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The Lions of Little Rock
The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine is a story about two young girls growing up in the late 1950s during the time of the Little Rock Nine. Marlee, a white girl, meets Liz on the first day of school and they become friends almost right away. Liz is the…
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The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale
The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale is written by Carmen Agra Deedy, the author of The Library Dragon, and Martina, The Beautiful Cockroach, and 14 Cows for America, among many others and Randall Wright. I was hesitant to pick this book up because I’m not really one for…
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Lively Listening (read aloud) Program
This post is actually a cheat, because I’ve posted on this topic before. I think reading aloud to kids of all ages is just as important as it is to babies and toddlers. This week for our Lively Listening program I focused on informational texts, biographies, and historical fiction. These…
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Jefferson’s Sons
Jefferson’s Sons written by Kimberly Bradley is a very interesting historical fiction novel about Thomas Jefferson children he had with his slave, Sally Hemings. Although these children received better work assignments, better clothing and shoes, and even violin lessons, they were still considered slaves on their father’s plantation, Monticello. I really…
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Between Shades of Gray
Between Shades of Gray is a beautifully written novel about a part of World War II that is often overlooked. Lina’s family is deported from Lithuania and are forced to work in labor camps in Siberia. The story follows their harrowing journey by truck, cattle car, and boat to the…
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Moon Over Manifest
I finally got my hands on the 2001 Newbery Award Winner – The Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. The story is set during the Great Depression in a small town called Manifest, Missouri. It is here that the reader meets Abilene, a 12-year-old girl searching for herself. Interwoven throughout Abilene’s…