The Story Spectator: March 2021

Sunday, March 14, 2021

11 Mathematics-related books for children

As an educator, I want my students to embrace learning and be able to connect it to what they read. In the books listed below, readers can find how math plays a role in everyday life through different formats: chapter books, picture books, poetry, nonfiction and biographies.

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty, a middle-grade chapter book. Listen to the author read aloud the first chapter here. Check out a book trailer for the story:

The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins, is a picture book appropriate for all ages but is ideal for pre-K, 1st and 2nd grades.

Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi: A Math Adventure by Cindy Neuschwander and Wayne Geehan is a middle-grade picture book that is part of a series on math concepts.

Polar Bear Math: Learning about Fractions from Klondike and Snow by Ann Whitehead Nagda and Cindy Bickel is a non-fiction picture book for elementary-aged children that teaches about math concepts through two polar bears held at the Denver Zoo.

Nothing Stopped Sophie: The Story of Unshakable Mathematician Sophie Germain by Cheryl Bardoe and Barbara McClintock is a picture book biography for elementary-aged readers.

More Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School by Louis Sachar is a chapter book aimed for third-graders and up. It is full of mathematical and logical puzzles based on the humorous Wayside School series.

Measuring Penny by Loreen Leedy is a picture book that is aimed for kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders. The story follows a student who is given a homework assignment to measure a pet with different forms of measurement.

Math Curse by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith is a hilarious, non-fiction picture book for any elementary-aged reader. It shows how everything in our lives can be turned into a math problem.

Marvelous Math: A Book of Poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins and Karen Barbour is a collection of math-related poems for kindergarten, first, second, and third graders. Here is an excerpt:

How Much is a Million? by David M. Schwartz and Steven Kellogg is a non-fiction picture book that helps elementary-aged readers visualize big numbers. Here is a Reading Rainbow episode that features the book:

Calculator Riddles by David A. Adler and Cynthia Fisher is a funny, non-fiction, interactive book that is for third graders and up. The book contains a number of riddles that can be answered by turning the calculator upside down.

The Reckless Club: a modern-day Breakfast Club

The Reckless Club by Beth Vrabel is a middle grade novel that examines the labels that teens place on themselves and one another. Five soon-to-be high school freshmen are brought together to a nursing home for one day as a punishment for something they did wrong on the last day of school. There's an athlete, a drama queen, a flirt, a nobody and a rebel. Over the course of the day they learn more about each other's struggles and come away with more empathy than when they first started.

I would recommend this book for 5th graders and up as Vrabel touches on issues of depression, self-harm and bullying. This is a good book to use with readers to share what they would do if they were in the positions of the characters or as their friends. Readers can also learn more about what Vrabel wanted to accomplish with telling this story by reading her interview on the MG Book Village post.

Before the Ever After: the cost of glory in football

Before the Ever After is a middle-grade, novel-in-verse by Jacqueline Woodson that won the Coretta Scott King Author Award. It explores the degenerative brain condition known as CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) in a professional football player from the point of view of his son.

ZJ's Dad is a hero to everyone but to ZJ, he's his Dad, his everything. When his Dad starts forgetting things and getting awful headaches, ZJ's whole life changes. He tries to hold onto any memory he can of the times before his Dad got sick. ZJ's love of music and songwriting help his Dad come back to a version of his former self as they try to get help from doctors. When there doesn't seem to be a cure for what is happening to his Dad it seems like all hope is lost.

This touching story is about a very real problem in sports and its characters will stay in the minds and hearts of the readers after the book is concluded. School Library Journal's blog, The Classroom Bookshelf, has a comprehensive list of ideas for how to use this book with young readers. Penguin-Random House also has a free teacher's guide for this book.

I would have students reflect on their own lives and choose a "before" and "after" and draw or write about that significant event. It could be a positive or negative one, but just to help readers empathize with ZJ's situation.

The Penguin-Random House website has a sample of the audiobook for a listen. There is also a great conversation between Woodson and LeVar Burton about this book:

From the Desk of Zoe Washington: a broken justice system

From the Desk of Zoe Washington is Janae Marks' debut middle-grade chapter book that is all about following your passion, family, friendship and forgiveness. But it also shines a light on the imperfect justice system that has put too many innocent people behind bars.

12 year- old Zoe's summer is to a shaky start: her BFFs are out of town, she's mad at her next-door-neighbor, Trevor, for not sticking up for her, and on her birthday she receives a letter from her biological father, Marcus, who is serving a prison sentence for murder. Zoe has never heard from him before this letter and her mother wants to keep it that way. Zoe starts communicating with Marcus and is shocked to learn that he had an alibi for the day that the crime took place, but his lawyer could not track down the alibi to use her testimony in court. Now Zoe is taking it upon herself to help prove Marcus's innocence.

Along the way she's working on her goal of becoming a professional baker, so the story is full of delicious descriptions of scrumptious goodies. Music also plays a big role in Zoe and Marcus's relationship as they share their playlists with one another. As Zoe learns to stand up for herself and communicate her feelings to Trevor and her mother, she finds that it's better to clear the air than operate under falsehoods. But when her mother makes it clear that she doesn't want Zoe to have any contact with Marcus, what does Zoe choose to do?

This story has so many opportunities for meaningful discussions with readers. The characters have flaws, make mistakes, and justify their choices with the circumstances they are in, so there is a lot to which readers can relate. Readers can explore young bakers' stories and recipes. Marks also includes information about The Innocence Project in the story and it plays a significant role in the resolution of the plot. Readers can learn more about the group and how their lawyers are working towards using DNA testing to end injustice.

Thursday, March 11, 2021

Fighting Words: speaking out against sexual abuse

Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is an award-nominated, middle-grade novel about sexual abuse, foster care, family and how a person can heal after enduring trauma. 10 year-old Della, and her 16 year-old sister, Suki, have been placed under the care of Francine, their foster mother. What's happened to them is a mystery and the narrator, Della, tells bits and pieces of their story in small increments. Their mother, who is incarcerated after suffering a psychotic break is not in the picture so they have had to live with their mother's boyfriend before Francine. Della and Suki rely on each other to navigate their new lives but cannot process what has happened to them on their own. They act out in different ways in order to deal with their trauma. Full of emotion, both humorous at times and heart-breaking, the story is realistic in its depiction of the social services that are supposed to be protecting children. The sisters must accept the help of Francine and their friends in order to heal.

I would share this book with older readers who would be able to discuss the story content with an adult. The abuse that Della and Suki endure is at first alluded-to, but then described in one scene, so it would be beneficial to unpack what happened to the girls with the reader. There are so few middle grade books that approach this subject, that I would recommend this book for all educators to read and try to understand how to better help students who suffer from trauma such as the one described in this book. Bradley offers many resources and discussion questions at the end of the book to help with these conversations with young people. Consent, how to be a supportive friend/adult, and what to do if you're being abused are the three big takeaways I had from this incredibly well-written book.

Here is a review from Common Sense Media with more details.

Bradley writes on her website:

2021 Newbery Honor and Odyssey Honor!

I am absolutely thrilled to announce that Fighting Words has received a Newbery Honor medal and an Odyssey Honor from the American Library Association!! I am so incredibly happy and grateful. As I’ve said many times, this book is my heart.

Prairie Lotus: a Chinese-American perspective

Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park is a historical fiction novel perfect for 3rd graders and up.

This story is told through the 14 year-old character, Hannah. She has been traveling on a wagon with her father for the last three years, after her mother's death. They are on the emerging trails from California, moving eastward towards the Dakota Territory. The white townsfolk are prejudice towards Hannah because she is half-Chinese and half-white. Although she has never been to school, Hannah excels in her studies and makes a few friends. Despite her success in school, she is unsure of her future in such a racist community. Thankfully, her talents for sewing and dress-making offer a hopeful venture that will allow her to be an independent and respected person in the community. Will the townspeople get over their suspicions and accept Hannah and her father?

Park explores many topics that are important for the discussion of U.S. History: immigration, the treatment of Indigenous people, racism, settling into towns, early education, gender roles, and a different view of "Westward Expansion" than is presented in textbooks and other children's stories. As a teacher and librarian, this book is ideal for exploring how Indigenous people were treated, along with immigrants. Women's gender roles are also a good topic that are shown in this story. In what ways does Hannah fulfill her duties and how does she challenge what society dictates as her place in the world?

Here is an audiobook sample to listen to and share with readers.

Monday, March 8, 2021

Women's History Month: 18 picture book biographies

March is Women's History Month and March 8 is International Women's Day, so there is no better time to share books about important women from the past and present who have taken a stand against injustice, unfairness, inequality, and stereotypes.

The books listed below offer rich discussions with students and can lead to local and immediate projects close to the heart of those listening to these stories:

Because Claudette by Traci Baptiste and Tonya Engel