Best Books for Children and Young Adults Best

Best Books for Children and Young Adults

Best Books A guide to some of the best books published for young people (K-12) in the last ten years. (1996 -2006)

Best Books All titles included have one at least one state, national, or international award. Most have won numerous awards.

Best Books Uses in the classroom across many subjects are included for each title as well as web addresses for instructional ideas, and appropriate grade levels.

Picture Books • The Gardener – Sarah Stewart (Grades 3 -6) – Caldecott Honor Book 1998 – Chosen for “Literature from the Garden” list

Picture Books The Gardener – Sarah Stewart Special Features: Written entirely in letter format. Featured in program called “Literature in the Garden” www. kidsgardening. com

Picture Books The Gardener – Sarah Stewart Uses: Language Arts – Use as an example of letter writing Science – Study of plants Use as a science/literature connection Grow plants in pots Character education – Making the best of a difficult situation, Kindness, Thoughtfulness, Hard work

Picture Books Tops and Bottoms – Janet Stevens (Grades 2 -4) – Caldecott Honor Book (1996) – American Horticultural Society 2005 “Growing Good Kids” – Bill Martin Jr. Picture Book Award

Picture Books • Tops and Bottoms – Janet Stevens Special features: Vertical orientation of artwork to illustrate theme Uses: Character – Using your head and hard work to solve your problems Laziness never pays off Science – How food is provided Language Arts – Sample of a trickster tale in folktale unit

Picture Books (Folktale) • One Grain of Rice – Demi (Grades 2 -6) Show Me Readers Award (Missouri) Black-Eyed Susan Award (Maryland) Capital Choices Booklist

Picture Books (Folktale) • One Grain of Rice – Demi Special Features: Luxurious authentic-looking illustrations Uses: Social Studies – Study of India Character education – Generosity, Keeping your word Mathematics – Multiplication

Picture Books • Noah’s Ark – Jerry Pinkney (Grades 2 -12) – Caldecott Honor Book (2003) – 5 time Caldecott and Coretta Scott King Award winner

Picture Books • Noah’s Ark – Jan Brett (Grades 2 -6) • Use as a comparison to Jerry Pinkney’s version – Compare artistic styles as well as approach to content

Picture Books Noah’s Ark– Jerry Pinkney Special features: Art work - Accuracy Uses: Art: Have students illustrate Bible stories Science: Look at scientific studies of the ark. Bible: Research more about Noah’s Ark. Use as illustration of God’s provision for those who love him.

Picture Books Noah’s Ark– Jerry Pinkney Uses: Noah's Animals: A Webquest For Fifth Graders http: //education. iupui. edu/webquests/noah. htm Noah's Ark An Ecological Webquest for 7 -12 th grade http: //eduscapes. com/caldecott/03 d. htm Ancient Flood Stories http: //www. nationalgeographic. com/xpeditions/lessons/17/ gk 2/floods. html

Picture Books • Thank You Mr. Falker – Patricia Polacco (Grades 3 -8) – Parent’s Choice Award, – Life work award • 1992 Boston Area Educators Award for Social Responsibility

Picture Books Thank You Mr. Falker – Patricia Polacco Special Features: Patricia Polacco’s artwork Based on real-life experience Uses: Language Arts – Encourage slow readers Art - Have students illustrate own experiences. Character education - Encourage those with difficult challenges in their life.

Picture Books Thank You Mr. Falker – Patricia Polacco Related websites: Ldonline. org – Website about learning disabilities. Includes first person essays by people with firsthand experience with learning difficulties patriciapolacco. com – Author’s own website with biographical information and introduction to works

Realistic Fiction • Rules of the Road – Joan Bauer (Grades 8 -12) – 1998 Los Angeles Times Book Award – ALA Notable Book – ALA Best Book for Young Adults – Golden Kite Award

Realistic Fiction • Rules of the Road – Joan Bauer Uses: Bibliotherapy Dysfunctional families Dealing with an alcoholic parent Teenage driving Cross-generational relationships Character Qualities Courage Resiliance Ingenuity Taking responsibility Sense of humor

Realistic Fiction • Pictures of Hollis Woods– Patricia Reilly Giff (Grades 5 -8) Newbery Honor Book 2003 ALA Notable Children’s Book ALA Best Book for Young Adults Christopher Award

Realistic Fiction • Pictures of Hollis Woods– Patricia Reilly Giff Special features: Available in paperback Dell Yearling edition includes extensive teacher’s guide www. randomhouse. com/teachers Uses: Themes – Belonging Friendship Hope Family Truth Cross-generational relationships

Realistic Fiction Frindle – Andrew Clements (Grades 5 -8) – William Allen White Award (Kansas) – Rhode Island Children’s Book Award – Rebecca Caudill Award (Kentucky) Translated into 9 languages

Realistic Fiction Frindle – Andrew Clements Italian U. K. Japanese Hungarian Korean Spanish German Portuguese

Realistic Fiction • Frindle – Andrew Clements Special features: Available in paperback Website: www. frindle. com Themes: Humor, Taking responsibility for actions Developing one’s gifts Importance of maintaining a standard Student-teacher relationships Uses: Read aloud and discuss (Who’s right) Language: Suggest new names for existing products Students develop research related to word origins

Realistic Fiction • Granny Torrelli Makes Soup – Sharon Creech (Grades 4 -8) – Rebecca Caudill nominee – Georgia Children’s Book Award nominee – South Carolina Children’s Book Award nominee

Realistic Fiction • Granny Torrelli Makes Soup – Sharon Creech Special features: www. sharoncreech. com First person narrative Inclusion of Italian words and phrases Inclusion of reader’s guide at website: www. sharoncreech. com/novels/grannytorelli_guide

Realistic Fiction • Granny Torrelli Makes Soup – Sharon Creech Uses: Gifted students – Examine writing style, use of fragments, character development through dialogue and description Bibliotherapy – Bailey is legally blind; jealousy Warning: lots of fragments – Creech writes from heart, not the English textbook

Fantasy • The Iron Ring – Lloyd Alexander (Grades 6 -12) – ALA Best Books for Young Adults – ALA Notable Book – Parent’s Choice Award – Booklist Top 10 Fantasy Novels for Young Readers

Fantasy • The Iron Ring – Lloyd Alexander Special features: Glossary and list of characters Author’s note connecting story with traditional literature of India Map of territory covered Humor Available in paperback

Fantasy • The Iron Ring – Lloyd Alexander Uses: Social Studies – study of India (language, religion, climate, animals, plants, folklore Language Arts - Vocabulary building: Creative writing Character education – Honor, courage, duty, taking responsibility, respect for another culture,

Fantasy • Time Stops for No Mouse – Michael Hoeye (Grades 8 -12) – Michael Printz Award • (Adolescent)

Fantasy • Time Stops for No Mouse Special features: Map of the area of adventure, with inserts Humor/ Adventure Uses: Entertainment Reluctant readers Humor Practice in making predictions Practice in using logic

Fantasy Perloo the Bold – Avi (Grades 8 -12) Black-eyed Susan Award (Maryland) Nutmeg Children’s Book award (Connecticut) Sunshine State Award Great Stone Face Award

Fantasy • Perloo the Bold - Avi Special features: Available in paperback The sayings of Mogwat the Magpie “ To see the world with the eyes of others is to stand on a new mountain. ” “A life without challenge is a life not lived. ” “Only the dead have no choice. ” “The future begins in the past

Fantasy Perloo the Bold - Avi Uses: Health/Psychology – Importance of individuality Social Studies – Importance of open communication between cultures Character qualities – Courage, Wisdom, Perseverance, Friendship

Fantasy • Inkheart – Cornelia Funke (Grades 8 -12) – Teens Top 10 Award – Colorado Blue Spruce Award IMPAC Dublin Literary Award Soaring Eagle Award

Fantasy Inkheart – Cornelia Funke Special features: Strong message about the power of books and reading in our lives Quotes from a wide range of literary works, both adult and children’s literature Soon to be a major motion picture Available in paperback

Fantasy Inkheart – Cornelia Funke Uses: Gifted students – Match quotes to content of chapters Why did Funke choose this quote for this chapter? Can you think of another quote that might be just as significant? Regular students – Read aloud and make predictions Creative writing – Choose an already familiar book and write what would happen if a character escaped from its pages. What could be done to get him/her back?

Fantasy Inkheart – Quote “It’s a good idea to have your own books with you in a strange place, ” Mo always said. He himself always took at least a dozen… “If you take a book with you on a journey, ” Mo had said when he put the first one in her box, an odd thing happens: The book begins collecting your memories. And forever after you have only to open that book to be back where you first read it. It will all come into your mind with the very first words: the sights you saw in that place, what it smelled like, the ice cream you ate while you were reading it…yes, books are like flypaper – memories cling to the printed page better than anything else. ”

Fantasy Inkheart – Quote He was probably right, but there was another reason why Meggie took her books whenever they went away. They were her home when she was somewhere strange. They were familiar voices, friends that never quarreled with her, clever, powerful friends-daring and knowledgeable, tried and tested adventurers who had traveled far and wide. Her books cheered her up when she was sad and kept her from being bored…”

Historical Fiction • A Single Shard – Linda Sue Park (Grades 4 -8) – Newbery Winner 2002

Historical Fiction • A Single Shard – Linda Sue Park Uses: Art – Visit pottery studio and then make own– study Korean art Social Studies – Study Korean History and geography; discuss apprentice system

Historical Fiction • A Single Shard – Linda Sue Park Uses, contd, : Language Arts – Read Korean folktales Psychology – Living with disabilities; discuss homelessness Character – Faithfulness and determination http: //eduscapes. com/newbery/02 a. htm

Historical Fiction • Girl in a Cage – Jane Yolen (Grades 6 -10) – YALSA Best Books for Young Adults 2003 – State Awards from: • Pennsylvania and Nevada • Ohio – State Nominations from: • New Hampshire • Maryland • Louisiana

Historical Fiction • Girl in a Cage – Jane Yolen Special features: Time line of historical events of time period Appendix “What is True in This Story” Uses: Social Studies – History of conflict between England Scotland Research Middle Ages – Food, clothing, housing, music, economy, sports, architecture, etc. Biographical study of real lives of main characters

Historical Fiction • Girl in a Cage – Jane Yolen Web sites: History for Kids – The Middle Ages www. historyforkids. org The Time Machine - Journey to the Middle Ages www. activehistory. co. uk www. socialstudiesforkids. com Character education – How should a person act when unjustly persecuted? Marjorie models spunk, determination and loyalty

Historical Non-fiction • Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps – Andrea Warren (Grades 7 -12) – Robert F. Siebert Award (2002) – William Allen White Award – VOYA Nonfiction Honor book – ALA Notable Children’s Book – Children’s Literature Choice

Historical Non-fiction • Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps – Andrea Warren Grades 6 -12 Special Features: Supplementary material on concentration camps List of print and non-print resources for further study Uses: Social Studies: Study of World War II Language Arts: Compare the story to other World War II biographies Character education: Determination, Ingenuity, Forgiveness

Historical Non-fiction • Childtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir – Eloise Greenfield (Grades 5 -12) - Notable Children’s Trade Book in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC) - Carter G. Woodson Outstanding Merit Book (NCSS) - Notable Children's Book of 1979 (Library of Congress)

Historical Non-fiction Childtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir – Eloise Greenfield Special Features: Wonderful stories of three generations of her family Family met life’s challenges with courage and mutual respect Told from a child’s point of view, small everyday events hold center stage. Difficulties described, but not dwelt on Family love and loyalty from one generation to the next Illustrations by Jerry Pinkney & family photographs

Historical Non-fiction • Childtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir – Eloise Greenfield Uses: Social Studies: American social history from 1800 s to 1950 s, Study of race relations Psychology : Family relationships, Crossgenerational relations Character education: Loyalty, Courage, Steadfastness,