Hello, Universe

Title: Hello, Universe
Genre: Special Needs
Author: Erin Entrada Kelly
Awards: Newbery Medal (2018)
Age Group: 8 to 11-year-olds

Teacher Evaluation: I would highly recommend this book to fourth and fifth-grade students. I think this book is written very well and the story keeps the reader intrigued the entire time. I think because of the thickness many students wouldn't want to read it so I think I would start reading it in class then stop so those interested in it could continue reading on their own.

Summary: This book begins by introducing one of the four main characters, Virgil. Virgil has a quick exchange after a bad day with his grandma. Although he tries to hide it, he knows his grandma knows something is wrong with him but he decides to keep it to himself. The following chapter introduces another character, Valencia. Valencia is an eleven-year-old girl who happens to be deaf.  The chapter about Valencia describes a nightmare she has, which in the end she ends up completely alone. The book begins to jump perspectives and in the fourth chapter, we meet Kaori, who believes she is a psychic. In her chapter, we learn that Virgil is a client of hers and that her little sister Gen is going to help her prepare for her meeting with Virgil. The next few chapters are told through Virgil's perspective, it introduces a bully who torments Virgil on his way to Kaori's house. At Kaori's house, she tells Virgil that she sees him a peculiar situation and in the dark. Virgil isn't sure what to make of that, then reveals to Kaori the real reason why he went to her. Virgil wanted to talk to her about a girl he likes, but he is too afraid to say her name so he gives her initials V.S (which the reader knows is for Valencia). Kaori becomes very interested once she sees all the coincidences between the two, so she tells Virgil to collect 5 rocks and come back to see her on Saturday. The book goes on revealing that Valencia contacts Kaori about her dreams and that the bully, Chet, believes that Valencia is faking being deaf and is bothered by it. The book continues and reaches a peak when Chet the bully, throws Virgil's backpack into a well as he was collecting stones for his visit with Kaori. Inside Virgil's backpack was the guinea pig he didn't want to leave alone anymore, so Virgil went in after him. Virgil gets stuck in the well and the remainder of the book deals with Kaori recruiting Valencia, her new client to go find him. After hours of looking for Virgil, something clicks for Valencia and she realizes that she was where he is (the well) earlier. The girls find Virgil and he is able to return home. Virgil is now stronger, on his way home when Chet calls him names he stands up to him. The book ends with Valencia wondering why Kaori was talking about certain things she said would only make sense when they found Virgil. Kaori tells her she will know when the universe wants her to, and later she receives a message "hello" from who she knows already is Virgil.

Bridge to Terabithia

Title: Bride to Terabithia
Genre: Newbery
Author: Katherine Paterson
Awards: Newbery (1978)
Age Group: 9 to 11-year-olds

Teacher Evaluation: As a teacher, I think this book would best fit a fifth-grade class. The book has highly relatable situations throughout the story but also has a serious concept of death. I think because of the death concept mentioned in the book, it would be wise to talk to parent's about the book to let them in on what their child will be reading in class.

Summary: This book is about Jesse Aarons. Jesse is the only boy in his family with 2 older sisters and 2 younger sisters. The book begins with Jesse waking up early to practice running so he will be the fastest 5th grader. Jesse has many chores and responsibility in his family, so when his younger sister May Belle comes out to get him he realizes that he should've milked the cow already. Later that day, May Belle comes out to tell Jesse as he milks the cow that they are getting new neighbors. The next thing to happen in the book is that Jesse finally meets one of his neighbors, a girl his age, Leslie Burkes. Jesse and Leslie have a short conversation before Jesse returns to work. When school begins, Jesse is still set on being the fastest kid in the fifth grade, but after standing up for Leslie to be allowed to race with the boys he finds out that he is not. Jesse and Leslie aren't immediately friends, but soon after in the book the two do become friends. After school one day they decide to go off to do something, they discover a part of the woods with a hanging rope. The kids use the rope to get across to the other side and here is where they make their imaginary land of Terabithia. Terabithia is a secret place only Jesse and Leslie know about and where they rule the land. The two begin to bond more, going to Terabithia often and become great friends. The story goes on into more detail like the two friends dealing with the school bully, learning about each other's families, and giving each other Christmas gifts. The story takes a turn near the end when it starts to rain hard and Jesse doesn't want to go to Terabithia. Before Jesse can tell Leslie he doesn't want to go he gets a call from a teacher he admires dearly, inviting him to join her on a museum trip. Jesse has a wonderful time on the trip but when he returns, he returns to the news that his friend Leslie died. Jesse denies that Leslie dies at first and it isn't until after he goes to pay his respects at her house that he breaks down revealing to his dad he is mad at Leslie for dying. The book goes on detailing how Jesse's life continues without Leslie. After Leslie's family moves, Jesse uses some of their plywood to make a bridge to Terabithia, after creating the bridge, he allows his young sister May Belle, whom always wanted to go with Leslie and Jesse to come. The book ends with Jesse telling her she is the new queen of Terabithia and can't she see all the terabithians trying to see her.

Because of Winn-Dixie

Title: Because of Winn-Dixie
Genre: Bluebonnet
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Awards: Newbery Medal (2001)
              Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (2002)
              Indies Choice Book Award for Children's Literature (2001)
Age Group: 8 to 10-year-olds

Teacher Evaluation: I think this book would be a great class book to read together. I think this book best fits a fourth-grade classroom because of the content within the book. I think the book has excellent writing and is relatable for many types of students.

Summary: This is a story of a young girl, India Opal and her dog Winn-Dixie. The story begins with Opal at the grocery store. There is a huge commotion at the store because a dog came into the store and was running everywhere knocking things down. Opal tells the manager of the shop that the dog is hers because she doesn't want them to send it to the pound. She names the dog Winn-Dixie after the grocery store and takes it home with her. Opal talks to the dog telling him how they just moved there, her mom left when she was little, she doesn't have any friends, and her dad is a preacher. Opal is scared that her dad will reject Winn-Dixie, but after the two meet her father says Winn-Dixie can stay. The story goes on talking about Opal caring for Winn-Dixie like bathing and grooming him. Opal takes Winn-Dixie everywhere with her because he starts to howl if he cannot see her or her dad. When they go to the library, Winn-Dixie scares the librarian because she thinks he's a bear and he stands on his hind legs to look at Opal. Opal explains to the librarian that Winn-Dixie is her dog, a very special dog. Opal gets the librarian to agree to let Winn-Dixie in to hear her story about a bear coming into the library. After listening to her story about the bear and how she feels lonely since everyone she knew has died already, the three of them become close friends. Opal decides that Winn-Dixie needs a collar and leash but she cannot afford one so she asks the owner if she can work for it. At first, the man at the pet shop was hesitant because Winn-Dixie would have to come inside with Opal and the parrot at the shop didn't like dogs. Opal suggests that the man lets her try to have Winn-Dixie inside to show that he won't scare the bird. The parrot takes a liking to Winn-Dixie, so the man agrees to let Opal work at the shop for the collar and leash. Outside the shop, five-year-old Sweetie Pie Thomas is waiting to tell Opal she saw the parrot sitting on her dog's head. Sweetie Pie then invites Opal and Winn-Dixie to her birthday party in September. Opal is happy because even though she is 10, Sweetie Pie was the first person to invite her somewhere and it felt nice. The story continues on talking about different people Opal meets and befriends because of Winn-Dixie. At the end of the book, there is a rainstorm which terrifies Winn-Dixie but Opal doesn't realize he is gone immediately because she was hosting a party with her new friends. After realizing that Winn-DIxie is gone Opal and her father goes looking for him all around town in the rain. They don't find Winn-Dixie after having a hard discussion in the rain, the two return to their party. At the party, they find that Winn-Dixie has been there the entire time. And Opal realizes how grateful she is for all the new friends she has made because of Winn-Dixie.

The Last Kids on Earth

Title: The Last Kids On Earth
Genre: Bluebonnet
Author: Max Brallier
Awards: Bluebonnet
Age Group: 9 to 12-year-olds

Teacher Evaluation: As a teacher, I think that this book would best fit a fifth-grade audience. I would love to have this book in the class library I think students would enjoy reading this book. Although the topic of the book isn't directly relatable to students, the characters and certain situations are relatable to students.

Summary: This book is about a boy named Jack Sullivan during the apocalypse. The book begins 42 days after the apocalypse started. Jack is at CVS trying to find a tiny screwdriver to fix his walkie-talkie. While at CVS Jack runs into a huge monster he names Blarg. Blarg tries to eat Jack, but Jack stabs him in the forehead with the splintered-end of his baseball bat and gets away. Jack returns to his safe spot, his tree house and repairs his walkie-talkie. Jack wants to fix his walkie-talkie to see if his best friend Quint is still out there. Jack calls out on the walkie-talkie but doesn't receive anything back, so he falls asleep. While Jack is asleep he has a nightmare about when the apocalypse started. It was a normal day, Quint and Jack were getting on the bus when a bully Dirk started to mess with Quint. Right as Jack stood up to stand up for his best friend, there was a loud scream and Jack looked out and saw zombies and a huge monster reaching for the bus. The two were able to escape from all the mess and decided to split up to go home and find out what was happening, that was the last time Jack saw his best friend. When Jack got home, he saw evidence that his foster family left without him so he stayed in his tree house. Jack suddenly wakes up to a familiar sound of the walkie-talkie catching signal. Over the walkie, Jack hears his best friend Quint, the two plan to meet up. The two best friends meet up and decide to go back to Jack's tree house. Later in the book, the two best friends decided to go out on a quest to rescue June, a girl whom Jack has a crush on, to rescue her. While out looking for June, the boys stumble across Dirk. Dirk saves the boys from a monster attack and they invite him back to the tree house. The three boys then all live together. Soon after, Dirk and Jack go out on a shopping trip for Quint, he makes weapons and inventions to protect the treehouse. The two run into trouble while on their shopping trip when Blarg shows up. Once again Jack is able to escape from the monster, this time with the help of Dirk. While retreating to the treehouse, Jack notices June's jacket hanging out a window of their middle school. Jack makes a plan with Dirk and Quint to go to the school and rescue June. The book ends with the group of boys finding June and getting her to come back to the treehouse with them. Although as they make their way, Blarg shows up and chases them back to their treehouse. The kids defeat Blarg after a long fight and rebuild their treehouse.

Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaurs

Title: Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaurs
Genre: Pop-Up
Author: Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart
Awards: N/A
Age Group: 8 to 10-year-olds

Teacher Evaluation: As a teacher, I think this book would fit best in a 3rd to a 4th-grade classroom. Due to the fragility of the pages, I would have my class learn how to care for pop-up books first. Simply because of how fragile the manipulatives are in the book I would want to keep students from reading this book. With rules in place to care for the pages, I think this book would be wonderful for students who are interested in dinosaurs.

Summary: This pop-up book begins by describing how all we know about dinosaurs comes from fossils. It describes how dinosaurs are related to modern-day reptiles. Dinosaurs were first thought to be slow but with more recent studies, paleontologists have come to realize they were fast and smart. The book continues on for several pages displaying and discussing the types of dinosaurs there are. The book talks about herbivores to meat-eating dinosaurs, small to huge dinosaurs, and son on presenting facts about each. The book ends discussing raptors and the new research that creates the link between dinosaurs and birds. The closing remarks are of the legacy of dinosaurs, like how many believe the closest modern-day relative of the T-rex is a chicken, and how the extinction of dinosaurs is a mystery.

Little Mama Forgets

Title: Little Mama Forgets
Genre: Multicultural
Author: Robin Cruise
Awards: N/A
Age Group: 6 to 7-year-olds

Teacher Evaluation: As a teacher, I think this book would best fit a dual-language second-grade classroom. Although most of the book is in English there are some Spanish words and phrases (glossary for there words/phrases are in the front). I think by including this book in class through a read aloud it would expose students to a culture perhaps similar or different from their own.

Summary: This story begins with a young girl describing how her grandma, Little Mama, sometimes forgets to wake up with the Sun. When Little Mama forgets to wake up the young girl tickles her awake. And even after she wakes up and forgets to call the young girl Lucy instead of Luciana, she doesn't forget to tickle Lucy back. The story continues with Lucy describing the many things Little Mama forgets but also the many things she remembers. Little Mama always seems to remember things that are related to her family or culture. Little Mama forgets things like remembering she put the toast in the toaster and not to pinch and smell the fruit at the store. But despite the things she forgets, Little Mama remembers things like to buy Lucy and her brother chili dogs and how Lucy likes her rice pudding. The book ends with Little Mama remembering to sing Lucy a song when tucking her into bed.

Island Born

Title: Island Born
Genre: Multicultural
Author: Junot Diaz
Awards: N/A
Age Group: 6 to 8-year-olds

Teacher Evaluation: As a teacher, I would use this book in a first to a second-grade classroom. I think it would be wonderful to read this book to the class and have them complete a similar assignment as the class in the book. After reading the book, I would want my students to draw a picture of something that represents their family's culture and then write a few sentences describing the picture. I think it is highly beneficial for students to learn about their peers and cultures different from their own.

Summary: THis is a story about a young girl Lola and an assignment she was given at school. At Lola's school, her classmates are from all over the place. Mrs. Obi gives the class an assignment to draw a picture of their first country and bring it to class the next day. Everyone in Lola's class is excited except for Lola because she left her first country when she was a baby so she doesn't remember anything. The story continues with Lola going around her neighborhood, asking people what they remember about the "Island", which is how Lola refers to her first country. As Lola talks to people about the island she takes her journal with her to record what they tell her. When Lola goes home her grandma and mother tell her to go talk to Mr. Mir who works and lives in their building about the island. Mr. Mir knows the most about the island according to Lola's mom and grandma, so Lola goes to Mr. Mir's home to talk to him. Mr. Mir's memory of the island is different from the others, he talks about a monster the people of the island had to face. When Lola leaves Mr. Mir's home, Lola realizes she didn't record anything the whole time Mr. Mir was talking, she just listened. The story ends after a long night of Lola drawing her first country when she shows her class her drawing, she represented everyone's memory of the island including Mr. Mir's.