Marelene, Marelene, Queen of Mean

 

Lynch, Jane/ Tusa Tricia (ILT). Marlene, Marlene, Queen of Mean. Random House Childrens Books, 2014.

Genre: Fiction

Lexile: 850LL

More info: https://shop.scholastic.com/parent-ecommerce/books/marlene-marlene-queen-of-mean-9780385379083.html

Summary: Marlene is the queen of the playground and the school, or at least she thinks so. She bully's kids and is mean to everyone. One day Big Freddy builds up the courage and decides to stand up to Marlene. He speaks up and says what his classmates are too fearful to say to her. 

Target Audience: Pre-k through 3rd grade. This would be a great book to read aloud to younger students.

Evaluation: I love this book and the illustrations in it. It is so well written and has a great underlying theme of standing up for what is right. The theme of this story also aligns with Donna Norton's standards in our textbook. The theme is important, applicable and meaningful for students in their every day life. I think this would be a great book to read aloud to the class and start a group discussion about what bullying is and how we can stand up for ourselves.

Reader response activity: For this activity I would have the students brainstorm words to describe Marlene. I would make a poster board with all of their words on it and then we could discuss how these are words to describe a bully, NOT a kind person. Then I would have the students write in their journals ways that they are not bully's. I would have them focus on writing about how they show kindness to others.

The Hundred Dresses

 

Estes, Eleanor, and Louis Slobodkin. The Hundred Dresses. Scholastic, 1973.

Genre: Fiction

Lexile: 870L

More info: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/the-hundred-dresses-by-eleanor-estes/

Summary: Maddie is a young girl who is s bystander to her friends bullying a girl in her class, Wanda, every day. She listens to her friends ask why Wanda wears the same dress every day. She feels guilty about her friends being rude but she never does anything about it, until one day Wanda transfers schools. This is a great story about the effects of being a bystander and what can happen when you don't stand up to bullies. This is a powerful, timeless story about bullying, forgiveness and standing up for what you believe.

Target Audience: I think this book would be best for grades 3-5. It would be relatable and enjoyable for them.

Evaluation: I think this would be a great book for young elementary aged students to read. It is a very good story to teach students about what can happen when you do not stand up to bullying. It is so important to talk about what a bystander is and why we do not want to be one. This meets the criteria for powerful literature and it also has beautiful illustrations.

Reader Response Activity:  For this story I would create an activity where students could describe character traits based off of the novel. I would have them fill in a graphic organizer based off of characters and their story throughout the novel.

Weird!

 

 Frankel, Erin. Weird! Free Spirit Publishing, 2012.

Genre: Fiction

Lexile: 540L

More info: https://www.amightygirl.com/weird?ref=blog-prd

Summary: Luisa is a bilingual, polka dot wearing, fun loving girl who is just trying to be herself when she starts to get bullied by a boy in her class named Sam. At first, Luisa does not know how to handle the bullying so she sticks to herself and does not say anything. With the support of her teachers, parents and her friend Jayla, she is finally able to stand up for herself. This is a great story about believing in yourself, not worrying about what others think and standing up to bullies.

Target Audience: This would be a great book for 1st-4th graders. It would be a good book to read aloud to 1st graders. It would be a nice book for 2nd, 3rd and even 4th grade to read on their own.

Evaluation: This is a great book about standing up to bully's and more importantly, being yourself. Luisa goes through a lot in this book but she learns many important lessons throughout. I love that Luisa is bilingual and that her character is diverse. This book meets the criteria for good literature. I also enjoy the illustrations throughout and I think the students would as well.

Reader Response Activity: I would make a poster for our classroom and have my students help me create it. We would first have a discussion about why the word "weird" is not a nice way to describe someone. I then would make a list on a poster board for nice words we could replace "weird" with. The students would come up with the words and then we would hang it up in the class for everyone to see and enjoy every day.

How to Tame a Bully

 

Richards, Nancy Wilcox, and Drazen Kozjan. How to Tame a Bully. Scholastic, 2009.

Genre: Fiction, Chapter book

Lexile: 470L

More info: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/how-to-tame-a-bully-by-nancy-wilcox-richards/

Summary: Lauren is so excited to start third grade with her favorite teacher and her best friend. She is hopeful for a fun year...until she starts to get bullied by a new girl named Bethany. Lauren learns throughout this chapter book how to stand up for herself, be brave, be kind and laugh through the tough times. 

Target Audience: This book is meant for 2nd or 3rd grade. It is a great introduction to a chapter book for younger students. I think 2nd and 3rd graders would relate well to the story and the events happening in it.

Evaluation: I think this is a great book for elementary aged students. The writing and the storyline of this book are both good. I think the overall theme, standing up to bullies, would be a great book for young students to read. I like that the main characters are both girls. It shows that girls can deal with bullying too and that they are strong enough to stick up for themselves and br brave. I would say this book meets the criteria for high quality literature. It is also very relatable and a great beginner chapter book.

Reader Response: After my students read this book I would have a group discussion with them and talk about bullying and how we would handle it. I think this would be a good time to have a large group discussion about what bullying looks like and sounds like and how we can handle it in our classrooms.

Wonder

Ashton, Nicola, and R. J. Palacio. Wonder. Oxford University Press, 2013.

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Lexile: 790L

More info: https://wonderthebook.com/books/wonder

Summary: Auggie was born with facial deformities that make him look a little different from most of the kids at his new school. This story highlights the ups and downs that Auggie, his classmates and his family face at the start of his 5th grade year. This is a story about empathy, compassion, acceptance, believing in yourself and embracing difference. 

Target Audience: The target audience of Wonder is middle school students. This is a great book with a great message that middle schoolers can relate to and enjoy. It is a chapter book so 5th graders could possibly read it as well.

Evaluation: This book meets the criteria and standards that are listed in our text book for high quality literature. The writing and story line of this book are great and it would be a great book for middle schoolers to read. The theme is about acceptance and empathy which I think most middle schoolers probably need to work on. I think anyone could read this book and learn a lot about themselves and how to treat others with love and respect. This book shows the knowledge of standing up to bully's, embracing other's differences and not judging others based off of appearance.

Reader response activity: I would have my students (assuming they are 6th, 7th, or 8th graders) write a paper about a time they felt judged by their appearance like Auggie. I would ask them how it made them feel and how they handled the situation. 

Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match

Brown, Monica, et al. Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match. Library Ideas, LLC, 2018.

Genre: Fiction (Bilingual)

Lexile:AD5A0L
More info:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12629258-marisol-mcdonald-doesn-t-match-marisol-mcdonald-no-combina

Summary: Marisol has bright orange hair and brown skin. She also likes to match polka dots with stripes! Her favorite snack at lunch is a peanut butter and jelly burrito. Marisol's classmates are confused by why she dresses this way and eats different food than they do at lunch. They tell her that she should try to match her clothes instead and so Marisol starts to change herself so her classmates will like her. She quickly realizes that she is the happiest when she is being herself and not trying to match for other people. This is a great story about listening to your heart and standing up for yourself, even when people are judging you.

Target Audience: I would say that 2nd-4th graders would enjoy this book the most. I think these grades would be able to gather important information from the text and also enjoy the story and illustrations. This would be a great book for young students!

Evaluation: I love this book. I think the illustrations are awesome, bright, colorful and eye catching. Students will enjoy looking at the pictures of Marisol's brightly colored clothes and hair. The theme of this story also aligns with Donna Norton's standards in the textbook. The theme is important, meaningful and applicable to every day life for students reading. This story is entertaining and also teaches a lesson to students that staying true to yourself is so important!

Reader Response Activity: The dog that Marisol picks in the end of the story has some special characteristics, just like Marisol. I would ask my students to draw pictures of unusual/special pets. We could have a group discussion after about why the pets are unusual and what makes them special. We would also discuss what makes all of us special and unique and how that is EXCITING!

Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun

 

Dismondy, Maria. Spaghetti in a Hotdog Bun. Independant Publishers Group, 2008.

Genre: Fiction

Lexile: 610L
Additional info:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4339862-spaghetti-in-a-hot-dog-bun

Summary: Lucy likes to eat her spaghetti out of a hotdog bun. She is fun and unique but a mean boy at her school does not like the way Lucy eats. Throughout this book, we learn how to stand up to bully's, embrace our uniqueness and to not be afraid to be ourselves. This story encourages students to always do whats right, even when it is hard.

Target Audience: I think grades 1-4 would respond best to this picture book. This book has a wonderful message about how to stand up for yourself in tough situations and stay true to who you are, which would be great for 1st-4th graders to hear.

Evaluation: Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun meets a lot of the criteria and standards that Donna Norton lays out in the text book. I think this book would be considered high quality literature for young students with a great message. The illustrations in this book are great and I know students would love the detailed pictures on each page. The theme of this story, having the courage to be who you are, also meets the criteria that Donna describes in our text book. This book will be fun for students to read and the theme is also important and meaningful.

Reader Response Activity: After reading Spaghetti in a Hotdog Bun out loud to the class I would take the opportunity to talk about what makes all of US special and unique. I would do some sort of activity where the students could draw self portraits and then have them fill in a blank that says, "I am special because....." And see what they come up with! Maybe we could even have a snack of spaghetti in a hotdog bun one day. :)