Module 13: Riding Invisible

Title: Riding Invisible
Author: Sandra Alonzo

Summary:
This is a very interesting long graphic novel genre that tells about a boy name Yancy Aparicio who decides to run away from home with his horse name Shy because of his crazy brother Will. Living at home with his parents was nice up until when Will returned, bad things started happening at home and he would always get the blame from his parents, but he knew it was Will who was doing the damage. Yancy got really upset when he finds out that Shy's tail has been cut by his brother because he didn't give Will any money when he asked for money, yet their parents never say anything to Will. He takes Shy for a long ride into the mountains deciding what else to do so he wouldn't have to go home. They run out of food and drinks, now Yancy need to decide the next move so they can get some food and a place to stay. Yancy is keeping a journal and tries to write everything since day one in it, even the things at home and at school. Finally on day 4 Yancy meets a man name Gustavo Mendoza who works at a farm and trains horses. This man wants to help Yancy but needs to find out what and why he's away from home as he is still young and should be home with his parents. After telling his whole story, Tavo wants him to call home or someone to tell his parents that he is doing fine and not to worry. So Yancy decides to call his neighbor Tim and Eileen and tells them to please relay the message to his parents that he's okay. He meets the owner of the farm that Tavo works for and he gets a job by helping out as Tavo's nephew. Yancy is really happy that now he can afford to buy food and shelter for himself and his horse. After working for some time now Tavo asked Yancy that maybe its time for him to go back home, but Yancy begs Tavo to please let him stay for a little while longer, so Tavo listens and says only for a little while. Yancy remembers his phone is been charged and decides to call home, he listens to his mother calling his name but can't seem to say anything. He even hears his father then he hear his brother Will acting smart on the phone and slowly hangs up. Later on that same evening he calls home again and this time he listens to his mother saying how he should be home where he belongs, then she says how his brother got arrested for shoplifting. She kept ranting on about Will and finally she said that she wasn't worried about Will, she was worried about me because I was not at home. I finally came out and said "mom, I left home because Will was going to kill my horse". Yancy hangs up the phone but could not get his mom off his mind. Although they miss Yancy, things just gets tougher at home with Will, but his parents can't do anything as they try their best to help their troubled son.

Biography:
Alonzo, Sandra. (2011). Riding Invisible. New York, NY: Hyperion Press

My Impression:
I have never really enjoyed reading graphic novels only because they were very long stories to read, but I do love the illustrations of these story books. As I was reading this book, it had a very interesting story line and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was very impressed with out it was like keeping a personal journal being that the author wrote daily messages of everything that was done on the daily basis. Being that the characters were young, each took their roles very seriously, with one even leaving home to do what he felt he needed to take care of his beloved animal pet the horse. I'm impress with the author expressing herself well in each character.

Professional Reviews:
Booklist
( February 01, 2010; 9781423118985 )

Alonzo's first novel features the sort of likable, embattled narrator that brings to mind Arnold Spirit from Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007), but instead of being tormented by negative stereotypes and poverty, 15-year-old Yancy's primary source of misery comes from his nearly sociopathic older brother, Will. The story is told entirely in diary form, complete with a handwriting-styled font and plenty of cartoony drawings (again reminiscent of Alexie's book). After Will, who suffers from conduct disorder, violently threatens Yancy's horse, teen and horse take off into the California desert. There, they encounter a kind Mexican worker, who helps Yancy begin to size up the challenges of living with his brother and the toll that it is taking upon the entire family. Alonzo skillfully handles teetering family dynamics, equestrian details, and the undertones of immigration and class, which add realistic depth. The resolution leaves a bevy of challenges and plenty of food for thought about family dysfunction.--Chipman, Ian Copyright 2010 Booklist

Reviews retrieve from: Bowker Books In Print

Library Use:
I would have students work in groups using this book. I would have each group compare and contrast between the two brothers Yancy and Will.

Image retrieve from:
http://www.readingrants.org/2010/04/10/riding-invisible-by-sandra-alonzo-illustrated-by-nathan-huang/

Module 12: Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein

Title: Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Eeinstein
Author: Don Brown

Summary:
This Bibliography Book of Albert Einstein is very interesting as it talks about some of the things that Albert enjoyed doing when he was a young boy growing up in Germany. Albert Einstein was born in an old city of Ulm, Germany on March 14, 1879. Being the first born, it doesn't sound like his family was happy on the day of his arrival because his grandma was crying, "Much too fat. Much too fat." His mother was afraid that his head was too big, so the doctor had to tell them to wait patiently and all will be well. Although he was cruel to his sister Maja most of the time, he used the time to think about things that he enjoyed like playing and building a house with cards. He loved the compass that his father gave him, as he would always tip it up and down and sideways. They moved to Munich where his parents encourage his independence, and at 4 years old he would wonder the streets alone. He soon started school but he never liked playing sports as some of the boys would taunt and insult him for not participating in the games. He loved school and only enjoyed the subjects that he liked such as math, he didn't care about the other subjects. Once his parents got him a student tutor name Max Talmud. He said that Albert was too smart and later could not follow or keep up. After a while his parents had to move because of business, Albert wasn't able to go because of the laws in Germany saying that he had to serve in the military, and as much as he hated it, he was left behind to finish his school and serve the army. Late on he joins his parents and continues school graduating and then looking for work. He marries and becomes a father, but even with that he continues to be more interested in constellations, space, energy and matter. Einstein worked and earned great awards such as the Noble Prize. He was popular then and he's still very popular and famous today. He died in New Jersey in 1555, they say the doctor who performed the autopsy t determine the cause of death-heart failure-made off with his brain and kept it in a jar for more than forty years.

Biography:
Brown, Don. (2004). Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company

My Impression:
This book was very entertaining been that its illustrations were a bit comical and humorous. I enjoyed how the author expresses his thoughts and creates various text explaining the way he felt about things that made him excited and valiant. He never let anyone stand in his way of what he wanted to do. His focus of how he could make a change enabled him to withdraw from the normal things that young boys wanted to do and concentrate on solving problems that were very difficult. I believe that because his parents allowed him to wonder on the streets at a very young age encouraged him to take charge. He wasn't afraid of trying new things, and because of that his interest took him beyond his imaginations of solving difficult problems. I'm very impressed with Albert Einstein and the life that he lived.

Professional Review:
Booklist
( September 01, 2004; 9780618492985 )

Gr. 3-5. Young readers won't come away from Brown's newest picture-book biography understanding the theory of relativity, but they will be heartened by the parallels between their own experiences and those of an iconic science guy. The author-illustrator of Mack Made Movies 0 (2003) and other books presents the future Nobel Prize winner as a sallow, sunken-eyed little boy who lingers on the sidelines as other boys roughhouse, spends hours building a house of cards "fourteen stories high," and vexes his teachers (one tells him that "he would never get anywhere in life"). Brown's language dips into vagueness when it's time to describe the mature scientist's contributions, and the accompanying artwork is often disappointingly generic, awkwardly incorporating computer-generated elements that overwhelm the delicate ink-and-watercolor style used elsewhere. Still, this joins Frida Wishinsky's What's the Matter with Albert? 0 (2002) as one of the very few picture-book biographies of Einstein available. Try giving it to older elementary students, who will get the most out of the detailed author's note and bibliography featuring many books for adults. --Jennifer Mattson Copyright 2004 Booklist

Reviews retrieve from online:
Bowkers Books in Print

Use in Library:
I will have students work individually doing research on Albert Einstein. They will write about what made Einstein famous and compare it with other classmates. Teacher and students can discuss and learn from one another.

Image retrieve from:
http://jillianflick.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/odd-boy-out-by-don-brown/

Module 11: What Does It Mean To Be Green?

Title: What does it mean to be green

Author: Rana DiOrio

Summary:
This informational book is very interesting, as the author expresses the meaning of how important green thing are. The reaction of people toward things that are green, does it mean for a person to love the green plants, riding around and felling sick in the car. Do we have to be a frog, pickle or an alien to know that green means. This informational book is saying that to be green we have to utilize electricity only when we need it. People need to buy more local food, especially the ones that we grow ourselves because chemicals are not used when we grow them. People need to realize the exercising is good for the health so walking places is much better than driving in a car. Using plastic containers to pack our food or lunch when ever we take food to work, picnics or other places instead of using paper plates. People need to realize how important it is not to litter anywhere, picking up the rubbish when we see it along side the road, at the beaches and parks. Putting and placing recycling bottles, plastics, and paper in its proper place. When it rains, save water in a bin so it could be used to shower, brushing teeth instead of turning on the water hose,or living on, and not wasting paper by using both sides instead of one side. Whenever we have more clothes than what we really need, pass them down or give them away to those who need clothes. Being green is doing whatever we can to protect the earth's precious resources.

Biography:
DiOrio, Rana. (2010). What Does It Mean To Be Green. New York, NY: Little Pickle Press.

My Impressions:
I really loved and enjoyed reading this informational book because of its interesting illustrations and the powerful message it is saying to the people. The author expresses very important issues and various ways of how the people can help save the environment and care for their surroundings, as well as helping others in sharing some of the things we have with those who are not so fortunate. The adults and the children will surely enjoy this short book but strong message it brings.

Professional Review:


Reviews:

Used in the Library:
This is a great book to utilize in the library for children to have a short skit play and discussions on the subject. Students will have a part to play so they will understand how important it is to save some of the most important things that we sometimes take for granted such as water, clothes, and food. Discussion about the earth's environment will be discussed and questions will be answered.

Image retrieve from:
http://www.google.com/imgres?num=10&hl=en&tbo=d&biw=1203&bih=551&tbm=isch&tbnid=P8CSfBEZzb5wGM:&imgrefurl=http://info.littlepicklepress.com/download-our-being-green-lesson-plans/&docid=BbzsV0dgfY3SBM&imgurl=http://info.littlepicklepress.com/Portals/119538/images/Green-Book.jpg

Module 10: What I Saw and How I Lied

Title: What I Saw and How I Lied

Author: Judy Blundell

Summary:
This historical fiction book was very interesting, not because it had anything to do with history but because of the twisted turn in how the events took place. This storyline begins with Evie and her friend Margie buying candy cigarettes so they could practice smoking. Evie and her mother Beverly now live with her new step father Joe and his mother Gladys. Joe was leaving for the military and insisted that they move in and stay with his mother. When Joe got back from the military he wanted to take his wife to a trip where they could relax and enjoy themselves, so Joe decided to take his family to Palm Beach. When they arrived at the hotel it was closed, and so they continued on until they came to another hotel that was lighted with a sign that read "Welcome to the Le Mirage Hotel." They went in and saw a couple of people but later found out that no one came to the hotel in the fall. One evening I heard noise outside my window, when I looked it was a group of girls going out dancing all dressed up in evening gowns. Mother wasn't around and I quickly went to her closet to see if there was something I could find that would fit me. My mother and Mrs. Grayson came up just in time to see and with all the commotion they helped me get ready and I left. As I walk in the room there was dancing and people sipping punch, I had wanted to disappear because high school girls were now staring. I noticed the ugliest boy in the room is looking straight at me and wanted to dance with me because no one else in the room had wanted to dance with him. It was none other than the boy that work at our hotel name Wally. I quickly put down my drink and left the dance, and went back to the hotel and sat by the pool, that's where I saw him. He was handsome with dark blonde hair. He came over and asked me to dance, at first I hesitated but when he asked again I put my hand in his. I felt different, it was like a dream and the next day I wondered if it was real, would I ever see him again. I was falling in love with him, and his name was Peter, not know that he and my mother had something going, until the day that they decided to take the boat out. At first I wasn't happy with the decision that my mother and Joe made with Peter that they would go fishing. I don't know what happened exactly but that morning when the storm hit there was no news on my mother, Joe and Peter. I was worried for my parents but mostly for Peter because I had fallen in love with him and hoped for him to come back to me. We had to evacuate from the hotel and Evie was taken to Officer Deary's house to stay with his wife Twyla. There was still no news about her parents and Peter yet until later the next day Officer Deary arrived in wet, grimy and exhausted to tell Evie that her parents have been found but not Peter. Although Evie was happy for her parents she could not stop thinking the worst for Peter, did he fall over board or what, she wondered. A couple of days later as Evie and her parents were getting ready to leave they were stopped by Officer Deary, he had told them that Peters body was located and they needed to be questioned because he was found dead. Although Joe and Beverly were exonerated because Evie had lied in court for the sake of her mother, Evie believes that her step-father Joe had planned the whole charade and had Peter killed.

Biography:
Blundell, Judy. (2008). What I Saw and How I Lied. New York, NY: Scholastic Press

My Impression:
My impression on the story line of this book was very interesting because from the beginning Evie had always loved her mother and was very close to her. It must have been very hard for Evie to have fallen in love with someone for the very first time, yet she later finds out that it was her mothers lover. I'm sure it was hard but because she loves her mother more, she was willing to take the stand and lie about everything she knew and saw, but even with that she had also loved Joe. Yet she made sure at the end that Joe wouldn't get anything he thought he was going to get, especially the money. Evie being young, she surely grew up fast with all the events that happened so fast in such a short time.

Professional Reviews:

School Library Journal
( April 01, 2010; 9780545160919 )

Gr 9 Up-It's 1947 and Evie's stepfather Joe has returned home to Brooklyn after World War II. Life is slowly returning to normal, until the devastatingly handsome Peter Coleridge appears, looking for his old war buddy. Joe, obviously upset by Peter's appearance, decides to take Evie and her mother on a vacation to West Palm Beach, Florida. Evie's family quickly makes friends with another New York City couple, the Graysons, and Joe and Mr. Grayson begin to make business plans. Then Peter appears and Evie, who is almost 16, begins falling in love with him. She doesn't find it easy to spend time with him because her mother accompanies them everywhere. Tensions mount as Joe's hatred for Peter and her mother's infatuation with the younger man grow and put Evie in the middle of something she does not understand. When tragedy strikes and Peter disappears during a sailing expedition with her parents, Evie must determine who is lying and what is the truth in order to save her family. Judy Blundell's National Book Award winner (Scholastic, 2008) translates well to the audio format, with Caitlin Greer perfectly capturing Evie's voice in this intricate coming-of-age novel that is compelling blend of romance, adventure, mystery, and historical fiction.- Janet Hilbun, Texas Women's University, Denton (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Reviews from Bowkers Books in Print

Use in Library:
Being that its a historical fiction book, I would have the students write an essay about their own conclusion of the characters.

Image from: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/sample/read/9780439903486

Module 9: Paper Daughter

Title: Paper Daughter
Author: Jeanette Ingold

Summary:
This story is about a journalist name Steven Chen who while working on a story for the newspaper was killed by a hit and run car that was never located. His daughter Maggie Chen who is now an intern for the Herald Newspaper is  seeking for his real identity as she finds out a lot of missing and false information about her father that he created himself. The school that he attended has no record of him and the one friend Mr. Bill Ames that he went to school with have no idea where he came from and cannot remember if he has any family members who live close by. The only lead Maggie has are some old photos of her father that he kept in his file, but even that she wasn't sure if any answers would come out of it. While working with her partner Harrison on a very important story, the case on her father re-opens up again because of the way he died. Thinking that her father was in trouble and would be involved with criminal and bribery, Maggie sets out to find the truth and look for reasons of why he was killed at an area that he wasn't even familiar with. She's confused and can't believe why her father would make up lies and not tell her and her mother the real truth about his family and where he came from. She believes that her father had lived in California and have traced back his roots with the Chinese immigrants, so her searches take her to the Chinese down town area. She finally comes up with clues that leads her to Mr. Li's house asking him for help. Although he can't help her at first she returns a second time with photos of a girl that somehow resembles herself. She receives a call from Jillian, a friend and also an intern at the same place of work telling her that her dad has been cleared, and that it was someone else that was being blackmailed. Maggie is relieved to hear the good news, as shes still standing there before Mr. Li, he decides to finally tell her everything he knows. When she gets home she tells her mother everything and they both decide to invite Mr. Li and his nephew along with his parents. Maggie have come to know that Mr. Li is indeed her great grand-father, and is very happy not only for herself but also for her proud father. She and Jillian are planning to go on a shopping spree for bathing suits so they could go on a vacation with her other friends Bett and Aimee.

Biography:
Ingold, J. (2010). Paper Daughter. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing

My Impression:
I was very impressed with this story line as this story took me back to how people especially immigrants from other countries were treated very badly and so it made them want to leave their country. Leaving behind parents and children for better life elsewhere. I admired how this hardworking Chinese man wanted to make a better living for himself, his wife and daughter, but still wanted to find out where he came from. The author tells a great story line of how even though Mr. Chen had a good job and raised a good family still had the urgency to try and look for his parents. Example: Here in our Island we have a lot of the Western Samoan people come for 3 days permit to visit their families or for business meetings, sometimes they would just come to do shopping, but when they get here they decide to stay. Their documents are not done properly and they end up not wanting to go back. The only problem will be for these individuals not to get into any trouble or create any problems because if it does happen, immigration or police will be called in and they will get caught, especially if they are over stayers. These people come here to American Samoa to work so they can take care of their families back in Western Samoa. I liked how Maggie wanted to clear her fathers name, doing a lot of searching yet at the end was able to meet the family that her father always wanted to meet.

Professional Review:

Voice of Youth Advocates
( October 01, 2010; 9780152055073 )

Historical fiction, mystery, and realistic fiction weave together to create an enjoyable read in Paper Daughter. Maggie Chen is a teenage girl coping with the recent death of her father, a summer internship at a local newspaper, and a local political crime that creates questions about her identity. As Maggie begins dealing with each of these events, the world as she knows it starts to unravel. Her father was a noted reporter with an impressive educational pedigree, or so she thought. Although Maggie is Chinese American, she knows little about what happened to the Chinese as they immigrated to Seattle in the early 1900s. Her investigation into the political crime and the hit-and-run death of her father parallel her discovery of his real life as an orphan; her great grandfather, a paper son, whom she never knew; and a glimpse into their history. This glimpse helps Maggie understand her heritage, herself, and her family a little better. Jeanette Ingold does an excellent job of weaving these stories together and making it seem as though they could be happening today. This is an enjoyable read with a wealth of information about the history of Chinese Americans. The author's notes and Internet sources are assets to the reader. This would make a good book club or novel study book.-Lona Trulove.

Review retrieve from:
Bowker Books in Print

Use in Library:
I would use this book in the library for students to have an open discussion on ethnic groups. Discuss why do some people leave their countries and families to go elsewhere. History and culture are also important issues where other people cannot leave, which is more important.  

Image from: http://www.jeanetteingold.com/

Module 8: Insurgent

Title: Insurgent

Author: Veronica Roth

Summary:
This is an extra ordinary story line that elaborates on characters seeking for revenge in order to eliminate enemies that have been trying to break their factions and to completely destroy what is left. Tris Prior must never let her guard down or she will lose everything that she has worked hard for. Working and disguising herself under the Abnegation factor, Tris must make the right choice in choosing who to trust so she can find out the real reason why her father died. Mocked as a Dauntless traitor she maintains a close relationship with her boyfriend Tobias. Although she can't really rely on anyone for information, she rally's on her strength and power to seek out those who want to take over the entire world. With many obstacles along the way, Tris decides to confront those whom she feels are waiting to destroy their faction by starting a war. Jeanine, the leader of the Erudite faction has planned to destroy other factions by starting a war so she could gain the power and rule the world. While entering one of the rooms, Tris is confronted by a replica of herself and decides that the only thing do to was to get rid of it in order to survive. She aims, she shoots and it drops dead. In the meantime an altercation breaks out between Tori and Jeanie, and Tori ends up stabbing Jeanine with a knife that was tucked in her boots. It is believed that a video was located and everyone who were listening now knows the truth. Tris and her friends continue to fight for what is right. Tris understands that she must help those who are trying to survive, to bring peace, comfort, and freedom.

Biography:
Roth, Veronica. (2012). Insurgent. New York, NY: Katherine Tegen Books.

My Impressions:
I am very impressed with this book because not only the author is young but her story line is great. Her imagination that she puts in her work is tremendously expressed throughout the characters that she uses. Ms. Roth has released another captivating story tantalizing her audiences with a unique writing style of suspense and thrilling actions in surviving the torments of war. The readers will enjoy reading this story especially as the main character is a girl. I would recommend this book for the young adults as they would truly have a better understanding of how the author has written utilizing teens and young adults as the main characters in her book. It was quite a long story, but I enjoyed reading it.

Professional Review:
Booklist
( March 15, 2012; 9780062024046 )

While the hugely popular Divergent (2011) welcomed dystopian fans of every stripe with its irresistable concept and hybridization of genres, this sequel is more for hard-core fans a good thing if you're a devotee but a bit overwhelming for fence-riders. Rocked by the recent simulation war, the five factions engage in increasingly dangerous power plays to pick up the pieces. Tris and her love, Tobias, both daredevils of the Dauntless faction, are key players in these skirmishes, most of which focus upon the fiendishly logical Erudites and almost all of which are complicated by backstabbers and turncoats. It remains a great deal of fun to watch these cliques-taken-to-extremes duke it out with their various strengths and weaknesses, and Roth delivers the goods when it comes to intense, personal violence (no superpowers to be found here) and compelling set pieces (as when Tris undergoes a public truth serum interrogation). Newcomers, and even some old hands, might get buried under all the transposable characters and faction minutia, but those who stick it out will be rewarded with quite the cliff-hanger HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Divergent was the kind of best-seller juggernaut debut authors dream of. With high-profile movie rights already sold, you can bet you'll see this sequel on everyone's must-read list.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist

Retrieve from: Bowker Books in Print

Use In Library Setting:
Being that this is a very long book, I will divide the class into groups of two. I will give them a chapter to read and present to the class. That way they will have a better understanding of the story and than have a class discussion every time a group is done presenting their chapter. Students will be able to ask questions about the characters in each chapter presented.

Image from:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/113748939094895172642/albums/5783771289392526977/5802057775208513074

Module 7: There's a boy in the girls' bathroom

Title: There's A Boy In The Girls' Bathroom
Author: Louis Sachar

Summary:
Bradley is the biggest boy in his class, he sits way in the back of the class, no one wants to sit by him, as he doesn't have any friends. No one in his school and his class wants to be friends with him, and he doesn't want to make friends with anyone. He goes to school everyday but doesn't do his homework, and his teacher seem to not say much to him because he always has an excuse or make up stories about why his parents never show up for teacher/parent meetings. His father doesn't tolerate Bradley's behavior but his mother tends to do what ever he wants. His sister is a smarty pants that always wants to know what is Bradley up to. Until one day a new boy name Jeff enters the classroom and is pointed to sit by Bradley, which he doesn't mind. They become friends after a while but end up fighting because of bad stories circulating in school. But when the word gets out that a boy was in the girls bathroom, and Bradley finds out it's Jeff, he thinks it's cool and they become friends again. Finally the new school has a new counselor name Carla, and she accepts and becomes a friend of Bradley even though he didn't want to in the beginning. Because Bradley has a lot of problems he is told that he must go and see his counselor and get help by telling her what he needs and why he doesn't do any homework. Things take a turn for the good and slowly Bradley changes his ways, he starts greeting people, and even become friends with some boys that use to beat him up, he tries to do his homework but ends up ripping the paper and trashing it because he couldn't see himself turning it in. Only Carla sees that he's trying really hard at first, and she's the only one that tells him what he wants to hear. So now Bradley is a bit confuse because he's beginning to fall in love, well at least he thought he was. As other students were seeing Carla, parents started to complain and a meeting was held as parents wanted to remove the counselor saying that she was feeding their children with wild ideas. Bradley's meetings with Carla always turned out positive even if Bradley was angry, but he always enjoyed talking to her. Finally, Carla told him that she was moving to a new school that needed her assistance. Bradley was angry and walked out, but before he left she asked him for help in packing and moving her things. Bradley never showed up on that day, but soon as he remembered he ran all the way to her office but she was already gone. He was surprise the next day when he went to school, he saw next to his name were stars that the teacher had placed there. He wondered what were the stickers for and came to find out that Carla had turned in his book report to the teacher. Now all he wanted to do was thank her for it, and that he did by writing her a letter.

Biography:
Sachar, L. (1987). There's a boy in the girls' bathroom. United States: Random House Children's Books.

My Impression:
I was very familiar with this type of situation, so my impression was "okay! I know the type of student this boy is because there are so many students just like him in our own classrooms. Bradley's case is very popular even today as we find students go to school but don't like doing homework only because they don't understand. There are students out there that can't ask questions because they're shy. Sometimes kids think that if they ask question other students think they're stupid, so they sit and don't do anything. Using myself an example when I first started taking courses at the college. I haven't been to school since I graduated so everything seemed new again. I sat in my math class, I couldn't understand what the teacher was saying, even when he was working out the problems. I went home not knowing what to do, so I ended up not doing anything. It went on for days until I finally decided that if I don't do anything I will fail, and I won't be able to graduate. I started asking my children for help and slowly I started to understand, but my son always told me "mom, just ask it's the only way you can understand, because sometimes there are different ways of solving them". I had no choice but to ask, so I waited until everyone left and then I went to see the teacher. Everyday after that things started to get better, I never got an A but I was able to pass which is all I needed was a passing grade. Bradley just needed to find the right person to talk to and I think that's where Carla came in. She always said the things that he needed to hear, making him feel comfortable and just listening was all Bradley needed. It's a good story line and a very familiar problem that can help others in true life.

Professional Review:

School Library Journal ( April 01, 1987; 9780394985701 ) Gr 4-7 An unlikely protagonist, Bradley Chalkers is a friendless, lying, insecure bully who is the oldest boy in his fifth-grade class. In this humorous novel that tells of Bradley's learning to like himself and to make friends, Sachar ably captures both middle-grade angst and joy. Bradley's triumph comes through the friendship of a new boy at school and the help of the new school counselor. Readers, like the astute counselor, can see the strengths that Bradley has, and will cheer at his minor victories and cringe at his setbacks along the way. The story is unusual, witty, and satisfying, if not always believable: a few incidents just do not work. For instance, even though Bradley has not been doing his homework, his complete ignorance of it is unlikely (``He hadn't realized. . .he would need to bring his book home''), and his total unfamiliarity with birthday parties is too extreme for a ten year old, even one who hadn't been to a party in three years. Yet Bradley's need for acceptance even as he holds back from classmates who might mock or hurt him is genuine, and his eventual success will gratify readers. David Gale, ``School Library Journal'' (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution
Retrieve from:
http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:4874/DetailedView.aspx?hreciid=|5561956|6706850&mc=USA
Bowkers Books in Print Use in Library Setting: I would love to utilize this book in a short skit where students can witness how bullying and not doing homework is not a good thing. Students learn faster when they actually get up and play a character. Students can take turns playing the part of Bradley and Jeff, then the class can have a discussion to decide if the teacher can pass you without turning in any homework. Image from: http://www.barnesandnoble.com