Geri+K

=Book Summaries:=

Unfamiliar Genre
Name:___Geri Kaufman__ 1. Book Title: __Claim to Fame____ 2. Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix 3. Date of Publication: 2009

//4.// //What is the book about? Give brief plot summary in your own words.// Lindsay Scott was a child actress in a hit TV sitcom. However, at the age of 11, she “went crazy” and the show was cancelled. Now 16 and living in Springdale, Illinois, Lindsay is kidnapped by two boys because she “is being held hostage by her father.” However, the two boys and their friend Roz, who has to clean up all of their messes, soon realize that Lindsay’s dad is not holding her hostage. In fact, she is doing it to herself and her father has recently passed away from a heart attack, leaving her living alone in her home. Roz also secretly finds out that Lindsay has a secret talent, which leaves her confined to her home and not willing to go past her doorstep into the outside world. Lindsay slowly begins to realize, with the help of the teenagers and her neighbors, why she feels so different and why her dad was always doing research and talking about transcendentalism.

//5.// //How could a teacher use this book in the classroom? What instructional strategies might you choose to incorporate with this particular title?// The story leaves the reader in suspense much of the book, trying to figure out what her talent is, what her dad did or didn’t know about her challenges, why they left Hollywood to move to small community in Illinois, why her mom disappeared at an early age, why she feels safe in her house with her ESP, etc. If used as a read aloud or small group book, students would enjoy making predictions about Lindsay and adjusting their predictions as new information is introduced. This story could also allow students to write their own endings with different twists related to characters like Lindsay’s mom, dad, Mrs. Mullin, and Althea Gooding (neighbors who help Lindsay with her ESP). This book could be read with other Haddix books to compare her writing style or other books in similar genre(s) to help students decide what makes it fit into the different genres.

//6.// //Write three higher level thinking questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book.//
 * How does Lindsay change from the beginning of the book to the end of the book? Who and what items help her make these changes? How do the different people and items play a role in her discovering who she is and why she has a special talent?
 * How could changing the story’s setting affect the plot? What would happen if the story took place in Ralston, Nebraska?
 * Lindsay is very close-minded to her dad’s research at the beginning of the story. Why was his research important to her? Why do you think she was unable to listen to him and hold a conversation about his research? Why is it important she continue her research at Springdale College?



1. Book Title: __Found__ (book 1 in The Missing series) 2. Author: Margaret Peterson 3. Date of Publication: 2008

//4. What is the book about? Give brief plot summary in your own words.// Haddix begins with an unusual prologue in which Angela DuPre is starting a new job at Sky Trails when a plane suddenly appears at a terminal. Her boss acknowledges that this is an unacceptable mistake and sends Angela to open up the door to the jet way. However, there are no pilots and the airplane company is unheard of to her. The only thing on the plane is rows after rows of babies. Thirteen years later, the reader is introduced to Jonah, Katherine (Jonah's sister), and Chip, the new neighbor. Jonah has known his whole life that he was adopted but after some strange envelopes start arriving at Jonah's and Chip's houses, Chip finds out he was adopted too. Opposite of Jonah's family, Chip's parents will not tell him anything so he enlists the help of Jonah and Katherine to find out his story. After meeting with a FBI agent who will not help them at all, they leave only with a cell phone picture of names and numbers of other "witnesses" from a file on the desk of the agent. The names and numbers send the kids into a whirl of learning information about the list, all of the kids turn out to be similarly aged and many living in the same town as Jonah and Chip. Then another letter appears, this time from Angela, asking the trio to meet her at the library. There she gives them information about what she saw that night, how she was told to forget what she saw because it didn't happen, and her prediction that the plane came from the future. Then an opportunity comes up for the kids to meet other children that were possibly on the plane too. At an adoption conference, the kids end up going on a hike to a cave. Unfortunately, the cave seals and no one can get out. Here all of the adopted children learn how they arrived on a plane, traveling through space from the past. To make matters worse, the "cave" is actually transporting them out of the twenty-first century to try to fix a ripple effect that was created due to their time travel. The kids have to decide whether to go to the future or go back to the past.

//5. How could a teacher use this book in the classroom? What instructional strategies might you choose to incorporate with this particular title?// Book one also leaves the reader hanging and wanting to read book two. Students could make predictions throughout book one and then propose what could happen with book two. Students could write or sketch the first few chapters of book two and compare it to book two, __Sent__. If students were to read another time traveling book, they could compare how time travel is similar and different in the two books. Which seems more realistic?

//6. Write three higher level thinking questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book.//
 * If you were in Chip's position, would you dig to find more information in your past? Why do you think it was so important to him to find out about his past?
 * When the teens find out the truth, Jonah is forced to take a leadership role and make decisions for all of the adopted children. What character trait would you give Jonah and do you think this makes him a credible character throughout the story?
 * Rewrite chapter 33 to put the children into another time period. What would you choose and why? What experiences and problems would the children face in sequel to your book?


 * Historical Fiction**

1. Book Title: __The Help__ 2. Author: Kathryn Stockett 3. Date of Publication: 2009

//4.// //What is the book about? Give brief plot summary in your own words.// The story takes place in the 1960’s in Jackson, Mississippi and is told through three different women’s perspectives. Aibileen works for the Leefolt family, primarily taking care of their often neglected child, Mae Mobley. Aibileen struggles with Elizabeth being told how important it would be to get a separate bathroom outside for the colored help. Elizabeth also rarely takes care of Mae Mobley and Aibileen tries to help the young child feel smart, pretty, and loved. Minny is a sassy lady who used to work for Miss Walter before the daughter, Hilly, fired her. Then the chance comes for her to work for Celia Foote secretly, without the husband or Hilly knowing. The third woman is Miss Skeeter, who has graduated college and is at home living with her parents. Her mother constantly nags her to dress lady-like and do something with her frizzy hair to attract a husband. Hilly, Elizabeth, and Miss Skeeter are all friends until Miss Skeeter starts to question the treatment of the help. Due to her love of writing, she comes up with the idea to write a book about the lives of colored women in Mississippi. Aibileen agrees to start the story for Miss Skeeter but other African American women take much more convincing. Finally Minny agrees to tell her story too although she is worried about what will happen if the story is published. __The Help__ continues unraveling the story of the three struggling to keep the book a secret, finding out secrets about their families, and maintaining or losing their friendships. The book was impossible for me to put down, even to the last pages, as I wanted to know what happened to Miss Skeeter in New York City, Aibileen and a job, and Minny and her poor relationship with her husband. Definitely a must read!

//5.// //How could a teacher use this book in the classroom? What instructional strategies might you choose to incorporate with this particular title?// Students could do a lot of research about the treatment of colored women in white households and the fight for civil rights across the country or simply focusing on Mississippi. This book could be paired with a nonfiction account. Students could take on opposite roles and debate the treatment of colored workers. The book also lists some of the laws the colored people were forced to follow. Students could research other laws in Mississippi or other states and show their unfairness or why the law was initially created. Students could also read other texts or do research to find out unjust treatment of groups of people in other countries.

//6.// //Write three higher level thinking questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book.//
 * How was the treatment of Aibileen and Minny similar and different? How did they react to the treatment by Elizabeth/Hilly/Celia/Miss Skeeter?
 * How did each of the women take the criticism by a spouse, friend, family member, etc?
 * If given the chance to write the novel, would you have continued like Skeeter did, knowing you were risking your safety, friendships, relationship and potential marriage with Stuart Whitworth, and future jobs related to writing? List the pros and cons of each choice and write an explanation about which choice you feel is the best. How would the story be different if Skeeter had chosen to stop writing the book when she was questioned by her friend Hilly, lied to her mother, or had to tell Stuart Whitworth?
 * How did the women grow and change throughout the book?


 * Contemporary Realistic Fiction**

1. Book Title: __Hate List__ 2. Author: Jennifer Brown 3. Date of Publication: 2009

//4.// //What is the book about? Give brief plot summary in your own words.// Valerie Leftman was part of a school shooting in which her boyfriend, Nick, opened fire in the Commons area. Although Nick shot her in the leg before taking his own life, Valerie is left trying to fight through her own demons of discussing everyone and everything hated with Nick beforehand and being blamed for the shooting by victims and the families. Val decides to return back to school after leaving the hospital and receiving help from Dr. Hieler, her psychiatrist. Immediately, she comes into contact with adults who see her as a major part of the school shooting, students who still blame her, and friends who do not want to be part of her life anymore. Yet, Jessica, who Valerie jumped in front of before Nick could shoot her, tries to befriend Val and prove she is not the same person as she was before the shooting. Val tries to come to terms with the shooting, with lots of help from Dr. Hieler. She also tries to understand her idea of writing down everyone’s names in the “Hate List” notebook. Did it mean she really wanted the people dead that bullied her, called her names, and broke her mp3 player the morning of the shooting? She struggles to decide whether or not she knew her boyfriend as well as she thought she did. In addition, did she know or understand anyone she put on the list? As her family struggles to not blame her and begin to trust her, she is faced with more negativity from students and her father choosing to leave the family.

//5.// //How could a teacher use in the classroom? What instructional strategies might you choose to incorporate with this particular title?// This book slowly unravels the events of the day in May when Nick opened fire with flashbacks. Students could discuss how the flashbacks add to the story. It could be helpful for them to create a visual timeline for the story so they can put the events in order. This story is very realistic to students because of the bullying and the possibility for a shooting that could occur in school. Students could discuss or journal about how they have been impacted by bullying, what they have done to bully others, how this book changed their mind or opened their eyes to bullying, and create a campaign to stop bullying in their school. Although this story is realistic fiction, a speaker who has faced bullying or a nonfiction book could be used to help students gain a deeper understanding.

//6.// //Write three higher level thinking questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book.//
 * How do the flashbacks help the story to make sense to the reader? What do you learn about Valerie from the flashbacks?
 * Pick one person in the story that changed their opinion of Val, positively or negatively, and explain their stance on Val’s role in the shooting. Did their view change of Val?
 * Why was Jessica willing to be friends with Valerie? Are her reasons believable? How did Jessica help others to accept Val?

1. Book Title: __Chew On This__ 2. Author: Eric Schlosser & Charles Wilson 3. Date of Publication: 2006
 * Nonfiction Text**

//4.// //What is the book about? Give brief plot summary in your own words.// The nonfiction text explains all of the dirty secrets about fast food restaurants, from how they started and working at a fast food restaurant, to explaining how the pop, fries, and meat are all prepared and eventually end up at the restaurant. There are also many ugly facts included. “Every month about nine of out ten American children visit one [McDonald’s]” (Schlosser, 7). “Now there are more than 31,000 McDonald’s, selling Happy Meals in 120 countries” (Schlosser, 7). 19,000 public schools- one of every five in the United States- sell branded fast food in the cafeteria” (Schlosser, 133). “Today some plants slaughter up to 400 cattle an hour-about half a dozen big animals every minute, sent down a single production line, carved by workers desperate not to fall behind. As the pace increases, so does the risk of injuries” (Schlosser, 189). Schlosser and Wilson explain how the fast food industry has control over much of the food and food-related market. When a government official or school administrator question the treatment of animals, allowing fast food and pop to be sold in schools, E. coli is found, or how food is processed, companies are often able to “win” and very little is changed with food adults and children are eating. “A hundred books could be written about the problems of the fast-food industry. But the solution starts with you” (Schlosser, 257).

//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 spur students to take action within their own school, community, or nationwide. Students could write speeches to explain how a principal or administrator should change what is sold and served in schools. Students could also write letters to government representatives explaining how they can make the difference in the health of the future. The text also included lots of facts, author opinions, and reference sources. Students could sort through each and determine the most important information and what is true. The authors also included a reference to a text written in 1906, Upton Sinclair’s __The Jungle__. Students could read and compare how the information is similar and different to current standards. Finally, students could prepare presentations to share with elementary children on the importance of eating healthy food as opposed to food that comes with a toy and does not fit into the food pyramid.

//6.// //Write three higher level thinking questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book.//
 * How has the information presented in __Chew On This__ changed your view of fast food? Why?
 * Why do you think the author included personal stories from Eskimos, Kristina Clark, Emily Hanna, and Sam Fabrikant in the book? How did it add or detract from the information?
 * Why do you think the government is unwilling to acknowledge the issues and change the laws related to fast food? What needs to change to make them understand the importance? How can you be part of this change?