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Georgia Book Award Nominee 2009-2010: The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous

readingt — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:31:10 +0000

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.

Georgia Book Award Nominee 2009-2010: Uprising

readingt — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 04:56:12 +0000

Uprising by: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Summary: In 1927, at the urging of twenty-one-year-old Harriet, Mrs. Livingston reluctantly recalls her experiences at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory, including miserable working conditions that led to a strike, then the fire that took the lives of her two best friends, when Harriet, the boss’s daughter, was only five years old. Includes historical notes.

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

Teacher’s Guide (Indepth Lesson Plan):
http://urbandreams.ousd.k12.ca.us/lessonplans/triangle/index.html

Related Links: The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

Triangle Factory Fire Online Exhibit by Cornell University

Related Links: The Gilded Age

Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt (NPR Article with Photos)

Related Links: New York City History

Big Apple History from PBS Kids

Related Links: Shirtwaists

Photo of Shirtwaist

Related Links: Strikes and Labor Unions

AFL-CIO: The Uprising of 20,000 and the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

Related Links: Women’s Suffrage

Alva Vanderbilt Belmont: Suffragist

Votes for Women: Selections from the National American Woman Suffrage Association Collection, 1848-1921 (For Teachers with Great Images from the Library of Congress)

Related Links: Wright Brothers

Discovery Channel: The Wright Stuff

National Geographic: Short Video on History of Flight

Read Aloud Recommendation: This book would be a good choice when studying the Industrial Revolution, suffrage/women’s rights, immigration, the Gilded Age, or American immigration. It’s also an engaging example of historical fiction. Knowing that two characters perish in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, but not knowing which character survived keeps the reader intrigued.

Georgia Book Award Nominee 2009-2010: Saving the Griffin

readingt — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:32:56 +0000

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: