Chrysanthemum

 

HENKES, KEVIN. CHRYSANTHEMUM. GREENWILLOW BOOKS, 2019.

Genre: Fiction 

Lexile: 570L

More info: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/chrysanthemum-by-kevin-henkes/ 

Summary: Chrysanthemum thinks she has the prettiest name in the whole world. Until she starts kindergarten and is suddenly being bullied over her name. The other students tease her and ask if she is a flower and if they can sniff her. Her name is so different than the other students in her classroom. Will Chrysanthemum be able to overcome the bullying and stand up to the kids in her classroom? With the help of her beautiful music teacher, Delphinium Twinkle, she just might be able to.

Target audience: Pre-k-2nd grade.

Evaluation: I love this book. My mom read this book to me when I was very little and I have always remembered it! I think this would be a lovely book to read in the classroom. It is a great story for all students, especially the select students in the classroom who might have more unique, different names. The theme is all about being confident in yourself and learning that differences make us beautiful. I would recommend this book be read in all younger level classrooms. I also think the illustrations are adorable and the students will love them!

Reader response activity: I think a fun activity would be to have all of my students draw a flower (I would provide resources) and cut it out. We could make a garden with all of our flowers and then talk about how all of our flowers are different but they are all still beautiful.

Smile

 

Telgemeier, Raina, and Stephanie Yue. Smile. Graphix, 2010.

Genre: Autobiography 

Lexile: GN410L

More info: https://www.amazon.com/Smile-Raina-Telgemeier/dp/0545132061

Summary: This autobiography chapter book follows the life of Raina is trying to fit in. One night she has a horrible fall and injures her two front teeth. After this accident she wears braces, retainers, headgear and she has to undergo multiple surgeries. Follow Raina's journey as she discovers what it means to be yourself, stand up to bully's and not listen to what other's say about you.

Target Audience: Middle school, 6th-8th grade.

Evaluation: I think this would be a great book for middle schoolers to read. It has a great, relatable and captivating story line. It is a wonderful coming of age story for middle school level readers. It also teaches many valuable lessons in between it's funny and dramatic chapters. The theme is about acceptance and finding yourself, even if others are judging you or bullying you. I think this would be an awesome book for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders to read and discuss in the class.

Reader response activity: If I had a middle school class reading this I would ask them to write a paper after they had read it. I would ask them to write about a time they had to accept who they were and not listen to others. Was this hard for them? Why or why not? What did they learn from it? Can they relate to the main character in this story?

Babymouse: Queen of the World

 

Holm, Jennifer L., and Matthew Holm. Babymouse, Queen of the World. HarperCollins Children's, 2006.

Genre: Fiction, graphic novel 

Lexile: GN470L

More info: https://fab.lexile.com/book/details/9780375832291/

Summary: Babymouse wants nothing more than to be invited to the big sleepover hosted by the popular girls in her class. She wants to be noticed by these girls so badly that she ditches her best friend so the popular group will notice her. The sleepover girls end up being mean to Babymouse and not treating her like a good friend would. Babymouse learns a lot about herself, her friends and the way she wants to be treated throughout this novel. 

Target Audience: Middle school, 6th-8th.

Evaluation: I think this is a great book for middle school girls (or boys) to read. This graphic novel teaches a lot of valuable lessons about staying true to yourself, standing up to bullying and learning what a good friendship looks like. It also will teach students that being "popular" isn't the most important thing in the world. This novel teaches a lot of valuable lessons that are crucial for middle schoolers to learn and understand at their age. I think they will also appreciate the graphic novel style.

Reader response activity: I would, with the help of my students, make a poster board. On one side it would say "A good friend" and on the other side it would read, "A not so good friend". We would come up with words that describe what a good friend looks, sounds and acts like. I would then hang it up in my classroom so all of my students could know and understand what being a good friend looks like and how they can be better. This could be done at any age level, in any classroom. I think friendship is especially important at the middle school level, when groups and cliques are starting to form. This would be a great activity for middle school level students.

 

El Deafo

 

Bell, Cece. El Deafo. Amulet Books, 2014.

Genre: Fiction

Lexile: GN420L 

More info: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/el-deafo-by-cece-bell/

Summary: Cece is diagnosed as deaf when she is four years old. This graphic follows her life and how she deals with tough circumstances surrounding her disability. She struggles to balance her "normal" life with the way her disability makes her feel. She also encounters people treating her differently because she is deaf, a form of bullying. Follow Cece as she (sometimes) encompasses a super hero to prove that she is capable of doing anything.

Target audience: 5th-8th grade. This would be a great book for middle school/jr high.

Evaluation: I think that every middle schooler should read this book. It is a graphic novel so it will capture their attention but the story line will hold their attention throughout. It teaches a valuable lesson to students that having a disability doesn't restrict you it just means you do things differently. This book encourages students to stand up to bullying and not to allow peers to bully people with disabilities. I love that the character is deaf but also a superhero. This will also show students that you can have a disability and still be a superhero.

Reader response activity: It would be a big project but a fun idea would be to have students create their own mini graphic novel modeled after El Deafo. I would ask them to think of a time they were bullied for being different or felt excluded from a certain group because they did not fit in. I would then ask them to draw/write a mini graphic novel about the situation.