Borderline by Allan Stratton

 

Themes: Racism, Coming of Age, Trust, Family, Traditions, Bullying

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Grade /Reading Level: Grades 7 – 12

Fountas and Pinnell Level: N

Sami finds himself in a position that no one should find themselves in.  What do you do when you start to question the actions of those you trust the most?  Sami’s father enrolled him in a private school where he is the only Muslim student.  He is bullied at his school, but he does have two best friends who attend the local public school.  Sami is suspicious about his father’s motivations behind recent occurrances including the cancellation of a planned son-father weekend, and the accusation of stolen chemicals from his workplace.  Sami finds himself dragging his buddies along in trying to defend his father after he is arrested by the FBI.  The surprise ending was the selling point when sharing this story with my students and colleagues.

ISBN-10: 1554680832

ISBN-13: 978-1554680832

Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd (Feb 26 2010)

The Kayak by Debbie Spring

The Kayak

by Debbie Spring

Thistledown Press | March 11, 2010 | Trade Paperback; 190 pages; $12.95     ISBN: 978-1897235-71-3

The simplistic realism of this cover … of a young woman paddling a kayak toward the sunset is what first drew my attention to this book! 

 Serenity and peace … an image that also conjurs  a feeling of enjoyment and relaxation.  At the onset, author Spring cleverly has the reader believing  in  this “sense of freedom”  and even  Teresa’s own words while kayaking …. “This is a mystical place. Out here I feel safe and secure.”   is a contradiction of what  this story is really about….. that of a young woman facing  major psychological and physical challenges in order to enjoy the freedoms she once took for granted.

Teresa , once a typical teenager, hanging with friends, and  running track until a tragic accident changes not only her life but that of her family’s.  Entering adolescence is difficult enough for teens, but add insecurities, anger, and doubts and Teresa struggles to push herself  to attempt things that she’s never done before.  As Teresa battles her physical and psychological demons we  also see the impact these adversities have upon her parents and sister.

This is a powerful touching story with a protagonist that displays courage, determination and grit, but also has an inner depth that  truly has the reader cheering for  her!

Highly recommended!!!!

Genre: Realistic Fiction; Romance

Interest Level: Intermediate/ Senior students; interest in the Physically challenged

Weblinks: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/exams/marking_materials/en10/training_papers.pdf

http://www.docshare.com/doc/91928/Debbie-Spring-The-Kayak-A-literary-deconstruc

http://voicethread.com/share/1893491/

The Mob by Clem Martini

Grade Level: 7, 8

Fountas and Pinnell Level: X

Theme:  Family, Friendship, Traditions

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure

The first impression my students had of “The Mob” was a book about animals…too immature for grade 7s!  But upon further exploration, the themes of family and friendship are strong.  Traditions, strength of character, responsibilities, and loyalty are all great discussion topics. 

The Mob of crows which makes up a very extended family, meets together at an annual Gathering.  This coming-of-age story is about Kyp, a male adolescent crow who is temporarily exiled for causing the accidental death of another crow, but prematurely returns to warn his family of imminent danger.  Kyp’s proposal offers no guarantee of survival against the challenge the family faces.  Only teamwork, strength and wisdom will give the crows a fighting chance.

ISBN-13: 978-1553376644

Owen

  ISBN:  0-688-11449-0

Grade Level: K-2

Author:  Kevin Henkes

Theme:  Empathy, Growing Up

In this story, a small mouse named Owen has a blanket that he adores.  The blanket is getting old and dirty and his neighbour feels that Owen is getting too old to carry it around.  Owen does not want to give up his blanket.  His parents try a variety of tricks to get him to give it up, including a “Blanket Fairy”, and “the vinegar trick”, but Owen somehow manages to cope and keep his blanket.  By the end of the story, the family comes up with a solution to make everyone happy.  Students can easily identify with Owen and can make connections with this text to their own lives. This text can be used as a guided reading text, a read-aloud for theme thinking, or as part of an author study.  An excellent story that I would recommend for a primary classroom.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Grade Level: 5 – 7

Genre: futuristic fiction

Theme: Friendship, Morals, Adventure

Uglies was recommended by one of my students…a reader extraordinaire!  After reading it, I could definitely see what appealed to her.  In this futuristic North America, Tally turns 16 three months after her best friend Peris.  This would normally be no big deal, however at the age of 16 every “Ugly” goes through a drastic surgery to become “Pretty”.  These “Pretty”s do not interact or communicate with “Ugly”s. 

This transformation opens up lots of doors as far as classroom discussion regarding society’s opinion of pretty, and media’s role (perhaps it’s power) in guiding people’s opinions.  Another strong theme is what happens to those people who do not, or do not wish to fit into the world’s molds.

This is an easy read, and can be read with great interest without knowledge about the theme.

ISBN: 0-439-80611-9, 425 pp.