America is Under Attack: September 11, 2001: The Day the Towers Fell - Don Brown

      

America is Under Attack: September 11, 2001: The Day the Towers Fell - Don Brown

Bibliography: 

Brown, D., & Arnold, A. (2014). America is under attack: September 11, 2001: The day the towers fell. Square Fish/Roaring Brook Press. 

Plot Summary: 

Provides a chronological account of September 11, 2001, including the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., as well as the hijacking of a plane that crashed in Pennsylvania.

Critical Analysis:

America is Under Attack touches upon some very scary, and very real, situations surrounding the 9-11 attacks. It was pretty hard to read, even though this is a simplified and more "friendly" recount of the tragedy, meant for children. 

I have not read any other books from Brown's "Actual Times" series about historical events, but I did think this was a good way to tell the story of September 11th -- the tragedy of it, the heroes that sacrificed their own lives to save complete strangers, and the strength of the human spirit when it seems impossible. I would say this book is good for grades 3-6 and possibly beyond. It's very informative, providing actual quotes from survivors and many details about the attacks and the events which unfolded afterwards. 

The illustrations are great -- this is such an emotional day to recall, and although some of the images are hard to look at because I remember the day so vividly, I think the author did a great job of combining visuals and text in a way that is emotional, but not too emotional for children to handle.

I think the possibilities for classroom applications using this book -- and others like it -- in elementary classrooms are plentiful. Obviously, this would fit seamlessly into a social studies unit about either this event specifically, or in a larger unit dealing with terrorism or crisis situations. There are so many opportunities for deep and meaningful whole class or small group discussions based on the events of 9-11, and although students in elementary school were (likely) not born yet, I'm sure their parents and/or siblings do remember the day clearly. 

Review Excerpt: 

The Horn Book (starred review)

Illustrated on every spread with line-and-wash pictures that are forthright but never sensational, the book is superbly focused and completely honest.

School Library Journal (starred review)

Brown's compelling narrative chronologically recounts the morning's events in a tone both straightforward and compassionate, without resorting to sensationalism.

Booklist

Brown's take . . . is a model of straightforward, earnest nonfiction writing that brings things to many an uncomfortable point--that cannot be avoided--without going too far.

Connections:

September 11th

US History

First Person Accounts

Political Science

Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World - Sy Montgomery

      

Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World by Sy Montgomery

Bibliography: 

Montgomery, S. (2014). Temple grandin how the girl who loved cows embraced autism and changed the world. Turtleback Books. 

Plot Summary: 

Includes bibliographical references (pages 134-138), filmography (page 138), and index. Examines the life and accomplishments of Temple Grandin, whose childhood diagnosis of autism and love of cows led her to revolutionize the livestock industry.

Critical Analysis:

People, especially children, have a very difficult time understanding autism and its symptoms. Like it is hard for Temple Grandin to understand people's body language and their motives, it is hard for other people to understand what is going on in Temple's mind. Montgomery explains autism in a very fresh and simple way, using insightful comparisons that children can grasp. Too many books about people who have autism or other disorders ask the reader to feel sympathy for these people. Montgomery does better. She asks the reader to accept and value Grandin as a whole person. Readers will come to admire her for exactly who she is and the many things she has accomplished. It may be difficult to read some of the descriptions of the cruel treatment of food animals or their quality of life but it forces the reader to see, not only the harsh reality, but how brave Grandin is and was to confront this reality. While the reader may think, "this is horrible", Temple thought "This is horrible- I need to change this," and "I *can* change this." I feel better knowing that a person like Temple Grandin is out there.

Review Excerpt: 

Kirkus Reviews

A well written, admiring and thought-provoking portrait.

Horn Book

Montgomery's book not only tells the powerful story of one amazing woman's life journey, but also has potential to help readers understand autistic people and animals.

Booklist

It isn't easy to describe how the mind of someone with autism works, but Montgomery's biography effectively breaks the disorder down for a younger audience while introducing the extraordinary life of activist Temple Grandin.

Connections:

Unit over Learning Disabilities

Biography/Memoir Unit

Learning more about how different inventions have come to be

#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women - Mary Beth Latherdale & Lisa Charleyboy

      

#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women Edited by Mary Beth Leatherdale & Lisa Charleyboy

Bibliography: 

Charleyboy, L., & Leatherdale, M. B. (2017). #not your princess: Voices of native american women. Annick Press. 

Plot Summary: 

An eclectic collection of poems, essays, interviews, and art that combine to express the experience of being a Native woman. Stories of abuse, humiliation, and stereotyping are countered by the voices of passionate women making themselves heard and demanding change.

Critical Analysis:

#NotYourPrincess is a beautiful collection of stories, poems, and artwork that honor and celebrate Indigenous women and their legacy. This collection tackles a lot of issues that indigenous women face- the shame that is forced on these women, the disrespect and dismissal of their history, and the legacy of pain inherited through generations. But we also see these women unburdening themselves - we see them reclaiming their rich history and begin the process of healing and renewing their sense of self. They challenge western beauty standards and the harmful Indian Maiden controlling images that erases their existence in the present, limiting their sociopolitical and economic power. Some of my favorite pieces in the collection were “Reclaiming Indigenous Women’s Rights” by Nahanni Fontaine, ,Resilient by Sierra Edd, Tagé Cho by Lianne Marie Charlie, “Leaks” by Leanne Simpson, and “We are Not a Costume” by Jessica Deer. This was a really great celebration of Indigenous women and their rich and varied history.

Review Excerpt: 

Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Original and accessible, both an exuberant work of art and a uniquely valuable resource.

School Library Journal (starred review)

[H]onest portrayals of strong, hopeful, and courageous indigenous youth living non-stereotypical lives. Not to be missed.

Connections:

Native American Unit

Women’s Studies Unit

An Anthology/Ministories Unit

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs

     

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Bibliography: 

Riggs, R. (2016). Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Quirk Books. 

Plot Summary: 

Sixteen-year-old Jacob, having traveled to a remote island after a family tragedy, discovers an abandoned orphanage, and, after some investigating, he learns the children who lived there may have been dangerous and quarantined and may also still be alive.

Critical Analysis:

This was a very fun and peculiar read. The beginning was very interesting, with Jacob finding his way to the orphanage and exploring it. I found it very gripping and the atmosphere was exactly what I was hoping for. Creepy!

The photos were a wonderful addition to the book, vintage looking and creepy. I have always loved looking through old photo albums, discovering the stories behind each picture. So, I had a lot of fun with these pictures. I couldn’t wait to discover a new one, examining them closely and looking for hidden clues. 

The story did remind me of X-Men, but that didn’t really bother me. After all, most stories borrow ideas from other ones. But the story felt a little disjointed, sometimes slow and repetitive, with Jacob going from one place to another and sometimes I found the story that gripping I couldn’t stop reading.

The plot was rather predictable and nothing special. Once again the children do what they are not supposed to! Yeah, I saw that coming from miles away. I liked the children, but I wish there had been more character development. Jacob started as a slightly annoying character but I grew fond of him as his character developed. His character growth was quite nice.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. I was expecting something really scary and creepy and less than half of the book lived up to my expectations. So, don’t start this book expecting a horror story, this is a fantasy! A fun and peculiar fantasy.

Review Excerpt: 

Associated Press

Riggs deftly moves between fantasy and reality, prose and photography to create an enchanting and at times positively terrifying story.

USA Today

[A] thrilling, Tim Burton-esque tale with haunting photographs.

Connections:

Author Interview: https://www.npr.org/2016/09/01/492203095/literary-it-couple-taherer-mafi-and-ransom-riggs-have-new-books-coming-out

Supernatural/Fantasy Unit

Books set in Europe - Books around the World Unit

Scythe - Neal Shusterman

    

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Bibliography: 

Shusterman, N. (2022). Scythe. Walker Books Ltd. 

Plot Summary: 

In a world where disease has been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed ('gleaned') by professional reapers ('scythes'). Two teens must compete with each other to become a scythe--a position neither of them wants. The one who becomes a scythe must kill the one who doesn't.

Critical Analysis:

I honestly had no expectations for this book whatsoever, so I think its pretty safe to say that this was so much better than I thought it would be! and I can definitely understand the hype - the concept was just so fascinating. Maybe its because I havent read a dystopian novel in quite some time, but I found this to be so interesting! The writing was so nicely done, as well. It was quite crafty in a way - I felt like there were so many little cliffhangers throughout the book that I had the immense need to just read without stopping. however, I could have done without the journal entries before each chapter (I actually started skipping them once I realized they weren’t relevant to the immediate plot).

Overall, this was quite enjoyable, and I’m excited to see what the second book has to offer!

Review Excerpt: 

New York Times Book Review

Full of sly plot twists and absorbing set pieces. 

Kirkus Reviews

Elegant and elegiac, brooding but imbued with gallows humor, Shusterman's dark tale thrusts realistic, likeable teens into a surreal situation and raises deep philosophic questions. A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning.

Connections:

Good Vs. Evil Concepts

Social Emotional Learning 

Dystopian Science Fiction Unit

The Dispossessed - Ursula LeGuin

   

The Dispossessed by Ursula LeGuin

Bibliography: 

LeGuin, U. K. (1985). The dispossessed. Panther Books. 

Plot Summary: 

Shevek, a brilliant physicist, attempts to reunite two planets cut off from each other by centuries of distrust.

Critical Analysis:

In this book, Le Guin explores such topics as forms of government, individual freedoms, ecology, power, language, humility vs. egoism, and idealism vs. pragmatism. I think it is most successful as a platform for thinking through these philosophical concepts. It is less successful as an engrossing story. Most of the book is spent in world-building, showing what life is like on each planet. Shevek’s journey highlights the strengths and weaknesses inherent in the different ideologies. The plot and the characters, except for Shevek, are rather thin. It is certainly a thinking person’s book. It underscores the importance of knowing what should replace the methods we seek to change. Recommended to those that enjoy analyzing advantages and disadvantages of different social systems.

Review Excerpt: 

Library Journal

Excellent characterization and meaningful ideas make this one of the most important [science fiction] novels of the last several years.

New York Times Book Review

A seamless creation: every thing is made up, nothing seems arbitrary...Le Guin’s book [is] written in her solid, no-nonsense prose

Kirkus Reviews

The novel flashes back and forth . . . and delicately develops both the strengths and weaknesses of the two social systems, the contrasting textures of the two kinds of social experience . . . All through, this impresses with small but incalculably right choices which add up solidly and confirm Ms. Le Guin as one of our finest projectionists of brave old and other worlds.

Connections:

Unit with Fantasy/Science-Fiction and you could probably do a whole unit with just Ursula LeGuin. She has so many books that blur the line between Fantasy and Sci-Fi.

Anarchism/Anarchy

Books about Utopia and what is a Utopia

Luck Of The Titanic - Stacey Lee

  

Luck Of The Titanic by Stacey Lee

Bibliography: 

Lee, S. (2022). Luck of the Titanic. G.P. Putnam’s Sons. 

Plot Summary: 

After smuggling herself onto the RMS Titanic, British-Chinese teenager Valora Luck reunites with her twin brother and tries to convince him that their acrobatic training could be their ticket to a better life.

Critical Analysis:

I know what happened to the Titanic. I’ve seen the movies, read the books, visited the museum. And yet somehow I let myself get attached to the characters in this book, but in my defense they were so well written. Valora Luck is a spectacular young lady who manages to stowaway on the Titanic. And she manages to find some allies and fool her way into a first class cabin that should have belonged to her recently departed mistress. She’s doing everything she can to find her brother and help him realize that their destiny is to go to New York and join the circus. Her brother, Jamie, has other plans and is enjoying working on ships and tries to persuade Valora to go back to England. Valora and Jamie are from Chinese descent, but they are from England. The racism that they face aboard the Titanic was hard to read, but I am sure it was not as graphic as it was then. I devoured this book and really enjoyed the story (even if I spent the last fifth or so of the book crying).

Review Excerpt: 

Kirkus Reviews

A gem from start to bittersweet finish.

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A finely crafted historical exploration of identity, class, and family that resonates through the present.

The Horn Book

Lee creates vivid backstories for her characters and . . . memorable scenes of warmth, joy, romance, and daring . . . Heart-wrenching—and unexpected.

School Library Journal (starred review)

With a compassionate, strong heroine and a diverse cast, this is an exciting, important retelling of the Titanic tragedy.

Connections:

Unit over the Titanic - Having Nonfiction as well has historical fiction that has a setting of the Titanic

Asian American Heritage Month

Survival or Adventure

Boston Jane: An Adventure - Jennifer L. Holm

 

Boston Jane: An Adventure by Jennifer L. Holm

Bibliography: 

Holm, J. L. (2010). Boston Jane: An adventure. Random House. 

Plot Summary: 

Schooled in the lessons of etiquette for young ladies of 1854, Miss Jane Peck of Philadelphia finds little use for manners during her long sea voyage to the Pacific Northwest and while living among the American traders and Chinook Indians of Washington Territory.

Critical Analysis:

I really enjoyed this book. I could hardly put it down! It reminded me, almost exactly, of True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, which I read recently. However, it had a bit more history because an important element to the plot was Native American relationships with the white men. 

This story also contained a romantic plot, which was nice, but not the main draw for me. I particularly loved this story because of the message it sent about women. I was annoyed for half of the book because Jane was holding back her true self in compliance to what a man thought a woman should be like. However, that issue was resolved for me when her hard circumstances forced her to shed her vanity and become courageous, opinionated, strong, and slightly unrefined. The evolution of her character was fascinating and actually quite realistic. 

A great read for teen girls. 

Review Excerpt: 

School Library Journal

As a storyteller, Holm is superb.

ALA Booklist (starred review)

A first-rate story not to be missed.

Washington

The fascinating details and humor herein are sure to hit home with fans of historical fiction.

Connections:

Boston Jane Unit - An Adventure, Wilderness Days, The Claim

Native Americans - Chinook, North West Washington

Manners & Etiquette with 19th Century Girls/Women

The Fountains of Silence - Ruth Sepetys

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

Bibliography: 

Sepetys, R. (2020). The fountains of silence. Penguin USA. 

Plot Summary: 

At the Castellana Hilton in 1957 Madrid, eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson connects with Ana Moreno through photography and fate as Daniel discovers the incredibly dark side of the city under Generalissimo Franco's rule.

Critical Analysis:

This book was definitely an informative read, I knew next to nothing about Spain during Franco’s rule, only a little about Franco. This book enlightened me on the horrors that were going on under his rule, something that is still being felt today. That being said, Ruta Sepetys can definitely inform and make a pretty good story at the same time with made up characters! 

The characters in this book felt slightly detached for me, but that might be because they come from such different background than me, which I respect. I can say that it took me a while to like Daniel, but I did enjoy the journey that went on with him and discovering how Spain went on with things, because I was learning along with him. Ana was a lovely character and I enjoyed seeing her family’s journey in this book. 

Also, like always, Ruta is quite good at twisting my heart. I did not feel a whole lot for the romance in this book, but at the end it was a nice thing to finally have between the characters. The character that, um, passed on from us, (shh spoiler) broke my heart. I would’ve loved to hear more about them but their story ended before the book did sadly. I also would’ve liked to hear more of Nick and his fathers story, because his father is an asshat and Nick is someone who probably deserves better. 

This book wrapped up nicely in the end, I enjoyed it and it made me content. I enjoyed some of Ruta’s other books better but this one was still nice. I enjoyed aspects of it, all the research she put into it, and the ending. I was overall just really content.

Review Excerpt: 

Booklist (starred review)

Sepetys] tells a moving story made even more powerful by its placement in a lesser-known historical moment. Captivating, deft, and illuminating historical fiction.

Kirkus (starred review)

A stunning novel that exposes modern fascism and elevates human resilience.

Bookpage (starred review)

With The Fountains of Silence, Sepetys has once again written gripping historical fiction with great crossover appeal to adult readers, combining impeccable research with sweeping storytelling.

Kirkus (starred review)

Spain under Francisco Franco is as dystopian a setting as Margaret Atwood’s Gilead in Ruta Sepetys’s suspenseful, romantic and timely new work of historical fiction . . . Like [Shakespeare's family romances], 'The Fountains of Silence' speaks truth to power, persuading future rulers to avoid repeating the crimes of the past.

Connections:

European Regions - Different Books based in Europe

Historical Fiction Unit

Political Science Unit - Dictatorship