Storyteller by: Edward Myers

Summary: Jack, a seventeen-year-old storyteller, goes to the royal city seeking his fortune and soon attracts the attention of the grief-stricken king, his beautiful eldest daughter, and his cruel young son, and he attempts to help them–and the entire kingdom–through his stories.

Author Web Site:  http://www.edwardmyers.com

Teacher’s Guide:  Currently  None Available

Booktalk:  http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/myers_storyteller.htm

Related Resources:  Castles

Medieval Castles
http://www.iol.ie/~sligogrm/index.htm

World of Castles
http://library.thinkquest.org/12132/

Related Resources:  Storytelling (Oral Traditions)

The Call of Story:  The History of  Storytelling
http://www.callofstory.org/en/storytelling/history.asp

The Moonlit Road:  Strange Tales of the American South
http://www.themoonlitroad.com

Story Arts:  Storytelling in the Classroom
http://www.storyarts.org/classroom/index.html

The Wren’s Nest Museum
http://www.wrensnestonline.com

Read Aloud Recommendation: While this story is not as fast paced as some of the other nominees, Jack’s stories and adventures should hold students’ attention.  This would be a good selection to use when discussing oral traditions.

Football Genius
by: Tim Green

Summary: Troy, a sixth-grader with an unusual gift for predicting football plays before they occur, attempts to use his ability to help his favorite team, the Atlanta Falcons, but he must first prove himself to the coach and players.

Author Web Site:  http://www.timgreenbooks.com

Teacher’s Guide:   LA Young Reader’s Choice Study Guides

Related Links:  Atlanta,  Georgia

50 Fun Things to Do in Atlanta
http://www.atlanta.net/50fun

Atlanta Falcons Web Site
http://www.atlantafalcons.com

Related Links:  Mathematics and Football

NCTM Illuminations:  Mathematics and Football Unit
http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?ID=L213
The activities in this unit  focus on connections between mathematics and football by using the Super Bowl.  Students apply math to  problems associated with “The Big Game.”  The activities involve number sense, geometry, measurement, statistics, estimations, and problem solving.

Read Aloud Recommendation: Students who are sports fans will love the subject matter  and the cinematic descriptions of games.  Others will just enjoy the fast-moving plot.  This is a great selection for a read-aloud.  I think that it would be especially fun to use in a mathematics class as part of a unit that focuses on connections between mathematics and football.

Sequel Available:

Football Champ: A Football Genius Novel

Hiroshima Dreams
by: Kelly Easton

Summary: Lin O’Neil, a talented but shy girl growing up in Providence, Rhode Island, develops a close relationship with her Japanese grandmother, who shares Lin’s gift of precognition.

Author Web Site:  www.kellyeaston.com

Teacher’s Guide:  Not Yet Available

Related Resources:  Peace Lesson Plans

Hiroshima Day Lesson Plan (pdf)
This pdf document is a multi-day unit on Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes and Hiroshima Day with color illustrations of the story.

Peace Lesson Plans @ Wilmington College

This site contains lesson plans divided by grade levels:  elementary (1-5), junior high (5-8), and high school (9-12).   Many of these lesson plans deal with American/Japanese relations before and after WWII.    For example, one lesson plan explores prejudice and appreciation of other cultures through relating the story of friendship dolls that were sent from America to Japan in 1926.  Another lesson deals explores the story of Sadako and focuses on Hiroshima Day.  Teachers should find plenty of ideas at this site.

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

This site will help teachers and students to complete an engaging research project as part of a study of the historical novel Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, a true story about a girl who lived in Hiroshima on the day that the United States dropped the atomic bomb on that city in an attempt to end World War II.    This book would be a great companion novel to read before or after Hiroshima Dreams, or this assignment could be adapted.  To better understand the novel,  student assignments include  research about this event in history and its effect on the people of Hiroshima and the world at large.  This site includes mini-lessons, resources, and assessment tools.

Read Aloud Recommendation: This coming of age novel probably lacks the action to hold students’ attention as a traditional read aloud, but it would be great for literature circles and for the teacher to read aloud in segments.  I would recommend it as a companion novel to Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes as it deals with the aftermath of Hiroshima and the effects of the atomic bomb generations later.   

EntertainerandtheDybbuk_Cover

This year I plan to read all the GA Book Award Nominees and provide a “one stop” resource for teachers who would like to use these books in their classrooms.  I will be posting links to author Web sites, teacher’s guides, and related Web links.  I hope to make this an unbiased resource, so I will not be providing my own review of the books–other than recommending it as a read aloud (or not).

The Entertainer and the Dybbuk
by:  Sid Fleischman

Summary: A struggling American ventriloquist in post-World War II Europe is possessed by the mischievous spirit of a young Jewish boy killed in the Holocaust. (Includes author’s note which details the murder of over one million children by the Nazis during the 1930s and 1940s.)

Author Web Site: http://sidfleischman.com

Related Resources:  Children During the Holocaust

Anne Frank Museum, Amsterdam
Online exhibits, Photos, and Information about Anne Frank and her World-Famous Diary including a 3-D Tour of Anne’s Hiding Place (The Secret Annex)

Holocaust Cybrary @ remember.org
Powerful Art by Children and Survivors as well as a Virtual Tour of Auschwitz

Teacher’s Guide to the Holocaust:  Children
Produced by the FL Center for Instructional Technology (Lots of Web Resources for Teaching About the Holocaust and Children)

United States Holocaust Museum:  Anne Frank
Informational Articles, Photos, and Web Links

United States Holocaust Museum:  Children During the Holocaust
Informational Articles, Photos, Videos, and Web Links

Related Resources:  Vaudeville

American Studies @ The University of Virginia:  Vaudeville
Information about Vaudeville Performers, Audio, and Video Footage from Actual Performances, and Web Links

Library of Congress’ American Memory:  American Variety Stage
Collection of Materials About American Variety Stage from 1870-1920 Including Theater Bills, Photos, Sound Recordings, and Video

Vaudeville:  A History
Short Articles About Vaudeville

Related Resources:  Ventriloquism

Ventriloquism During the Vaudeville Era
Historic Information and Photos of Ventriloquists  from 1900-1930

Ventriloquist Video (YouTube Version)

Description:  YouTube Video of Terry Fator Performance on Letterman
Please view this version of the video, as it is from the original source, if possible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bPmwzhqEgw

Ventriloquist Video
(Version for Schools Who Cannot Access YouTube)

Description:  YouTube Video of Terry Fator on Letterman
This posting of the same video is for schools who cannot access YouTube due to content filtering.  Please view the video from the original source if possible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bPmwzhqEgw

Related Resources:  War Crimes Prosecution

Famous War Trials:  Nuremberg Trials (Faculty Project of University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law)
Account of Trial, Chart of Defendants, Diagram of Courtroom, Transcripts and More in Easy to Read Format

Nuremberg Trials:  Wikipedia
Great Article with Lots of Photos and Links

United States Holocaust Museum:  War Crimes Trial
Information, Photos, Videos of Personal Narratives, Historical Film Footage and More

Read Aloud Recommendation:
Students love a good ghost story and this is no exception!  Teachers will find this to be a good read aloud to use as part of a study of the Holocaust and War Crimes Trials that followed World War II.

Do the Math: Secrets, Lies, and Algebra by:  Wendy Lichtman

Summary: Tess has always loved math. She uses mathematical concepts to help her understand things in her life, so she is dismayed to find out how much math, and life, can change in eighth grade.

Author Web Site:
http://www.wendylichtman.com

Author Interview @ Cynsations:
http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2009/05/author-interview-wendy-lichtman-on-do.html

Teacher Resource Guide:
http://www.fcps.edu/fairfaxnetwork/mta/resource/activityguides/lichtman_guide.pdf

Mathematics Resources

http://www.aplusmath.com
Interactivity is the focus of this mathematics Web site.

http://www.figurethis.org
This is a math challenge site for families by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

http://www.math.com/parents.html
Review math concepts you may have forgotten, or find math resources for homeschooling or for extra practice.

http://www.mathgoodies.com/students.html

Tutorials, worksheets, games, puzzles, flashcards, and more are available on this site!

http://www.mathleague.com
This site has a mathematics help facility section with math explanations.  However, the coolest part feature of this site is the math contests by grade level.  Schools have to purchase the materials in order to participate (free samples are available for practice), but they are very reasonable ($30 for 30 booklets). 

http://www.purplemath.com
This site is designed to help students gain understanding and confidence in algebra.  In addition to on-site lessons, there is a great list of additional Web sites for more assistance.

Read Aloud Recommendation:
This would be a really fun book to read to middle school students, or advanced upper elementary students during the beginning or end of math class.  What a neat way to explore math concepts!

The Wednesday Wars by:  Gary D. Schmidt

Summary: During the 1967 school year, on Wednesday afternoons when all his classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker’s classroom where they read the plays of William Shakespeare and Holling learns much of value about the world he lives in.

Author Web Site:  Not Currently Available

Author Profile @ Good Reads
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/96375.Gary_D_Schmidt

Author Interview from Miss Erin’s Blog

http://misserinmarie.blogspot.com/2008/05/sbbt-interview-gary-d-schmidt.html

Author Interview:  ReadKiddoRead Talks to Gary Schmidt (Audio Recording)
http://readkiddoread.ning.com/page/gary-schmidt

Related Links:  Teaching Shakespeare

Folger Shakespeare Library:  It’s Elementary! Stomping and Romping with Shakespeare
(Using Dr. Seuss to teach the rhythm of language in Shakespeare’s songs.)
http://www.folger.edu/eduLesPlanDtl.cfm?lpid=583

Free Teaching Shakespeare Resources @ www.kidsloveshakespeare.com
http://www.kidsloveshakespeare.com/teaching-shakespeare

Shakespeare and the Renaissance:  Teaching Resources from PBS

Shakespeare for Teens
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/shakespeare-teens

Shall I Compare Thee? Interactive Lesson About Shakespeare’s Famous Sonnet
http://www.leavingcert.net/skoool/junior.asp?id=1468

Related Links:  Vietnam and The Vietnam War

Frontline Explores Vietnam
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/vietnam

Teaching with Documents:  The War in Vietnam (National Archives Photos)
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/vietnam-photos

Vietnam Center and Archive:  Teacher Resources
http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/teachers

Read Aloud Recommendation:
This coming-of-age novel will have the teacher and students laughing out loud.  It deals with the angst of junior high school life with humor that students will appreciate.   This is a great choice to read aloud.

The Sorta Sisters by:  Adrian Fogelin

Summary: In Florida, Anna Casey lives with what she hopes is the last in a long line of foster mothers, and Mica Delano lives with her father on their small boat, and when the two of them begin corresponding, they discover they have a lot in common.

Author Web Site:  http://www.adrianfogelin.com

Teacher’s Guide:  Not Currently Available

Related Links:  Islamorado, Florida

About the Florida Keys (with Link to You Tube Video about Islamorado, FL)

Description: Islamorado Chamber of Commerce Video (Same Video Found in Link Shown Above)
This posting of the same video is for schools who cannot access YouTube due to content filtering. Please view the video from the original source if possible.

History of Islamorado, FL

Islamorado, Village of Islands (Photo Gallery)

Panoramic Views of Islamorado, FL  (The Florida Keys in 360 Degrees!!)

Related Links:  Manatees

Florida Manatees @ Defenders of Wildlife Web Site (Includes Video and Slideshow)

Manatees @ National Geographic for Kids (Facts, Photos, Video, etc.)

Save the Manatees (Facts About Manatees, Videos, Public Service Announcements)

Related Links:  Tallahassee, Florida

Slide Show @ Tallahassee Online Visitor’s Guide Web Site

Tallahassee Nature Video (You Tube)
Description:  YouTube Video about Tallahassee Nature
Please view this version of the video, as it is from the original source, if possible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwctKuura78

Description:  YouTube Video of Tallahassee Nature
This posting of the same video is for schools who cannot access YouTube due to content filtering.  Please view the video from the original source if possible.

Related Links:  Wakulla River/Springs

Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park

Springs Exploration:  Wakulla Springs Interactive Feature (Click on the Audio Feature of the Wakulla River to Experience a Virtual River Boat Tour)

Wakulla Springs @ Tallahassee Online Visitor’s Guide Site

Read Aloud Recommendation:  This book, with alternating narrative perspectives, letters, and sepia drawings depicting wildlife and packages that the main characters, Anna Casey and Mica Delano, discuss and exchange in the course of the novel, is best suited for individual readers.  In my opinion, the reader would lose a certain intimacy if this book is read aloud.  Students who read this book will definitely want to read others in the series.  At this time, the author has written five novels set in her Tallahassee neighborhood.  These novels, in order, are:

Crossing Jordan

Anna Casey’s Place in the World

My Brother’s Hero
The Big Nothing
The Sorta Sisters

Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf

Summary: From her home in Lidice, Czechoslovakia, in 1942, eleven-year-old Milada is taken with other blond, blue-eyed children to a school in Poland to be trained as “proper Germans” for adoption by German families, but all the while she remembers her true name and history.

Author Web Site:  http://www.jmwolf.com

Teacher’s Guide:  Kids’ Wing Activities

Related Links:  Czechoslovakia (The Czech Republic and Slovakia)

The Czech Republic:  The CIA Factbook

Slovakia:  The CIA Factbook

Related Links:  Holocaust

AP Story of Lebensborn Children

Children of the Holocaust (US Holocaust Memorial Museum)

Deadly Medicine:  Creating the Master Race @ the Jewish Museum Berlin

Lebensborn Program:  Jewish Virtual Library

Lidice Memorial:  Children’s Victims Memorial

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Photo of War Crimes Trial:  Maria Dolezalova, One of The Children Kidnapped by German Forces After Destruction of Lidice (US Holocaust Memorial Museum)

Ravensbruck:  Concentration Camp for Women @ The Jewish Virtual Library

Related Links:  WWII

Interactive Map of World War II in Europe

The Third Reich in Ruins (Photos of Historical Sites:  Then and Now)

WWII:  The World Almanac

Read Aloud Recommendation: This book, based on a true story, will allow students a glimpse into the lives of children in Nazi occupied countries during World War II. This is a compelling story of one girl’s struggle to maintain her identity despite being torn away from her family and country.  I believe students will be immersed in this story from the first chapter.  I recommend it for students in grades 5 and up.  It is an essential piece of literature for World War II study.

Elijah Of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

Summary: Eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman, the first free-born child in Buxton, Canada, which is a haven for slaves fleeing the American South in 1859, uses his wits and skills to try to bring to justice the lying preacher who has stolen money that was to be used to buy a family’s freedom.

Author Web Site: http://www.nobodybutcurtis.com

Author Resources:

Author Interview @ Reading Rockets

http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/curtis/transcript

Biography of Christopher Paul Curtis @ Random House

http://www.randomhouse.com/features/christopherpaulcurtis/christophercurtis.htm

Biography and Interview (Text) @ Kidsread.com

http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/au-curtis-christopher-paul.asp

Biography @ Scholastic Web Site

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3261

Teacher’s Guides for Bud, Not Buddy and The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 @ Random House Web Site

Video Interview by Scholastic (Part I and II)
Description:  YouTube Videos of Interview with Christopher Paul Curtis
Please view this version of the videos, as it is from the original source, if possible.

Part I URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5HkR1o2LiI
Part II URL:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaky2QAapVw

Description:  YouTube Videos of Interview with Christopher Paul Curtis
This posting of the same videos is for schools who cannot access YouTube due to content filtering.  Please view the video from the original source if possible.

Teacher Resources:

Booktalk @ Scholastic Web Site Including Link to Video Version of Booktalk

Discussion Guide @ Scholastic Web Site

Extension Activities @ Scholastic Web Site Including Web Links

Related Links:  Elgin Settlement at Buxton

History of the Elgin Settlement @ the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum

Photos of the Buxton National Historic Site (Including a School Built in 1861 and a Log Cabin Built in 1852)

Related Links:  Frederick Douglass

A Short Biography of Frederick Douglass (Links to Additional Information)

Frederick Douglass @ Africans in America by PBS (Links to Teacher’s Guide)

Frederick Douglass @ America’s Stories from America’s Library (Library of Congress/Primary Resources)

Frederick Douglass National Historic Site

Related Links:  John Brown

John Brown @ Africans in American by PBS (Links to Teacher’s Guide)

John Brown’s Holy War @ American Experience Site (PBS-Includes Maps, Timeline, Primary Resources, and Teacher’s Guide)

The Kennedy Farmhouse @ johnbrown.org (Staging Site for Raid on Harpers Ferry)

Related Links: Liberty Bell of Buxton

News Article on Symbolism of Buxton Liberty Bell

News Release with Photos @ the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Web Site

Related Links: Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad:  Presented by National Geographic Online

Read Aloud Recommendation: I am ambivalent about my recommendation on this book.   I do not want to turn anyone off to the story.  I think it is a “must read” for students in grades 5 and up, but I have to be straightforward with teachers who may be looking for a page turning, “keep ‘em on the edge of their seats” read aloud. I found the first half of the book difficult to read because I found it hard to relate to the main character, Elijah.  In fact, it took me longer to read this book than any of the other Georgia Book Award nominees.   I think that the dialect and the author’s use of stories within the story distant the reader at first.  However, the last six chapters of the book redeemed it for me.  The last part of the book is very powerful, particularly the scene in the barn where Elijah finds five captured slaves.  It will make students think about slavery in terms that a dry textbook will never be able to do.  Because this book explores the topic of slavery from a different perspective, that of a child born into freedom in the Canadian settlement of Buxton, and because of the humor in the story, I believe students will find the first part of the book enlightening and enjoyable, but slow paced.  However, they will find the last part of the book exciting, moving, and memorable.  I highly recommend this title for students (grades 5 and up) who are learning about the history of slavery in the United States.

Billy Creekmore: A Novel:  by Tracey Porter

Summary: One day a stranger comes to claim Billy Creekmore from the Guardian Angels Home for Boys; and he embarks on a cross-country journey in search of his past, his future, and his own true self.

Author Web Site:  Brief Biography on Harper Collins Web Site

Other Author Resources: Author Essay on Billy Creekmore

Teaching Resources:  Link to Reading Guide from Harper Collins (pdf)

Related Resources:  Circuses

Circus Historical Society Photos

Circus History in Sarasota (includes slideshows)

Circus Web:  Circuses Past and Present

Explore Circus World:  From the Wisconsin Historical Society (Click on Circus Museum to See a Slide Show of Photos including Circus Posters)

History of the Circus from Jugglenow.com

Related Resources:  Coal Mining

A Coal Miner’s Collection:  Photos of Coal Miner’s Basic Necessities

Coal Miner’s in the Past:  United Mine Workers of America Web Site (Includes Photos)

Kentucky Coal Museum Web Site (Includes Short Video about Mining Towns)

Little Miners:  Child Labor in the Coal Mining Industry (Includes Photos)

Related Resources:  Orphanages

History of Orphanages

West Virginia Department of Commerce, Travel, and Recreation

Read Aloud Recommendation:  Older students (grades 4 and up) will enjoy exploring the twists and turns of Billy Creekmore’s life from an Appalachian orphanage to the West Virginia coal mines, and finally, to traveling circuses.  Told in Billy’s voice, this historical tale about a boy who has to make his way in the world, relying on his own resources, will appeal to students’ sense of adventure in the same way that Huck Finn and Oliver Twist appeal to young readers.