Knock Out

By K.A. Holt 

     This book is a treasure for readers of all ages.  I love this book, it was highly entertaining from the first page all the way through to the end; page turning action, drama and a direct pulse into young readers.  Levi is getting ready to enter Middle School, but he is no normal kid.  Levi is smaller than most and has been sickly most of his life.  He has to travel to Cincinnati a couple of times a year, just to check on his airways.  Levi has been able to develop by an overly protective mother and brother, who keep him sheltered from everything.  His best friend Tam, helps him get through the days.  As Levi enters the  middle school things will change and secrets begin to mount. 

     Levi wants to be the class clown and will do just about anything to get a laugh out of his classmates, even becoming a secret alternative mascot for the school.  He loves hearing all of the laughter! Tam even convinces Levi to join chess club, neither of them enjoyed that.  During a visit with his dad, a kernel of an idea is thrust into his head, Levi should try a sport, any sport, Mom does not need to know, his Dad will even foot the bill.  Levi has never been athletic because of his breathing issues, what sport could he ever do?  On a "joke" he says hey I want to try boxing.  Dad loves the idea and signs Levi up for gym time at a local ring.  On days that Levi is supposed to be at Chess club he either hangs out in his tree of his dad takes him to the gym.  Levi loves the energy and the focus that concentrating on his footing and hitting gives him.  He is small, quick and mighty.  

     Of course when lies start to build, at some point  they all come tumbling down.  Will all of Levi's secretive freedom be lost, or will his jailers see that he needs more freedom.  Of course  a couple of health problems stumble upon Levi and another trip to Cincinnati may give him his dreams.  Things are changing and Levi is coming of age right before your eyes.  

     What is the most impressive about this book is the complexity of the story told through poetic verse  The descriptive tone of the book, the reader is transported with Levi as he develops and grows and hurts.  Some of the verse is very evocative and thought provoking.  I am definitely giving this book a 5 out of 5 starts and believe that any reader 5th grade and up would enjoy this tale.  If you have the opportunity pick up your copy today.  

Links

Author K.A. Holt

Boxing Boarding School

Airway obstruction - causes

Lights Camera Disaster

By Erin Dionne

     I thoroughly enjoyed this interesting book, totally enjoyable.  An entertaining tale about our hapless heroin Hester, Hess for short.  She is on the verge of failing the eighth grade and losing all of her friends with the real possibility of repeating the year.  Hess has a learning disability, which curtails her ability to organize and function in the classroom.  She tries so hard to maintain her focus, but why can't the world be viewed through her camera?  When she is working on her movies and with her friends she is able to focus and is driven to stay on task, how can this be translated to her school work.  

     Just as everything is about to implode around her, her grades are at a new low, her friends are angry and she can not participate in the Hoot;  help comes from unexpected corners.  First of all, the drama teacher offers some insightful words of advice, she reminds Hess that she is the director or her own story (life).  Basically, that Hess is in charge of her actions, the focus that she uses in her films can be utilized in her real life problems.  Secondly, her brother gives her the genius idea of putting her notes and study as if she is prepping a movie, using a story board for organization.  These revelations prove to be the switch that Hess needs.  

     What is so amazing about this book is the insight that it gives the reader to the differences in many of its readers.  Not everyone learns the same way, not everyone has the capability of retaining information in the same manner.  Middle school can be a very rewarding but exhausting time.  A students growth and their potential are limitless, being able to express and learning in different modes is invaluable.  I am giving this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars and think that all students above the fifth grade will enjoy this funny but touching tale.  

Links 

Author - Erin Dionne

Executive Function Disorder

Coping methods for Anxiety

Wonder

By R.J. Palacio 

     This is a great heart warming tale.  It is definitely an awesome feel good read!  I totally enjoyed this one of a kind story.  In this story you meet August Pullman as he prepares to enter school as a fifth grader.  He has never been to school due to health issues and has been home schooled up to this point.  His family is super supportive of him and still baby him a lot, but who can blame them.  He has a severe facial deformity and has had many health related issues since before he was born.
     To help the transition into a mainstream school, the Director of Beecher Prep. calls three students to meet Auggie over the summer.  They are reluctant but agree to give him a tour of Beecher Prep.  One of these becomes a new friend, one becomes his biggest tormentor and the third only does what is appropriate.  On the first day of school August is very nervous and is basically ostracized by the entire school.  Nobody wants to be the friend of the weird looking kid.  Things begin to look up when Summer decides to join Summer at his cafeteria table.
     Throughout the school year, Auggie is bullied by Julian and the popular boys.  They develop a game called the plague, they leave mean letters in his locker, they even start bullying his friends.  Slowly through being kind, August starts winning over his classmates and becomes a friend to all.  Auggie and his family have a lot to deal with, the death of their dog, among other things. 
     Since this is such an incredible read, I do not want to spoil your enjoyment of this inspiring tale.  I definitely give this book a solid recommendation with a 5 Plus star rating.  This is an incredible book and a great teaching tool, on acceptance and empathy! 

Links 

Author : R.J. Palacio 

Teaching Empathy in the Classroom

Treacher Collings Syndrom

Auggie & Me three wonder stories

By R.J.Palacio

    I broke one of my personal rules, I read a series book out of order.  This is an extension of the book "Wonder", the story of Auggie Pullman.  Auggie was born with facial deformation and has had a rough beginning to his life.  He has had several surgeries, and is home schooled for the first several years, finally, he is able to go to school for fifth grade.  In this book you meet some people that meet Auggie and read how they react to Auggie as a classmate or friend. 

     The first person we meet is Julian, an attractive young man that will be going into Beecher Prep with Auggie.  Julian is very popular and is considered a leader among his classmates.  He is asked by the school's principal to be Auggie's welcome buddy, so he meets him before the beginning of the school year.  Julian, however, has issues with Auggie's appearance.  In typical bully mode Julian makes it his personal mission to make Auggie's life miserable.  Julian's parents, who donate a lot of time and money to the school, see nothing wrong with his actions.  In fact justify and place blame on everyone but themselves and Julian.  They end up pulling Julian from Beecher Prep, because they are unable to accept Auggie.  Over summer vacation, Julian visits his grandmother and has a change of heart and finally apologizes to Auggie and accepts responsibility for his actions.  Julian matures through his association with Auggie.
     Next, you will meet Christopher, Auggies oldest and best friend.  Christopher has moved away from Auggie and attends school elsewhere.  Christopher, or Pluto, has the ability to see beyond the surface and sees the wonderful, intelligent and funny kid.  He is not perfect, however, and acknowledges that being friends with Auggie can be hard.  Especially, when his new friends make fun of Auggie's appearance.  This short story encompanses one short day, but is rife with flashbacks into their long friendship.  Christopher discovers that even through distance, friendships can endure and that true friends are there for you whenever and however they are needed.
     Finally, you meet Charlotte a classmate at Beecher Prep.  She is struggling with her own drama and tries to remain neutral in the boy battle.  Charlotte loses her longest and best friend to the popular group of girls.  As the boy battle wages on, she is selected to perform in a dance trio with one of the popular girls and Summer.  Summer is incredibly nice young lady, who has befriended Auggie on her own.  As the girls practice over a couple of months they form a unique bond that transcends school social strata.  The lasting lesson is that as kids mature they may form new interests and friendships and although they may retain some of these bonds it's okay to change.  It shows how difficult it can be for people to maintain neutrality when they have friends on both sides of drama.
     Even though these are short stories there is so much content and teachable life lessons throughout each!  All of these are wonderful stories and should be shared with grades fourth and up.  I am giving this book a 5 out of 5 stars, totally enjoyed this quick read and will keep a personal copy with me for years to come.

Links

Author, R.J. Palacio

Childhood facial deformities

Flying Lessons & Other Short Stories

Various Authors 

     This is an awesome selection of some of this generations best authors.  The stories that were brought into this anthology all celebrate some unique aspect.  They give a voice to many different cultures and minorities; I love that they included handicaps and Native Americans into the mix.  

     In today's world of tension among various cultural groups it is vital that we learn that we must work together and celebrate our differences in order to be successful.  We can no longer be bias towards other cultures we have to learn to coexist with everyone.  The growing global community and the ease of instant communication is requiring a new understanding.  Those individuals that can and do work well with everyone will be the ones that thrive.  This book and other books are needed for that reason alone.      Ellen Oh, reached out to some of today's best authors and collected short stories for your pleasure, they are short in nature and can easily be read with in a class period.  These tales are quick reads, but the depth of emotion and the details are flawless.  Readers will enjoy a quick tale about a tall Mexican American youth that decides to improve his basketball over the summer, running with the big dogs at a different gym.  He is going into high school and really wants to make the varsity team.  The lessons he learns sharing sweat with the older men reach far beyond the basketball court.  

     You will meet one young lady who befriends the new girl, who happens to be African American, Of course the predominant white town, frowns upon the friendship and she looses all of her friends  Celeste only stays in town for a year and they two girls vow to meet up again in New York when the turn 18, The reason this short sticks in my mind, is that the main character goes against her classmates and other adults to befriend the girl, she trusts her own judgement and finds a lasting friendship.  She willingly decided to break out of the mold of racism and is better for this bravery.  I feel that a lot of the angst towards many cultures has eased, but new minorities have taken their place.  Keeping an open mind and befriending those around you benefits everyone.  

     A third tale relays a grandmother and her grandson as they have a marvelous adventure in Europe.  The grandson is an incredible student but is being caged and stifled.  His grandmother takes him on this journey to bring life and freedom into his life.  Although he is an awesome student, he needs to learn how to fly.  We all need to learn that not all of the lessons that are worth living are not always taught in the classroom.  

     My final story that i am sharing has a Native American flavor.  Even though the story that is shared with the children, is entertaining, what is learned beyond the story is the most important.  Uncle Kenneth brings his culture into an important lesson.  This out of all of the tales really celebrates the unique culture of a Native American tribe.  

     This is a very versatile story, and I want to thank a wonderful teacher for encouraging me to read this book, thanks Kate!  I found these stories information, diverse and enjoyable.  I am giving this book a 5 out of 5 stars and encourage everyone to check this out.  This book is absolutely appropriate for anybody over 3rd grade.  

Links

Wheelchair Basketball

Native American Stories

Compiler / Author - Ellen Oh

Making Bombs for Hitler

By Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

     This historical fiction is set in Germany during World War II.  We follow a young girl and her journey of survival, at a time when many children were killed.  Lida looses her sister at the onset of the story and the driving force of saving her younger sister keeps her motivated and alive.  The rest of her family has been killed and this Ukrainian young girl learns quickly to lie about her age, to be usefull and not to trust her captors.  

     Through a quirk of fate she convinces the Nazi's that she is older than 12 and she is an accomplished seamstress.  She begins her journey in the laundry helping Inge with the wash and fixing frayed sheets and shirts.  Her skill keeps her warm and out of the metalworks factory where many of her barrack mates work.  She discovers that there is a hierarchy to the camp, and nationalities are treated differently.  Unfortunately, her Ukrainian heritage brands her as Russian and on a very low rung of the system.  Her food is minimal, often rotten and comprises of turnips, water and worms.  Her captors consider her to be Russian swine.
     Things change rapidly in a war torn country like Germany  Lida is removed from her "cushy" laundry job and begins making bombs with other young girls.  They are kept separate from most of the other prisoners and are constantly being watched to insure that they are making good bombs.  As the Allied forces comes closer, guardsmen and other captors begin disappearing into the countryside.  The girls are given more opportunities to sabotage the ammunition, which they gleefully do so.  Finally, the camp is over run and many of the children escape into the forest, Lida however is captured and forced to move once again.
     As the war comes to an end, Lida is finally freed from her captors and is immediately sent to a hospital for treatment.  After the hospital she is sent to the closest refugee camp, where she hopes to reconnect with family or other camp children.  She learns another hard lesson, to not let others know that she is from Russia.  The Russians plan on collecting as many former citizens as possible and reintroducing them into the country through Siberian work camps.  Even though she had been a prisoner, she is viewed as a traitor by her former country.  Lida continues to hope and pray that she will one day be reconnected with her sister and continues to search through the Red Cross.
     I really enjoyed this book, too often one forgets that the holocaust did not just affect Jews, that it targeted all enemies of Germany's regime.  We also loose track of the concept of the lasting consequences of war and the damage that is wrecked on families and children.  World War II was a tragedy on many fronts and it forever changed the lives of millions of people.  I am giving this book a 4.5 out of 5 and think that it is appropriate for fourth grade up to eighth grade.

Links

Children of the holocaust

Non- Jewish victims of the Holocaust

Images of Children during Holocaust - warning some images are graphic

Other books by the Author

Falling Over Sideways

                                                                                          By Jordan Sonnenblick


     What an awesome story and a great way to look at a family tragedy.  Claire is definitely a character full of middle school drama.  It's hard to be the youngest with a perfect older sibling.  Nothing seems to go Claire's way, school, dance, friends and family life.  Nothing ever seems to go the right way for Claire, But her world is forever changed when her outgoing, creative dad the author has a stroke right in front of her. and she is alone.  She can not contact her mother and she has to call 911 and help her dad.  Due to her quick actions her father lives, but a stroke can be a debilitating health condition.
     Now on top of all of the other middle school drama, Claire has lost her father, he is a shell of what he used to be.  The emotions are overwhelming.  Claire's father is unable to communicate in a normal fashion, and has other deficits.  His road to recovery is going to be long and difficult.  He does slowly begin to recuperate, but has a second health crisis when he contracts pneumonia from attempting to swallow his Thanksgiving "Feast".  Of course Claire happens to be in her crazy Science class and they are in a lockdown when she gets the text message.  This does not go over well with the teacher who takes Claire's phone away, among some straight up rebellion from her classmates.  The teacher slaps Claire and the whole group has to meet with the principle the following day.
     Eventually, Claire's father returns home from the hospital, a little bit healthier and Claire becomes his inspiration for rehabilitation.  She is instrumental in motivating him to try to do his rehab exercises.  The school year ends and Claire normally would be looking forward to her dance recital and her first participation in the father daughter dance, but how can she look forward to something that is not going to happen?  How can she expect her father to dance, he can barely walk.  Her brother volunteers for the duty and Claire is able to participate in the number, but not how she had envisioned this landmark event.
     This book was a great read.  I really resonated with me on multiple levels.  As a realistic fiction story the characters and events were spot on.  The author, did an incredible job describing feelings and circumstances in a careful and touching voice.  As an individual that has had a loved one suffer a stroke, I was touched with how close the descriptions were to reality.  I am giving this book a 5 out of 5 and feel that it is appropriate for anyone over 5th grade on.  This is an incredible empathetic read and multifaceted in tone and nature, many teaching points.

Links 

Author: Jordan Sonnenblick

Symptoms of a stroke

Stroke Rehab

What is a stroke?

A Time to Dance

                                                                                                     By Padma Venkatramen


     This is a beautiful story, told in verse.  A young Indian girl, Veda, has just won a prestigious dance competition; and is in a horrible accident.  The tragedy results in Veda losing part of her leg.  This devastates the young dancer, and she swirls into a pit of despair.  Through the aid of an American Doctor, Veda attains a prosthetic limb and is convinced that she may be able to return to dance.
After some work and practice, she returns to her old dance instructor.  Only to be turned away without a thought.  This does not sway Veda, she continues to work and with the help of Jim, the American Doctor, and her Grandmother, Veda finds an enlightened instructor that is willing to help her rekindle and find her love of dance.

     At the new dance school, she meets Govinda, the beginning dance instructor.   He is very handsome and passionate about dance, which Veda finds very attractive.  Their bond begins to flower and deepen, but Govinda's parents want him to be an engineer, not a dancer.  He eventually has Veda teach one of his classes so that he may study for his college entry exams. Veda is an accomplished dancer, the technique,  and mechanics of dance, but she does not become the dance.  After the death of a loved one, she finally begins to understand the nuance of drawing the audience into her dance, and her passion for her craft is rekindled.

     This is a beautiful story of a young girl not only coming to grips with a tragedy but blossoming and inspiring those around her, through her dance.  This book is a great read for those that love to dance from 5th to 6th grade and beyond.

Links

Childhood Prosthetics

Bharatanatyam Dance

Indian Caste System

Padma Venkatraman

Prosthesis and Athletics

The Running Dream by Wendelin VanDrannen

This is a beautifully written story about a young girl, Jessica, who is a star track athlete.  She is one of the top runners in her county and is sure to get a college scholarship, but on the way home from a track meet the bus gets in a horrible accident.  One team mate is dead and Jessica is missing her leg from the knee down.  Based on a true story, the tale takes you through Jessica's road to recovery both physically and mentally.

She returns to school, initially in a wheelchair, and befriends Rosa, a girl with Cerebral Palsy.  Rosa's unique outlook on life, gifts Jessica.  Jessica's old track team run fundraisers in an effort to help purchase a "Running Leg" for Jessica, while her family is onset with mounting bills, that the school district refuses to cover.  As she becomes whole again, she devises a plan to gift Rosa with something special.

This is a very heartwarming and beautifully written story.  The surprise ending will leave you with hope and inspiration.  I think this a great book for anybody!


Links

Childhood Amputation

Psychological Implications of Amputation

Running Dream - video trailer - Youtube - this is a short video of the basic premise of the book "The Running Dream".  Most of the video is spent building background for the main character, Jessica.

Wendelin VanDraanen - Biography - This is a brief biography of the author of "The Running Dream" developed by Scholastic.

Other Books by Wendelin VanDrannen - A list by Scholastic books of some other titles written by Wendelin VanDraanen