A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen (historical fiction, 5-8)
What if suddenly your family was separated and couldn't get back together? What would you do? How brave would you be? One night, while Gerta's father and brother were visiting West Berlin to try to find someplace for the family to live, the Berlin Wall went up dividing the family into two. Now, four years later, Gerta, her mom, and her other brother are stuck in East Berlin. The Communist government is trying to force everyone to think, talk, and act the same. Gerta longs for freedom and to be with all of her family. One day while walking to school, Gerta sees her father on the other side of the wall and, though a dance, he gives her a plan for how to escape. The plan is super dangerous and if it doesn't work, it will mean almost certain death. Will she, her brother, and her mother be brave enough to try? The ending of this book is so suspenseful! This book is perfect for students who enjoy historical fiction books or books where the main character defies authority to do what is right. A Night Divided is on the 2018 Rebecca Caudill list and finishes my quest to read all 20 books on the list!
One Last Word by Nikki Grimes (poetry, 5-12)
Wow! What a beautifully written book of poems! The poems in this book are about being who you are, rising above circumstances, and doing what is right. The author first included poems from other Harlem Renaissance poets. Then, she took those poems, or parts of those poems, to create her own new poems. The words in the poems by others become the last words in each line of her own poems (Golden Shovel poetic form). These poems beg to be read aloud to students and are very inspirational. I can't wait to share this book with other teachers and with my students!
Glow: Animals With Their Own Night-Lights by W. H. Beck (nonfiction picture book, K-5)
How many animals do you know that can light up? Many people know about the lightning bug and the anglerfish but there are so many more animals with this ability! In this fascinating book, the author defines bioluminescence and then shares many animals that have this ability and why they have it. Each page has large, colorful photographs of the animals presented as well as a combination of large, simple text and then smaller, more in-depth information. I learned so much from this picture book! Students will love the pictures and the interesting facts. Glow would be perfect to read aloud when talking about different animal features. Glow is on the 2018 Monarch Award list.
This is my final Book-A-Day post for the summer as I will be starting back to work next week. I read so many amazing books this summer on my Book-A-Day journey that I can now share with others! I hope to continue to post about noteworthy books that I read but it won't be as regular. If you'd like to read these posts in your email, sign up on the right.
Happy Reading!
