Out of the Dust

Thank you, Jackie Bassett , for a great way to begin a book talk.

Hesse, K. (1997). Out of the dust. New York:  Scholastic Inc.

            Close your eyes; listen; “Brown earth rained down from the sky.  I could not catch my breath the way the dust pressed on my chest and wouldn’t stop.  The dirt blew down so thick it scratched my eyes and stung my tender skin; it plugged my nose and filled inside my mouth.  No matter how I pressed my lips together, the dust made muddy tracks across my tongue.”  This is the reality that Billy Jo had to deal with more than once in her young life while living in Oklahoma during the years of the dust bowl.  Living with her mom and dad in a small house on an Oklahoma farm, Billy Jo tried to make the best of her situation.  Most days she could, watching her mama’s belly grow bigger each day anticipating the birth of a brother or sister, helping her mama with household chores, but most of all, playing the piano.  Billy Jo loved to play the piano, and she was good at it.  She even made money playing the piano.  However, life was not easy for Billie Jo and her family.  Dust storms coming up out of nowhere, blowing away the land and beating down anything that tried to grow.  And there was never enough rain.  And if this wasn’t hard enough, a tragedy in which Billie Jo feels responsible rips her family apart.  Billie Jo is left scared and broken.  Can Billie Jo find the courage and strength to fight for hope in the midst of so much pain and loss?  Read Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse to find out.

Memories of Summer

Thanks, Markayla, for another way to do a booktalk. PowerPoint Booktalk

  White, R. (2000) Memories of Summer. New York: Dell-Laurel Leaf.

   Information about the book:

         a. Title – Memories of Summer

         b. Author – Ruth White

         c. Genre – Historical Fiction/Realistic Fiction

         Hook:

…        summer turns to winter and the present disappears.

Plot Summary:

                              Have you ever thought about the past and realized how everything has changed? Some things may have changed for the good and others not so good but no matter how hard you try the memories tend to fade and once the disappearing begins you will never be the same.  These facts of life have become prominent for thirteen year old Lyric.  Claude Compton is the Poppy to sixteen year old Summer and thirteen year old Lyric. The family leaves their comfort of the mountains of Virginia, in the summer of 1955, and heads north to Flint Michigan, in hopes of Poppy finding work.  These two sisters share a unique bond; they share dreams, laughter, and hope.  Lyric looks to Summer as a mother figure since their mother passed when they were young.  Once the family settles in the new state and poppy gets a job with the Chevrolet Factory, the girls get to move into a house that has a bathroom, electricity, basement, beds, and a television.  This is a life they couldn’t have imagined back in Virginia but something just isn’t right.  While Lyric adjusts to the new school and students, Summer becomes withdrawn and refuses to return to school after the first few days.  To Poppy’s dismay, Summer quits school to work at a restaurant.  Poppy and Lyric are both happy to see Summer smile again and feel this is what is appropriate for this time of her life.  However, after a few weeks, Summer comes into the house, crawls under the covers, and refuses to speak.  At first, Lyric and her poppy look over the situation and assume it is part of the “growing pains” but when Summer beings to talk to figures in the air, “jibble” becomes her favorite word, her leg twitches, and she begins to scratch and claw away her flawless face.  Doctors treat her wounds and the family brings her home despite the doctor’s suggestions of a mental hospital stay and evaluation.  The family sacrifices many things to care for Summer.  Lyric stays home while her father works and when Summer said she wanted to go out with Lyric for her birthday it seemed to be hope of healing however, it ended up turning into a search party.  Summer begins to fade a little more each day.  Her appearance turns rugged and she finds pleasure in matches and fire.  Lyric tries to keep the memories of Summer alive but sometimes you can’t hold on to shadows.  Will Summer get the help she needs and return or will Lyric finally let go? Read Memories of Summer to find out what lengths one girl will go to rescue her big sister from the monster-schizophrenia.

Read-aloud passages

“I can’t. I can’t fly!”

“Sure you can.  It’s easy.  Just jump up into the air like this.”

And I am flying, flying, but I am still holding on to Summer, trying to help her lift off.  The wolves are closing in.  We can hear them growling and feel their hot breath.

“Don’t leave me, Lyric! Please don’t leave me behind!”

But I am terrified.  I let go of Summer.  I let go and I fly away.  Pg. 67

Music from a Place Called Half Moon

Thanks, Markayla Stevens, for a good review and book talk, including information about the author.

Oughton, J. (1995).  Music from a place called Half Moon. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers.

Link to my book talk 

https://soundcloud.com/markayla-stevens/music-from-a-place-called-half 

Meet the Author

Author - Jerrie Oughton

Jerrie Oughton was born in Atlanta, Georgia but was raised in North Carolina.  Music from a Place Called Half Moon is her first novel for young adults.  This book won the 1995 Bank Street College Award for exceptional literature.  As an author, she likes to travel to different states visiting schools and sharing her inspirational message of never giving up.  She now resides in Lexington, KY.  Attached is a video from a KET interview with Oughton.   

 http://www.ket.org/cgi-bin/cheetah/watch_video.pl?nola=KKYLI+000613 

Summary

Jerrie Oughton wrote this Multicultural chapter book about life in North Carolina, 1956.  In the town of Half Moon, which is a heavily populated white community with a sprawl of Indians living at Davis Bottoms.  This story is about thirteen year old Edie Jo Houp, who befriends sixteen year old, Cherokee Fish.  Living in a community of members who are suspicious and unjust to the idea of integration, makes it difficult for Edie and her Father to fight the battle alone.  The town is bitter toward her father’s speech at church on the opportunity to allow Indians to attend Vacation Bible School. When this assumption caused problems in the community and at home the opportunity seemed to remain hidden away in the minds of only Edie Jo and her Father.  Curious Edie Jo likes to venture up to the saw mill above her home.  She goes there to be alone, think, and write in her notebook.  This seemed to be her private sanctuary until one summer day she hears crunching of grass and whistling coming her way.  Through the blades of tall grass she sees Cherokee Fish, a boy from her school, playing a harmonica.  The only problem is this is not a typical boy, it is an Indian boy.  That summer they share music, poems, and thoughts of leaving this town behind. Will they survive this town and escape? Will the town part ways with the anti-Native American tension? Read this heart wrenching tale of a girl who was “born missing” and proves that friendship has no color.  What will the price she and Cherokee have to pay to make things right and find the “missing piece?”

Literary Terms

Jerrie Oughton used an integral setting to capture the life of those living in North Carolina, 1956.  The story would not had the significant truthfulness if it not be framed in this time period.  The vital dialect, beliefs, and harmony developed this story into a mesmerizing tale of fighting for what is right.  The Prose (style) of this book includes the organizational pattern. This is a chapter book. Each chapter is around eight to twelve pages in length with a total of eighteen chapters.  Unlike most chapter books, this one doesn’t name each chapter, instead a simple number is bold on top of the page.  Word choice is heavily influential in this book.  The wording is a direct example of the Southern language of the fifties.  Example:  “go’n” for the words “going to”. 

Curriculum Activity

After reading this book, an activity to incorporate after the reading would be for students to make a compilation of poems.  Examples of Edie Jo’s poems could be posted in the room. The students could share their writings then bind them into a book, just like the one from the story.  Also, the students could create their own instruments.  This would be a great at-home project and the students could get in groups and play their instruments in class.

Curriculum Standard

Grade 5 – English Language Arts Standard (Key Ideas and Details):

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

Big Questions

       1.        How would you feel being an Indian in this time period of anti-integration?

       2.       What are two ways of how you could propose the idea of integration to the town of Half Moon?

Looking for Alaska

Thanks, Leanna Lunsford.

Green, J. (2005). Looking for Alaska. New York, NY: Dutton Children’s Books. 

  Would you enjoy a book chocked full of one-liner witty humor, humorous and daring pranks and following the life of teenagers who are experiencing the normalcies of teens including independence, immaturity, power struggles and the hard emotional issues of life…….love, loss, grief and forgiveness?

Then you will find yourself lost in this compelling bird's-eye view of the memorable effects of love and death.  Looking for Alaska is separated into two distinct sections entitled "Before" and "After," …………

Before.  Miles "Pudge" Halter, a Florida high school student who’s whole existence has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School in Alabama, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. She’s gorgeous, clever, funny, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating. Alaska Young, is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her labyrinth, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

At Culver Creek, Pudge befriends a ragtag group of early teens. For a while, not much happens aside from these characters' occasional mischief, --- harmless behavior with harmless consequences. His friendship with Alaska has resulted in him falling in love with her.  But then, his world is turned upside down when a tragedy happens.  It’s baffling to Pudge as to how something so unthinkable could have happened to their intimate little community. After. Nothing is ever the same.

I wonder, what could such a tragedy be?  Was it really an accident, or was it a selfish attempt for Alaska to plow her way out of the labyrinth? Could her friends have stopped her, knowing what they knew about her past? Would life ever be the same?  You won’t be able to put this book down, Looking for Alaska by John Green, as you search for these answers and relate to the “coming of age” of teenage years.

http://vocaroo.com/i/s1MRUf3eBMTg

Because of Winn Dixie

Jackie Bassett put a spin on her booktalk, having Winn-Dixie doing the speaking!

DiCamillo, K. (2009).  Because of Winn Dixie.  Somerville, MA:  Candlewick Press.

India Opal Buloni is my best friend.  Yep, you heard me right; her last name is Buloni, which is also one of my favorite things.  She and I became best friends when she rescued me from being locked up by the manager of the local Winn-Dixie.  I was causing a little ruckus and the manager wasn’t real happy about it.  As I rounded the corner and skidded in front of Opal, I know she thought I was big and ugly too, but when I grinned at her, she couldn’t resist and so she said I was with her.  Opal and I had our work cut out for us, convincing her father to let me stay at their place.  Her father, the preacher, well, he doesn’t take kindly to strangers.  Opal says he’s like a turtle.  Always pulling himself into his turtle shell.  He’s been like that since Opal’s mama left them when Opal was just a little thing.  The two things Opal wants most in the world is to know 10 things about her mama and to make friends.   What Opal didn’t realize when she brought me home, was that I have a way with people;  a way of bringing out the best in people and causing people to open right up and want to be friends.   Imagine Opal’s surprise when I help her become friends with the local librarian who’s sure she’s seen a bear, prune-faced Amanda, a witch that lives at the end of the lane and some bald-headed bullies.  Want to know what happens?  Then read the story Because of Winn-Dixie.  Oh, by the way, I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Winn-Dixie and I happen to be a dog, and Opal’s best friend. 

Clementine

Thanks to Katie Sproles for an excellent Booktalk!
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1QkBqTJseP0

Pennypacker, S. (2006). Clementine. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children.

Are you curious about things? Do you sometimes feel like the world just doesn’t understand you?

This is exactly how our quirky, red-headed main character Clementine feels a lot of the time. Nothing she does seems to ever go right. When Clementine makes a decision, there is usually some kind of consequence. When her friend Margaret complains about her hair, only Clementine would be willing to help. However, that doesn’t turn out so well. After Margaret’s, let’s say interesting, haircut Clementine’s week goes from bad to worse. She feels like everyone is mad at her and she wants to find a way to fix it. Clementine really means well, it just might not seem like that to others. Find out how Clementine tries to fix her wrongs, and you might even see a bit of yourself in her. If you’re looking for a laugh, then read Clementine by Sara Pennypacker. This is great read for all ages. You might just find yourself dying to read the other books in the series!

Another booktalk take by Alison Kerns:

Everybody has good days and bad days, but have you ever heard of someone having an entire bad week? That is exactly what happens to Clementine in her personal narrative about her week. Her parents and even Margaret’s mother are always telling her to think before she does anything. Sound familiar? She always has a solution or idea for every problem, however manages to get in trouble for them. Clementine claims that “spectacular ideas are always sproinging up in her brain”. Margaret is in the bathroom crying because of the glue in her hair and the chunk of hair that she cut out to remedy the situation. Clementine’s trouble only begins as she harmlessly tries to help her friend Margaret finish trimming her hair. Clementine lands herself in Principal Rice’s office.

Makes sense right? Only Clemetine thinks Margaret’s hair looks like a dandelion. Could things possibly get any worse? Find out in this hilarious book by Sara Pennypacker.

The City of Ember

Thanks, Megan Crabb, for reminding us that this book is part of a series.
DuPrau. J. (2003). The city of Ember. New York, N.Y.: Random House Publishers.
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0kQOkZmhBMQ

Have you ever wondered what would happen if the lights went out on your city, and never came back on? For 12 year old, Lina Mayfleet, this fear is real. In the city of Ember, the only light is provided by old flood lamps that come on when it is time to work and go off when it is time to sleep. Lately, though, the lights have been flickering a lot and total darkness during the middle of the day is no longer uncommon.

On Assignment Day, Lina is stuck with one of the worst jobs in Ember: pipeworker. To her surprise, an old friend comes to her rescue. Doon Harrow and Lina used to be best friends. When Doon offers to trade jobs with Lina, that friendship begins to rekindle itself. As Lina begins her dream job as messenger, she realizes that something is amiss in Ember. She stumbles upon a secret that has been kept for over 200 years; something the builders didn’t want to share. With the food stockpile running low and the city’s generator on its last leg, Lina and Doon decide they need to do something to save their city. 

The City of Ember is the first in a series of books about the world after a meltdown and the secret meant to save humanity. If you liked The Giver, Under the Empyrean Sky, or The Maze Runner, you’ll love The City of Ember.