Sabriel

Abhorson, a powerful mage of the Old Kingdom has disappeared. It's up to his daughter Sabriel to find him. If only it were that simple. You see, Sabriel, like her father, is a necromancer. One who lays the dead to rest and binds evil spirits before they can cross over to the living world. Until now, she has been free of the Old Kingdom where magic reigns supreme and the dead are free to roam. Now she must journey back to the place where she will come face to face with death itself and discover her destiny.


Ever since Harry Potter, fantasy books have become the rage. Even in our own schools! If your students crave this genre, introduce them to Garth Nix. He is truly a master of fantasy and has appeared on numerous best seller lists including The New York Times, Publisher's Weekly, and The Book Seller.

And if that isn't enough to convince you, he also happens to be my favorite author in this genre and comes highly recommended from this very satisfied reader.

Nix, G. (1995). Sabriel. New York: Harper Collins

The Spider and the Fly

A Caldecott Award Winning Book!

Will you walk into my parlour?"
said the Spider to the Fly,
'Tis the prettiest little parlour
that ever you did spy;
The way into my parlour
is up a winding stair,
And I've a many curious things to shew
when you are there."

Creep into the shadowy den of the impeccably dressed spider as he tries to entice a small fly to dinner. Enjoy the classic poem of Mary Howett brought to life by the deliciously creepy artwork of Tony DiTerlizzi!


Go even further with your students! Find out more about Howett and the time period in which she lived. You may be surprised to find that she worked closely with many other famous poets and authors including Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Hans Christian Anderson. Research why she wrote the poem and discuss what the moral is.

Howett, M. (2002). The Spider and The Fly (T. DiTerlizzi, Illus.). New York: Simon & Schuster.

The Thief Lord

A Batcheider Award Winning Book!

Prosper is on the run with his five year old brother Bo. Detective Victor is hot on their trail, trying to return them to an aunt and uncle they want nothing to do with. Luckily, the young thief lord and his family of followers are there to help. But, this street crew is about to get more than they bargained for when the Thief Lord accepts a challenge from Victor himself. Will they ever find a place to belong?

Getting students to enjoy what they read can be like pulling teeth. However, Cornelia Funke's books are so entertaining your students might just forget they're in class. For further exploration, research the city of Venice and its legends!

Check out the trailer for the movie! Have a movie day and compare it to the book!



Funke, C. (2002). The Thief lord. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Flotsam

A Caldecott Award Winning Book!


An Ode to Imagination!



Flotsom is so beautifully illustrated that it doesn't need words to tell its story. Just pictures from a camera that washes up on the shore and into the hands of a little boy.



The question is...where did it come from?



If you're looking for a story to foster creative writing, look no further! This is the perfect addition to any Language Arts classroom. You'll be amazed at what your students come up with!

Wiesner, D. (2006). Flotsam. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Show Way

A Newberry Honor Book!

Imagine holding your four year old daughter in your arms and whispering to her a story that’s been passed down from generation to generation. This is the story of one family’s journey through history passed down through the art of quilt-making. These patch-work pages are sewn together with bright colors, famous quotations, familiar faces, and pictures of important places and events.

Show Way is a pictorial representation of history that your kids can’t afford to miss. Not only does it emotionally expose one’s history, it emphasizes the importance of cultural and generational heritage captured in the folk art and storytelling tradition.

Show the Way to your students!

For online interviews and read alouds from Jacqueline Woodson, please visit: http://www.teachingbooks.net/spec_athr.cgi?pid=3460&a=1

Woodson, J. (2005). Show Way. New York: G.T. Putnam's Sons.

Miss Crandall's School for Young Ladies and Misses of Color

A Notable Children’s Book!

This is a poetic account of the real life school in Canterbury, Connecticut told from multiple perspectives. This school stayed in operation despite racist persecution from 1833 to its forced closure in 1834. Can you imagine your students fighting to stay in school? Once they read this book, they’ll understand the true importance of an education and why a person would fight so hard to protect it.

This book is geared towards older students who are ready for an in depth look at racism and are mature enough to analyze and interpret more complex forms of poetry. It’s the perfect introduction to a high school unit on school segregation. Use this case study as a springboard to create a timeline of important schools, documents, and court cases, concerning school segregation.

Alexander, E. & Nelson, M. (2007). Miss Crandall's school for young ladies and misses of color. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong.

Guts

Plane crashes, moose attacks, dogsled racing … These are just a few of the things you’ll read about in Gary Paulson’s autobiography Guts. Read on to find what real-life events inspired the fictional survival accounts of Brian Robeson in Paulson’s Hatchett series.

This is a must read for students and teachers who want to look more in depth with their favorite authors. There are so many incredible stories of daring adventures, your students won’t want to put it down. Watch time fly because you’ll be done with this book before you know it!

Paulson, G. (2001). Guts: The true stories behind Hatchet and the Brian books. New York: Delacourte Press.

Daniel's Ride

Read this book online at the following website:
http://www.childrenslibrary.org/icdl/BookPreview?bookid=prydnlr_00180001&route=simple_265_0_0_English_0&lang=English&msg=

Meet Daniel. He is just sitting down to breakfast with his family when all of the sudden, the walls start to vibrate and shake. What could be causing it? Is it an earthquake? No way! It’s the stereo system from his brother’s brand spanking new car! Daniel is about to get the ride of his life with the coolest brother in the world!

Sponsored by:

A Library for the World's Children

Please visit the International Children’s Digital Library. You can find it at www.childrenslibrary.org. Here, you can read thousands of storybooks and novels that have been translated into twenty-two different languages! It’s a breeze to find literature from any culture or country to support your social studies and language arts curriculum! Myths, folktales, true stories, children’s books, chapter books, poetry...this site has it all!

The Supernaturalist

In a world with no sponsors, noone has hope of a happy life. Cosmo should know. To the Orphanage where he lives, he's nothing more than a labrat. He has put all his energy into escaping only to be electrocuted and hurled to certain death. He’s a goner for sure.

Until they find him. Who are they? The supernaturalists. Dr. Ferdinand Bertoli’s genetic experiments that were created in his attempts to make superhumans. Bertoli, however, corrupted their DNA, resulting in a series of mutations. Mutations like ESP, slowed aging, and the ability to see microscopic parasites. Parasites that are infecting what’s left of the human population of satallite city.

This is a compelling book if you’re looking for a way to introduce students into the world of science fiction. It’s written by the same author of the Artemis Fowl series, and is sure to intrigue your students as they begin their venture into worlds entirely unlike their own.

Colfer, E. (2004). The Supernaturalists. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.