Bull Run

     In honor of the anniversary of the Battle of Bull Run yesterday, I read Bull Run by Paul Fleischman.
     This book can be read as a novel or as a reader's theater.  Each chapter is told by a new character with a different perspective on the battle and the war.   Each character has four or so chapters throughout the book.  The chapters are just over a page long, so it is a quick read for kids.
     Teachers could divide students into groups and give each group a character.  After reading the chapters written by that character, they could do a hot seat activity to share their findings with the rest of the class.
     I enjoyed this book.  I am definitely glad I am not living through the Civil War.  

The Wave

      The Wave by Todd Strasser is an awesome book for reluctant adolescent readers, if they have enough background knowledge on The Holocaust and Germany in WWII. 
      This book is based on a true story of a high school history teacher in California in 1969.  He is teaching his class about WWII and the Holocaust.  His students have mixed reactions to the lesson.  Some students are horrified at what they saw in the video.  Other students felt it was a sad event, but it had no bearing on life today.   Still others question how the German people could allow this to happen.
      Their teacher decides to set up a simulation to show his students how people could fall into this type of thinking.  His simulation is a shocking success and is soon spreading around the school.  The teacher and the students begin to lose themselves in The Wave.  The Wave gets out of control fast and shocking parallels to Nazi Germany occur.
     My students love this book and it has led to amazing discussions and connections in class.  We have learned about WWII, the Holocaust, and Hitler's Youth.  We have looked at the editorial cartoons from Dr. Seuss during WWII and learned to evaluate propaganda posters from all the countries involved in the war.  They have made intriguing connections with current events in the middle east and with bullying in our school.
     I highly recommend this book to all teachers.  It is scary to see the power we weild in our students' lives.  I also recommend this book to anyone with an interest in WWII or for teachers teaching a unit on The Holocaust.     

The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963

     The Watsons Go to Birmingham is historical fiction about the church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama 1963. 
     Byron is a fun character because he does things that I would never do.  This boy oozes confidence.  He is so in love with himself he freezes his lips to the side mirror of the car.  He sets things on fire, bleaches his hair, steals, sluffs school and picks on his little brother. 
     Even though he is the "bad" kid, he has a heart of gold.  He saves his brother, cries over a dead bird, and beats up anyone who dares to pick on his younger brother, Kenny. 
     Byron's bad behavior causes momma and dad to ship him off to grandma's house in Alabama.  Alabama is very different from Michigan.  The Watsons find a very segregated city in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement.  The church in Birmingham is bombed, killing four little girls.  Kenny is forced to grow up quickly and brutally at the church.
     The only thing I did not like about the book is the limited time we look at the Civil Rights issue in Alabama.  The story builds up to it throughout the book, but it seemed anticlimactic once we got there. 
     It is a Newberry Award finalist and a great book set in the Civil Rights Movement.  My students and I loved the humor and the information we learned about Birmingham "Bombingham" in 1963. 

The Liberation of Gabriel King

     It is the biggest summer of Gabe and Frita's lives.  Not only is it 1976, the bicentennial, it is also the summer they will overcome their fears so they can move on to 5th grade in the fall.  Gabe is afraid of everything, from spiders to cows.  Frita isn't araid of anything, at least nothing she will admit to Gabe.  She even punches bullies in the nose.  There is only one fear Frita can't help Gabe overcome - 5th grade.  If Gabe moves up to 5th grade, he will be in a new part of the school with the 6th graders.  Gabe has enjoyed his 4th grade year without the bullies in the 5th and 6th grade part of the school.  Frita is determined to help Gabe overcome his fears so they can move to 5th grade together.
     I really enjoyed this book.  A younger reader can appreciate the story of friendship and overcoming your fears.  A more mature reader can read it and understand the deeper fears of the kids, their families, and the town. 
     Gabe is a white boy in a racist town.  He is an only child of poor parents living in a trailer park.  Frita is a black girl in a racist town.  She has an older brother involved in The Black Panthers and parents who fight for civil rights.  Their school is integrated, but many people hate the fact a black girl is going to school there.  Frita is afraid of Mr. Evans because he is mean.  We know she should be afraid of him because he is in the KKK.  This is one example of the many layers in the book.
     I loved Frita and Gabe's friendship without prejudice, their innocence, and the life lessons they learn that summer.   
     I recommend this book for girls who enjoy reading or like books about friendship.  I also recommend it for anyone interested in the Civil Rights Movement and how it affected children.  It's too slow for reluctant readers and doesn't have enough action to make it a page turner.  It wouldn't be a good match for that type of reader.