46 Books on doing your BEST and giving EFFORT for Elementary/Middle School

 Growth Mindset, a term coined by Carol Dweck, a Stanford University psychologist, is the idea that when people change their beliefs about their own efforts, they can better adapt to create successful outcomes.  In other words, when you believe that you will succeed after practice and effort, your odds of doing so improve.

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Here are our school's favorite picture and chapter books that feature characters who overcome difficulties:

We are always looking for examples of more to add to our collection. If you have a favorite please add it in the comments!

Hearts Unbroken: a young adult #CreekVoices tale of love and hate

 

Hearts Unbroken is a young adult chapter book written by New York Times best-selling author and former KU Jayhawk, Cynthia Leitich Smith.  Universal themes of caring about others resonates through each page.  

Lou's entering her senior year at a Kansas City high school and she's just broken up with her popular, jock boyfriend who made fun of her Creek heritage.  Lou's dedicating her time to focusing on school and her family, especially since her younger brother, Hughie, is a freshman and he makes it into the musical production of the Wizard of Oz to the dismay of many in the community who want to see white students cast in the big roles.  The town becomes divided on if it makes a difference as to who plays the characters and if those casting decisions affect the purity of Baum's story.  Hughie even gets threats in the mail that scare Lou.  Although Lou was definitely not on the lookout for romance, she is swept up in the arrival of Joey, the new Lebanese-American student who is working with her on the school newspaper.  Will she be able to follow her heart and make better choices that will strengthen her identity?

What stood out to me about this story was the network of community support that Lou has throughout her ups and downs.  Lou asks her father, how do you tell someone you care about them with the fear of rejection at hand?  He says,

"What I wouldn't give for this to be the worst problem you'll ever have.  But, pumpkin, caring about somebody isn't trivial.  It can keep you going."  

Readers can discuss times that they've had people express their care towards them and who they care about the most in the world.  

Another part of the story that I appreciated was the role of the librarian in the story!  It showed how librarians are trained to connect the right person with the right book.  For example, the librarian buys a book for Hughie, If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth of the Onondaga Nation.  Readers can ask their librarians for topics that interest them and have a conversation about books and authors that they may try out.  

The overarching theme is how racism seeps into the daily lives of minorities.  Lou talks with her classmates whose parents are leading the charge against people of color holding main character roles in the musical and the classmates confess that they hear racist conversations in their households.  They thought that Lou would assume that they shared these racist ideas as their families did, but Lou tells her friend, "You're not your parents."  This is a powerful moment where readers can decide what to do and say when they realize that their families have racist or prejudiced opinions about others.

Readers can find real life examples of when traditional White roles have been cast to people of color.  In the story, the role of Dorothy goes to Chelsea, a Black student who is a talented performer.  This is similar to when the live action movie of The Little Mermaid cast Halle Bailey in the role of Ariel and there was pushback from some Disney "purists" who believed this was not a good choice. Readers can share their opinions about where they stand on this issue.

Smith also touches on the racist background of the Wizard of Oz writer, Frank Baum.  Hughie discovers this while researching his role and finds editorials from a South Dakota newspaper that Baum wrote advocating for the genocide of Native Americans.  What's impressive is that Smith doesn't just write about them in passing, but has the actual primary sources from the newspaper printed in the chapter.  Readers can discuss what options people have when learning about the true nature of creators from the past.  I don't want to spoil the story so I won't mention what Hughie does here, but readers can share if they agree with Hughie's decision or not.

Lou also faces conversations about race and prejudice with Joey since he is Lebanese.  Readers can think about the stereotypes associated with people from the Middle East and how they can go about talking about those with others.  I'm impressed by Smith as she weaves all of these important topics into an entertaining, heartwarming story about a Creek young woman coming into her own. Lou's not perfect and that is something to which everyone can relate!

Smith's website has a treasure trove of resources for book clubs and more. I hope young adults and adults read and discuss this award-winning book.

Dear Sweet Pea: a middle grades coming-of-age story for Judy Blume fans

Dear Sweet Pea, a middle grades chapter book by #1 New York Times Bestselling author, Julie Murphy, is the perfect book to get into the mind of an insecure, doubtful adolescent, Patricia "Sweet Pea", who has opportunities to make amends.  This realistic fiction story shines in its empathetic characters who are enduring the messy dynamics of friendships and cliques of middle school.  

7th grader, Sweet Pea, doesn't know what to expect when her father comes out to her and her mother.  She's not too surprised when they decide to get a divorce but what surprises her and the rest of the town is that her father rented the house that is the same floor plan as hers, only two doors away on the same block.  The only house between her mom and dad's house belongs to the peculiar neighbor, Miss Flora Mae, who happens to write an advice column in the local newspaper.  Thankfully, Sweet Pea can count on her BFF, Oscar, to help her get through the awkwardness of the new set-up and since she certainly cannot count on her ex-BFF, Keira, who hasn't acknowledged her since elementary school, Oscar is all she has.

When Miss Flora Mae asks Sweet Pea to secretly send her the letters the townsfolk write for her column  while she is away on a trip, Sweet Pea notices a letter that is written in Keira's handwriting.  Is this Sweet Pea's chance to get back at Keira by giving her advice on behalf of Miss Flora Mae?  Who would know?  Could this be her chance to rekindle their friendship? This is when Sweet Pea's choices begin to spiral in the wrong direction.

This story is ripe for discussion with readers:

• Should Sweet Pea tell her parents about Miss Mae's request?  Look at examples of advice columns in newspapers and magazines, what kinds of help do people need?  Why do people seek out advice from a stranger?
• What is the most awkward party you've attended?
• If you could research any person, who would you pick?
• Why is Aretha Franklin such a role model? Why did Murphy start the novel out with a quote by Franklin, "Sometimes, what you're looking for is already there." Listen to songs by Aretha Franklin and find other lines that stand out to you.
• Body image is a big part of the story, in both the male and female perspective.  Oscar and Sweet Pea don't fit into the image of bodies portrayed as beautiful in the media and culture in the U.S.  Do you feel pressure to look a certain way?
• What topic in the story do you want to learn more about: friendship dynamics, having a gay parent, divorce, having a crush, what it means to be a good friend.

Although this is told from Sweet Pea's perspective it would be neat to learn more about the other characters in the story, like her quirky neighbor, Miss Flora Mae, her BFF Oscar, her ex-BFF Keira, and even her parents.  Her teacher, Mrs. Young tells her:

"You know, the best part about mistakes is there's nowhere to go but up. You can either learn from them or if you're really lucky, you might even be able to fix them."

This is a universal theme that even adults can consider and discuss with readers.  

183 Books for Kicking Off the New School Year

 

The new school year is upon us and books are the greatest way to learn about students, build relationships and discuss characters, storylines, and illustrations.  Even if you've already started the school year these books below will help to keep your classes full of memorable common reads that you can come back to again and again.  I like to put up the book covers of books we've read all year long so students can return to their favorites, check them out for themselves, find read-alikes and get ideas for their own writing.

From picture books to chapter books, nonfiction and poetry, riddles and jokes, there is something for every reader here!

Click here for access to the slideshow.  If you have more titles you'd like to suggest please add them in the comments!

Run, Little Chaski! An Inka Trail Adventure: Peruvian Voices picture book

Run, Little Chaski! An Inka Trail Adventure by Mariana Llanos and illustrated by Mariana Ruiz Johnson is a delightful picture book for preschoolers all the way up to middle schoolers.  It tells the story of a messenger who is given the task of delivering a khipu (KEE-poo: a recording system made of rope and hanging knotted threads) to the king before the sun sets.  Along the way he encounters animals who need his help.  Will he reach the temple in time or will his mission be a failure?

What stood out to me about this book was the message of resilience.  His older brother, father, and grandfather tell him he must be strong, swift, and sharp.  So he has the pressure of needing to do his job, but when he sees animals who need his help, he cannot turn the other way.  I think this is a great message to send to our readers.  Readers can discuss times when they helped someone out and how it made them feel.  

Another part of this book that made me want to share it with my students is the authentic voice of the author and the beautiful, vibrant illustrations of the illustrator.  The reader is transported to another time and place completely.  The animals that are in the story are ones that my students will want to learn more about and even make puppets to retell the story.  The animals are adorable and unique to the area so readers can compare those to animals in their own community.

Finally, the best part about this whole story is the language, back matter and map provided in the end.  The glossary is helpful for whomever is reading the story aloud to know how to pronounce the Quechua words.  There are phrases that get repeated throughout the story which increases participation in the reading.  There is also easy to understand explanations of who the Inka and the chaskis were, what they delivered and more about the Inka Trail itself.  Older readers can research the Inka and how Spanish conquistadors affected the region.  Readers can also make their own khipus out of yarn or string.

Thank you to Barefoot Books for the copy of the book! It will be well-loved in our school library.

 

The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano: a Puerto Rican voices & activism tale

The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano is a middle grades, historical fiction novel set in Harlem, New York in 1969.  It's a Pura Belpre Award Honor Book and it was awarded to Manzano, "a Latina author whose work best portrays the Latino cultural experience in a work of literature for children or youth."  I learned a great deal about Puerto Rican history and how their experiences on the island shaped their community in Harlem. A story of truth, pride and forgiveness that will stay with readers long after they finish the last page.

Evelyn, a teenager who lives with her Mami and step-dad in El Barrio in east Harlem is figuring out who she wants to be.  Maybe going by her middle name instead of Rosa will help her stand out.  When her estranged abeula comes to stay with them Evelyn's shocked by her appearance, demeanor and attitude--she's so different than her mami!  Evelyn learns secrets about her family in Puerto Rico and starts to get involved in the Young Lords' activism to be treated better in their community.  Evelyn says, "...I did get this: that it wasn't just us Puerto Ricans who lived in a culture that didn't like us and that other people in the world lived in the same situation."

I loved the character of Maria on Sesame Street so when I learned that the actress who plays her, Sonia Manzano, wrote this novel, I knew I had to read it.  What stood out to me was Puerto Rico's history, like the nationalists who wanted the island to be apart from the U.S., how during the Great Depression it was even worse for people on the island, and how people in the U.S. who were born here but are Puerto Rican are called, "Nuyorican." Adults will enjoy the book with famous cameos by other well-known Americans and the musical references to Pepe y Flora may get their music playing while reading this story:

Manzano includes resources more details about this time in history in her Author's Note and explains that the Spanish words and Spanglish that are used in the book are regional phrases and what her family used to say.  For readers who want to learn more about this time in history, a list of resources for further reading is provided.  There is also an Educator's Guide for teaching this book with students and it gives more background on Manzano and what brought her to write this novel.