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 Rising Star of Rusty Nail by Leslie M. M. Blume

Summary: In the small town of Rusty Nail, Minnesota, in the early 1950s, musically talented ten-year-old Franny wants to take advanced piano lessons from newcomer Olga Malenkov, a famous Russian musician suspected of being a communist spy by gossipy members of the community.

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

Related Links:  Teacher’s Resources

Booktalk @ Random House

Real Star of Rusty Nail (Basis for Main Character of Franny Hansen According to Author)

Related Links:  American Coot

American Coot, Identification by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology

Related Links:  Cold War

McCarthyism:  A Description by PBS

The Price of Freedom:  Printable Exhibition by The Smithsonian

Related Links:  Multimedia



Description:  YouTube Video of Piano Concerto No. 2, First Movement (Moderato)
Please view this version of the video, as it is from the original source, if possible.

Description:  YouTube Video of Piano Concerto No. 2, First Movement (Moderato) Saved for Schools with Content Filters
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:  Sergei Rachmaninoff (Composer, Pianist, and Conductor)

Classics for Kids:  Biography of Rachmaninoff

Detailed Biography at Classical Net

Related Links:  Young Musicians

Kids, Keyboards and Classics (Article and Recorded NPR Show about Pianists 12-16 at the International Institute for Young Musicians in Lawrence, Kansas)

Read Aloud Recommendation: A good read aloud to pick for discussions about goals and hard work.  This book would also help students to better understand the 1950s, the Anti Communist Movement (and propaganda), and the McCarty hearings (hearings conducted by the House Committee on Un-American Activities).