Meet Samantha

Meet Samantha: An American Girl by Susan Adler

Historical Fiction

In this book we are introduced to Samantha Parkington, a young girl growing up in America in the early 20th century. Samantha lives with her grandmother (who is very wealthy) because her parents died in an accident when she was a baby. We also meet Jessie, the black seamstress; Uncle Gard, Samantha's eccentric uncle; Cornelia, Uncle Gard's suffragist friend; and Nellie, the young girl working as a maid in the house next door whom Samantha befriends. Samantha learns valuable life lessons about the changing world around her and takes us along for the ride with her!

I would use this book to help show students how much the United States has changed. There is a whole line of American Girl books ranging from the colonial period to the mid-20th century. In each book there is a section at the back called "Looking Back," which gives a brief glimpse into life at that time in history. I think that having students read the book and the "Looking Back" section and compare and contrast life in America then and now. You could also go deeper into the book and discuss the topic of women's rights, which is something that the character Cornelia is very passionate about.

American Lives: Thomas Jefferson

American Lives: Thomas Jefferson by Rick Burke

Non-Fiction/Biography

Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States of America, was an interesting man. His many accomplishments include: writing the Declaration of Independence; building his plantation, Monticello; and inventing such things as the swivel chair and the dumbwaiter. After becoming the Governor of Virginia, Secretary of State, and Vice President, Jefferson was elected to the office of President of the United States. His biggest accomplishment as President was the Louisiana Purchase, when the United States bought a very large chunk of what would become the western part of the United States from France. Thomas Jefferson was a very influential person in our country's history and helped to shape it into what it has become today.

I would use this book to help teach students the importance of history and how our country was formed. It would also make a great segue into the way the Declaration of Independence affected our country's history as well as the ways our country has changed since the time Thomas Jefferson was alive.

The Boxcar Children: Mystery Ranch

The Boxcar Children Graphic Novels: Mystery Ranch created by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Realistic Fiction

While the four boxcar children (Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden) are visiting their grandpa for the summer, Grandpa James gets a letter from his sister Jane. The letter says that the neighbor who was taking care of her cannot take care of her for much longer. Since Aunt Jane is not sick (only stubborn), Jessie and Violet offer to go out to her ranch to take care of her. On the train ride there, they run into a mystery man who soon disappears. Aunt Jane starts to warm up to the girls, so they invite Henry, Benny, and Benny's dog Watch out to join them. One day Aunt Jane announces that three men came to her to ask to buy her ranch, but she refused because she wants to sign the ranch over to the Alden children. Excited, the Boxcar Children decide to explore their new ranch. They find a hut on the land and the warm remains of a campfire, so they go to the police to tell them someone has been living on their land. A few days later the mystery man returns and reveals that he was hired by Grandpa James to look for valuable minerals on the ranch- which he found! Their ranch is worth a lot of money! He tells them that the three men tried to buy Aunt Jane's ranch from her because they found the valuable minerals too and wanted to sell them. The three men are caught by the sheriff and the mystery man and won't ever be allowed on the ranch again! The Boxcar Children race back to the ranch to tell Aunt Jane what has happened, and she tells them she thinks their grandfather would be able to help them run the ranch. Grandpa James comes out to the ranch and Aunt Jane apologizes for being so mean to him over the last few years. He accepts her apology and begins work on the ranch immediately. The Boxcar Children have to go home at the end of the summer, but they will definitely be back next summer to visit Aunt Jane, Grandpa, and their ranch!

I would use this graphic novel to discuss point of view (author vs. character). The book uses bubbles when characters are speaking or thinking, but when the author chooses to explain more without using the characters it is in a box, usually in the corner of the frame. It would be very easy for the children to distinguish whether the text was coming from the point of view of the author or the character, and I think that it would be a great introduction of the topic for students.

Ella Enchanted

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Modern Fantasy (Chapter Book)

When she was born, Eleanor "Ella" of Frell was given the gift of obedience by a fairy named Lucinda. This meant that she would always have to obey any order given to her, no matter how big or small. Ella grows up hating Lucinda for giving her this "gift," trying her hardest to break the spell by doing everything she can to not follow orders. When Ella is fifteen her mother dies, leaving her devastated. At her funeral she meets the Prince of Kyrria, Prince Charmont, and they become fast friends. Ella's father grows tired of her disobediance and decides to send her off to boarding school with Hattie and Olive, two girls she hates. Hattie learns Ella's secret and starts to use it against her, and when it becomes too much for Ella to bear she runs away from boarding school. On her journey she runs into elves, ogres, Prince Char, the wedding of a giant, and Lucinda! She eventually makes it back home and begins to write letters to Prince Char, who is on a year-long trip to the neighboring country. Hattie and Olga become Ella's stepsisters, and their mother treats Ella horribly. She falls in love with the prince, but refuses to marry him when he asks her because she is under the spell. When Prince Char tells her to marry him and she refuses, Ella breaks the spell and she and Char live happily ever after.

I would use this book to teach students how to compare and contrast books. Ella Enchanted is based off of the fairy tale 'Cinderella,' and there are definite differences and similarities. It would be a great starting point for comparing and contrasting because the story of Cinderella is a very familiar one with children. It would also be a great book to use when starting predicting because students would have an idea of what would come next and might be able to get a better grasp on the concept.

James and the Giant Peach

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Modern Fantasy (Chapter Book)

James and the Giant Peach is a book about James Henry Trotter, a young boy who is forced to live with his evil aunts after his parents die in a tragic accident at the London Zoo. His aunts, Spiker and Sponge, treat James horribly. One day James accidentally spills a bag of magic crystals all over the old peach tree in the yard, and in no time at all the peach tree has grown a tree the size of a house! There are insects living there, and the centipede bites through the stem of the giant peach, and they begin to roll away, flattening James' evil aunts in the process! The giant peach ends up traveling all the way to New York City. James emerges from the giant peach and tells his story, and the people of New York City hail him and the insects heroes and throw them a parade. The hollow pit of the peach becomes a mansion in Central Park that belongs to James Henry Trotter, who writes a very successful book- James and the Giant Peach!

I think that this book would be a really good book to use when trying to transition students from picture books over to chapter books. It is definitely a chapter book, but it also has a lot of neat pictures that would help students form mental pictures. I also think that this book is a really good example of the Modern Fantasy genre, and would be a great book to use when teaching students about the different genres. It would be a great book to use when talking about prediction, as well!