A Long Way Gone is a true story about Ishmael Beah. Ishmael tells us the story behind him being forced into fighting in the war. The book starts with Ishmael and his brother Junior and their friends listening to rap music. They learned about rap when they visited Mobimbi. Ishmael’s parents are divorced and he visits his father there where he works for an American company. Ishmael and his brother and their friends go to Mattru Jong to dance in a talent show and stay at a friend’s house. They learn that their village has been attacked and they cannot travel back to see if their families are okay. The boys travel from town to town trying to find food and shelter. Some days they have to take food from children, some days they have to run for hours from the rebels, and some days they barely escape from being killed in a line up with the rebels. Ishmael is eventually enlisted as a soldier for the army and the army becomes his family. In the army, Ishmael is made to believe that each death of a rebel can be revenge for his family. The soldiers do drugs and Ishmael gets sent to a rehabilitation center. After he recovers he is taken to New York City with other soldiers to tell his story about the Civil War. When he returns to Sierra Leone the war comes right back to him. When his uncle dies he eventually starts a new life in the United States.
This story was an easy read and wasn’t too violent for younger ages. I would teach this book in the middle level English around middle show more school. This book, like others we have read this semester, would be good to teach when the kids are learning about civil wars in history. This would be a good lesson to teach to children so that they can see how kids in other countries had to live during this time. They were not given the privileges of freedom like Americans were and were forced to serve in the war when they were young. I believe that there are a lot of lessons that can be taught through this book and several activities that can make the teaching of this book fun for the children.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Although it wasn’t a hard book, I was able to learn a good bit from it. I would definitely teach this book to a classroom because it has a lot of life lessons from violence to drugs to maturity. I wouldn’t teach it in any level below 4th grade but anything above that I think this book would be very useful to those ages. show less

Life in the 1930s as a wealthy landowner in Mexico was very luxurious. Esperanza was a young girl who was almost 13 who lived a very comfortable and enjoyable life. She was an only child and was adored by her father. On the eve of her 13th birthday her and her mother were waiting for her father to return home. Late that night they see Miguel and Alfonso, who were servants of their family, coming in the distance in their wagon very slow. Esperanza sees a body covered by a sheet in the back of the wagon. It was her father. Bandits had killed him. The next day was her birthday and there was suppose to be a big fiesta to celebrate for birthday and the end of the grape harvest. Instead there was just mourning. Her father’s brothers came by to talk with the lawyers. The house was left to Esperanza and her mother, but the land was left to her uncle, Tio Luis. Tio Luis was the mayor and knew he could win the next election if he had Esperanza’s mother as his wife. So he proposed. She accepted the proposal with the plan to flee to California during the night with their former servants Hortensia, Alfonso, and Miguel. Once they get to California Esperanza has to adjust to this drastic new life. Esperanza’s mother gets sick and they put her in the hospital. Esperanza knew that if she could bring Abuelita, her grandmother who they had to leave in Mexico because she was too sick to travel, to the United States then she knew her mother would be able to get better. So Esperanza show more starts to save up all her money that she works so hard for. Mexican workers start to strike until the employers pay them more for their work. Esperanza wants to join these strikes, but she sees many of them deported and Miguel tells her that things will eventually get better so she decides to continue to work. Eventually Esperanza has enough money to bring Abuelita to California. She goes to show her mother the money that she has saved up because she is now out of the hospital, but before she gets to her mother her money is stolen. She figures out that Miguel has stolen it to go up north to work on the railroad, but then Miguel shows up with Abuelita. Before Esperanza’s thirteenth birthday rolls around she has new dreams. She wants to learn English, maybe buy a small house, and start a family. Esperanza is finally happy with her new life.
This is a great book to teach to kids around the age of 13. I feel like teenagers would be able to relate with Esperanza if they were the same age as her. A lot of kids come from backgrounds of riches, and a lot come from backgrounds of rags. In this book both sides are able to relate. Esperanza is very happy when she has riches, and she is eventually very happy when she has nothing. This story can be discussed when the Great Depression is being taught. Teenagers can read this book and be able to see how people really had to live and how they were treated during the great depression. This book can also be taught to help teens learn a little bit of Spanish. Each chapter is a fruit in Spanish and the author throws in a lot of other Spanish words throughout the book. The teacher can go back through the book and identify the Spanish words with the class and then have a vocabulary test with the Spanish words.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It gave an insight for me into the Great Depression and how Mexicans were treated in Mexico and in the United States during that time period. It also gave a good lesson that money cannot buy happiness. Esperanza had to adjust to her new life, but after some time she was able to accept it and live an incredible life with her new family. show less

For Melinda Sordino freshman year is not easy. She is a social outcast who hides in a janitorial closet she has renovated into her secret place. She has stolen hall passes from one of her teachers so that she can write herself excuses when she wants to avoid teachers and her former friends. The summer before Melinda's freshman year she attended a party where she ended up calling the police. Throughout the book Melinda refers to someone as "IT" and sees "IT" around school. She doesn't want to talk about what he did to her at that party, but she slowly comes to grasp what happened. She starts to try to skip school because of the way that IT, a boy named Andy Evans, treats her in the hallways at school. Her parents start to be concerned with her and her guidance counselor tries to get her to talk about it. Andy starts to pursue Rachel who use to be Melinda's best friend. Melinda tells Rachel what Andy did to her and it makes her feel better by getting it out there. Art class is the only class that Melinda enjoys and continues to work on her project with trees. Melinda is able to find happiness in this art project. Melinda eventually stands up for herself when Andy corners her in the janitor's closet. Through Melinda sticking up for herself several other girls come out about what Andy did to them.
I would teach this book in a high school english class. I do not think any teenagers under the age of 13 should be able to read this book. I would teach this to students to help show more them to realize that they are not the only ones that are going through tough times. A lot of teenagers think that they are the only ones who are outcasts and have been hurt by people of the opposite sex. Teenage girls struggle with falling into guys traps and this would be a good book to teach girls and boys how to avoid these problems in their high school years. I would also teach this book to show kids that everyone comes from a different background. Melinda comes from a family who doesn't know how to communicate with each other. Her parents are never around for dinner or holidays. I believe that her lack of communication with her family affects her social skills. This books would just be a great book to teach students on the themes of outcasts, family problems, and sexual violence.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It showed me that teenagers go through so much in high school. I guess you would say that I was sheltered in high school because I never even thought that someone like Melinda probably went to my high school. I could have passed a girl that struggled with being raped and being an outcast every day of school, but never thought anything was wrong with her. I believe that it this would open students eyes like it did mine. show less

This book is set in the 1930s in Mississippi. Cassie Logan, an African American fourth grader, who is trying to understand why her family is being discriminated against, tells the story. The Logan family is very blessed in that they own their own land. Throughout the story they endure lots of racial discriminations. The white school bus driver taunts the children, the white kids laugh at them having to walk, and Cassie is forced to use “Miz” when talking to Lillian Jean. They face hard times when the Wallace family burns the Berry family so they decide to boycott the Wallace store. The Logan family, along with several other families starts shopping in Vicksburg. On a trip to Vicksburg, Mr. Logan is brutally injured and is not able to go to work on the railroads; this causes their family to have to barely be able to get by. Although the Logan family faces really hard times, they are able to stick to what they believe is right and teach their children how to survive in this city full of discrimination.
I would teach this book in a middle level English class. I think that kids around the age of 11 to 14 would very much enjoy reading this book. It would be a good book to teach during a time that the kids are learning about the great depression and racism in Mississippi. Kids today do not realize how big slavery and racism was in Mississippi. This book would bring light into how blacks were really treated in this time. I would come up with activities for the kids to do to show more show how it felt to be white and black during this time period. I would also tie this in with how students should treat each other equally. Everyone is different but we should all treat each other with the same respect. Teenagers today need to be reminded that color should not be an issue in our lives anymore.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It has a great deal of life lessons. I was able to connect this book to history because I am studying the great depression in modern us history right now. I know that this book is written for teenagers but it was very easy for me to connect with this book and really get into it. This book taught me to continue to treat every one fairly no matter the color. I would definitely recommend this book. show less

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is an adolescent graphic novel. In this novel, Greg is starting middle school and his mother has told him to start a "journal" about his day to day life throughout middle school. Greg is just trying to get through the scariest time of his life. In Greg's opinion everyone in middle school are dumb morons. Greg uses his friends to make himself look better. By the end of the book he takes up for Rowley and says that he threw away the cheese when Rowley really ate it. He becomes a better person because of middle school.
At the end of the story Greg takes up for Rowley and says that he threw away the cheese when Rowley really ate the cheese. Throughout the entire book everyone is avoiding the cheese because of the cheese touch. You will become an outcast if you get the cheese touch. The whole story Greg was stressed about getting the cheese touch, but at the end he was wiling to say that he touch the cheese and threw it away to protect his friend Rowley. At the beginning Greg would have never done this for his friend Rowley but he learns that he needs to put others before himself. I would teach this lesson by having the children tell personal stories of how they could help their friends and put them before themselves. This book can be taught right before middle school, lesson to respect your friends and value their friendship because when they are gone you will be lonely. Greg was always worried about popularity and what people thought about him. Rowley show more ends up not wanting to hang out with Greg because of Greg's dishonesty and then Greg realizes how much he misses Rowley.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Although it is intended for young teenagers, I thought that it was a book that has a lot of life lessons that any age could learn from. The relationship between Greg and Rowley is such a realistic relationship between two teens. Greg thinks he is better than Rowley, and Rowley doesn't really care what others think about him. This relationship would be connectable for teens in middle school to show them that they should treat their friends with respect so that they won't be left lonely in the end. show less

"Monster" by Walter Dean Myers is a book about a teenage boy in Manhattan on trial for the murder of a man during a robbery. During this book Steve Harmon is writing down his feelings during the trial. The book is written as a play so we as the readers can see Steve's version of what happen the day of the murder.
I believe that this book would be a good book for teachers to have teenagers read and then pick a scene to act out. The way the book is already broken up into small scenes it would be very interesting for the class to split up into small groups and each pick a scene to act out to tell the story as a class. I believe that is technique of discussing the book would make it fun and interesting to the kids reading the book. I also think the theme of this book is very good for teenagers to read because it has a good moral story. Especially if you are a teacher in an area where gangs are present it is a good way to get a clear message to the kids who might be making wrong choices.
I very much enjoyed this book. It was an easy read but very interesting. I liked that we were able to read his thoughts as he was going through the trial so we as the readers could understand how he really felt. On the other side of it I did like how the prosecutor, Mrs. Petrocelli, did not ever let down. She was going to make sure that Harmon, King, and Bobo did not get away with anything they were not guilty of. I believe that this book is a good book to teach on because it has a lot of life show more lessons and is very entertaining at the same time. show less