EDRE 4320 - Tabitha

Title: My Brother Charlie Author:  Holly Robinson Peete Genre: Non-fiction Awards: N/A Age Group: 7-10 Summary: This book was about twin, brother and sister, and the bother has autism. She talks about the things they like to do together, and the things that they don't do together. It also talks about when her mom first thought something was wrong with her brother, and how they had to watch him. Once they discovered he had autism, it discussed the things he did differently and how he showed love and his caring nature. The doctor said he would never say "I love you," but he said it to his sister when she hurt herself and began to cry. Charlie has autism but autism doesn't have Charlie.  Teacher Evaluation: I listened to this book online, YouTube. This is a very good book from a sisters point of view. It shows what they go through and even though he has a disability, they do many things together and the family has learned so much from him. I will ...

Title: The Night Gardener  Author: Jonathan Auxier  Genre: Traditional Literature Awards: Bluebonnet  Age Group: 9-12 Summary: This book is about two siblings separated from their parents traveling to England, in search of a new life. Molly, the sister, sets up servant work, or service work at a house that a local woman warns them against. The old woman says that something bad has happened at that house and no one enters the house or the woods that surround it but the Windsor family. The siblings don't take the woman's advice because they need the food and shelter. The children realize immediately that something is off about the family and the house, but Molly conveniences and proves that her and her brother are a useful cook, housekeeper and gardener. The siblings start having nightmares that really scare them, and when they wake, there are muddy footprints on the floors. They also notice the family getting sicker and paler. They eventually find out the f...

Title: Separate is Never Equal  Author: Duncan Tonatiuh  Genre: Non-fiction  Awards: Bluebonnet,  Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor,  Robert F. Sibert Honor Age Group: 8-11 Summary: This book is about  Mexican-American students, in California who wanted to end discrimination at their school and all over. Sylvia Mendez, and her family tried to send her to a school near their farm but was sent to a  “Mexican school." Her father was upset that she wasn't able to attend the whites school, which was the better school, even though she was a citizen and could speak, what we could consider good English.  The father was so upset that he filed a law suit, even though other Mexicans didn't want him to cause trouble. After the lawsuit, her family received a lot of support from civil rights organizations. Once the trial is set, they hear first hand the awful insults that the superintendent has to say about Hispanics and how white...

Title: The Baby-Sitters Club, Dawn and the Impossible Three Author: Gale Galligan  Genre: Graphic Novel  Awards: N/A  Age Group: 8-12 Summary:  This book is about a girl named Dawn. She deals with friendship issues, and family changes., while babysitting the Barrett kids, who are horrible little kids. The mothers request are crazy and  inappropriate. Buddy Barrett goes missing, and she has to confront the mom about their behavior. Dawn’s mom and her friends dad are getting serious about their relationship, and the girls are excited about becoming sisters. In the end, the six girls, are smiling for the camera with their arms around each other. Teacher Evaluation: I wasn't a fan of this book, because the words are all over and I have to really look and study the pictures to follow and understand. This book made my brain go crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even though I didn't like this book, i'm sure kids love them so I will have some of these in my c...

Title: Gone Crazy in Alabama  Author: Rita Williams-Garcia  Genre: Fiction  Awards: Coretta Scott King  Age Group: 8-12 Summary: This book is about three sister who go to Alabama to spend the summer with their grandmother ,big ma, and their great-grandmother, ma-Charles. The girls are coming from Brooklyn, where they can be outspoken, and have been seeing all the good things the Black Panthers are doing for their community, to Alabama where they have to watch what they say and how they behave on the bus ride there because of the different view points to the KKK. Once there, they have to face their uncle Darrel, who stole from them when he was on drugs, and all of the back and forth their grandmother and her half-sister have for each other. Vonetta is the one would finds interest in this feud and she relays messages back and forth. The power of family overcome the feud when Vonetta rides a bike to town to get milk and a tornado takes her. She ends up ...

Title: Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry Author: Mildred D. Taylor Genre: Historical Fiction  Awards: Newbery Medal  Age Group: 10-15 Summary: The book is about a family living in the South, going thru hard times, and suffering racism. The mother is a teacher, father works for the railroad and is always away working, so one of the father's friends and farm hands lives with them for added protection since a family was burned to death by white men for no apparent reason. The white men who did the burning, ended up being the Wallace's, who owns the store that the blacks buy from for all of their needs. Cassie's mama starts a boycott of the store and it doesn't go over to well. She looses her teaching job, they have to pay he bank imminently for the land that they own, which is very uncommon for blacks to own land during that time, and the father gets shot in the leg coming for the next town buying supplies from another store. T.J., one of the children's fri...