Kizzy Ann Stamps by Jeri Watts

Kizzy Ann Stamps is facing a daunting task, starting at the integrated school in the fall of 1963.  As Kizzy Ann looks forward to her future, her current teacher recommends that all the students write to the white teacher over the summer so their new teacher will get to know them.  What follows is a delightful correspondence between Kizzy Ann and Miss Anderson as Kizzy Ann explores the world around her in this new integrated society.

Content Notes:                       

This book does not contain any questionable content.

 

Teacher Notes:
I LOVED this book!  I’m not generally a lover of historical fiction books, but you can’t help but love Kizzy Ann who has a fiery spirit & a unique perspective on the integration of schools during the 60s.

Book Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNTudf0Eoa8

 

In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

Set during the great influenza outbreak in 1918, Mary Shelley finds herself separated from her family and arriving in the bustling seaport of San Diego.  She begins to settle into her life and then receives word that the boy she is secretly in love with has been killed at war.  When a man takes her picture and insists a ghost is in the photograph with her, Mary Shelley sets about to prove the science from the fiction.  But is the fiction real?

Content Notes:                       

There is a scene discussed where someone walks in on Mary Shelley and her “boyfriend” and it looks compromising from the door (it wasn’t, but that didn’t stop the person from spreading rumors about what he saw). 

Teacher Notes:

I thought this book was odd.  It reads a lot like a historical fiction book with the ghost story part being thrown in almost as an afterthought.  While I wouldn’t discourage kids from reading it, I don’t know that they would enjoy it or get into it.

Book Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph31JdCvMIQ

From Norvelt to Nowhere by Jack Gantos

In this hilarious sequel to Dead End in Norvelt, Jack is once again pitted with Miss Volker, this time on a road trip!  After several old ladies pass away under suspicious circumstances, Miss Volker finds herself the oldest resident of Norvelt, and thereby must honor her promise of marrying old Mr. Spizz.  When Mr. Spizz admits to killing all the old ladies so that Miss Volker must marry him, Miss Volker decides that he must pay for his crimes.  Miss Volker then receives word that her sister has died and this provides Miss Volker with the perfect opportunity to take Jack across the country for a history lesson as he helps Miss Volker make funeral arrangements.  Or is he along to help her destroy Mr. Spizz?  Find out in this action-packed, belly-laughing adventure!

Content Notes:                       

None J

Teacher Notes:

While not as good as the first book, this sequel still provided plenty of belly laughing moments as well as an unusual twist at the end!  I teach an excerpt from Dead End in Norvelt to my 6^th grade students and they BEG to read the rest of the book.  I’m excited to recommend this to my kids to read when they finish the first one!

Excerpt read by Jack Gantos! J

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0phLhFwu0wU

Curses and Smoke: A Novel of Pompeii by Vicky Alvear Schecter

Faced with an unwanted marriage to a man forty years older than her, Lucia feels trapped in her home.  Things begin to change, however, with the return of a house slave, Tag, a childhood friend who has obviously grown up in the three years he had been in Rome to train as a medic for Lucia’s dad’s gladiator school.  As the earth begins to tremble, Lucia and Tag are faced with decisions in a desperate attempt to find freedom.

Content Notes:

While there isn’t any sexual content other than kissing, “virginity” is mentioned several times.  There is no bad language.  Even though the setting is at a school for gladiators, the violence is minimal.

 

Teacher Notes:
The only thing that made me a little uncomfortable for my middle school students was the infrequent talk of virginity.  Other than that, this was a good romance book that was essentially “G” rated in nature.  I would recommend this book for Jr. High students and up.  One thing to note is that the chapters are written in alternating points of view (Lucia & Tag) so a reader who has trouble keeping characters straight may struggle with this book.

The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis

Deza Malone starts out the summer with high hopes.  She has received a new dress and shoes from her teacher along with promises of tutoring in the fall to challenge her and help her towards her goal of becoming a writer.  Things take a different turn, however, when her father is injured in a fishing accident and then is unable to find work.  Through all the challenges that face her family that summer, Deza Malone becomes the glue that holds her family together on their “road to Wonderful”!

Content Notes:
If rated, this book would receive a G rating.

Teacher Notes:
This book has a lexile level of 750.  There is some dialectical language and some slang words that would have been used in the Great Depression era that we no longer use today.  Struggling readers may want to create Somebody Wanted But So statements for each chapter or create a character web for each of the main characters to aid in comprehension.

 Similar Books:
 Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (one of my favorites!)

The Watson’s go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis

If I Should Die Before I Wake by Han Nolan

If I Should Die Before I Wake weaves together the stories of two teenage girls, one a present-day neo-Nazi and the other a Jewish teenager living in Poland during World War II.  When Hillary is involved in a motorcycle accident, she begins to flash back to a different life, a life involving a young girl named Chana who comes under persectution from the Nazis and is eventually moved into the Lodz ghetto.  A tale of discovery, If I Should Die Before I Wake does a beautiful job of illustrating the changes a person makes when they truly understand someone else's point of view.

Content Notes:
There is some slight language in this text which would earn it a PG rating.  Towards the end of the book there is discussion of concentration camps which, while completely historicaly accurate, may be disturbing to some students.  If made into a movie, this book would be rated PG13. 


Teacher Notes:
This book has a lexile level of 840.  This story is told from multiple points of view and requires that a reader be able to flash back between points of view and time periods.  Struggling readers may want to create a chart for each main character with bulleted notes as they read or create Somebody Wanted But So summary statements for each chapter in order to keep the storyline straight.

Similar Books:
Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen