What To Do About Alice # 26

1.      Author: Barbara Kerley
2.      Title: What To Do About Alice?
3.      Illustrator: Edwin Fotheringham
4.      Genre: Juvenile Bography
5.      Subgenre: Picture Book
6.      Theme: Teddy Roosevelt, United States, and the White House
7.      Primary and secondary Characters: Alice Roosevelt and Teddy Roosevelt
8.      Awards: Robert F. Sibert Medal or Honor Book
9.      Date of Publication: 2008
10.  Publication Company: Scholastic Press
11.  A summary about the book and how you will use it in your classroom.

       Alice Roosevelt is the daughter of the very important man by the name of Teddy Roosevelt.  Teddy Roosevelt was one courageous man but when it came to his daughter he was hopeless.  Alice was always ready for adventure and fun she was not worried about being the proper young lady her father wanted her to be.  No matter what obstacles life gave Alice, she enjoyed life.  As Alice grew older she became more interested in her fathers work, she traveled around the world to offer her services.  This freedom gave Alice me opportunities to “eat life up” by gambling and driving fast. Alice became an American icon to women and one of her fathers most trusted advisors.  I would use this book in first, second, or third grades the book has a lot of historical details and a view of Teddy Roosevelt from a personal perspective.  Teddy Roosevelt is a very important man in American history and this would be a great book to read to students that are learning about him.

Swamp Angel # 25

1.      Author: Anne Isaacs
2.      Title: Swamp Angel
3.      Illustrator: Paul O. Zelinsky
4.      Genre: Modern Fantasy
5.      Subgenre: Folk Tales and Traditional Literature
6.      Theme: Tennessee and the creation of the Big bear constellation, Great Smoky Mountains, and Shortgrass Prairie
7.      Primary and secondary Characters: Swamp Angel (Angelica Longrider)
8.      Awards: Caldecott Honor Book and New York Times Best Illustrated Books
9.      Date of Publication: September 2004
10.  Publication Company: Puffin Co.
11.  A summary about the book and how you will use it in your classroom.

       Angelica Longrider is a Tennessean that was born rather large, she earned the swamp angel when she helped troubled pioneers in a near by swamp.  There was also a rather large bear that was causing a lot of trouble for settlers in Tennessee. He was steeling food without any care so Swamp Angle a long with many men set out to take care of this bear. She is discouraged but looks beyond to achieve her goal.  I would use this book to introduce the big bear constellation.  The introduction would lead into a lesson about stars, constellations, or the atmosphere.  I would also use this book to introduce a lesson about Tennessee History or different types tradition literature.

Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys # 24

1.      Author: Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard
2.      Title: Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys
3.      Illustrator: E. B. Lewis
4.      Genre: Literature for a diverse society
5.      Subgenre: Juvenile Fiction
6.      Theme: Schools, gender roles, African Americans, and History
7.      Primary and secondary Characters: Virgie & C.C and Nelson, Will, and George.
8.      Awards: Coretta Scott King Award
9.      Date of Publication: 2000
10.  Publication Company: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
11.  A summary about the book and how you will use it in your classroom.

Virgie is a little girl eager to go to school along with her brother and all the boys.  This story takes place right after President Lincoln declared all slaves free.  All of the African American boys had a place to go to school so Virgie wanted to go too.  The next year Virgie walked that long journey to school with all the boys and stayed all week until returning home to tell her parents everything she had learned.  I would use this book to introduce the end of slavery and how far our country has come since then.  This would be a good way to show my students how freeing slaves was the first of many steps to equality of African Americans in the United States.  This book would also be a great way to help them understand and visualize the time period and the everyday lives of African Americans of this time period.

The Remarkable Benjamin Franklin # 23

1.      Author: Cheryl Harness
2.      Title: The Remarkable Benjamin Franklin
3.      Illustrator: Cheryl Harness
4.      Genre: Juvenile Biography
5.      Subgenre: History
6.      Theme: Benjamin Franklin, Statesmen, United States, Scientist, Inventors, and Printers
7.      Primary and secondary Characters: Benjamin Franklin
8.      Date of Publication: 2005
9.      Publication Company: National Geographic Society
10.  A summary about the book and how you will use it in your classroom.

The Remarkable Benjamin Franklin covers the life of Benjamin Franklin from his birth al the way to his death.  The book goes into great details of his career as a printer and how this lead to his different interest and travels.  The book also goes into great detail about his family life throughout the book.  The book has wonderful illustrations that explain some of Franklin’s inventions.  I would use this book to introduce Benjamin Franklin, the Declaration of Independence, and the invention of electricity, the Revolutionary war, or the printing press.  Franklin had such a big effect of the country and today’s society and this books show many of these aspects.  Benjamin Franklin was a large part of our country’s history and this book would be great for students during the appropriate instruction.  The book would help students better understand the time period.

The Higher Power of Lucky # 22

1.      Author: Susan Patron
2.      Title: The Higher Power of Lucky
3.      Illustrator: Matt Phelan
4.      Genre: Juvenile Fiction
5.      Subgenre: Chapter Book
6.      Theme: Abandoned Children, Interpersonal relationships, runaways, and friendships
7.      Primary and secondary Characters: Lucky and Brigitte, HMS Beagle, Miles, and Lincoln
8.      Awards: Newberry Award
9.      Date of Publication: 2006
10.  Publication Company: Simon &Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
11.  A summary about the book and how you will use it in your classroom.

Lucky is quirky ten year old little girl living in a small town in California, she had experienced several issues in her life that some people never have to.  Her mother passed away after being electrocuted in a storm.  Lucky’s father, who had little to do with her, asked Brigitte to come take care of his daughter from France.  Lucky find a passport and suitcase of Brigitte’s and ran away because of her underlying fears of being abandoned.  She get caught in a dust storm and finds her five year old friend Miles, they find shelter until they are found.  They journey leads Lucky’s to closure from the death of her mother and leads to her learning to trust Brigitte, who loves her very much.  I don’t know that I would read this to a classroom because of some of the deep emotions that it includes.  There are many student the experience abandonment and death of a parent and those are issues that can cause students to get upset.  There are also discussions on “12 step system” of addiction that would to be explained to students along with the definition of scrotum. These topics can become very big issues with parents and guardians.

Secrets of a Civil War Submarine # 21

1.      Author: Sally M. Walker
2.      Title: Secrets of a Civil War Submarine
3.      Genre: Informational/Historical
4.      Subgenre: Chapter Book
5.      Theme: Submarines, United States, History, Civil War, Naval Operations, South Carolina, and Antiques
6.      Primary and Secondary Topics: H. L. Hunley the Submarine  and the Civil War
7.      Awards: Robert F. Sibert Medal
8.      Date of Publication: 2005
9.      Publication Company: Carolrhoda Books
10.  A summary about the book and how you will use it in your classroom.

       This book is packed with information about the naval side of the Civil war especially along the east coast.  The book discussed the disappearance of the Hunley Submarine after the Civil War and how they came to find it after more than 100 years of laying on the ocean floor.  The book provides a lot of historical pictures, maps, and figures to bring the submarine to life for young reader.  This book also shows the scientific side to the research and discovery that goes into retrieving the submarine from the ocean.  I would present this book to my students in fifth or sixth grade when talking about the civil war era.  I bet that most student do not realize that there were submarines or even naval troops involved in the war at all.  This book is filled with so much information I would allow students to look through it on there own be point out interesting facts and pictures that would enhance the instruction.

Olivia. . .and the Missing Toy # 20

1.      Author: Ian Falconer
2.      Title: Olivia. . .and the Missing Toy
3.      Illustrator: Ian Falconer
4.      Genre: Mystery
5.      Subgenre: Picture
6.      Theme: Lost and Found, Toys, and Pigs
7.      Primary and secondary Characters: Olivia and her Mother
8.      Awards: Caldecott Medal Award
9.      Date of Publication: 2003
10.  Publication Company: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
11.  A summary about the book and how you will use it in your classroom.

Olivia is a little girl pigs, she plays soccer, reads, and does typical little girl things.  Olivia became very upset when she lost her BEST toy. She searched high and low for her toy until she found that her dog had chewed it into pieces!  Olivia is devastated that her best toy is in pieces even after her dad offers to buy her a new one she want her old one.  Olivia takes it upon herself to fix her toy and eventually forgives her dog.  I would read this book to Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten students because it addresses issues that most all little kids face which it a broken toy or an animal destroying something they love.  This book would help children realize that it is not the end of the world when something like this happens and that forgiveness is best for everyone.

My Heart Glow # 19

1.      Author: Emily Arnold McCully
2.      Title: My Heart Glow
3.      Illustrator: Emily Arnold McCully
4.      Genre: Historical Fiction
5.      Subgenre: Juvenile Fiction
6.      Theme: Deafness, sign language, historical figures
7.      Primary and secondary Characters: Alice Cogswell and Thomas Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc
8.      Date of Publication: 2008
9.      Publication Company: Hyperion Books for Children
10.  A summary about the book and how you will use it in your classroom.

Emily is a little girl who feel excluded from the world she lives in because she is deaf.  She wants so badly to play and learn with her sisters and friends.  Mr. Gallaudet is a young man that starts teaching her how to read but has to go to England to learn how to help Emily.  Emily’s year away from Mr. Gallaudet was long and hard but paid of when ha came back with is friend Clerc to teach her how to read and sign.  I would use this book to introduce sign language and the time period it was brought to America.  I could also use this book to help students realize that it is important to be respectful to everyone even if they different.

Mr. Lincoln's Boy's # 18

1.      Author: Staton Rabin
2.      Title: Mr. Lincoln’s Boys
3.      Illustrator: Bagram Ibatoulline
4.      Genre: Historical Fiction
5.      Subgenre:
6.      Theme: Civil War and Abraham Lincoln
7.      Primary and secondary Characters: Primary-Tad and Willie Secondary-Abraham Lincoln
8.      Date of Publication: 2008
9.      Publication Company: Viking: Published by Penguin Group
10.  A summary about the book and how you will use it in your classroom.

       What was Abraham Lincoln besides a President?  Have you ever experiences war?  What Kind of toys did you play with as a child? Tad and Willie Lincoln are the sons of President Abraham Lincoln.  These two brothers are oblivious to the importance of their father but are very educated about the war. Tad and Willie had been known to cause a little mischief from time to time around the white house. The boys did a lot of this while playing with their soldier doll Jack.  Jack was always being put on trial for not being a good soldier and once he was sentence to death the boys were desperate to save their soldier doll. Although the Civil war brought much worry and stress to everyone in the white house the love between a father and his sons brought comfort and happiness to all three Lincolns’.  I would use this book to introduce the Civil War.  This book will help students establish the relationship between Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War.  This book would also help students understand and visualize time period in which the Civil War occurred.

It's Justin Time, Amber Brown # 17

1.      Author: Paula Danzinger
2.      Title: It’s, Justin Time, Amber Brown
3.      Illustrator: Tony Ross
4.      Genre: Juvenile Fiction
5.      Subgenre: Chapter Book
6.      Theme: Clocks and Watches, Time, Birthdays, and Best Friends
7.      Primary and secondary Characters: Amber Brown and Justin Daniels, Aunt Pam, and Amber’s family.
8.      Date of Publication: 2001
9.      Publication Company: G. P. Putnam’s Sons
10.  A summary about the book and how you will use it in your classroom.

       Amber a one day away from being seven years old, she has recently learned how to tell time and has gotten pretty good at it.  She has made it very clear to her family that she wants a watch for her upcoming birthday.  Amber’s best friend Justin always has her waiting on him, on this day before her birthday her Aunt Pam dyes her mother hair orange, her dad serves pizza for lunch, and she plays with Justin but not until he is ready.  As she goes to bed that night she anxiously thinks about her birthday and hopes that her family know just how much she wants a watch.  I would use this book in my classroom to introduce telling time to first, second, or maybe even third graders.  I think telling time on something other than a digital clock is something challenging for kids with so much technology.  This book will help get kids interested in telling time and maybe inspire them to master telling time just as Amber did.