The Midnight Library by Kazuno Kohara

Bibliographic Information:

Kohara, Kazuno. The Midnight Library. New York: Roaring Book Press, 2014.

Plot Description: The little librarian and her friends the owls run a library for animals that is only open when the sun is down.  They encounter a noisy but friendly group of squirrels having band practice, a wolf who is brought to tears by a sad story, and a tortoise who gets his very own library card.  Their story is neatly illustrated in a striking printed style.

Quantitative Reading Level: N/A; Ages 3-6

Qualitative Reading Analysis: This is a simple text for a very young audience, with basic vocabulary and sentence structure.  The illustrations are rich and support the whimsical and unpredictable story.  There are no significant knowledge demands or life experiences required by the reader, and perhaps the meaning of the story is simple friendliness (and love of books and libraries)!

Content Area: English Language Arts

Content Area Standard(s):

CCSS for Reading Literature, Grade K: 1) With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text; 3) With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story 7) With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

 Curriculum Suggestions:  This is a delightful read-aloud for young children, and possibly a nice introduction to printmaking art as illustration.

The Slowest Distance Between Two Points – This American Life podcast

Bibliographic Information:

This American Life # 494 The Slowest Distance Between Two Points, May 3, 2013.

<http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/494/hit-the-road&gt;

Plot Description: This radio essay featured on This American Life tells the story of Andrew Forsthoefel, a young college graduate who loses his job and decides to walk across the United States.  He embarks on this journey to not only see the country but to ask people for their stories, which he carefully documents for the radio program.  In his interviews he asks people what “transformation” means to them and how they have experienced it.

Quantitative Reading Level: n/a

Qualitative Reading Analysis: Andrew’s story begins with his departure, but the interviews that comprise the bulk of the program are in a thematic order rather than chronological.  There are many voices and points of view, but the dialogue is basically conversational and accessible to high school aged students and adults alike.

Content Area: English Language Arts, Reading Literature

Content Area Standard(s):

CCSS for Speaking and Listening, Grades 11-12: 2) Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data; 3) Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.

CCSS for Reading Literature, Grades 11-12: Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).

Curriculum Suggestions: This podcast pairs well with the reading of Krakauer’s Into the Wild, which I taught for a Junior English class.  Students were asked to compare Andrew with Christopher McCandless, noting the similarities between them and their journeys as well as key differences in their self discovery.

Supporting Digital Content: Transom is an educational website that explains how to compose radio programs like these: < http://transom.org/2013/walking-across-america-advice-for-young-man/>; Andrew’s blog which documents his journey in detail with maps and photos: < http://walkingtolisten.com/>.

Series Information:  This American Life is a radio program/podcast from WBEZ Chicago, featuring a rich collection of engaging narratives that can be used in the classroom.

Shift by Jennifer Bradbury

Bibliographic Information:

Bradbury, Jennifer. Shift. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008.

Plot Description: Win and Chris have been best friends for most of their lives and are planning a cross country cycling trip to celebrate high school graduation before heading off to college.  Just days before they make it to Seattle, however, Win disappears and Chris is forced to finish the trip on his own.  As the fall semester approaches and there is still no word from Win, Chris finds himself under scrutiny of Win’s dominating father and a persistent FBI agent.  Where is Win? Should he try to find him?  And what has become of their friendship?

Quantitative Reading Level: Lexile 770; GL 5.2

Qualitative Reading Analysis: Shift follows a unique time structure, with each chapter alternating between the bike trip and Chris’ life after the trip, which creates a very suspenseful plot.  The point of view is entirely Chris, but there is a significant amount of dialogue between him and other characters, some of whom evolve throughout the story like Win’s father and the FBI agent.  The language is mostly accessible but for some cycling-specific vocabulary.  The subject matter is moderately complex – with a theme of friendship implicit throughout what initially unfolds like a crime story.  Ultimately this book requires very little knowledge demands – even the reader with no cycling knowledge can follow and appreciate the story.

Content Area: English Language Arts, Reading Literature

Content Area Standard(s):

CCSS for Reading Literature, Grades 9-10: 2) Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text; 5) Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Curriculum Suggestions:  For an English class read, the most interesting text feature is the alternating time frame structure, jumping back and forth around the mystery of Win’s disappearance.  I would definitely recommend this as an independent reading choice for students to explore themes of independence, friendship and coming of age.

Supporting Digital Content:  Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NQorLYnmQU, Interview with the author: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMXi5_i0P9Q

Recognition: Selected by ALA and School Library Journal Best Book for Young Adults and YALSA Top Ten Crime Fiction for Young Adults

Reader’s Advisory Note: Especially awesome for cyclists, campers, travelers and other adventurists!

Fat Kid Rules the World by K. L. Going

Bibliographic Information:

Going, K. L. Fat Kid Rules the World. New York: Penguin Putnam Books, 2003.

Plot Description: Troy is an overweight teenager just trying to get through high school.  He doesn’t have any friends, his brother is constantly bugging him, and he knows he is a disappointment to his father.  One day he is standing over the subway tracks not far from his home in Manhattan when he strikes an unlikely friendship with Curt, a homeless rock star legend he knows from school.  When Curt asks Troy to drum for his punk band, Suddenly Troy’s life doesn’t seem so bleak as he follows Curt’s lead to become more than just some “fat kid.”

Quantitative Reading Level: Lexile 700, GL 4.3

Qualitative Reading Analysis: This book follows a simple, chronological text structure, with a fairly predictable storyline.  The language is accessible to the average teen, although it includes swear words and many musical and rock band references.  Sentence structure is mostly simple with some complex sentences.  And while the meaning in the story is straightforward, the themes and life experiences are pretty heavy – drugs and alcohol, depression, suicidal thoughts, and the loss of a parent.

Content Area: English Language Arts, Reading Literature

Content Area Standard(s):

CCSS for Reading Literature, Grades 9-10: 2) Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text; 3) Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

Curriculum Suggestions:  Despite the lower quantitative reading levels, the themes in this book are challenging and thus I would recommend it as an independent reading assignment for a mature high school student, possibly one who expresses a love for rock music.

Supporting Digital Content:  Movie clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vfstM5G12A; Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEpw8FrDLt0

Subjects/Themes:  Depression, suicide, drugs and alcohol, friendship, obesity, bullying

Personal Thoughts:  Troy makes several offensive sexual references to women in the text that I’d invite students to think critically about.

Leon and Bob by Simon James

Bibliographic Information:

James, Simon. Leon and Bob. Somerville: Candlewick Press, 2006.

Plot Description: While his father is away serving in the military, Leon moves with his mother new a new home and develops a close friendship with an imaginary boy named Bob.  They play and Leon reads the letters from his father again and again to his supportive friend.  Pretty soon a new family moves in next door with a boy who is also named Bob, and Leon discovers that he no longer needs his imaginary friend.

Quantitative Reading Level: Lexile 400; GL 1.9

Qualitative Reading Analysis: This book is only a slightly complex read for young children, with a simple chronological structure and illustrations that support the story.  Language is familiar and easy to understand, and composing simple sentences.  The themes of friendship and family are explicitly addressed throughout, and the knowledge demands are simple since most children can relate to one or both.  From the illustrations we see that one friend is of a darker skin tone, but there is not culturally demanding information; rather, it is a simple, sweet story about overcoming loneliness and finding friends to share our lives with.

Content Area: English Language Arts, Reading Literature

Content Area Standard(s):

CCSS for Reading Literature, Grade 1: 1) Ask and answer questions about key details in detail; 2) Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson; 3) Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

Curriculum Suggestions:

Supporting Digital Content: Interview with author Simon James: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVEteyf9dQY

Subject/Theme: Friendship, Loneliness

Trash by Andy Mulligan

Bibliographic Information:

Mulligan, Andy. Trash. New York: Random House, Inc, 2010.

Plot Description: Three boys in a third world country spend their days combing the trash heaps of their village, in search of any scraps to sell for survival.  When one of them finds a mysterious bundle of cash with a map and key, they know they’ve found something extraordinary – and possibly dangerous.  The story follows these young men as they elude the authorities on their quest to solve the mystery and “right a terrible wrong.”

Quantitative Reading Level: Lexile 850; GL 5.5

Qualitative Reading Analysis: The structure of Trash is unique in that although it unfolds chronologically, narration is passed from character to character with each chapter.  Similarly, language is moderately complex; most words would be familiar to a middle school reader, but there are challenging words sprinkled throughout: monstrous, effluent, notoriety, etc.  Sentence structure is a bit more complex, with transition words and other subordinate phrases are regularly employed.  The themes of homelessness, poverty and survival are explicit, but perhaps emotionally complex for some readers.  These personal experiences, and the global truths behind the disparity in third world countries are likely unfamiliar to the average American middle school student.

Content Area: English Language Arts, Reading Literature

Content Area Standard(s):

CCSS for Reading Literature, Grade 8: 2) Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text; 3) Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision; 6) Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor; 7) Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.

Curriculum Suggestions:  This is an excellent source for units that address global awareness and social justice – in ELA, Social Studies, Leadership, or any other course where students are asked to think critically about the world and their place in it.  It also serves as an action-packed mystery for an independent reader.

Supporting Digital Content: Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po4kRYWzebQ; Preview for upcoming film (students can practice applying standard seven, reflecting on how the scenes from the upcoming movie compare to what they have read: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPXyZD_QDC0

Subjects/Themes: homelessness, poverty, survival, friendship, dystopia

Reader’s Advisory: This is a gripping story, a page turner even if you haven’t read much suspense. From the very first paragraph the readers is hooked by the frankness (and horror) of the setting.  Also, the characters of the three boys are so likable and honest that it’s easy to be drawn in.

Stoner & Spaz by Ron Koertge

Bibliographic Information:

Loertge, Ron. Stoner & Spaz. Cambridge: Candlewick Press, 2002.

Plot Description: Ben and Colleen are an unlikely pair.  Ben, a self-proclaimed nerd without many friends, spends most of his free time enjoying movies and hanging out with his guardian Grandmother.  He also lives with cerebral palsy, or C. P.  Colleen is a drug abuser who shares in Ben’s loneliness, with whom she develops an unlikely friendship, inspiring him to pursue his latent interest in making movies.

Quantitative Reading Level: Lexile 490; GL 5.1

Qualitative Reading Analysis:  This book is slightly complex in terms of structure and language – the story follows a chronological sequence and is simple to follow.  The themes are certainly for a more mature audience, especially scenes and descriptions of Colleen’s drug use, reflecting life experiences that might be unfamiliar or scandalous to some readers.

Content Area: English Language Arts, Reading for Literature

Content Area Standard(s):

CCSS for Reading Literature, Grades 9-12: 3) Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

Curriculum Suggestions:  The short but gritty nature of this book would be an intriguing, hi-low read for some high school students who can identify with the struggles of both main characters.  Its lower reading level makes it more accessible to reluctant readers.

Supporting Digital Content: Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQI60ss54Us

Subjects/Themes: friendship, character and values, cerebral palsy, disability

Squirrel and John Muir by Emily Arnold McCully

Bibliographic Information:

McCully, Emily Arnold. Squirrel and John Muir. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2004. Print.

Plot Description: Squirrel and John Muir interweaves historical fact with imagination in this tale of John Muir’s friendship with a young girl in the Yosemite Valley.  Squirrel, as she is affectionately known by her family, is a tomboy who was born in raised in the Sierra wilderness.  Her father owns the first hotel in the area and hires a young John Muir to run a sawmill for him.  In every bit of his spare time, however, John Muir is out exploring the wilderness, talking to flowers, listening to snow – all of which Squirrel finds odd but intriguing.  Their unlikely friendship blossoms as he shows her the wonders of the area and teaches her the deeper lesson of embracing change.

Quantitative Reading Level: Lexile 620, GL 3.3

Qualitative Reading Analysis: The text is organized simply, with a clear storyline told in mostly familiar language.  Sentence structure combines simple with compound sentences, and the beautiful watercolor illustrations directly support interpretation of the text.  Its meaning might be moderately complex for some readers who do not have the background knowledge or life experience to identify with the themes of appreciating nature or the vastness of wilderness.

Content Area: English Language Arts

Content Area Standard(s):

CCSS for Reading Literature, Grade 3: 3) Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events; 7) Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting).

Curriculum Suggestions:  A lesson or unit on environmental education would be well-supported by this text, which can introduce students to John Muir the historical figure, Yosemite and the national park system, and the concept of nature conservation in general.

Supporting Digital Content:

“19^th century Photographs of Yosemite Valley” Slideshow from Smithsonian: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/john-muirs-yosemite-10737/?no-ist#ooid=k5YjdwOqbLuHeO-oum0zv2z04nV-Wcw_

Subjects/Themes: Nature, plants and animals, conservation, friendship.