Deanne+A.

=Book Summaries:=

Name DeAnne Albert

1. Book Title: Hunger Games

2. Author: Suzanne Collins

3. Date of Publication: 2008

4. What is the book about? Give brief plot summary in your own words. This book is a future nation of Panem, which is in North America. The nation has a wealthy and booming capital with 12 other districts surrounding it. Each district is in charge of providing a good for the nation such as coal or fish. Every year, the Capitol hosts a horrific game in which one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 to 18 from each district are chosen by a lottery to participate in the games. If your name is drawn you are forced to participate in the survival games. Only one person can win the games. If you win, you get to go back to your district where you are taken care of for the rest of your life. The entire event is televised for everyone in the nation to watch.

Katniss Everdeen, a 16 year old girl, becomes a player in The Hunger Games because she stepped in to take the place of her younger sister. Katniss has to find ways to survive within the games and make choices to save the one she loves.

5. How could a teacher use this book in the classroom? What instructional strategies might you choose to incorporate with this particular title? This book could be used to talk about dictatorships. You could discuss how the citizens have to provide resources they need to the Capitol, full of rich people, while they are trying to survive themselves. You could also talk about how the citizens are forced to participate in The Hunger Games and even watch them as they unfold. The classroom could even hold a "mock" dictatorship to see how the citizens felt in the book.

6. Write three higher level thinking questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book. -Compare and contrast Katniss' relationships with Gale, Peeta, Prim, and her mother. How do these relationships shape her as a person? -How does the caste system in The Hunger Games compare to caste systems in other countries? -Katniss and Peeta had to form an alliance and pretend they were in love in order to survive. Do you agree with this decision? What would you have done? Do you think they might have caused more problems by making this alliance, especially when they get back to their district?

1. Book Title: Notes From the Dog

2. Author: Gary Paulsen

3. Date of Publication: 2009

4. What is the book about? Give brief plot summary in your own words.

The book is about a teenage boy named Finn who lives with his dad next door to a young woman, Johanna, who is renting the house and is undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Finn and his friend Matthew befriend Johanna and the goal for the summer is to raise money for Johanna, who is running in a race for breast cancer.

5. How could a teacher use this book in the classroom? What instructional strategies might you choose to incorporate with this particular title? This book can be used in the classroom to talk about cancer and its treatment. There are so many people who are affected by cancer. This book can also be used to talk about the power of a community working together and the things they can accomplish. An activity you could do is having the students help someone in the community and then present their findings in a power point, poster, paper, etc. Also, it would be really cool to have your students raise money for and participate in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in the fall.

6. Write three higher level thinking questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book. 1. Compare and contrast Finn and Matthew. 2. In your opinion, was the garden symbolic of anything? If so, what do you think it symbolizes? 3. How can you relate to this story? What lesson did you learn from this book?

1. Book Title: Lawn Boy

2. Author: Gary Paulsen

3. Date of Publication: 2007

4. What is the book about? Give brief plot summary in your own words.

The book is about a 12 year old boy who received a lawn mower from his grandma for his birthday, which was his late grandpa’s. It actually works, so he decides to mow his own lawn. When he finishes a neighbor asks him to mow his lawn. Before you know it, the boy is mowing lawns for the whole neighborhood! He is earning hundreds of dollar but the work is getting too demanding and he partners up with a neighbor, Arnold who is a stock broker, who invests some of his money in stock. They hire other workers and before you know it the boy has a business of his own!

5. How could a teacher use this book in the classroom? What instructional strategies might you choose to incorporate with this particular title? This book can be used in the classroom to talk about stocks and investing. Students could do a project over investing.

6. Write three higher level thinking questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book. 1. How do you think the Lawn Boy's life will unfold after the book ends. What will become of him, Arnold, and Joey Powdermilk? 2. Do you think the Lawn Boy will keep mowing lawns for the rest of his life? Why or why not? 3. Why do you think Gary Paulsen did not give the main character a name? What do you think Lawn Boy’s name should be?

Name DeAnne Albert

1. Book Title: Chains

= 2. Author: Laurie Halse Anderson =

3. Date of Publication: 2008

4. What is the book about? Give brief plot summary in your own words. This story is set during the Revolutionary War. Thirteen year old Isabel and her sister Ruth are sold and forced to live with a cruel New York City couple even when her previous owner promised her freedom on her death bed. Isabel finds herself thrown into trouble when she meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, and is told to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans. She is forced to do anything she can to gain freedom when her sister Ruth faces the unthinkable.

5. How could a teacher use this book in the classroom? What instructional strategies might you choose to incorporate with this particular title? Teachers can use this book to teach about the Revolutionary War and slavery. Students will gain a better understanding of the turmoil slaves went through during this time. Students can participate in a discussion about whether Isabel should turn on her owners and help the Patriots or conform to their way of living and beliefs to stay out of trouble.

6. Write three higher level thinking questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book.

1) How did Mary Finch's, Isabel’s previous owner, view of slavery differ from that of most slave owners?

2) How does Isabel first show bravery? How does she become bolder and braver as the novel progresses?

3) What does Isabel mean when she says, "I was chained between two nations"?

Name: DeAnne Albert

1. Book Title: Heaven Is for Real

2. Author: Todd Burpo

3. Date of Publication: 2010

4. What is the book about? Give brief plot summary in your own words. This story is about a four year old boy named Colton who had a near death experience and tells of his experiences in heaven. The story is told by Colton's father who is a small town pastor in Nebraska. A little while after Colton's remarkable survival, he begins telling his parents about what he saw in heaven. His family did not believe him right away, but some of the things he was saying was impossible for him to know of, such as meeting his miscarried sister (who he was never told about) and his grandpa who died 30 years before he was born. This story truly makes you believe in heaven and confirms that Jesus really loves children.

5. How could a teacher use this book in the classroom? What instructional strategies might you choose to incorporate with this particular title? This book could be used to talk about how everyone has different views and beliefs. You could also talk about the connections students may have to the book such as a death in the family, knowing someone who has miscarried, or other social aspects.

6. Write three higher level thinking questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book. 1. What is one part of the book, you questioned? Why did you question it?

2. Do you think the parents are at fault for how sick Colton got? Should they have sought help earlier?

3. What kind of life do you think Colton will now live with being put in the media about what he has seen?