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 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

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).

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.

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 Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous
by:  Suzanne Crowley

Summary: In the small town of Jumbo, Texas, thirteen-year-old Merilee, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, tries to live a “very ordered existence,” but disruptions begin when a boy and his father arrive in town and the youngster makes himself a part of the family.

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

Other Author Resources:

School Library Journal Article:  The Voices of Autism (August 1, 2009)

Author Interview about The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous and Writing @ Cynsations

Author Interview about New Book, The Stolen One, and The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous @Kathyerskine’s Blog

Multimedia Resources:

Link to Audio Excerpt of The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous @ Harper Collins Web Site

Teacher’s Guide:  Not Currently Available

Related Links:  Autism-Asperger’s Syndrome

Autism Spectrum Disorders:  Fact Sheet (Introduction to Asperger’s Syndrome)

ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education:  Asperger Syndrome FAQ

General Information about Asperger’s Syndrome @ kidshealth.org

Related Links:  Dragons

Dragon Links from The Dragon Theme Page (Created by Jerri S. Cheek at the ETTC, Kennesaw State University) Lots and lots of Web resources!!

Dragons Featured on Animal Planet (includes multimedia segments of new show about dragonsincluding mythology of dragons)

Related Links:  Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Characteristics of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (University of Illinois at Chicago)

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Information @ the Mayo Clinic Web Site

Related Links:  Ghost Lights

Earth Lights:  Spooklights and Ghost Lights

Haunted Georgia:  Surrency Ghost (A Local Legend)

Read Aloud Recommendation: In my opinion, it takes quite a few chapters to understand the complexities of the characters in this story, and therefore, it may not be the best story for reading aloud with younger students.  More mature students could handle the slower pace of the story as the characters develop.  I recommend this book for older students, grades 5 and up.   It is a wonderful story if readers can hang in there.

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).

Deep and Dark and Dangerous:  A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn

Summary: When thirteen-year-old Ali spends the summer with her aunt and cousin at the family’s vacation home, she stumbles upon a secret that her mother and aunt have been hiding for over thirty years.

Author Web Site:  http://www.hmhbooks.com/features/mdh/index.html

Teacher’s Guide: Not Currently Available

Teacher Resources: Classroom Connections, Great Resources Posted by Elizabeth Borne, a Student at LSU School of Library and Information Science

Multimedia:  Digital Booktalk

Related Links:  Ghost Stories

American Folklore (Stories to Read and Audio Podcasts)

August House:  Tips for Scary Storytelling (Link provided to 20 page pdf document, “The August House Scary Story Startup Kit”)

Related Links:  Maine

Interactive Map with Photo and Video Links a the Maine Office of Tourism Web Site

Videos of Maine at the Maine Office of Tourism Web Site

Read-Aloud Recommendation: Oh, yeah!! This novel is a spine chiller, sure to keep students’ interest.  If you need a good ghost story, this book is for you.

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).

Trading Places by Claudia Mills

Summary: When fifth-grade twins, Amy and Todd, tackle a school project, they also have to cope with issues of friendship at school and problems at home, including their father’s unemployment.

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

Author Interview: http://www.childrenslit.com/childrenslit/mai_mills_claudia.html

Teacher’s Guide:  Not Currently Available

Related Links:  Entrepreneurship

EconEdLink (Lesson Plan from The Council for Economic Education):  I Can Be an Entrepreneur

EconEdLink (Lesson Plan from The Council for Economic Education):  Not Your Grandma’s Lemonade Stand

Virtual Lemonade Stand

Related Links:  Mini-Society Curriculum

http://www.mini-society.com

Related Links:  Poetry for Kids

Gigglepoetry.com
This poetry Web site of Meadowbrook Press includes funny poems, poetry contests, and lots of ideas for teachers.  One neat feature of the site is Ask the Poet Interviews, which include interviews of Darren Sardelli, Bruce Lansky, Eileen Spinelli, Kenn Nesbitt, and many more authors.

Haiku:  How to Write a Haiku Poem by Giggle Poetry
This section of gigglepoetry.com offers a brief explanation, examples, and a short lesson.

Haiku Teaching Unit
This fourteen (14) day unit on haiku poetry was developed by a fifth grade teacher.

Poetryarchive.org
Wow!! Need poetry readings by children’s poets?  Some are audio clips (Roald Dahl reading “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf”) and some are video clips including interviews (Valerie Bloom).  There are currently 28 poets featured with photos, biographies, poetry readings, and in some cases, video clips of interviews and readings.  There are also links to the poet’s Web sites and publisher sites.  Very well done!

Poetry4kids.com
This poetry Web site of Kenn Nesbitt includes funny poems, lessons, games, contests, a rhyming dictionary, and much more!

Poetry for Kids:  Types of Poetry
This site offers a explanation and example of different types of poetry including acrostic, alphabet, autobiographical, ballad, cinquain, color, diamante, epitaph, explorer, haiku, and more with Web links to further resources about each.

Storyit.com:  Poems for Children
This site contains a wealth of resources including classic poems for children to read online (with a selection of these poems illustrated for printing/display), as well as seasonal themes (poems, story starters, picture prompts, and more about seasons and holidays), and write on shapes (clip art designed to print as lined shapes for use in writing projects.

Read-Aloud Recommendation: Recommended.  While this book does not have a fast paced storyline, the story deals with the realities of school and family relationships.  It also delves into economic realities, both through the characters struggle to create and market a product and through the unemployment woes of the former family breadwinner.  Students will be able to identify with this story.

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 Puzzling World of Winston Breen by:  Eric Berlin

Summary: Winston Breen loves solving puzzles; and when his sister uncovers a twenty-five-year-old scavenger hunt (which leads to a ring worth thousands of dollars), he and his family jump at the opportunity to solve it.

Author/Publisher Web Site:  http://www.winstonbreen.com
Download and print a copy of all the puzzles so your kids won’t write in the book.  They’ll want to solve them all!

Teacher’s Guide:  Not Currently Available

Teacher Resources:

Best Kids Mystery Books from Suite101.com (Good choices in my opinion!!)

Interview with Author (text)

What is a Mystery?  (Lesson Plans Include Mystery Vocabulary, Elements of a Mystery, Writing Mysteries, etc.)

Related Links:  Multimedia

Book Trailer Created by Educators in the Liberty County School System

Related Links:  Mysteries

A. Pintura:  Art Detective (Online Art Mystery/Simulation)

Mini-Mysteries for Kids at kids.mysterynet.com

Related Links:  Puzzle Sites for Kids

Anagram Server from Wordsmith.org (Find anagrams for any word!)

Guess the Anagram & See the Answer Immediately  (Over 600 Anagrams from Everyday Things)

Online Jigsaw Puzzles, Include Tesselation Cuts (Can Login as Guest to Play)

Puzzle Choice for Kids:  Interactive Puzzles to Complete Online

Puzzle Choice for Kids:  Printable Puzzles

Read Aloud Recommendation: Unquestionably!! This is a good mystery adventure full of puzzles that you could give your students to try and solve before revealing the answer.  Kids will enjoy exploring the different types of puzzles found in this book.

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).

Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson

Summary: When a new, white student nicknamed “The Jesus Boy” joins her sixth grade class in the winter of 1971, Frannie’s growing friendship with him makes her start to see some things in a new light.

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

Teaching Resources:

Teacher’s Guide:  Not Currently Available

Lesson Plan from National Council of Teachers of English on Similar Books (Does Not Include Feathers, But Could Be Used As Building Block/Includes The Other Side, a Picture Book by Woodson )

Reading Guide of Discussion Questions by Penguin Publishing

Review Suitable for Booktalk from Kidsread.com

Related Links:  Civil Rights

Brown v. Board of Education:  National Archive Documents and Lesson Plans

Learn NC:  Race Relations (Includes Multimedia Resources)

Research Starters from Scholastic:  Civil Rights

Related Links:  Emily Dickinson

Biography of Emily Dickinson from the Academy of American Poets Web Site

Dickinson Electronic Archives

Teaching with Emily Dickinson:  The Classroom Electric (Emily Dickinson Resources)

Text and Slideshow of Entire Poem (TextFlow) from the Academy of American Poets Web Site

Excerpt:

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
-Emily Dickinson

Related Links:  Hearing Impaired

Resources from the American Society for Deaf Children

Resources from Raising Deaf Kids

Related Links: Multimedia

Slideshow and Reading of Excerpt from Feathers on the Author’s Web Site

Mini Documentary of Woodson on Writing Realistic Fiction, Video of Author Reading from Feathers, & More

Related Links:  Sign Language

First 100 Signs (with Illustrations, Descriptions, and Photos of Person Making Each Sign)

Handspeak.com (including American Sign Language Online Dictionary with Videos Showing Signing of Words)

Read Aloud Recommendation: This is a good book to open dialogue about social issues such as race relations.  It will challenge students to question social injustices such as prejudice and stereotyping.

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).

Saving the Griffin by :  Kristin Wolden Nitz

Summary: When eleven-year-old Kate and her younger brother Michael encounter a baby griffin in an Italian garden, they vow to help the creature find its way back home and to keep Griffo’s existence a secret.

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

Teacher’s Guide:  Not Currently Available

Behind the Scenes from the Author’s Blog:  http://kristinwoldennitz.wordpress.com/category/saving-the-griffin

Definition of Griffin:

A griffin is a legendary creature, usually represented in literature and art as having the head, beak, and wings of an eagle, the body and legs of a lion, and occasionally a serpent’s tail. The griffin seems to have originated in the Middle East, as it is found in the paintings and sculptures of the ancient Babylonians, Assyrians, and Persians. The Romans used the griffin merely for decorative purposes in friezes and on table legs, altars, and candelabra. The griffin motif appeared in early Christian times in the bestiaries, or beast allegories, of St. Basil and St. Ambrose. Stone replicas of griffins frequently served as gargoyles in the Gothic architecture of the late Middle Ages. The griffin is still a familiar device in heraldry and is thought to represent strength and vigilance.

Citation
Griffin. (2009). Retrieved August 16, 2009, from
Discovery Education: http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/

Griffin Gargoyle Photos:

Credit:

Related Links:  Griffin (Mythical Creature)

KidzWorld:  Griffin

Mythical Creatures Coloring Pages

Related Links:  Florence, Italy

Guide to Italy (Photos and Video of Florence)

Related Links:  Sienna, Italy

Guide to Italy (Photos of Siena)

Video of Siena, Italy from GeoBeats

Related Links:  Basic Italian

Children’s Conversational Italian (Short Audio Files by Native Speakers)

Video of Top Local Italian Phrases from GeoBeats

Read Aloud Recommendation: Definitely!  This story has fantasy, adventure, and a hint of danger.

I read Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief when it was nominated for the 2009 Georgia Book Award.  I preceded to read the entire series as the books became available.  The Percy Jackson books are fast paced and entertaining.  The series centers around stories and characters from the Greek myths, in a modern day setting.  It was no surprise to me that The Lightning Thief was selected as the 2009 Georgia Book Award Winner by students across Georgia (grades 4-8) .

Book 1:  The Lightning Thief (Georgia Book Award Winner, 2009)

Summary: After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea, twelve-year-old Percy is sent to a summer camp for demigods like himself, and joins his new friends on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.

Book 2:  The Sea of Monsters

Summary: Seventh-grader Percy Jackson has recently discovered that he is the son of Poseidon, making him half human and half god, and along with his a demigod and a satyr friend, must save his beloved Camp Half-Blood from evil forces determined to destroy it.

Book 3:  The Curse of the Titans

Summary: The disappearance of the goddess Artemis while out hunting a rare, ancient monster, prompts a group of her followers to join Percy and his friends in an attempt to find and rescue her before the winter solstice, when her influence is needed to sway the Olympian Council regarding the war with the Titans.

Book 4:  The Battle of the Labyrinth

Summary: When demonic cheerleaders invade his high school, Percy Jackson hurries to Camp Half Blood, from whence he and his demigod friends set out on a quest through the Labyrinth, while the war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near.

Book 5:  The Last Olympian

Summary: The long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy Jackson’s sixteenth birthday unfolds as he leads an army of young demigods to stop Kronos in his advance on New York City, while the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster, Typhon.

Teacher’s Guide to Percy Jackson Series (including Author Interviews, Discussion Questions, Reader’s Theatre Scripts, Literature Circle Activities, Units, and More!!)

Recommended by the Author:  Mythology Sites

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).

Bearwalker by:  Joseph Bruchac

Summary: Although he is the littlest student in his class, thirteen-year-old Baron Braun calls upon the strength and wisdom of his Mohawk ancestors to face both man and beast when he tries to get help for his classmates, who are being terrorized during a school field trip in the Adirondacks.

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

Teacher’s Guide: Not Currently Available

Related Links:  Adirondack Mountains

Adirondacks.net:  Official Guide to the Adirondacks

Encyclopedia Brittanica:  Adirondack Mountains

Visit Adirondacks:  Official Travel Information for the Adirondack Region of New York State

Related Links: Author Interviews

Scholastic Interview with Video

Related Links:  Bears

Animal Bytes:  Bear Information by Scientists of SeaWorld and Busch Gardens

Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology):  Ursidae (Bear Family)

Bears.org (Species, Myths, Essays, and Media)

Vital Ground (Grizzly Facts & Multimedia Gallery of Videos)

Related Links:  Camping

Camping Tips for Beginners

CDC:  Camping Health (Tips)

How Stuff Works:  Compass

Related Links:  Native American Resources

American Folklore:  Native American Myths and Legends

Facts for Kids:  Mohawk Indians

Native American Tribes of New York

Read Aloud Recommendation:
Absolutely. This book is a great thriller, full of suspense and danger!