Chandler McAlister

Spring 2015

Novel File Spring 2015

1. Title Number the Stars
Author Lois Lowry
Summary Annemarie is a young girl living in Denmark at the brink of the
Holocaust. Her family is not Jewish, but her best friend, Ellens, family is. Her
family is courageous and helps Ellens family and a few others escape the
Nazis by hiding them away and helping them cross into Sweden by boat.
Ellen leaves her Star of David necklace with Annemarie when she leaves and
she keeps it waiting for her friend to return someday.
Genre Newberry Award Winner (Historical fiction)
Grade level appropriateness Grade 5 or 6
Theme emersion Courage would be a good theme to introduce through
this story. Everyone that helps the Rosens escape showed courage through
their actions.
Content connection The story would lend itself well to teaching children a
history lesson about World War II, specifically the Holocaust, and how this
affected Jewish people and other people around them.
Standard - 14.) Describe causes and consequences of World War II.
Examples: causesunanswered aggression, Axis goal of world conquest
consequenceschanges in political boundaries; Allied goals; lasting issues
such as the Holocaust, Atomic Age, and Nuremberg Trials
Personal review 4/5 I enjoyed reading this book and seeing the
holocaust through a childs eyes. This book was through a non-Jewish
perspective of the Holocaust, compared to The Diary of Anne Frank which
shared a different side of the story. This would be an excellent book to
introduce this horrendous time in history in a kid friendly way. I do think that
this book would be difficult to be approved to teach because of parents. The
story is very serious and would require parent permission before using it in
the classroom. Even though the reader is guarded from the complete
circumstance of the time, questions that would be difficult to answer may
arise.
2. Title Because of Winn Dixie
Author Kate DiCamillo
Summary - India Opal is a young girl that just moved to a small town, Naomi,
Florida, with her father, the preacher. She comes across a dog in the Winn
Dixie, a grocery store. She takes the dog home and names him Winn Dixie.
The novel tells the story of the friends she makes because of her new found
dog and how she and the dog change these people lives, but ultimately how
they change hers.
Genre Newberry Award Winner (realistic fiction)
Grade level appropriateness Grades 3 -5
Theme emersion Friendship would be a good theme to introduce with this
story. Winn Dixie shows Opal and the people of Naomi how to make friends,
and what it means to be a good friend.

Chandler McAlister
Spring 2015
Content connection This story would lend itself well to teaching students
a science lesson about animals. The book is full of information about Winn
Dixie, the dog. Students could do research on an animal they would like to
have as a pet and learn how they would have to take care of it.
Standard - 6.) Identify characteristics of animals, including behavior, size,
and body covering
Personal review 5/5 I have loved this book for years. Children will be
able to relate to Opal and will enjoy the lighthearted comedy as well as the
deeper more serious issues in the story. I love dogs, so any story about a dog
is generally a good one, at least in my opinion. I found the book difficult to
put down because you grow close to the characters and want to travel on the
journey of friendship with them. The teacher should realize that the topic of
Opals mother can be sad and confusing for children to understand and
should be prepared to address that before beginning to teach the book.
3. Title Hoot
Author Carl Hiaasen
Summary Roy Eberhardt is a young man that just moved to Florida. An
area of his new home is planned for construction but he comes across
burrowing Owls. He sets out to save the Owls and makes new friends and
grows up in the process.
Genre Newberry Award Winner (mystery, realistic fiction)
Grade level appropriateness Grade 6 - 8
Theme emersion The main theme in hoot can be described with two
words, growing up. Roys life changed and he had to learn to grow up
because of it. He learned true friendship and responsibility.
Content connection This book would be great to teach children a science
lesson about conservation. Roy works hard to save the Owls. Children should
learn more about taking care of the planet while reading this novel and how
others around the world devote their lives to save the planet and the animals
that live there.
Standard- 2.) Describe factors that cause changes to Earth's surface over
time.
Personal review 3/5 I didnt really get attached to this book like I have
while reading other books. The supporting characters were poorly developed.
The only character I felt connected to was Roy. However, I do believe that
some students will connect and enjoy reading this book. It is a great book to
teach students to follow their heart and speak up for what they believe in.
Note to self: There is a movie that could be used for a compare and contrast
activity. The movie is not well known so you would have to get permission to
show it in class as many students probably have not seen it.
4. Title Esperanza Rising
Author- Pam Munoz Ryan
Summary A young girl, Esperanza, is living on her familys ranch in Mexico
when on her 13th birthday her father is murdered. Because of this her life

Chandler McAlister
Spring 2015
drastically changed. With threats from her evil Uncle, her mother and their
close friends flee to the United States. There they find new struggles such as
factory work to survive, discrimination, disease, as well as having to leave her
grandmother behind in Mexico. Over the course of a year she grows into a
young woman.
Genre Multicultural Award Winner (Historical Fiction)
Grade level appropriateness Grades 4 - 7
Theme emersion This story would be a good story to teach children about
prejudice. This is something that is still seen in society everywhere.
Esperanza has to deal with this when she arrives in America. She used to be
rich and very fortunate but when she gets to America she is seen as an
outsider. Some children will be able to relate and some will learn about
tolerance from the story.
Content connection This book would be great to teach children a lesson in
social studies about different cultures and traditions, particularly those of
Hispanic origin.
Standard - 6.) Describe tangible products from a target culture. Examples: sporting

goods, traditional and contemporary dress, foods, modes of transportation, flags, types of
dwellings
Personal review 4/5 After living in Texas there are a lot of stereotypes of
how Mexicans are supposed to be and what they are supposed to do for work,
so I can see this book being slightly offensive but this was how the world was
at that time. However, I do think this is a great book that shows students to
work hard and stand up for what they believe. Note to self: Make sure
students understand that this book is set in a different time when people of
certain races were treated differently.
5. Title Lilys Crossing
Author Patricia Reilly Giff
Summary Lily is a young ten year old girl living in Queens. Each summer
she visits her familys summer house in Rockaway. The summer of 1944 is
different because World War II had begun, changing everything. Her best
friend moves away and her dad is shipped overseas. She doesnt have any
friends until she meets a boy named Albert who turns out to be a refugee
from Hungary. He is the only one from his family that was able to escape. He
misses his family very much. The two dont become quick friends, but find a
common interest when they save a kitten on the beach. The two grow close
as they begin to care for the kitten. Because of their grief from missing their
families they create a plan to go to Europe to find their family members only
to put Albert in danger. The two learn a lot about friendship, war, and growing
up.
Genre - Historical Fiction
Grade level appropriateness Grades 3 -5
Theme emersion I would teach the students about grief if I were to teach
this novel. Everyone deals with grief differently. Lily is grieving because her

Chandler McAlister
Spring 2015
best friend and father are gone. Albert is grieving because he is away from
his family. They both grieve but they come together to get through it.
Content connection This book would be useful to help teach students
about maps, a social studies standard, and finding information on maps that
is useful to them. They could calculate (math standard) the distance that
Albert had to travel from Hungary to America.
Standard - 1.) Locate the prime meridian, equator, Tropic of Capricorn, Tropic of

Cancer, International Date Line, and lines of latitude and longitude on maps and globes.
Using cardinal and intermediate directions to locate on a map or globe an area in
Alabama or the world (Alabama)
Using coordinates to locate points on a grid
Determining distance between places on a map using a scale
Personal review 5/5 I have learned that I really enjoy historical fiction
books from a childs point of view. Children see the word in a different way
than adults do, so I enjoyed learning about WWII from the perspective of
Albert and Lily.

6. Title The Tale of Despereaux

Author Kate DiCamillo
Summary Despereaux is a mouse living in a French castle. He lives a
courageous life trying to win the love of the princess. A rat, down in the
basement is out for revenge on the princess. A slave is on a mission to
become a princess. The three tell a fascinating story of bravery, revenge, and
forgiveness. The book is divided into four sections, a section narrated by
Despereaux, a section narrated by Roscuro, the third section is narrated by
Miggery Sow, and the final section wraps all of their sections together.
Genre Fantasy (Newberry Award Winner, Fairy Tale)
Grade level appropriateness Grades 3 - 5
Theme emersion If I were to teach this I would teach light vs. dark. There
is a very clear depiction of this theme in the novel. It is well developed by
DiCamillo. The rats and the dungeon are dark. The mice and the upstairs are
light. The theme would be easy to see develop.
Content connection Students can do a science piece using this book
comparing rats and mice on a Venn diagram.
Standard - 5.) Describe the interdependence of plants and animals.
Personal review 3/5 I have mixed feelings about this book. First, I liked it
because I felt that it was easy to relate to and follow. The chapters are short
and easy to read. Second, I didnt like the ending at all. It kind of left you
hanging without much information about what happened to the characters.
Sometimes the story was boring and sometimes it wasnt. I still havent fully
decided what I think about this book, although, I do think that I would use it in
a classroom setting to teach story elements. It is well crafted for educational
purposes.
7. Title Little House in the Big Woods
Author Laura Ingles Wilder

Chandler McAlister
Spring 2015
Summary This tells the story of little Laura Ingles about her experiences
growing up on the frontier with her family in the 1870s. She tells stories
about her daily life with her Ma, Pa, her sister Mary, her sister Carrie, and her
dog, Jack. She shares a whole years worth of events such as planting the
harvest, celebrating Christmas, going to church, and more.
Genre Classic (Historical Fiction)
Grade level appropriateness Grades 3 7
Theme emersion I would teach the theme of family with this book. No
matter what comes this familys way they always work together and support
each other to get through things.
Content connection This is a wonderful book to teach children the history
of the expansion of the nation and how life was before we had things like
cars, and cell phones. Therefore, this book would lend itself well to Social
Studies.
Standard -12.) Describe families and communities of the past, including jobs,

education, transportation, communication, and recreation.

Identifying ways everyday life has both changed and remained the same

Personal review 5/5 I love Laura Ingles Wilder. Like I said before I really
enjoy historical fiction book. The novel is compiled of different stories, and I
really enjoyed that aspect because it didnt become boring. If a student finds
that they enjoy this book there are many more in the series that they would
enjoy, so I would definitely recommend this to a student to try out.
8. Title From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Author E.L. Konigsberg
Summary Claudia decides to run away from home and takes her brother
Jamie. They escape to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They live there
throughout the day and the night and do their best to blend in. During their
time there they come across a mystery. There is an angel that was
supposedly sculpted by Michelangelo and so far no one has been able to
solve the mystery. The kids set out on an adventure to solve the mystery. The
only way to solve the mystery is to steal a file from the lady who brought the
angel to the museum in the first place. The lady, Mrs. Frankweiler says that
she will give them the file when she dies but that they cant tell anyone until
then. The kids return home proud of their work.
Genre Mystery
Grade level appropriateness Grade 3-7
Theme emersion I would describe one main theme in this book with the
word friendship or family. The two, Claudia and Jamie, stick together even
though they dont get along all the time.
Content connection This book, set in an art museum, would lend itself
well to teaching Art. Students could learn about different pieces of art by
Michelangelo and learn more about the appreciation of art.
Standard - 8.) Identify works of art from various artists that were inspired by
the environments in which they were created

Chandler McAlister
Spring 2015
Personal review 3/5 What a fun story! Every kid dreams about running
away from home at least once for some reason or another and these kids pick
such a cool place to go. (Obviously, I would not encourage them to run away.)
The story did slow down after the beginning and got a little boring but that is
just my opinion. Note to self: As a teacher you may want to emphasize that
running away is not ok and if they feel the need to run away that they should
tell an adult that they trust.
9. Title Joey Pigza Loses Control
Author Jack Gantos
Summary Joey Pigza is a little boy with ADD. Summer vacation has just
begun and Joey is going to spend six weeks with his dad that he hasnt seen
in quite some time. Joey soon learns that his dad is just an older version of
himself and has the same issues that Joey has. However, Joey had just stated
to get himself under control with a new medicine patch. His dad wants to
make Joey a winner and puts him on a baseball team that Joey is actually
good at. Also, Joeys dad doesnt think Joey should be on the medicine and he
flushes them down the toilet. Joeys symptoms come back and Joey decides
that he likes himself better on the medication and wants to return to his
mom. Through the process he learns a lot about his mom, dad, and himself.
Genre Deals with a social issue (realistic fiction)
Grade level appropriateness Grades 3 - 5
Theme emersion Joey Pigza and the other characters express their
feelings throughout the novel. I would teach feelings as a theme.
Content connection The teacher could teach an art lesson on selfportraits or emotions. Much of this book focus on Joeys self-image, so a selfportrait would be a great way to connect themselves to the way Joey feels.
Standard - 4.) Create symbolic works of art to communicate ideas.
Personal review 4/5 This book opens up discussion for a lot of issues
including divorce, mixed families, behavior disorders, and bad parenting. This
book teaches kids to be tolerant of one and other but I do think that parent
permission is needed before reading this book. I thought it depicted the
issues of this child well and that students with similar issues would relate and
know that they arent the only ones dealing with that sort of problem.
10.
Title The Secret of the Old Clock Nancy Drew
Author Carolyn Keene
Summary- Nancy Drew meets two sisters, the Turner sisters. She learns that
they were supposed to be left money by a recently deceased relative, Mr.
Crowley, but when he died none of the money in the will had been left to
them, but the Topham family instead. The two sisters dont have much money
and were confused as to why he gave the money to the other family rather
than the people he actually liked and people that needed money. Nancy Drew
feels that something is not right and goes on a mission to solve the mystery
of the missing will. She visits the rest of the Crowley family to get information

Chandler McAlister
Spring 2015
and learns that there may be information in an old clock. When she goes to
find the clock she is kidnapped and imprisoned by burglars. Nancy is able to
find the will and distribute the money to the rightful owners in the end.
Genre Series
Grade level appropriateness Grades 6 - 8
Theme emersion This story would be great to teach the students about
values. Nancy Drew has values that give her the desire to do the right thing
to help others. The Topham family has poor values that cause them to steal
from others.
Content connection This book would lend itself to a math lesson about
telling time since the story talks about a clock.
Standard - 16.) Tell and write time to the nearest minute, and measure time
intervals in minutes. Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction
of time intervals in minutes, e.g., by representing the problem on a number
line diagram.
Personal review 5/5 Nancy Drew is such a classy character and her
stories are so fun to read. Kids that enjoy mystery novels will definitely enjoy
this one as they would the majority of the series. Mystery books are great for
kids that dont always like to read because they have to read to the end to
figure out what is going on. The suspense will keep them reading.
11.
Title - Wonder
Author R. J. Palacio
Summary August Pullman is a 10 year old boy with a facial deformation.
Up to this point in his life he has been homeschooled, but now as he enters
5th grade his parents think it is time for him to go to school with other kids. At
first he is teased and he does not like school. He does make a few good
friends that keep him afloat. After a painful series of events the students
begin to get to know him and accept him as a normal kid.
Genre Childrens Best Seller (realistic fiction)
Grade level appropriateness Grades 5 - 7
Theme emersion Kindness is the most evident theme in this novel to me.
This novel teaches children that kindness goes a long way. The novel shows
children and adults that everyone around them is dealing with things that
they dont know about, so you should always be kind.
Content connection At the end of this book all of the students in the book
wrote their own precepts or sayings. I think that the students could use the
story to write their own precept either about the book or about their own
lives. This could relate to language arts. The teacher could make it crosscurricular by making them write a precept about something they are learning
in social studies or science. For example, if they are learning about the Great
Depression they would have to pretend that they are a kid living during that
time and come up with a saying that is related to what was going on during
the time period.

Chandler McAlister
Spring 2015
Standard - 2.) Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in
the text; summarize the text
Personal review 5/5 I loved all the different perspectives of the
characters in this story. Everyone will be able to relate to at least one
perspective. Students will learn that even though kids may be different that
they are all just kids. They will learn to be kind because everyone is dealing
with something. This also teaches them that there are always two sides to
every story. From talking to others though I have learned that not everyone is
a fan of this book. It is controversial. I would just make sure that parents are
contacted before reading this book. Overall, I would definitely use this book in
my classroom and recommend it to my friends.
12.
Title Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Author - Judy Blume
Summary Peter Hatcher is a 9 year old boy with one main problem in life,
his brother, Fudge. Fudge is annoying and behaves poorly making Peters life
miserable. For most of the novel Fudge causes issues like breaking his teeth,
messing up Peters schoolwork, getting lost in a movie theater and more.
Except at the end the worst of the worst happens. Peter has a turtle named
Dribble. One day Fudge decides to eat Dribble and has to be rushed to the
hospital. During this time Peter worries and learns to love his brother a little
more. His parents get him a dog to replace his turtle and he names him Turtle
to always be able to remember Dribble.
Genre Series (realistic Fiction) Choice Novel
Grade level appropriateness Grades 2 5
Theme emersion An evident theme in this novel is sibling rivalry. The two
brothers in this story dont always get along but in the end the reader is
reminded that even though the brothers fight that they still love each other.
Content connection Peter did a class project about transportation during
the novel. Students can do the same as Peter and create a poster about the
best way to travel and why. This would meet a Social Studies standard.
Standard - 12.) Describe families and communities of the past, including jobs,

education, transportation, communication, and recreation.

Identifying ways everyday life has both changed and remained the same
Personal review 5/5 This book does not get boring. Fudge is so funny. I
read this story to my second graders over my Jan Term placement and they
loved it. I had never read it before that. We all found ourselves laughing out
loud during the whole book. There are so many stories that all come together
so it is fast paced and never boring.
13.
Title Charlottes Web
Author E.B. White
Summary Fern, a little girl, was given a pet pig by her father when their pig
had babies. She takes care of the pig but soon it gets too big and the family
wants to sell it to a farmer to be slaughtered. Fern is very upset. Over the

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Spring 2015
time, the pig, Wilbur, makes friends in the barn including a special spider
named Charlotte. Shes a smart spider that creates webs that help save the
pig from being slaughtered.
Genre Classics Choice Novel
Grade level appropriateness Grades 3-6
Theme emersion I would teach the children about loyalty along with
reading this novel. Charlotte and all of the animals in the barn as well as Fern
are loyal to Wiburn until the very end when he is saved from being
slaughtered.
Content connection Students will complete a social studies standard by
completing an activity that compares what they have learned about rural
communities and urban communities. Standard - Classify spatial patterns of

settlement in different regions of the world, including types and sizes of settlement
patterns. Sizeslarge urban, small urban, and rural areas

Personal review 5/5 I love animals, especially pigs so I have loved this
story for some time. I had not read the book until this year though. I love all
the characters and their traits really come out in this story. Therefore, this
would be an excellent book to teach character traits.
14.
Title Stargirl
Author Jerry Spinelli
Summary Stargirl has just started the year at a new school, Mica High
School. She is different from everyone else there. She dresses different, acts
different, and is nice to everyone all the time. The students at the school
dont seem to understand her. Despite this she has a couple of friends,
including a boy named Leo. She becomes popular when she tries out and
makes the cheer team, however this popularity downfalls when she makes
some mistakes. The students at the school separate themselves from her and
treat her poorly. Leo remains friends with her for some time until he begins to
feel disliked as well. He tells Stargirl that she must try to be normal and so
she does try but it doesnt work out for her. Changing herself does not make
the students like her any more than before. She decides that it is better to
just be herself. The story ends when Stargirl disappears with her family and
the town never sees her again.
Genre Realistic Fiction Choice Novel
Grade level appropriateness Grade 3 7
Theme emersion I would teach the theme individuality or simply to be
you. Stargirl tries to fit into the cookie cutter life at Mica high but when she
does she isnt even liked. She learns that she would rather be herself and be
happy rather than being someone unhappy that other people wanted her to
be.
Content connection This book would lend itself well to a counseling
standard. The students can learn about respecting others even if they are
different.

Chandler McAlister
Spring 2015
Standard- 49.)C:A2.5 - learn to respect individual uniqueness in the
workplace
Personal review 3/5 I didnt really like this book. While it teaches a good
lesson to be you, I had a difficult time getting into the plot of the story. I do
think that teen girls going through a similar time in their life would appreciate
the book and be able to relate to Stargirl. I do wish that I could hear the story
from her perspective though, which from the sequel that is written from her
perspective shows me that others agree with that opinion.
15.
Title Harriet the Spy
Author Louise Fitzhugh
Summary Harriet is a girl living in New York city that has dedicated all of
her free time to being a spy and using the subjects she spys on as her
inspiration for writing. One day she hopes to become a writer. She keeps all of
her information in a notebook. Most of the information she writes down,
including information about the kids at school, is private. She doesnt want
anyone to know about the things she writes. One day when playing tag after
school she loses her notebook and it falls into the wrong hands. Her
classmates read all of the mean, but honest things she has written about her
and begin to bully her. She begins coming up with ways to punish them until
she starts getting into a lot of trouble. She learns that sometimes telling
white lies and apologizing to get your friends back is okay. Everything falls
back into place and she becomes the editor of the class newspaper because
it turns out that even though she wrote some mean things that she is actually
a very good writer.
Genre Comedy, Realistic Fiction Choice Novel
Grade level appropriateness Grade 4 7
Theme emersion I would teach students about honesty with this novel.
Throughout the novel Harriet learns that it is sometimes better to be honest
unless you are going to hurt someones feelings.
Content connection Harriets friend loves to do science experiments. The
students can learn about chemical reaction and perform a bottle rockets
experiment outside one day.
Standard 1.) Identify evidence of chemical changes through color, gas
formation, solid formation, and temperature change.
Personal review - 3/5 I remember my mom reading this book to me when
I was younger and I hated it. At that point I had already seen the movie, so I
could care less about reading the book. However, now that I am older and
have learned to appreciate texts, I did enjoy reading this. The students could
definitely do a compare and contrast of the movie. I dont really like how at
the end she became the editor and was still allowed to write about people,
though. Words can be hurtful and children need to know that they need to be
kind to everyone because what you see on the outside isnt always the full
story.