Show Me a Sign: a story with heart first, deafness second

 

Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte is a middle-grade, historical fiction story that centers on Martha's Vineyard island and its deaf community in the 1800s.  One part mystery, grief, race and prejudice, this story works in numerous layers that make it perfect for discussion and further study.

Mary, an eleven year old deaf girl, lives on the island with her (hearing) mother, (deaf) father, and has just recently lost her older (hearing) brother to a tragic accident.  The island is composed of Wampanoag people, Black former enslaved people, and descendants of English settlers.  Surprisingly, one in four people on the island is deaf, so they have all created and sustained a type of sign language that everyone speaks.  When a strange, young scientist arrives on the island to investigate the cause of the deafness on the island, Mary senses something is amiss in him and spies on his activities.  Unfortunately, the spying puts Mary right in harms way with no way back to her family, quite literally.

Thomas, a formerly enslaved, now free Black man who works for Mary's family tells her that "many people would like to turn back time.  We must move forward from where we stand.  The sun rises every day and time goes on."  This is especially important to the story because Mary is going over the accident that took her brother repeatedly in her mind and she is unable to get through the stages of grief.  Her relationship with her mother is strained and she must figure out a way to relieve the guilt she has for feeling responsible for her brother's death.

The most eye-opening part of the book is that it is told through a deaf person's perspective.  Since the author is part of the deaf community she can write first-hand about the deaf experience with authenticity.  LeZotte writes, "Silence.  I'm sure that many hearing people, especially those that don't know the deaf, imagine our lives are filled with silence. That's not true." Mary's persona and thoughts reflect a fully-formed, vibrant person who is shocked at the prejudice and ill treatment she receives when she travels to Boston.  This story would help to have readers empathize with people who are different and learn more about their lives.  

There are historical topics that readers can research after they've read the book.  Starting from the names for the objects and clothing that islanders used and wore, like mobcaps!  Readers can also look up more information on the history of deafness and deaf people in America.  The struggle for Wampanoag people to retain the rights to their land is another element of the story that is substantial, too.  Mary understands at one point that the same prejudice that exists for the deaf community also goes for the Wampanoag and Black community members of the island.  Readers can connect this racism to what they see in current events in America and find parallels between the issues that Mary dealt with and other marginalized groups today.

This award-winning book deserves to be read by all educators and middle grade readers and up.  LeZotte and the We Need Diverse Books group shared an interview about the book for more information.  Readers would also benefit from seeing and hearing LeZotte tell about her book in the Scholastic book trailer.

Stand Up, Yumi Chung!

 

Stand Up, Yumi Chung! a middle grade chapter book by Jessica Kim is a fast-paced, humorous, yet touching book about a 6th grade daughter of Korean immigrants who has to tackle the difficult decision of following a dream that is different than what is expected by family elders.

Yumi is constantly in the shadow of her genius, older sister, Yuri.  Yumi loves stand-up comedy and even though she is shy, it doesn't deter her from wanting to pursue it.  When Yumi accidentally ends up in another person's slot in a comedy camp, she cannot give up her opportunity to feel a part of a community in which she belongs.  

Unfortunately, as in the common experience of children of immigrants who cannot face disappointing their parents, Yumi lies in order to stay in the camp.  When one lie turns into another in order to avoid getting caught, Yumi loses control of the situation.  Will she be able to express herself to her family and come clean with her comedy crew?

As a teacher, librarian, and daughter of immigrants, I can relate to the family pressure that she feels.  When discussing this book with students they can share times when their personal interests were or weren't supported by family members and how they handled those situations.  Another way that students can use this book is to compare how Yumi's choices are the same or different as to what they would do if they were in her shoes, her sister's shoes, and even her family and friends' shoes if they saw what Yumi was doing.

Overall I would recommend this book to readers in grade 4 and up, and their parents, too.  As an educator and parent I learned about how important it is to listen to children and support their interests while expressing expectations for them, at the same time.  Kim, who is Korean, writes with authenticity and care for her characters.  

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.  

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.