Rebecca's Book Share

The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin

As I wrote in my Literary History, this was my favorite book as a kid. It's an extremely compelling, fast-paced murder mystery. A group of people are brought to an apartment building and soon find themselves would-be heirs to the fortune of Sam Westing, a rich business man. In order to claim their fortune, they have to discover his murderer who is also, supposedly, one of the heirs. A fabulous read, most appropriate for grades 4 - 5, but could work for grades 3 - 8.


Avi Author Study

Avi is a prolific writer and has many, many titles to choose from in creating an author study. I particularly like his work because he has written across a range of reading levels, so it's easy to create a reading unit that all students can participate in. I have used the following titles:

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
One of my all time favorites. An adolescent girl travels on a ship from England to America. Along the way, she is accused of murder. Appropriate for grades 5 - 8.

Poppy
A young mouse goes on a quest to protect her loved ones from a tyrannical owl. Appropriate for grades 3 - 6.

Crispin: Cross of Lead
A young, poor boy in the middle ages loses his mother and is declared essentially an emeny of the state, thus fleeing his home town in search of safety. Along his journey he meets some unusual friends and learns things about his parents origins that may change his life forever. A compelling, engaging read that also provides plenty of historical fiction detail. Appropriate for grades 4 - 8.

The Good Dog
A wolf comes to town, upsetting the order and peace among a group of domesticated dogs in Steamboat Spring, Colorado. A fun read, especially great for dog lovers. Appropriate for grades 3 - 6.

The Secret School
When the teacher of a one room school house has to leave unexpectedly, a bright teenage girl takes over. A short, fun read. Approrpriate for grades 3 - 5.


The Pushcart War, by Jean Merrill
When the pushcarts of New York City are finally pushed to the boiling point by the big, hulking trucks who try to take over the streets of the city, the pushcarts fight back. This book is written as an historical account of the war, complete with an introduction by an "historian" and footnotes. It's hilarious, vivid, and a truly unique book. Appropriate for grades 3 - 8.


The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros
A coming of age tale told through the poetry and prose of the young girl, Esperanza Cordero. Esperanza lives in the Latino neighborhood of Chicago and explores many social issues as well as her hopes and dreams through the book. This book has enough richness and complexity to be read in a college course, but is simple enough for middle school students to enjoy. My students loved discussing the book and then writing vignettes about their own life. An all around great unit.


Resources

Edsitement
Edsitement is the on-line resource wing of the National Endowment for the Humanities. They have thousands of fabulous lesson plans including many around children's literature. I have found everything I have used from this site to be thorough, engaging, and well-designed. If you're interested in finding new books for your class and also want guidance about how to use them, this is the place to look.

Scholastic Book Leveling
Enter the name of a book and it will find thorough information about the book's reading level using a number of different leveling guides. You can also search for titles using a detailed criteria list. To do that, just click on "Titles" under "Search Books and Quizzes" in the upper right corner.

Beth Newingham's Third Grade Website
Beth Newingham seems to be just about the greatest teacher ever. Her class website is amazing. She records everything she does in her class, which is a lot, and provides tons of resources, lesson plans, and ideas for teachers. Click around on the site and you'll find not only reading lists and links, but organizational strategies for a class library, literacy centers ideas, examples of children's work, lesson plans, and much, much more.