to their similar situations with their families. Most young children at this age have experienced the loss of either a loved one or a pet making Sal's journey through the grieving process very relatable. From denial to anger and finally acceptance of her mother's death Creech truly takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride.

The plot is semi complicated due to the three stories intertwined with each other. The reader really has to pay attention to whose story they are reading and follow them all. They also have to make parallels between the stories in order to truly understand what is going on in Sal's life and head. But, in the end Creech ties all the stories together in one twist and does not leave any loose ends for the reader.
I really like the female characters in this book. They are all flawed in one way or another but very strong women and intricate characters. For example, Pheobe's neighbor, a women who had to deal with the death of her husband and blind mother all by herself. Pheobe who is my favorite character in the book because she is so funny and quirky with her strange obsession with cholesterol and belief that everyone she meets is a lunatic. Or Gram, who has to help Sal find herself while dealing with her own loss of her daughter. Then there is Sal herself. An amazing and capable preteen who is trying to learn what life and death is all about. Having the main protagonist be a 13 year old girl also makes the story very relatable to her target audience. Sal is smart, interesting, inspiring, flawed, and exhibits many of the same feelings that preteens go through on their journey into adulthood. In essence it is a story about growing up and working through the difficult aspects of the changing world around them. Sal is forced to move to a new state and grow up all at the same time after her mother disappears. Though some readers might not have such a big tragedy happen in their life the world around them is still changing and they have to adapt to it.
The story is told from first person point of view through Sal herself. But, Creech is still able to communicate a wisdom that goes beyond Sal's own understandings and words. Sal also is very truthful even though sometimes it puts herself in a bad light. That said, Sal is an unreliable narrator because there is a lot that she does not tell you according to her stage in the grieving process. With all the subtle hints along the way the reader is sure to miss them the first time around so reading it twice is highly suggested.
All in all this is a must read for anyone 8 years and up.  The characters are wonderful and perfectly flawed, the story line was engaging, and the ending offered closure without confusion. This is the perfect coming-of-age book that teaches readers young and old, "don't judge a man until you walked two moons in his moccasins."

Classroom Extension activities:

Social Studies

• When Sal and her grandparents stop at Injun Joe's Peace Palace Motel, Sal ponders the use of the term Indian vs. Native American. Sal's mom, Sugar, preferred the term Indian, but when Sal asks a man at Pipestone if he is a Native American he says, "No, I'm a person." When she inquires further he says that he is an "American Indian person." This part of the book would be good for the exploration of the issue of stereotyping versus historical cultural facts on Native Americans. Students can debate the use of Native American icons as sports mascots by writing a persuasive essay or creating a PowerPoint presentation.

Language Arts

•  have students explore point of view using the characters from the book. Students could retell the story from the point of view of one of the other characters in the novel. For example, how would Phoebe's mom or Mike have told the story? Another interesting assignment could a project on character development. 
• Using the famous quote from the book,  “Never judge a man before you've walked two moons in his moccasins,” as a starting point students could choose a character for and complete a character sketch. Students would be required to describe the physical appearance and emotional needs or wants of the character of their choice, and connect these traits to the story's plot. This will help them understand the elements of a character’s development through his/her words, actions, narrator's description, interaction with other characters, how motivations are revealed, character traits and motivations, stereotypes, relationships between character and plot development. Students would then share their character sketch with the class.
•  As a culminating activity, students should write a letter to the author about what they liked the most about the novel. The author, Sharon Creech, will write a letter back in response to the students giving them a personal connection with the book.

Lindy's Happy Ending

Lindy's Happy Ending

by

Valerie Tripp

Summary: Lindy always has great ideas that her classmates usually go along with. The only problem with her ideas is that they usually are more work then necessary and Lindy never finishes what she starts. When she forgets to put the lid back on the ducklings' cage, her classmates have had enough. They decide that it is time to help Lindy become a responsible young lady.

Evaluation: This is a great early chapter book! The vocabulary in it is easy and age appropriate and the plot keeps the readers attention. Responsibility even at a young age is crucial and this book does a great job teaching it. I really liked how her classmates helped her learn this valuable lesson. Even though they get frustrated with her they help to teach her how to finish what she starts and be responsible. This book is very relate able to its target audience. I think first and second graders have all known someone like Lindy and this shows them the appropriate response to the problem. The illustrations and story line all help keep the reader engaged. I would highly recommend this book!

December Secrets

December Secrets

by

Patricia Reilly Giff

Summary: Everyone in Ms. Rooney's class has been given a secret special person to be kind to for the whole month of December. Emily Arrow is stuck with Jill Simon, the class crybaby. Emily decides that she will make Jill happier and thinner. 

Evaluation: For this age group I do not think this book would be appropriate since it negatively deals with the issue of girls body image. Throughout most of this book Jill is bullied about her weight by her classmates including her secret pal Emily. While bullying is an issue that children in this target audience do face this book does not do a good job at addressing it. This teaches children that it is ok to make fun of someone just because they are a little on the heavy side and really highlight the more serious issue of female body image, which is not appropriate at this age. There are no positive messages about female body image or bullying until the very end of the  book and by that time for an early reader the damage has already been done. 

 While this is a good early reader as far as words on a page, size of the words, use of pictures in relation to the words, word spacing and difficulty of words, it is a horrible story line and has no redeeming literary qualities. The children in the target age group would learn nothing positive from this book.

I would not recommend this book to anyone!

The Healing Spell

The Healing Spell

by

Kimberley Griffiths Little

Summary: Eleven-year-old Olivia, "Livie," is living with a paralyzing secret. Her mother is in a coma and she knows she is responsible for it. Now she must be the one who wakes up her mother before anyone finds out what happened on that horrible day.

Evaluation:

          Livie lives with her family on the bayous of Lousiana. She is stuck in the middle of two sisters who are nothing like her. Feeling like an outsider in her own home she is terrified to tell anyone what really happened to her mother for fear that they would hate her. When her father decides against the doctor's orders to bring her mother home, Livie is mortified. How can she help take care of her mother when she can't even touch her. The burden of guilt weighs Livie down to the point that she thinks it is written on her face. But, that is not the only thing that is weighing on her mind. Livie's world is changing. Her Aunt Colleen and cousin have come down from Minnesota to help, but do not understand her families dynamics. Almost immediately friction begins to tear the family apart. Her sisters, aunt, and cousin all resent Livie for not helping to take care of or even touch her mom. They all know she is hiding something but no one can figure out what. To make matters worse. her older sister, Faye, is getting married in a few weeks and leaving home, her little sister, Crickett, cries all the time, and her father is forced to quit his job so he can care for their mother.         This is a must read for anyone age nine and above. Though this is a middle grade reader, I thoroughly enjoyed it as an adult. Little has the reader laughing, crying, hurting, and thinking along with Livie throughout the whole novel.

          With her world drastically changing, Livie decides that it is up to her to make her mother wake up. It is the only thing that can make things right. So she and her best friend visit the local traiteur to find a healing spell. To her surprise the healing spell is not a bunch of magic words, creepy voodoo, or automatic results. Instead, it forces her to find faith in herself, her family, and God. It also helps to break the chains of anger and guilt she feels for her mother. Her bravery is inspirational to young readers and her journey into coming of age is moving.

          This book is wonderful for young readers because it is about finding faith, having courage, healing, and the strength of family bonds. Being a realistic fiction, there are no true bad guys or evil doers. Instead, there are real feelings, situations, and universal truths that are applicable to almost all adolescents. Throughout the book, Livie struggles to find herself. She is constantly torn between doing the activities she loves, such as hunting and fishing, and becoming the proper young lady that her mother wants her to be. Her fears, anxieties, reactions, and points of view are so relatable that it even took me back to my preteen years. I love the part where she has to keep a memory journal. As a preteen this is a wonderful idea to help them only remember the good memories and let go of the bad.

          I highly recommend this book for all preteens. With the element of the super natural and the real life family drama of the Mouton clan make this an enjoyable read for all. Having the main character an eleven year old girl also makes the story very relatable. Most preteens at some point in their lives will try to find their independence, question their place in their family, and feel unloved. Livie's bravery and growth show the reader that our families do love us and see the good in us that sometimes even we don't see. It also teaches the reader that all members of our family have their own struggles and burdens to bear, and they are in need of our help, love, and forgiveness as we are in need of theirs.

Age and Genre: 9-11 years and up, Realistic Fiction

Links:
Author's Home page
The Healing Spell Book Trailer

Raising Yoder's Barn

Raising Yoder's Barn

by

Jane Yolen

Summary:

 This book is about an eight year old Amish boy, named Matthew Yoder. His family's barn and windmill is destroyed by a fire when lightning strikes it one night. The community gathers and help the Yoder's rebuild their barn. 

Evaluation:

 This is a wonderful book. It is also an excellent book for children to learn about the Amish culture.The main character in the story is an eight year old Amish boy who is telling about an awful event that took place on his farm one summer. When lightning strikes his family's barn they do not have a phone to call the fire department. Instead, his little brother has to ring a bell to summon the neighbors to come help try to put out the flames. Being Amish they did not arrive in cars but in wagons, on horseback, and on foot. They had to form two lines to try to put out the fire with buckets of water. For students who have been exposed to the Amish culture this is an excellent story to expand their understanding of their lifestyle and faith. For those children who have never been exposed to Amish culture this is a great story to introduce them to another culture within the United States of America. 

It is a very age appropriate even though he is from a very different culture his fears and feelings are much the same as any eight year old boys would be. He is worried that people will think he is too little to help rebuild the barn. But, he ends up with one of the most important jobs of the day, relaying instructions to the men. Throughout the story the reader see's Matthew dealing with the issue of losing part of their lively hoods and dealing with adolescent fears in a positive way. For instance when they are finished building the barn instead of gloating he simply whispers "Amen," which speaks volumes to his feelings of accomplishment and self worth. 

This book celebrates the worth of interdependence, tradition, hard work, cooperation and communities coming together to help each other out. It is a definite must read for children in kindergarten and up!

Genre and Age:

Realistic Fiction Picture Book 

Ages 5-8 and up

Wednesday Wars

Wednesday Wars

by Gary D. Schmidt

Summary:

      This book is about a 7th grade boy named Holling Hoodhood. Holling, unlike the rest of his class who attend Hebrew School or Catechism every Wednesday afternoon, is Presbyterian and must spend his with his teacher Mrs. Baker. From the first day of school, Holling is convinced that Mrs. Baker hates his guts and is out to get him. She makes him clean, clap all the erasers, clean the rat's cage, and worst of all read Shakespeare outside of class. While Holling is worried about what Mrs. Baker is going to do next to destroy him, the rest of the country is worried about the war going on in Vietnam.

Evaluation:
      While this book starts of slow and has some far fetched ideas in it this would be a good book for children ages 10 years and up, especially boys. Boys will love this book because it is relevant to their life through the male protagonist, events such as escaped rats, tons of pranks, famous baseball players, and of course the school bully.
      I generally liked this book but the one thing that really bothered me and took away from the story is Holling Hoodhood's family dynamics. Holling's family lives in the perfect house in the perfect spot in town. His family however, is far from perfect. Holling's father Mr. Hoodhood is an architect whose only concern is keeping his business' reputation safe. Throughout the book, the reader sees Mr. Hoodhood's stubbornness and neglectful nature destroy the parent-child relationship for both Holling and his sister. Mrs. Hoodhood is complete opposite of her husband, though just as neglectful. She is an obedient housewife who is clearly depressed and under her husband's complete control. Holling's older sister, is a "flower child" who throughout the story is trying to find her place in a war torn world. The worst part of the story for me was when Holling got hit by a bus saving his sister, and neither of his parents even showed up at the hospital. While for some students reading this story this type of behavior might be reality, I do not think it made the story any better. The reader already see's how much Mrs. Baker cares for Holling. Making his parents neglectful and borderline child abusers did not strengthen the story line any. In fact, for me it almost broke it. It took me a while afterwards to like the story again. 

     There are many redeeming factors in this story. One of my favorites is the teacher who is constantly picked on by students and ends up working in the board office. As a teacher this of course made me laugh. But, she in the end comes back and is the only person who is not afraid to capture the evil rats. Another redeeming part of the story is the school bully, Doug Sweiteck's brother. Throughout the story he picks on Holling even going so far as putting up flyers all through the school of him in his yellow tights. But, when Holling saves his sister, Doug Sweiteck is the first one who praises him throughout the school and calls him a hero.

     I really like how Schmidt incorporates the Vietnam War and it's affects on the various characters in the story. With the war going on in Afghanistan many young folks can relate to this scenario. Mrs. Baker is a work-a-holic who only slightly lets on to her students her inner turmoil with her husband being at war and then missing in action. Mai Thi, is a Vietnames child who is brought over by the Catholic Relief Agency and is a student in their class. She is constantly abused by the cafeteria lady whose husband is killed in action. After 9-11 Muslim students have had it harder in school. They too can be victims of abuse by both adults and other students. This aspect of the book is great because we see its affects on Mai Thi as a child. This is such a wonderful teaching element that can be used in the classroom about the effects of bullying based on ethnicity and or religion. Though, Mai Thi's happy ending at the end of the book does seem a bit farfetched and forced.

     The book does have many happy endings, though none to do with Holling's parents. Many children these days do come from broken homes and dysfunctional families. They could relate to Holling's childhood experiences and look for teachers as saviors. Mrs. Baker gives Holling some great advice that the young readers can take to heart. She tells him to, "learn everything you can-everything. And then use all that you have learned to be a wise and good man." Children reading this book can learn from Holling's struggles and growth throughout the story. Holling could have easily been like his father who is greedy and stagnant. But instead he grows to be a high-quality young man. Nothing is perfect all the time, but at least in this story the heroes do get their just rewards.
      As you can see this book would be an excellent choice for upper elementary students to young adults. It is a compelling story with various important themes, and witty characters making it an enjoyable and teachable read. 

Classroom Extension Ideas:

Language Arts Classroom:

• Have students choose and read selected sections from one of the Shakespeare plays that Holling read. Following this reading students could create a comparison chart between their thoughts and what Holling has to say about it.
• At the end of the book, students could respond to the following writing prompt: If The Wednesday Wars was written by William Shakespeare, instead of Gary Schmidt, would it be classified as a comedy, history, or tragedy? Why? Have students use excerpts from the book to justify their answer.
• At the end of the book, have students predict what happens to Holling after he graduates high school. Write an additional chapter based on their prediction.

History Classroom:

• Teachers have many topics they can expand on such as: the atomic bomb, the Civil Rights Movement, Robert Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Vietnam War, Mickey Mantle, 1960's era, and historic architectural landmarks in their own town

Math Classroom:

• Research and compare prices of soda, gas, New York Yankees tickets, bread, cars, bus fares, etc. from 1967 to present day

  

Dog

Dog

Matthew Van Fleet

Summary:

 Twenty different breads of dogs are used to demonstrate basic concepts such as: opposites, synonyms, opposites, emotions, and much more in a rhyming story.

Evaluation:

BEST BOOK EVER for dog lover children! We are on our second copy of the book since the last one fell apart from daily use. The book is very interactive with pull tabs, touch and feel, and flaps to lift. A must have for any dog lover with young children!

Genre & Age:

nonfiction

0-2 and up

Coat of Many Colors

Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton

Summary:

Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton is a story about a little girl who is growing up poor in Tennessee. The winter is quickly approaching and the little girl has no coat. Her Mama does not have enough money to buy her one so she sews her a coat made out of a box of rags that someone gave them. As she sews she tells the little girl the story of Joseph and his multicolored coat from the bible, and how she hopes it will bring her good luck and happiness. The little girl proudly wears her coat to school the next day. But, she finds herself the laughing stock of the classroom. Instead of feeling ashamed, or sorry for herself, the little girl feels sorry for her classmates. She tells them the story of how her Mama sewed her coat with love and that your only poor if you choose to be.

Evaluation:

I love this book! Growing up I always loved to hear Dolly Parton sing and now one of my favorite songs is beautifully expressed in book form. The illustrations are wonderful and the lesson that this books teaches (just like the song) is loud and clear. It teaches children about gratitude and self assurance. The little girl didn't have as much money as her peers and was teased because of it, but she had her mother's love and that was enough to pull her through a difficult situation. 

Genre and Age group:

3-5 years and up

Realistic fiction