Prentice+Hall+books

Laura, Here are some very brief, annotated notes about books on the PH List. The grade levels below refer to where they fall on the list. I didn’t take into account that a book may be 1,2 levels below or above level. Amanda’s comments are in blue. //Redwall// – haven’t read. Long, but fantasy, which is supposedly the 6th grade genre This series waxes and wanes in popularity. Very popular with boys. //Jim Thorpe// – biography of Native American football player. I liked it. Good mix of football and history. Can’t say it’s the best option for novel study, but it’s well-written. This was on the Mock Newbery list two years ago. Great for lit circles, overcoming diversity, Native-American issues, etc. I agree with Lisa – not best for whole class study. //Tangerine//, //Bearstone//, and //Maniac Magee// have all been Caudill’s, but I haven’t read them. //Miracle’s Boys// – haven’t read, but hear good things. urban setting, boy main characters. I think the boys are brothers and their mom dies. // A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie // … – Was a Caudill, short non-fiction. Strong female character overcoming adversity/discrimination, but still appeals to boys as a baseball story. // Number the Stars // – Holocaust story about the Danish resistance smuggling Jews out of Denmark and hiding them. Award-winning book and author; won the 1990 Newbery Medal. Wonderful choice for class study, and there are a lot of teacher resources available. // The Westing Game // – Currently on the 6th grade protected list – should be about 170 copies between OJ and Century. Not currently being used at OJ, but maybe at other bldgs? // Cheaper by the Dozen // – Non fiction, true story of the Gilbreth family. This is an “old-fashioned family” story. Good, but I wouldn’t use it for a class novel; most kids would have a hard time identifying with the family and time period. Recent movie re-make is loosely based in the original story and black & white movie. // Pushing Up the Sky: Seven Native- American Plays… // – I haven’t read this, but the author is native American and writes from that perspective. Same author as //Jim Thorpe: Original All-American,// and //Code Talke.// // The Outsiders // – Taught at OJ every year. I’ve taught this one too. It really is a classic, but teachers need to approach the story differently than they would have 10 – 15 years ago. LOTS of teacher resources available in print and online. //Touching Spirit Bear// – old 2004 Caudill. Haven’t read. One of Debbie Murphy’s favorites. We give this one to the “reluctant” readers, who then come back for more books just like it. Wonderful troubled kid character; survival and redemption story. Brian Mallo used this one quite successfully with his self-contained BD class at OJ a couple years ago. // Guy Write for Guys Read // – Male audience, humorour, yet true look at choices/attitudes of boys and reading and writing. Owned by OJ library; not suited for whole class study. //Heat// – 4th favorite Caudill from this year. Wasn’t too popular at Century, though. It’s a decent book, but I think we could do a lot better. There’s a lot of description about the baseball games. Very popular with boys at OJ – I think they are drawn to the descriptive play-by play baseball scenes and parentless male characters who live on their own. I would say it’s good for lit circles if the teacher wants to draw the boys in. Topical references to illegal immigration, Cuba, death of a parent, Little League World Series, dreams/aspirations, etc. //Hatchet// – most kids have read that in 5th grade. Is it taught there? It is a fabulous book, but I think it’s too easy for 7th grade. Many kids have read this one for AR and BookAdventure projects. Another good one for the student who “hates to read.” Most of them end up wanting to read more Gary Paulsen books. There are more copies somewhere in the district – Century has 17, OJ has about 7 – 10 in storage. //A Step From Heaven// – Haven’t read this book, but read another by the same author. Korean immigrants. Abusive alcoholic father. “quiet story” – won a ton of awards // Zlata’s Diary // – I haven’t read, but from wheat I’ve heard and read about it, this one is the modern Anne Frank. Was quite popular in the late 1990’s. // Farewell to Manzanar // – Wonderful story about the Japanese internment camps during WWII. We must have used it at one point – Century has 32 copies in storage, OJ has 19. With this one (and //Journey to Topaz// by Yoshiko Uchida) teachers can also cover haiku and the changes in (Americanized) haiku theme and structure as a result of the war. // Crazy Loco // – I haven’t read this, but it’s always getting checked out of OJ’s library. // Flowers for Algernon // – I really like this one, but I’ve always thought this was more of a high school title. I’ve used an abridged version when my 8th gr. Honors LA kids studied Mary Shelley’s //Frankenstein//. Themes of creation/destruction; moral and ethical responsibility in scientific research, who has the right to give and then take away life, intelligence, etc. Great discussions. The full unabridged version of //Flowers// contains some relationship issues best suited for H.S. OJ does have 15 copies in storage. //*Schwa Was Here// – a favorite of Leah and I! only 8th graders get the humor. This book is by far the one on this list that I can confidently recommend! I loved this one!! The sarcastic New York-style humor is great. The lesson/moral is quite deep, so this would work very well as a classroom novel – great discussions. It was a Caudill last year. //Al Capone Does My Shirts// – excellent book. Old Caudill - 2007 Too young for 8th grade, though. I agree. I think High Point teachers may have used it as a read-aloud. Younger sister in book has autism. //Code Talker// – good book, but typical war book with very slight twist (Navajo Code Talkers). Historical fiction, Old 2007 Caudill. Written by Joseph Bruchac (Jim Thorpe, Pushing Up the Sky) Definitely an 8th grade book. A lot has been written about Navajo Code Talkers in recent rears, so teachers will have no problem finding non-fiction articles and Websites to go along with the book. .  //Phineas Gage// – old 2005 Caudill. Excellent book, but there’s a lot of science. Would LA teachers be comfortable with that? We’ve had many students use this one for non-fiction book projects in 6th and seventh grade. I think this is one that could be used in the science classes much like //October Sky// is used for honors science now. The question is… Does it fit with the science curriculum? Maybe health class? // Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl // – This is the translation of the actual diary. I’ve used this very carefully with 7th grade Honors LA. Just like any young girl’s diary, it contains her innermost thoughts and secrets. Regular 7th gr. LA uses the excerpts from the Junior Great Books. OJ has aprox. 50-60 copies. // The Diary of Anne Frank // by Frances and Albert Hackett – this is the play and film version of Anne Frank’s diary. I’ve taught this in 7th grade regular LA – from the McDougall-Little text. This is the most popular version for middle schools. //Monster// – excellent book, but much more appropriate for a school district that’s more urban. Our students may not be able to identify with the character or his problems – jail. Although the book is fairly popular with boys at OJ. // The Watsons Go to Birmingham: 1963 // - I have not taught this one, but it is a very popular choice for classroom novels. Themes of segregation, civil rights, etc. //Maus// – excellent graphic novel. Very well respected. WWII. I read recently that the author based this book on his own father’s life during the Holocaust. Even though the story is presented in comic form, it is most certainly not to be taken lightly. If done well, this could be a powerful classroom experience. Could be used by social studies classes, although they cover WWII in 7th grade. // A Raisin in the Sun // – This is already on the 8th grade protected list – 61 copies at Century and 29 at OJ. I have not taught this play, but it must have been taught at some point. Lisa and Amanda
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