The Summer I Turned Pretty

  

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han is a typical coming of age book, with a sweet side. It first grabbed my attention because it was the only non-fiction book in the store! Well, maybe not but compared to all the Twilights, Hunger Games, and House of Night novels  this one defiantly stood out. 

The Summer I Turned Pretty is written from various points of views, however the most common is Belly. Belly has just turned 16 and is on her way to Cousins beach, where she spends all of her summers. In Cousins, Belly and her family stay with her mothers best friend Susan and Susan's two sons Conrad and Jeremiah. For as long as Belly can remember she has had a crush on Conrad, but he never returned her affections. 

This summer everything is different, Jeremiah whom has always been her best friend wants to be more. Conrad who is going off to college this soon, also secretly likes Belly. In the midst of growing up, Belly and her friends have to set aside their own problems and be there for Susan (Belly's second mother)after she is  diagnose with cancer. 

 Belly tries to deal with Susan's diagnoses by making this the best summer she can, because deep down she knows it will be the last for her family. Belly spends them majority of her book reminiscing about the old days and taking care of Susan. The book ends with a cliff hanger where your not sure if Susan passed way or not.

 There are two books following up on Belly's story: It's Not Summer Without You and We'll Always Have Summer. 

I think this book would be perfect to read in middle school for a number of reasons, 1. the language is clean and not to challenging, 2. This book contains a lot of real life events students can relate to, 3. It has a mild romance which will make the students want to read it. Most children by the age of 13 have struggled through the death of a loved one, divorced parents, or just  young love. This book can relate to students on many levels and possibly help them cope with those problems. Even if I didn't use it in core curriculum I would still keep it in my class library along with the two books that follow. 

Marked: A House of Night Novel

Marked: A House of Night Novel

 I was first drawn to this book because it has been called " the Harry Potter" of this generation so naturally I was intrigued. Marked is the first installment in the House of Night series. With Marked being the first book in a ten book series, I felt it spent a lot of time developing the setting and basic information.While this book does have a building, climax, and fall I would call it the "building book" to the house of night series.  

Marked is  essentially the story of Zoey Redbird and her ever changing life. Zoey is a normal high school student when "out of the blue" she is Marked to become a vampire.  Zoey almost instantly develops intricate neon blue tattoos on her face and neck; marking her a vampire. She is then forced to attend The House of Night , where she undergoes the change from fledgling (youth vampire) to an adult vampire.The change from fledgling to vampire is not always successful and many die. Because many children do not survive the change the House of Night was found to aid this transformation. While attending the House of Night Zoey discovers she is not a normal fledgling, but has an affinity for all five elements: water, fire, wind, earth, and spirt. Zoey's powers set her up for praise from the faculty and ridicule from the popular students. Aphrodite, the leader of the Dark Daughters ( a school ritual club) invites Zoey to join their group, in hopes of controlling Zoey and her new found popularity. Zoey then joins the Dark Daughters and attends her first ritual. During the first ritual Aphrodite fails to control the spell and the ghosts of past vampires almost kill the entire group. Zoey uses her Nxy (god) given powers to regain control of the ritual and saves the lives of the entire group, including her human boyfriend whom "snuck in". Having saved the day and in conclusion of this book, Zoey is made the new leader of the Dark Daughters and the enemy of Aphrodite. 

Too be Continued . . .

I believe this book would be most appropriate for middle and high school. There are a lot of made up vocabulary words that might confuse younger readers. Also the romance and  violence would be inappropriate for young readers.  In my class room I would have the students read the novel, then compare moments in Zoey's life to their own. I think this book can relate to middle school students in various ways. For example Zoey is troubled with young love, bullying, adapting to a new school, disappointment from her family and the over all stress of high school. To develop my students writing skills I might have them write themselves into the house of night novel. The students would be able to express their problem in a safe "non-fictional" environment. Over all its a great book for teenagers and has the potential to get kids involved in reading. 

The Berenstain Bears and the missing Dinosaur Bone

The Berenstain Bears and the Missing Dinosaur Bone

The story of The Berenstain Bears and the Missing Dinosaur Bone begins as Dr. Bear is preparing to open the Bear Museum. As Dr, Bear does his daily opening procedures he discovers the leg bone from his dinosaur has been stolen! With the museum opening only a few hours away, the three little Berenstain bears and their hound dog gruff began to search franticly for the bone and bone thief. They search every nook and cranny including the Mummy Room, a valuable vase, the clock tower,  an Indian Totem pole, and finally the wax statues exhibit. After searching high and low the bears still have no luck in finding the bone. Admitting defeat the bears sullenly descend the stair case on their way to close the museum. Passing the windows the bears look outside and spot something. The bone had been taken by their hund dog snuff and buried in the yard the whole time! Having then retrieved the bone, Dr. Bear was able to open the museum and enjoy the company of the Bear Museum patrons. 

I think this book is best for 1st-3rd grade. With the book containing a lot of rhyming words, it could be used to teach double vowels sounds like oo, ou, ee, ae,  ea, ect. The repetition of these sounds will aid students in identifying sounds faster and progress in reading over all. With 2nd-3rd grade I would read the story aloud, then, one have my students identify what words rhyme and two identify what sound in those words is the rhyming sound. This activity would engage critical thinking while also getting the students envolved  in the story. 

The True Story of The 3 little Pigs!

           The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs is a fun response to the well known story, The Three Little Pigs. Unlike the original tale this story is narrated by Alexander T. Wolf, whom chooses to be called A. Wolf. In The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs A. Wolf's publishes a newspaper article, in hopes that the readers will see that he has been wrongly convicted for the murder of the 3 little pigs. 

    According to A. Wolf this is what really happened . . .

           A. Wolf is at home baking a cake for his sweet old grandmother's birthday, when he comes down with a terrible cold. After realizing he has sneezed in all his sugar, A. Wolf sets out to borrow a cup of sugar from his neighbors the pigs. Upon asking the 1st pig for a cup of sugar he is refused. Having a terrible cold A. Wolf sneezes and blows down the entire straw home killing the 1st pig. A. Wolf then eats the 1st pig because he "didn't want to waste food". This same series of event happens again at the home of the 2nd pig. Upon reacting the 3rd pigs home A.wolf is again refused however, this time the 3rd little pig also insults A. Wolf with a "your Grandma joke". A. Wolf is the so enraged with the 3rd pig that he starts sneezing and banging on the little pigs door. As he is throwing a huge fit the police arrive and hall A. wolf off to jail, where he is convicted of murder. It is in jail that A. wolf writes this news paper article, telling the world of his side of the story.

              I love this story because it retains aspects from the original  The Three Little Pigs without being the same old story surrounded by new illustrations. This book would be most enjoyable to younger children in 2 or 3 grade. The vocabulary is very basic in this book and would not be a challenge for older children. To use this book as an educational tool in higher grades, I would have my students compare and contrast it with the original. I would ask my students questions like: Who do you believe? Why? How is that story more convincing? What similarities do the stories share? What are their differences?  I think this book would also be a good way to open up and talk about having a difference of opinions in a respectful way.