A Friendship for Today
A Friendship for Today. McKissack, Patricia C.;
Scholastic Press, 2007.
Grade Level: Grades 3-5
ISBN & cost: 978-0-439-66098-3, $16.99
Blanket Permission to Reproduce Book Jackets:
Used by permission of the Publisher
Synopsis:
Rosemary wonders if she’ll ever fit in. A black student, she has been sent to an integrated, nearly all
white school, where her old neighborhood nemesis (“Grace the Tasteless,” as Rosemary calls her), a white
student, attends. On top of that, Rosemary has to deal with her own problems at home. Her parents
aren’t getting along, and her best friend is struck with polio.
General Review:
We all need to learn to practice “tolerance,” says Rosemary’s teacher Mrs. Denapolis. Have you ever
tried to get along with someone who from the outside appears to be very different from you? Rosemary
and Grace KNOW they won’t like each other even before the school year starts. Can they learn to tolerate
each other? And what about “Katherine the Great Mouth,” who acts like she thinks she’s better than both
of them? There might be more than meets the eye to the real-life situation that somebody else lives in,
but we may never even try to make friends with others we judge to be living in a world just too different
from the way of life we know.
Themes: School integration, racism, race relations, divorce, African-Americans, friendship; Missouri
history--20th Century, poliomyelitis
Author information: Volume 51, 73 Something About the Author
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3372
http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=20049
Discussion Questions: (Standard 3; Benchmark 3)
1. What are some examples of prejudice in the story? Why do you think the author chooses to include
them?
2. Describe Vera’s relationship with her mother. Describe her relationship with her father. How do
these relationships affect her actions?
3. What part does “Rags” play in the story?
4. Does Rosemary learn “tolerance?” How does the story show this?
5. How can you be a friend? What could you do to help Grace if she was in our class, and didn’t have
a dress to attend the Spring Garden Concert. Why won’t her father let her accept Rosemary’s the
dress?
Activities:
1. Research poliomyelitis. What causes it? How dangerous is it? How does it spread? What is the
best treatment and how can it be prevented? Write a short paper explaining the disease and
discussing how the treatment of the illness has changed over time. (Standard 2, Benchmark 4)
2. Look up information on school integration in the United States. Draw a historical timeline of
school integration in the United States, beginning in 1954. (Standard 3, Benchmark 1)
3. For more information on “tolerance,” visit online the Museum of Tolerance, Simon Wiesenthal
Center. http://www.museumoftolerance.com/ List five things you learned about the
importance of tolerance. (Standard 3 Benchmark 3)
Similar Books for Further Reading
 Don’t Say Ain’t, by Small, Irene
 My Mother The Cheerleader, by Sharenow, Robert
 Where You Belong, by McGuigan, Mary Ann
Bravo Zulu, Samantha!
Bravo Zulu, Samantha! Kathleen Benner Duble;
Peachtree, Atlanta, 2007
Grade Level: grades 3-5
ISBN & cost: ISBN: 9781561454013, $14.95
Blanket Permission to Reproduce Book Jackets:
Reprinted with permission of Peachtree Publishers
Synopsis:
Samantha does not want to spend the summer with her grandparents, but her parents will be gone, and
don’t think she is old enough to stay alone. Actually, Grandma is pretty cool, but the “Colonel” (her
grandpa) thinks he is still back in the military, and will be so impossible to get along with!
General Review:
We can learn so much about ourselves by looking at the relationships between characters in a book like
this. Samantha and the “Colonel” can’t imagine that they can get along all summer, but discover that
perhaps they have much to learn from each other. This point of view might help all of us when trying to
get along with others we see as so different from ourselves.
Themes: (Grandfathers – Juvenile fiction; Airplanes, Home-built – Juvenile fiction; Contests – Juvenile
fiction; Flight – Juvenile fiction; Family – Juvenile fiction
Author information: Online information available through Kansas State Library free databases.
Blue Skyways. http://skyways.lib.ks.us/library/databases.html
Go to Literature Resource Center and search author’s name for helpful information.
Also Author’s website: http://www.kathleenduble.com/
Discussion Questions: (Standard 3; Benchmark 3)
1. How did retirement affect the colonel? Why did he say: “Retired people are brain dead”? (p. 9).
Can you imagine why he might feel this way?
2. Why did the Colonel try to be sure that Samantha’s grandma didn’t know about his top secret
project? Why did he feel the need to hide information like this from someone who obviously cared
about him?
3. How do Samantha’s feelings toward the Colonel change throughout the story? What about the
Colonel’s feeling toward her? Give examples of interactions between two that illustrate changes in
their feelings.
4. What did Sam’s mom mean when she said “Sometimes things aren’t about what you want but
about what others need”? (p. 117) What happened in the story that relate to this statement?
Activities:
1. Look in the back of the book for “Sources of Sam’s and Colonel’s Facts.” Locate several of these
books in your library, and look through one to select the most outrageous or weird facts in your
opinion. Would Sam agree with your ideas? How about the Colonel? (Standard 2, Benchmark 5)
2. Turn to the Author’s Note at the end of the book. Do Internet research on “EAAAir Venture
Oshkosh.” Write an advertisement for this gathering that might have motivated the Colonel to
carry out his secret project. (Standard 3, Benchmark 4)
3. Find out about the history of the NATO phonetic alphabet, as described on pages 63 and 73-74.
Collaborating with classmates, prepare a poster or graphic display that explains the meaning and
history of changes of the phonetic alphabet. (Standard 9, Benchmark 4)
4. Invite an expert on aviation to speak to your class about some aeronautical principles the Colonel
was concerned with when building the plane, and terms used in the book, such as “canard” (p.71).
Have students prepare questions for the speaker. (Standard 3, Benchmark 2)
Similar Books for Further Reading
 Walks Two Moons by Sharon Creech
 Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
 The World Record Paper Airplane Book by Ken Blackburn, Jeff Lammers
 Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane by Russell Freedman
Dexter the Tough
Dexter the Tough, Margaret Peterson Haddix;
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2007
Grade Level: 2 – 5
ISBN and cost: 978-1-4169-1159-3, 1-4169-1159-6; $13.57
Blanket Permission to Reproduce Book Jackets:
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
Synopsis:
Dexter, the new student, puts on a “tuf” act the first day of school. His writing assignment tells the class
just that. As the teacher continues the writing experience, Dexter looks deep into his actions, and the
response they generate from others.
General Review:
Haddix creates the story of a boy struggling to deal with his father facing cancer, being the new student in
a school, and missing his parents. Through a writing assignment, his teacher helps Dexter find the true
source for his anger.
Themes: Family Life, New Experiences, School Stories, Cancer
Discussion Questions:
(Standard 3; Benchmark 3)
1. New students enter a class at various times in the school year. Have you had a new student in
your class? What did you notice about their acceptance in the classroom? What are things you
have done to welcome a new student? Have any of you been the new student? What made your
move easier? What made it difficult to be part of the class?
2. Dexter’s father had a very serious illness. Have any of your parents ever been very ill?
What
changes did the illness create in your family? What did you do to feel better during the illness?
Who could you talk to if your parents are not able to discuss the situation with you?
Activities:
1. Research cancer. Find out some treatment methods, and side effects of the treatment.
(Standard 2, Benchmark 4)
2. Think about a time you were very scared of something. Write a poem about your fear.
(Standard 5, Benchmark 3)
Similar Books for Further Reading
 Savvy by Ingrid Law
 Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
 Starting with Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
 Runt: Story of a Boy by V. M. Caldwell
Home of the Brave
Home of the Brave, by Katherine Applegate,
Feiwel & Friends Publishers, 2007
Grade level: 4 – 7
ISBN & cost (hardback): 9781439594414; $17.59
ISBN & cost (paperback): 9780312535636; $6.99
Blanket Permission to Reproduce Book Jackets:
Used by permission of the Publisher
Synopsis:
Applegate uses first-person narrative and free verse to capture a Sudanese refugee’s impressions of
America and his slow adjustment. Eleven-year-old Kek, who has seen great loss and sadness in his life,
comes to live with his aunt and cousin in Minnesota. Prefaced by an African proverb, each section of the
book marks a stage in the Kek’s assimilation. We readers recognize Kek’s initial confusion and how it
fades as his survival skills improve and his friendships take root in Minnesota. We also share in Kek’s
hope that his mother has survived the violence and that he will one day be reunited with her.
General Review:
This story gives us readers a memorable inside view of an outsider coming to America. Katherine
Applegate’s precise, succinct language brings a wide range of emotions to us. Very few children’s and
young adult books have dealt with the War in Sudan (Darfur) and its victims. This book has the
opportunity to educate our young Kansans about this important issue, and would make a wonderful readaloud in any middle school classroom.
Themes: War in Sudan (Darfur), African Refugee Camps, Immigration, Survivor guilt, America’s image in
the world, Family love and loyalty.
Author Information:
“After Katherine Applegate graduated from college, she spent time waiting tables, typing (badly), watering
plants, wandering randomly from one place to the next with her boyfriend, and just generally wasting her
time. When she grew sufficiently tired of performing brain-dead minimum-wage work, she decided it was
time to become a famous writer. Anyway, a writer. Writing proved to be an ideal career choice, as it
involved neither physical exertion nor uncomfortable clothing, and required no social skills.
Ms. Applegate has written more than one hundred books under her own name and a variety of
pseudonyms. She has no children, is active in no organizations, and has never been invited to address a
joint session of Congress. She does, however, have an evil, foot-biting cat named Dick, and she still
enjoys wandering randomly from one place to the next with her boyfriend.”
(http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Katherine-Applegate/4063)
Discussion Questions:
1. This America is hard work. This is one of Kek’s first realizations. Talk with students about why it is
so hard even though many people think that Americans have it too easy. How is it especially hard
for newcomers to the United States?
2. Of all the things I didn’t know about America, this is the most amazing: I didn’t know there would
be so many tribes from all over the world. How could I have imagined the way they walk through
world side by side without fear all free to gaze at the same sky with the same hopes? The issue of
immigration is a topic that is being debated in our government and throughout our country.
Questions to consider are:

Should we make it easier for people to immigrate to America or enforce stricter quotas?

Do immigrants add to the economy or take jobs away from American citizens?

Should illegal immigrants be allowed to stay in America and seek to gain legal status or be sent
back to their home countries?
3. Hannah takes Kek to the grocery store to buy food for her foster mother.
The grocery store had rows and rows of color, of light, of easy hope. …I stand like a rooted tree
firm, my eyes too full of this place, with its answers to prayers on every shelf. I reach out and
touch a piece of bright green food I’ve never seen before. And then I begin to cry.
Discuss with your students Kek’s emotional reaction when he sees the shelves lined with food. Do
your students take this for granted? How much is too much? Do we need dozens of varieties of
breakfast cereal and half dozen kinds of cola?
4. Gol is a cow, but Katherine Applegate also uses her as a symbol. Ask your students how Gol
represent Kek’s past, present, and future.
5. What are the most important things that happen to Kek in his first year in America that make him
begin to feel at home?
6. As a final discussion, talk about why Katherine Applegate titled the novel Home of the Brave.
Activities: (Reading Standard One, Benchmark Four and Reading Standard Two, Benchmark One)
1. The background for Home of the Brave is the civil war that devastated the Sudan on and off from
the 1950’s to the 1990’s and the ethnic war in the Darfur region of Sudan that has raged from
2003 to the present. In order for our students to understand the plight of Kek and the millions of
Sudanese people affected by the war, research and then discuss recent history of the Sudan as a
whole and the Darfur region in particular.
These websites may be useful in helping American students understand the issue:

http://hrw.org/doc/?t=africa&c=sudan

http://www.genocideintervention.net/educate/darfurinfo/

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/sudan/htm
Questions to consider are:












What is the ethnic makeup of Sudan?
Why were the wars fought?
Who was fighting whom?
What role did the Sudanese government play?
What happened to the people?
How did the world community respond?
What were the consequences?
Figurative Language: This book contains some examples of idioms; Kek was confused by
these.
P. 60 – “The kids will eat you alive.”
P. 108 – “You need some time to get your feet wet.”
P. 115 – “Meantime, keep your eyes open.”
How many other idioms can your students list? View the website:
http://www.sky-net-eye.com/eng/dictionary/english/idioms/american
2. Similes were used by Kek to compare his new experiences and friends to his “real” home in Africa
and to his “real” family members. Starting on p. 2, readers will find simile after simile after simile.
Have students list as many as they can.
3. To help the students in Kek’s ESL class get to know each other, they play a game called
“Interview.” Your students can play the game too. Use a cardboard tube as a microphone. A
student stands in front of the class and says five things about him/herself. Then each member of
the class interviews the student by asking him/her a question. When you are finished, your
students will have a better understanding of each other.
Similar Books for Further Reading
 The Arrival by Shaun Tan
 The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle
 Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
 Lily's Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff
How to Steal a Dog
How to Steal a Dog. O’Connor, Barbara;
Frances Foster Books, 2007.
Grade Level: grades 3-5
ISBN & cost: 979-0-374-33497-0, $16.00
Blanket Permission to Reproduce Book Jackets:
Used with the permission of Farrar, Strauss and Giroux
Synopsis:
Georgina is doing everything she can to help her family survive since her dad left. She, her mom, and
little brother are kicked out of their apartment and forced to live in their car! Georgina comes up with a
brilliant plan for making some money: she and little brother Toby will steal a dog, and collect a reward for
its return. The idea is that then they will have money to move into a real house. However, Georgia’s
detailed scheme for stealing the dog doesn’t work out quite the way she planned.
General Review:
Anybody who has had to struggle to present a clean face to the world and hide the truth of real
circumstances will understand Georgina’s predicament. She is not only worrying about going to school in
the same clothes several days in a row, or washing up in the MacDonald’s bathroom in the morning, but
her best friend seems to have found someone she likes better who isn’t “unkempt.” This book can help us
understand that sometimes we need to look beneath the surface before judging others, and also that
sometimes it is important to ask for help when it’s really needed.
Themes: Subject areas: Homeless persons – Juvenile fiction; Family problems – Juvenile fiction; Conduct
of life – Juvenile fiction; Interpersonal relations – Juvenile fiction; Brothers and sisters – Juvenile fiction;
Dogs – Juvenile fiction; North Carolina – Juvenile fiction
Author information:
Contemporary Authors Online Detroit: Gale, 2008. From Literature Resource Center
Free access through the Kansas State Library http://www.kslib.info/; then go to databases
http://www.skyways.org/library/databases.html
Author’s website: http://www.barboconnor.com/
Discussion Questions: (Standard 3; Benchmark 3)
1. Read page 1 of the story aloud. What do we already know about Georgina from just one page of
text?
2. Was Luanne a good friend to Georgina? She did promise not to tell anyone about Georgina’s
predicament as she asked, after all. Page 85 says: “Luanne didn’t hardly even talk to me all day,”
and Georgina thinks that Luanne and Liza are laughing at her. Why do you think she feels this
way?
3. Teachers and other adults don’t always see the problems faced by kids, especially when the
students don’t ask for help. What problems does Georgina try to face by herself? Why doesn’t she
ask for help?
4. A dilemma is a situation when you are forced to make a choice or decision which may possibly
have bad results. One example is when Georgina has to decide whether or not to return Willy
without receiving a reward, and then whether to admit what really happened to the dog’s owner.
Discuss the choices she faces in each dilemma and what the possible results for each might be.
What did she choose to do? Explain why you agree or disagree with these decisions.
Activities:
1. List the qualities of this story’s characters: Georgina, her mother, Toby, and Luanne. How are they
displayed? Standard 2 Benchmark 2
2. Pretend that you will be interviewing a character from the book. Write at least ten questions that
will give the character the opportunity to discuss his/her thoughts and feelings about his/her role in
the story. However you choose to present you interview is up to you. Standard 1, Benchmark 3.
3. Check out the following websites:
 Helping Families Hopelink http://www.hope-link.org
 National Coalition for the Homeless http://www.nationalhomeless.org
Standard 9; Benchmark 1
4. Research what is in your town or community that helps homeless or poor families. Find out what
these organizations need, then organize a class project to help one of these agencies. Standard 1;
Benchmark 3 and 4; Standard 9; Benchmark 1
Similar Books for Further Reading
 Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
 Crossing the Wire by Will Hobbs
 Tyrell by Coe Booth
 Monkey Island by Paula Fox
One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II
One thousand tracings: healing the wounds of World War II; Lita Judge;
Hyperion Books for Children; 2007
Illustrator: Lita Judge.
Grade Level: 3 – 5
ISBN: 978-142310008-9
Blanket Permission to Reproduce Book Jackets:
Used by permission of the Publisher
Synopsis:
The author describes her family’s efforts to help their friends and others who were left homeless and
hungry in the aftermath of World War II.
General Review:
One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II tells the story of an American family’s efforts
to aid friends in need following the war. The story of the tracings is told in two page spreads resembling
very short chapters. Each print page begins with a title followed by a subtitle of the date. The first is
“Papa Came Home” and “December 1946.” Several lines of text ensue. The last sentence on that opening
page ominously predicts something other than utter happiness because of father’s return from the war.
Tracings are the outlines done on any available paper of the thousands of feet so dearly in need of shoes.
As the work of securing shoes, soap, sugar, cocoa, clothing and other necessities enlivens the story, a
little German girl writes to the American girl, the main character. Her writing picks up the thread of the
first page, “Papa Came Home.” Unfortunately, her papa has not yet come home.
Author Information: The author/illustrator’s own web site, www.litajudge.com provides much
information on Lita Judge. She is daughter of the little girl who tells the story of the tracings of the feet of
the suffering people in post war Germany. While the book focuses on the efforts of the little girl and her
mother, it was both Lita’s grandparents who worked diligently to obtain the shoes and other needed items
for thousands of families in fifteen war-torn European countries. Like the story, Lita’s family asked
friends, neighbors and colleagues to help them in this great effort. The author’s website is worthy of a
visit to learn more about this compassionate work done by many, many Americans following World War II.
In communities throughout the United States people sent packages and money to aid those suffering from
the effects of war and not just to Germany but to all afflicted countries. Do not miss the “Author’s Note” at
the end of the book.
Discussion Topics and Questions: (Library Standard 3, Benchmark 3)
1. In order for many students to grasp the full meaning of the story, it would be helpful to discuss
World War II in Europe.
2. Wars cause hardships for families in all the involved countries. This is made evident in the story
because used clothing and shoes must be sent because new items are not yet affordable for even
the families of those Americans who are giving so generously.
3. One of the somewhat chapter like pages mentions battles. What are the battles that the little girl
and her mother are fighting? In what other ways can the word battle be applied to their lives?
4. Although it is not mentioned in this book, many American relief packages sent to Germany and
other European countries had to have the word, GIFT marked on them. To the German that word
meant poison. Imagine and talk about the recipients’ reaction to seeing that for the first time.
How would the students feel?
5. How does the ending of the story from the final two chapters bring a conclusion to the difficulties of
the war’s aftermath?
6. Continue discussion of the peoples’ and the countries’ recoveries from wars as inferred from the
last paragraph of the “Author’s Note.”
Activities
1. Using the endpapers, have an information search. Use the information to connect to the story and
to create new stories. What can be learned about the people in need? With maps of Germany find
the places from which the letters came. (Standard 3, Benchmark 1; Standard 8, Benchmark 2)
2. As the war in Iraq seems to be ending, predict similar reactions for the people there in making
contact with Americans. What might the Iraqis needs be? Could Americans aid them as the people
of the USA did for the Germans? (Standard 3, Benchmark 1; Standard 3, Benchmark 3)
3. Imagine the situation of Eliza. After discussing the aftermath of World War II or doing research on
war-torn Germany, write or illustrate the situation in which Eliza lives. Include colorful details so
that anyone reading or seeing this project would get a clear picture of Eliza’s suffering.
(Standard 3, Benchmark 1)
4. Is it possible for enemies during a war to forgive one another after a war? Perhaps someone with
recent war experience could contribute to such a discussion. (Standard 3 Benchmark 2)
5. Read the book, Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming. Using a graphic organizer such as a Venn
diagram, compare and contrast Boxes with One Thousand Tracings. (Standard 3, Benchmark 1)
6. High school students must now be involved in service learning projects or volunteering. Student
councils are encouraged in elementary schools to promote good citizenship and a type of service
learning. Was the little girl at the center of the story practicing good citizenship? Is it important to
help others, even those who might have been enemies just a short time before? Is it important to
help others in need? Why or why not? Using the example from One Thousand Tracings what could
be done in your school through your classroom to help others in need? Could a book be created to
tell the story? (Standard 3, Benchmark 2)
7. Author and illustrator Lita Judge has developed activities for the book at her website. On her blog
on the website, Lita Judge tells how she develops her characters both in the illustration and in the
story. Refer to those activities and the blog for more information on the book and to enhance its
meaning.
Similar Books for Further Reading
 Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming
 Freedom Writers Diary : How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change
Themselves and the World Around Them by Zlata Filipovic
Seeing Sky-Blue Pink
Seeing Sky-Blue Pink. Candice Ransom,
Carolrhoda Books, Inc, 2007.
Grade Level: 3-5
ISBN & Cost: 978-0-8225-7142-1, $16.95
Blanket Permission to Reproduce Book Jackets:
Seeing Sky-Blue Pink © 2007 by Candice Ransom.
Cover reprinted with the permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
Synopsis:
Maddie’s mother has just married Sam and they are now living on Sam’s farm instead of in the big city
where Maddie grew up. Eight-year-old Maddie’s not sure whether she will like it here in the country, but
she is willing to try. Sam is kind and patient and makes Maddie feel right at home, even letting her
choose what color she will paint her bedroom…
”How about sky-blue pink?” he (Sam) said to Maddie.
“That’s not a real color.”
“It is a real color. Haven’t you ever seen sky-blue pink?”
General Review:
Eight-year-old Maddie and her stuffed donkey, Buckingham, are moving to a farm in the Blue Ridge
Mountains of Virginia with her mother and new step-father, Sam and the Sam’s cat, Abraham, who can
predict the weather…and has many other incredible talents. Sam works his way into Maddie’s heart by
being patient and kind. He plants a dogwood tree outside her bedroom window, gives her a wheelbarrow
ride to the neighbors house, takes her with him on the tractor as they plow the back acre, lets her pick
out the color of paint for her bedroom, and even spends an afternoon building her a tree house without
harming the tree. Maddie remembers how life was in the city of Manassas, Virginia, with just her and her
mother. Times had been sad after her real father went away. Now she is learning to trust again, but can
this be real? Sam and Maddie have many adventures together that help strengthen that trust. This is a
positive story about a step-father and step-daughter relationship as seen through the eyes of an eightyear-old that is a delight to witness. Sam helps Maddie believe in herself, and as you read, you can see
the maturity, trust, and love that develops along the way.
Themes: Stepfather, Remarriage, Moving Household, Fear, Country Life, Family,
Author Information: Candice Ransom holds a Master of Fine Arts in writing for children and young
adults from Vermont College. Her fiction and picture books have been named to the New York Public
Library’s 100 Best Children’s Book list, the ABA Bookselling This Week Kids’ Pick of the Lists, and the
Virginia Young Readers List. She lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
http://www.candiceransom.com/
http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/aifolder/aipages/ai_r/ransom.html
Discussion Questions: (Standard 3; Benchmark 3)
1. Describe Maddie before and after Sam became her step-father. How did she mature?
2. Describe the “Perfect Days” when Maddie lived with her mother in the city. Why do you think that
Maddie misses the city? What things do Maddie’s mother and Sam do to help her feel at home in
the country?
3. Maddie learns to trust Sam, but what problem in this story puts that trust to the test? Why do you
think that Maddie was afraid that Sam would tell her mother, Do you know what Maddie did? She
ran off inthe woods like a two-year-old!? Why do you think that Sam never told Maddie’s mother
what happened in the woods?
Suggested Activities:
1. Similes are figures of speech in which unlike things are compared to give the reader a mental
picture to use as they read. Have your students find similes throughout the story, and then
discuss them. (Standard 5, Benchmark 2)
2. Superstitions are the belief or practice not based on reason or knowledge. On page 16, Mrs.
Tompkins said, ”I dropped a fork this morning, so I baked pie.” Then Sam says, “There’s an old
saying, ‘Fork falls, lady calls.’ Miss Eliza means she knew a lady was coming to visit.” The website
3.
4.
5.
6.
below gives some common superstitions. Talk about how superstitions get started.
http://www.csicop.org/superstition/library/common.html
(Standard 2, Benchmark 3)
Maddie was intrigued by the wax paper. Sam said, “In the fall, we’ll find leaves and make wax
paper pictures.” Have the student bring leaves to school and have fun making wax paper pictures.
The websites below show different projects to do with wax paper and leaves.
http://forestry.about.com/od/forestryhowtodos/ht/leaf_press.htm
http://www.thebestkidsbooksite.com/craftdetails3.cfm?CraftID=519
(Standard 5, Benchmark 3)
Purchase a small lunch box for the classroom. Maddie’s was black, and she even put her name on
it with chalk. At the local home improvement store, ask about getting a variety of single color
paint chips. Have the students choose a paint chip they like and write a wish on the back. Put all
these in the lunch box. Each day, bring out a paint chip and read the wish. Don’t tell who it is
from, or it might not come true… With the paint chips you have read, put them in a nice quilt
block display on a bulletin board. (Standard 5, Benchmark 3)
Sky-blue pink lends itself to talking about clouds. Use the following books to identify different
cloud shapes. During recess, have student identify the cloud formations.
Estigarribia, Diana. Learning About Weather with Graphic Organizers.
New York, NY: PowerKids Press. 2005.
Sherman, Josepha. Shapes in the Sky : A Book About Clouds. Minneapolis,
Minn.: Picture Window Books, c2004.
Cosgrove, Brian. Eyewitness Books: Weather. London, England : Dorling
Kindersley Limited. 1991.
(Standard 5, Benchmark 2)
Maddie found one of Sam’s old books Grimm’s Fairy Tales while they were cleaning out the
basement. Find a copy at the library and read a few to your class. (Standard 5, Benchmark 2)
Similar Books for Further Reading:
 Iris and Walter by Elissa Haden Guest: ©2006
When Iris moves to the country, she misses the city where she formerly lived; but with
the help of a new friend named Walter, she learns to adjust to her new home.
The Rising Star of Rusty Nail
The Rising Star of Rusty Nail. Lesley M. M. Blume
Alfred A. Knopf, 2007
Grade Level: 3-5
ISBN # and cost: 978-0-375-93524-4, $15.99
Blanket Permission to Reproduce Book Jackets:
Knopf Books / Random House
Synopsis:
Franny Hansen is a ten-year old piano prodigy. She has a rival in her class who seems to have the money
to buy her way to the top. Franny’s piano teacher tells her that she has taught her everything she can,
and that she needs to look for someone who can teach her more. Stuck in Rusty Nail, Minnesota, where is
Franny going to find that teacher? Mysteriously, a Russian woman moves in next door. Franny tries her
best to convince the “Commie” to teach her more about the piano against the many wishes of some
townsfolk. Will Franny lose the respect of the local people in order to reach her musical dreams, and have
more piano lessons?
General Review:
This book begins a little slowly, but starts to pick up intensity in the second section. Readers will not be
able to turn the pages quickly enough in the last third! This would be a nice classroom read-aloud for
older elementary, competitive classes.
Themes: Friendship, School, Musicians, Russia
Author information:
http://www.lesleymmblume.com/
http://www.lesleymmblume.com/RustyNail/
Discussion Questions: (Standard 3; Benchmark 3)
1. What character do you like most in this book? Why? How is this character like you or unlike you? In
what ways are his experiences similar or different from yours?
2. How do you feel about the ending of the book? Why? How might you change the ending if you were
the author? Why would you change it this way? How might this change in the plot alter the author’s
message?
3. Why do you think the author wrote this book? What was her purpose? Did she succeed? How?
What is the main theme or idea overall? Do you agree with this message? Why or why not?
Activities:
1. Challenge students to research some of the musicians listed in the story.
(Standard 1; Benchmark 1)
2. Listen to the music of various composers. Read a biography about a composer
(Standard 1; Benchmark 1)
Similar Books for Further Reading
 Maria Von Trapp:Beyond the Sound of Music (Trailblazer Biographies) by Ransom, Candice F.
 Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum by Parker, Robert Andrew.
 After Tupac & D Foster, by Woodson, Jacqueline.
 The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights
by Freedman, Russell.
Way Down Deep
Way Down Deep. Ruth White;
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007
Grade Level: 4-6
ISBN-10: 0374382514
ISBN-13 # & cost: 978-0374382513, $16.00
Blanket Permission to Reproduce Book Jackets:
Used with the permission of Farrar, Strauss and Giroux
Synopsis:
Ruby had always wondered about the mystery of how she showed up all alone as a toddler in the town of
Way Down Deep, although she was very content with her life there. That is, until a new family shows up in
town with a story about a night many years ago when the mountain people heard a panther’s cries and
how a child went missing that same night off their mountain. Was she that missing child? Would she have
to give up a life and community she loved for one she did not know?
General Review:
Students will be captivated by the mystery of Ruby’s beginnings and of the appearance of a ghostly
woman in her room. Teachers will appreciate the sense of community expressed in the story and the
complexity of the characters. Both students and teachers will be charmed by the characters in Way Down
Deep and appreciate the humor and tenderness in Ruth White’s story of story of a little community tucked
away in the mountains in 1944.
Themes: Orphans, small towns, family, mystery, dreams, community
Author information: Ruth White is the author of several children’s books which include the Newbery
Honor Book, Belle Prater’s Boy. Ms. White was born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains and has been
teacher and school librarian for many years. Many of her stories come from her memories of childhood
and growing up in the mountains.
Discussion Questions: Come up with 3 to 5 broad questions students could discuss after reading the
book.
1. What does it mean to be family? Can someone be part of your family even if you are not related?
2. There are many interesting characters in Way Down Deep. Which one is your favorite and why?
3. Miss Arbutus and Ruby have a special ritual they both look forward to every evening. Do you have
a special ritual that you share with a family member?
4. Bob Reeder attempts to rob a bank, Peter Reeder cusses, Grandma Combs is mean to her family.
How does the author explain the reasons for each of her character’s bad behavior? Do you think
the same reasons would apply to people you know?
5. Ruby belongs to several communities in the story Way Down Deep, the smaller community of the
boarding house and the bigger community of the town. What does community mean to you and
how many communities do you belong too?
Activities:
1. In the first paragraph Ruby explains how Way Down Deep became a town. Do some research about
the history of your town using resources like newspapers, microfilm, and books. Create a
storyboard to recreate the story of your town. (Standard 1, Benchmark 4, Standard 2, Benchmark
2. Ruby June had heard several stories of her childhood from different people that knew her. Do a
oral history project about yourself and interview your family, friends, and teachers for early and
favorite memories they have about you and add them to a timeline starting with the earliest
memory to the most current. (Standard 3, Benchmark 4)
3. Use a concept map or graphic organizer to analyze the characters, theme, conflict, and setting of
Way Down Deep. (Standard 3, Benchmark 1)
Similar Books for Further Reading
 The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
 Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
 Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
 Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff