The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Title:  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Author: Sherman Alexie  Illustrator: Ellen Forney

APA Bibliographic Information: Alexie, S., & Forney, E. (2008). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Tumwater, WA: Washington State Library.
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Lexile: 600L

⇒ Click Here To Learn More About This Book!!

Summary:

This book is about Arnold, a Native American teen who lives on a reservation.  He lives with a family that struggles with many problems and loses many people he loves throughout the books. He is also very different than those who make part of his community because unlike most people there Arnold has dream and goals.  He wants to go to college and make something of himself and very few Indians that he knows about have done this. The only way he will have a chance is to move to an all-white school that is over 20 miles away from his house in the reservation.   When this happens, most of his family sees him as a traitor and bully him even more than they did before.  He gets bullied walking down the street, at school and even at his basketball games.  At his new school, he isn't well received at first but as time goes by they accept him.  He has an inner battle that consists of him feeling guilty for going against the norms by leaving his reservation and trying succeeded as an individual.  He hopes that maybe this will inspire others to not give up hope and realize that there more to life than what's just on the reservation. 

Who Would Enjoy this book? (Targeted Audience) :

Young adults would be the targeted audience for this book.  I would probably not recommend it for younger students who would not have the maturity to handle some of the explicit language used in the text. This would be a good book for teens who are having trouble finding an identity or are scared of following their dreams because of other people opinions. This again would be a good book for students to learn about bullying because this book touches on this specific subject on various occasions. A student who likes sports would also really like this book. 

Evaluation Of Text:

The author does a job creating a setting and characters that we can visualize. I also really enjoyed how we get a couple of sketches throughout the book, this is something rare in a young adult novel. It has a lot of twists and turns that the reader does not expect to happen. The tone of the story changes throughout the story.  There are times when the tone is humorous and other times when the tone saddens. The text also provides some challenging words that could be used for a vocabulary exercise.

Reader Response Activity: 

There are many activities that could be done with this book.  First of all, you could focus on the bullying that occurs and have a discussion about that.  The book also focuses on a couple of different tribes and I know that in school we don't get much education in this area. Not many books talk about Native American and their struggles, this is why I think this would be a good opportunity to shine some attention to those issues.  For the first activity, you could have your class pick a Native American tribe, do a little research and have them share it with the class.  Another idea would be to have them research the current struggles that Native Americans are struggling in this country and make a presentation. 

One of A Kind, Like Me (Bilingual)

Title:  One of a Kind. Like Me /Unico Como Yo
Author: Laurin Mayeno  Illustrator: Robert Liu-Trujillo

Translation: Teresa Miawer

APA Bibliographic Information: Mayeno, L., & Liu-Trujillo, R. (2016). One of a kind, like me = Único como yo (T. Mlawer, Trans.). Oakland, CA: Blood Orange Press.

Genre: Fiction, Children's Literature

Lexile: 420L

⇒ Learn More About The Author of this book! Click here.

Summary: 

This book is about a very young boy named Daniel (also known as Danielito or Danny).  For Halloween, he decides that he wants to be a princess which is unique because we don't tend to see many boys chose this type of costume. All of his family supports him and go off to find him the perfect purple dress and silver tiara. Unable to find his dress, his mom helps him make one with separate pieces they find at a thrift store.  The next day at school he proudly puts on his dress and is greeted with some unkind comments from his peers.  They question why he is wearing a dress if he isn't a girl, he simply replies that its because he is unique. He is a little boy who stands up for who he is and I think that people who get bullied could learn from this.  Just because you are different does not mean others are allowed to pick at you and this book really reinforces this. 

Who Would Enjoy this book? (Targeted Audience) :

Anyone from Kindergarten to Third grade would really enjoy reading this book. It would be perfect for around the month of October when kids tend to dress up.  It would be a good book for a teacher that wants to promote acceptance in her classroom.  I had never read a book for children that talked about gender identity/diversity so it would be a perfect book for a child who is possibly going through something similar.  There are many kids who are afraid to be themselves and this book really teaches them that is alright to be different from everyone else. If you have a student or child who does not feel like they fit in, I would recommend this book for them. 

Evaluation Of Text: 

The author of this book is amazing because he created characters that aren't typically portrayed in many books.  Small children books don't usually talk about gender norms and how some kids might not like or feel like everyone else.  Kids will be able to identify with the character in many levels. 

Promotes Gender diversity and it shows how everyone from the parents, teachers, and peers should be accepting of one another. The text is in bilingual, meaning that its an inclusive book for both English and Spanish speakers. The pictures in every page of this book are very colorful and they did a very good job making sure that they illustrations captured the mood and emotions of all the characters. There is plenty of dialogue between Danielito and the people around them which makes it a lot more interesting to read as well. 

Reader Response Activity: 

An activity that you could do would be to have your students draw what they want to dress up as just like Danielito did. Ask them to think of something that they perhaps always wanted to dress up as but maybe were scared or embarrassed about what others might think of them.  I would then have them share with the class and perhaps as the teacher lead a discussion.  This would work best for a pre-K or kindergarden class because its an easy activity and many students really enjoy coloring at that age. 

The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill

Title:  The Recess Queen 
Author: Alexis O'Neill Illustrator: Laura Huliska-Beith

APA Bibliographic Information: ONeill, A., & Huliska-Beith, L. (2006). The Recess Queen. Gosford, N.S.W.: Scholastic.
Genre: Fiction
Lexile: AD550L

⇒ Click Here to Learn More !!

Summary: 

This book is about a girl who's name is Jean but is known by everyone as the recess queen. Everyone is scared of her when it's time to go out for recess.  In other words, Jean is the typical bully we imagine. She screams and intimidates everyone in order to have it her way but this all changes when a new girl by the name of Katie Sue joins the class.  When it's time for recess Katie Sue jumps, swings and plays not knowing the rules that Jean had set out.  When Jean Bullies her, Katie simply ignores her and keeps playing.  The recess queen is shocked, no one had ever stood up for themselves. Not only this but Katie even invites Jean to play with her and she ends up accepting.  After this incident, everyone else is able to play at recess and no longer fear the recess queen. 

Who Would Enjoy this book? (Targeted Audience) :

This would be a great book for a teacher or parent to read to their students.  I would read this out loud to them because it does have some made up words and they might struggle to read them. Any child from the age of 5 to 7 would really enjoy this book. This would be really great for students who might be getting bullied or who are bullies themselves. It would also be a good book to teach students how they should behave when they are out at recess. 

Evaluation Of Text: 

The author of this book did a really great job playing around with the text. The text has movement and it scatters on the pages. There is a lot of rhyming and ryhtem when you read the book as well and I think that really captivates the listeners.  This book has great illustrations, I really like how the characters were diverse. If I had to rate this book I would give it a 4 out of 5.  The only reason I would give it four stars is that I feel like some students would have a difficult time with all the rhyming if they were to read it on their own. 

Reader Response Activity: 

For this activity you could have your kids work in groups if they are first or second graders, otherwise, you can do this as a big group.  You could take a picture of the main characters of the book which are the recess queen and Katie.  Around their pictures come up with words to describe each one.  This would be a good way for your students to see what characteristics a bully has and what characteristics a person who stands up for themselves has. This can be done by memory or by flipping through the pages to recall what the characters were like in the book.

El Deafo by Cece Bell

Title:  El Deafo 
Author: Cece Bell Illustrated: David Lasky

APA Bibliographic Information: Bell, C. (2017). El deafo. Place of publication not identified: Abrams Books.
Genre: Children's literature, Graphic novel, Autobiography
Lexile: 420L

⇒ CLICK here to learn more about the book and author!!

Summary: 

Cece is a girl who due to a medical condition has lost her hearing.  When she starts school she begins to use a hearing aid device that amplifies sound to her ears. This device hangs around her neck and it's very visible since it they look like earbuds in her ears. Throughout the book, she struggles to make friends that will understand her needs and that won't treat her differently because of her condition. Kids constantly stare at her and sometimes even whisper among themselves. They try to scream or exaggeratedly mouth when they speak but this only upsets Cece because it does not help and she wishes they would treat her like any other normal person.  One of her friends actually forces her to do things she really doesn't want to do but  Cece does them because she has trouble standing up for herself. This is why she comes up with an alter ego called El Deafo.  When she is El Deafo she feels like Superman and feels like she can finally stand up for herself.  Many would consider that Cece in ways was bullied because of her condition.  In the end, she is able to make friends that understand her and that don't let Cece's hearing impairment between their friendship.

Who Would Enjoy this book? (Targeted Audience) :

This book would be perfect for second graders or first graders that are strong readers.   This book teaches the reader what a person who is deaf or has a hearing deficiency has to go through on their day today. It also shows many actions people do that can be offensive or unnecessary towards people who are deaf.  This is a very good graphic novel for beginners and for those who also like biographies. This book also comes with many great illustrations that will usually help the reader understand the book a little better. Kids who like reading about superheroes would also really like this book.  If you have any student with hearing disabilities they would really be able to relate to the main character.

Evaluation Of Text: 

I would rate this book five out of five stars. This would be a great book to teach our students not to bully others for having a disability. The text difficulty is very appropriate for small children and the illustrations are very well done. The book has many characters that students could identify with especially students who have trouble making friends because they are different from the other kids. I really love how the story was structured and was made to fit in a graphic novel.  The author's purpose was to make more awareness on people who are deaf because I think that many people are misinformed. 

Reader Response Activity: 

For this activity, you could look up some sign languages gestures and teach them to your students.  They don't have to be complicated but I think that its important for students to know and understand a little about sign language. This is an activity that could be done every time a chapter is finished.  I that it would ignite their curiosity and would possibly even want to learn more on their own. Another activity that you could do would be, bringing a pair of noise-canceling headphones with music and pair them with a partner.  They could then try to see if they can read their partner's lips.  The book talks about how difficult this can be for someone who can't hear. It would be an activity to show your students how challenging it really is. 

The Land of Forgotten Girls

Title:  The Land of Forgotten Girls
Author & Illustrator: Erin Entrada Kelly

APA Bibliographic Information: Kelly, E. E. (2017). The land of forgotten girls. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.
Genre: Fiction
Lexile: 640L

⇒ Click Here to Learn more about the book and Author!

Summary: 

This book is about a young girl named Soledad.  She was born in the Philippines but moved to the United States after her sister and mother passed away.  She moved there with her dad, younger sister Ming and her mean stepmother Vea.  After arriving to the United States their father abandoned them and went back to their native country. Soledad also struggles to protect her sister from not only their stepmother but from the kids who pick at her at school.  Soledad tries to find hope in that one day she and her sister will have a happier future and will live with a mother that does love them. Soledad's only friend at the beginning of the book is a boy name, Manny.  In this book we see both of them picking on a young girl from a different school because she is Albino.  They call her Casper and throw things at her but Soledad starts to feel bad and apologizes.  Once she gets to know Caroline better, they become great friends. 

Who Would Enjoy this book? (Targeted Audience) :

This book would be perfect for a fourth or fifth-grade class.  It's a novel that introduces children to a different culture and to characters with different ethnicities and backgrounds. Not only this but it shows how two kids bully a girl because she has a different skin pigment than most people. They also bully her because they are jealous that she goes to a more affluent school and lives in a nice home. We are able to see them call her names and even physically hurt her at one point but we also see how Soledad solves the problem she has cause and even becomes friends with her. I think young students would benefit from reading this book because it would allow for them to see how the main character finds light and positivity in all the negative situations she goes through. Personally, I also that the book was very engaging and it makes the reader want to keep reading. 

Evaluation Of Text: 

I would rate this a five out of five stars when it comes to evaluating the text because I really enjoyed how the author wrote the book.  This book is great in creating imagery because the author does a good job describing both her character and the setting. There is a lot of suspense and unexpected turns that keep you interested and make you want to keep reading it. The chapters are not very long which makes it a lot easier especially if you are reading this book as a class.  

Reader Response Activity: 

For this book, I would have an in-depth class discussion with my students. There are many types of discussions that you are able to have this book. You could do this as a whole group discussion or break your class into groups so they can discuss among themselves. Some questions that you could ask your students could be, Why do you think that Soledad and Manny bully Caroline so much? or How do you think that Soledad can do or what strategies can she use to defend her sister from bullies? or What are some difficulties that Soledad might have faced immigrating to the United States from another country?. If you don't want to do a discussion, you could always have them write down the answer to the question but it would be good for them to hear what their peers think and have to say.