Sequoyah Children's Books

Most of my children and young adult reading recently has been from the Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award Masterlists. This month I will briefly review a few from the children's masterlist. I will try to do this each month until they have all been covered. To view the complete list, visit the Sequoyah website. Shockingly, I have actually enjoyed every book I have read on the children's list so far. Usually I only like one or two of them, so this year I havebeen pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, that will make it harder to pick a favorite.

The 100 Year Old Secret by Tracy Barrett

This is the first book in a series "The Sherlock Files". It was a fast paced realistic fiction book. A brother and sister have recently moved to London, where they discover they are the direct decentants of the famous Sherlock Holmes. They are inducted into a secret club of mystery solvers, and given a notebook of all Holmes' unsolved mysteries. They decide to try to solve one, the case of a missing painting. Children will identify well with this book, since all the "stunts" and adventures are quite believable. This book would be fun for boys or girls about eight to twelve years old. The mystery is well intwined to the plot, and the reader is given enough clues they might be able to figure out the "who-done-it" about the same time as the children in the book.

My opinion: Liked this book a lot, will probably get online and order the sequel from the library. Not too cutesy, but not too dramatic either.

The Trouble with Rules by Leslie Bulion

Fourth grade is tough on a boy / girl friendship between Nadine and Nick. The unofficial rule is girls and boys can't be friends, but this pair are best friends. They try to ignore each other at school and only play in the evenings, but it is becoming a strain to not get hurt. Then a new girl moves into their class, and breaks all the rules. In the process, Nadine, who always follows the rules, gets in trouble for a series of events not actually her fault, and she and Nick fall out of sorts. Can it really work out for the rules to be broken? Can Nick and Nadine maintain their friendship, and even inclue another friend? This book handles an awkward stage in life quite well. It addresses some typical problems of growing up without seeming like a preachy, this is how to handle growing up, sort of book. The focus actually stays with the plot and captures the emotions as well. This book seems to be written more for girls, but most boys would probably enjoy it also.

My opinion: One of the few "adolecent pains" books I actually enjoyed reading. The plot was so interesting, I didn't even get annoyed at it being about growing pains. That said, I don't think it was my favorite.

Women Daredevils: Thrills, Chills and Frills by Julie Cummins

Women Daredevils is a nonfiction book about women in the early part of the twentieth century who performed daring stunts. It includes some one time stunters, but mostly women who did daring things for a living. Included are parachuters, horseback riders, stunt drivers, a woman who went over Niagra falls in a barrell, and a few others. It has nice illustrations for each woman, with about a page to two pages of information. The writing style is easy and the vocabulary appropriate for the target audience of about eight to twelve years old.

My opinion: This book seemed just a little too long for a children's non-fiction book, but I am spoiled, so it may actually have been just right. The choice of women daredevils was occasionally repetitive, for instance, their were several who did similar airplane stunts. I think I would have preferred more variety. Over all though, the book was very well written, easy to read, and was very interesting.

The Girl Who Could Fly & The Mysterious Case of the Allbright Academy

Both of these books were engaging, lively reads. They were, however, eerily similar, so I am going to review them both at the same time.

This book did a great job getting you involved in the mystery from the start. The author has a great writing style drawing you into the first person plot. The story is told from the perspective of Franny, who is an ordinary girl with an extraordinary young sister named Zoe. Zoe is recruited to attend Allbright Academy, a boarding school for rising stars. Being loyal to a fault, she refuses to go unless her older sister and twin brother are also invited to attend.

Once there, Franny and some newfound friends uncover a sinister plot. The students are changing into "Perfect robot-people"

Why? How? For What Reason? The truth is startling, scary, and exciting, and the kids have their hands full collecting evidence to bring the instigators to justice.

The Mysterious Case of Allbright Academy is technically a realistic fiction. The children recruited to the Academy are very talented, but in realistic ways. One is a scientist, another a poet, and Zoe has an extremely magnetic personality. The method of behavior modification used to change them into "perfect robot people" is probably not actually avialible yet, but it is not unreasonable to think it will be in the not-to-distant future. The actions taken by the students to rectify the situation are brave and require wit and talent - but entirely believable. Even the perspective of the narrator is completely realistic. This realism draws you in from the start and keeps you interest throughout.

There are many similarities between these two books. Both have talented children who are taken to a special boarding school. There they are tangled up in secret plots involving food laced with behavior modifying compounds. They must plan daring rebellions against the adults in charge (in one case escape, the other exposure and arrest). Then at the end the school is rebuilt to actually serve the noble, impressive purposes they said they were serving.

This was a great book. I really loved reading it, and am (not so) secretly hoping the author will write a sequel.

Piper can fly. When the world finds out about it, her parents are immediately contacted by a special "boarding school" offering to help her and claiming to be a perfect fit for her unique situation. When Piper arrives, she finds a place full of interesting, unique things and people - all with special talents. But the talents are disappearing. Again the students must ask - Why? How? To what end?

The truth is horrifying, but the children are trapped with no escape in the middle of nowhere. How will they gain their freedom? They must band together, with two very unlikely leaders, and use all their considerable talents. Even flying.

The ending is fun a climatic, with plenty of openings for a sequel - keep your fingers crossed!

I would recommend both of these books to any confident reader. There are some challenging concepts in each book - child manipulation, behavior modification, adults abusing their power, etc. They are not written to emphasize these points, most children won't notice this through the plot unless it is pointed out to them. They are exciting with plenty of action and intrigue.

Ideas:

Read both books and compare. Discuss how books with similar plots can turn out to be totally different books, even different genres, when the details are changed. Explore the differences between realistic fiction and fantasy / science fiction. Discuss how a realistic fiction book can have science and even futuristic things in it, and a science fiction book can seem quite realistic.

The Mysterious Case of the Allbright Academy is on the 2011 Sequoyah Masterlist. If you live in Oklahoma you can count this toward one of the three books you must read from the list and then vote on your favorite. Anyone could use this as an opening into book awards. How are book awards decided? What types of awards are there? Does your state have an award chosen by children? Have the students read any books with awards? Did they like the book?

These books could spark interesting discussions on behavior modification, abuse of power, and manipulation, advances in science, as well as the thought that advancement can be good and bad at the same time.

Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?

Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? A Fast, Clear, and Fun Explanation of the Economics You Need For Success in Your Career, Business, and Investments

Wow! This book is amazing. My own humble opinion is: Everyone in America should read this book!

Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? Is all about money. Where does money come from? How do we know how much it is worth? Why is there inflation? Is inflation bad, good, neutral, a necessary evil? What is the best economic system for a healthy country? If you think you can’t understand economics, think again. This book explains basic economic concepts in a simple, clear, easy to understand way. It is entertaining to read, catches and holds you attention.

I would recommend this book for all ages. Children under about seven might not grasp the concepts presented, and those with a reading level below 3rd or 4th grade might need help reading it (or have it read to them). All voters should read this book! It is a great educational or pleasure read.

Buzz Buzz Baby

This is Cadence's favorite book. We read it over, and over, and over again - straight through, which is amazing since most books only last about two pages before they get chunked.

Buzz Buzz Baby is full of all the things babies love: real pictures of babies, bright illustrations of all their favorite things, flaps, and lots of fun sounds to make! Each page starts with a sound to make and a photo of a baby, then you open the flap and it has a picture of what makes that sound. So much fun!

Unfortunately this book seems rather hard to find. I would recommend it if you can find it, otherwise look for books of the same style - that have sounds to imitate, pictures of babies, bright, simple illustrations, flaps and textures, etc. Books of this type are great for babies and toddlers of all ages, but they seem to enjoy them to the very fullest when they are about 12-24 months old.

Activities:

Pla-Dough Shapes - Since the illustrations almost look as if they are made from clay, it would be easy for an older baby or toddler to make some of the basic shapes. Try the bee, or the car for the easiest ones. A younger baby will enjoy squishing the dough while watching you make the pictures. When you are done, compare them to the book. Point to the picture and say "bee" then say, "We made a bee too! See?" and point to your creation.

Signing Fun - This is Cadence's favorite part. We do a lot of signing in our house, and we almost always sign the objects hiding under the flap as we read. Now as soon as we turn the page Cadence will start trying to sign the word or make the sound for that page - it's been great entertainment for us! If you don't know the signs, this is a great website to see videos of each sign. Signing Savvy

We usually do "Bee" "Train" "Duck" "Car" and "Dog" (instead of puppy). Sometimes we also do "Baby".

Sock Puppets - These don't have to be fancy. If your baby is older, they could add eyes or use a marker to color the sock. If they are younger, they will really enjoy playing with a puppet you have made, or watching you use the puppet during the story. The duck is especially easy - just add eyes and foam pieces for a beak - baby will get the point.

Matching Shapes - Trace and cut out some of the shapes in the book. If you want to focus on just one shape, there is a circle on every page. Otherwise, look for things like the triangles in the dogs ears, the square train window, the heart bee wings... Look at each page. Give baby the shape that goes on that page, and see if they can match it up and put it on top of the picture. You may have to modify this by age. Cadence can put it on the shape if you point to where it goes, but she can't find it on her own. An older child might enjoy choosing which shape goes on the page instead of being handed one shape per page.

While You're Reading -

Point to different parts of the picture and tell what they are. "There's a train. That's the window. See the baby?"

Count objects on the page. "One, two wheels on the car!"

Point out different colors.

Talk about the babies in the picture. "Look, that baby is wearing the same color as you. Oh! This baby looks really happy! See, the baby in the picture is looking at the train too!"

and of course... Make the sounds for each object and encourage your baby to have fun and try it too!

Escape Under the Forever Sky

This book is exciting and fun. It was inspired by the true story of a young Ethiopian girl who was sheltered by lions overnight while running away from kidnappers. Note: This is not a true story, the similarities end there, the incident is simply what inspired the author to write this book.

An ambassadors young daughter is kidnapped while living in Ethiopia. She manages to escape and has quite an adventure getting home. Her hero is Jane Goodall and her contemporaries, and she uses her knowledge of wildlife to survive in the wilds.

This book has something for everyone. Encounters with lion and monkeys for the animal lover, intrigue and danger for the mystery minded, action and bad guys for the adventurer, history and politics for the curious and intellectual.

I would recommend this book for everyone, but especially for children about 9-14, with a prime audience being preteen girls.

This book has tons of teaching opportunities. It would be great with a unit study, to incorporate literature in your lessons, or to ease familiarity with the following topics:

Science:

Scientific Method

Jane Goodall

Animal Science

Animals of Africa

Habitats and Animal Behaviors

Leakey's Angels

Foreign Diseases

Water Treatment

Geography / Humanities / Social Studies / Government / History:

Water Supplies

Ambassadors

Africa

Ethiopia

Literature:

Story Origins

Space Station Rat

Scritch-rip, scritch-rip… Jeffrey is the only kid on a space station where his parents are scientists. He’s stuck with Nanny, a robot who is supposed to take care of him, but turns out to be a deadly rat killing machine. Jeff winds up rescuing (and coming to love) a lavender lab rat (ingeniously named… wait for it… Rat) who has been genetically altered and trained to be a spy. Rat accepts Jeff’s friendship mainly as an escape to the outside world, and the freedom to play in the grass and sunshine. Eventually though, she discovers there is more to this kid than just a way out – maybe even a lifelong friend. Together they are challenged with destroying a robot, hiding from parents and scientists who want to kill or capture rat, and chowing on liverwurst. Ew!

There are so few science fiction books for kids – it’s great to find one so well-written and fun to read. And besides, what’s not to love about a cuddly lavender (not purple!) rat, who turns out to be witty and sometimes lethal-minded? This book is adventuresome, fast-paced, and packed with plenty of action. At the same time, it introduces kids to concepts like self-awareness, robotic and genetic (and human) ethics, and other issues commonly held to be “adult” topics, in a way that is surprisingly simple, not too deep, and overall perfect for kids, all without slowing down the plot of the book. I would recommend this book to kids from about third grade up, or any kid with a special interest in robots, space stations, spying, etc. More introspective kids will appreciate the story of growing friendship and trust between a young boy and a cute little rat. For teachers, it’s a great place to start a unit on space stations, since it provides a fun introductory knowledge of the topic.

Activities –

Space Station Map (Maps / Geography / Active Reading / Science) – Before you read, look up the real space station online. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html Using a large sheet of paper, draw the outline of nine rings to start your own Space Station map. Then, as you read, mark the location of each place mentioned as it’s described in the book. Some things might be general, for instance, marking the repair shop as just being on ring one, since that is as specific as the book gets.
By the end of the book, the outer ring will be the most filled in. Remind students that’s because in the book, as the old rings wore out and no longer functioned, they would build around it and move further and further out. Go back to your website about the real space station. See if you can find out if this is true in real life, and compare some similarities and differences you find between the real space station and the make believe one. You could also switch to teaching about literature at this point. Discuss how this is typical of the science fiction genre – there is a lot of real science mentioned, yet the author can take liberties and change things to make them more exciting, or to fit the plot of the story.

Velcro Boots (Math – Time Elapsed, Tables, Differences) – It takes Jeff a lot of practice to learn to run in a space-station. How hard could it be? Mark off a long section of hallway or classroom. Time students crossing from one end to the other in their regular shoes, and record the results for each kid in one column of a table. Then have them slip on special booties and try running it again, this time listening to the cool ripping sound, and taking “jumping” steps to imitate being in low gravity. Make sure they actually take slow, high jumping steps – the tape alone won’t slow them down, and you want this time to be different than the first. Record this time too – be sure to laugh at their efforts while you’re at it, and remind them this is why the parents in Space Station Rat didn’t run! Then discuss the different ways you could manipulate the information in your table. You could subtract the difference between the two times to see how much longer it took with the booties. You could then average the differences for all the students. You could use the table to make a bar graph, so it would be easier to see. See if the kids can think of any other ways to use the information.
To make the boots: The simplest way is to just wrap packing tape firmly around their feet, sticky side out. If they’re squeamish about it, you could have socks on hand, or just put it around their shoes. (I tried it, and the tape didn’t stick to my feet or hurt to peel off, even though I was clumsy and got it tangled up with the sticky side touching me. It did make a lot of noise against the floor though!)

Sound Words onomatopoeia (English) – This book has a lot of onomatopoeias, words that sound like the sound they represent. See how many you can remember – then think of all the words we use that are onomatopoeias. Make some up!

Build-Your-Own Nanny (Science… or art… or um… whatever) – Water and alka-seltzer in small platic bottle with cork… disk (plastic bowl?) on top decorated to be robot… maybe would go forward on its own if you put it disk side up in water and shook the alk-seltzer into the water right as you let go? Who knows – not me! This, as you can clearly see, was an undeveloped thought… I just thought it would be fun to make a Nanny. Or I guess you could call it an art project and pull the old, decorate a brown paper grocery sack and pretend to be a robot trick.

Olivia

Olivia is the most awesome pig ever. She is talented, spunky, and very funny. And she is very good at wearing people out – even herself.

These books are a great mixture of incredibly realistic childhood behaviors and extremely grandiose exaggerations. The artwork is wonderful (if you don’t like it at first because it’s different from the cuddly pictures you’re used to, don’t worry, it will grow on you!). This book holds the distinction of being a Caldecott honor book.

I would recommend this book (and the other Olivia books) for young children and older children with a good sense of humor. The activities I thought of are more games and fun than lesson plans, but oh well!

Art – Paint Your Own, and Not on the Wall Please!

Supplies:
Canvas – white t-shirt, pillowcase, etc. or to be truly artsy, an actual canvas
Lots of paint-safe space – a clothesline works best, but a fence is also nice, or an easel if you don’t mind getting paint on it
Paintbrushes
Paint – choose several colors in a paint suitable for whatever your canvas will be

It would be best to sign your canvas before you get started painting – you never know it you’ll leave enough room to do it afterward. Hang the canvas on your clothesline. Dip the paintbrush in the paint, and use a flinging motion to make the paint fly from the brush to the canvas. Repeat. A lot. With different colors of paint. Great fun, terribly messy, awesome results.

Clothes Relay Race –

Gather up some red clothes like Olivia tries on: a hat, some mittens, maybe a coat or jacket, a shirt, socks, etc. Just whatever you can find around your house will work great. Size doesn’t matter, as long as it’s not really small. Fill two bags or boxes with clothes, putting an equal number of items in each bag. Designate a starting place for a short race and put the full bags there. Designate a turn-around place and mark it clearly.
Divide your players into teams and have them line up behind the starting point. As soon as you say go, the first person from each team should begin putting on all the articles of clothes in the bag as fast as they can. Then they run to the turn-around point, and take all the clothes off. They then have to carry all the clothes back and put them back in the bag for the next person. They can carry them all at once or make as many trips as needed to get all the clothes back to the starting point. Then the next person goes and so on. The first team to get all their players dressed, undressed, and back to the starting point wins.