Archive for January 7, 2014

All That’s Missing

Written by Sarah Sullivan

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In this heartwarming look at a pre-teen’s life, Sullivan asks the questions “What is a home?” and “What is a family?” The answers are satisfying and, at times, surprising.

Eleven-year-old Arlo, an orphan, lives with and gets along well with his maternal grandfather, Poppo. Poppo’s memory is failing from an unnamed form of dementia, and Arlo is trying to hold his family together. He’s heard terrible things about foster care and Poppo refuses to tell him anything about his surviving paternal grandmother, Ida. When Poppo suffers a stroke, Arlo panics and sets off to find his grandmother. Amazingly, he’s able to travel 350 miles and locate a woman he has no memory of. Full of twists and surprises, this is a fun read.

The author does an amazing job of getting inside a young boy’s mind and showing why he takes the steps he does. Many of the other characters are well-developed and believable. Poppo and Ida are lovable. Arlo’s friends, Sam and Maywood, are crazy and loyal. Bernice and Tyrone, who help Arlo on his journey, are the right mix of gullible and incredulous. Mr. Garringer, who tries to take Ida’s house, is delightfully evil. Steamboat the dog is more entertaining and a bigger help than he has any right to be.

Fourth graders and older should be able to follow the story independently and should understand the feelings of wanting to belong while still determining their own destinies. In her Author’s Note, Sullivan lists several resources related to her inspiration for the book, for further reading activities. Both the author’s, http://www.sarahsullivanbooks.com, and the publisher’s website, www.candlewick.com, give further information.

  • All That's MissingTITLE: All That’s Missing
  • AUTHOR: Sarah Sullivan
  • PUBLISHER: Candlewick Press, 2013
  • REVIEWER: Sue Poduska
  • ISBN: 978-0-7636-6102-1
  • FORMAT: Hard cover, 358 pages
  • GENRE: Contemporary Fiction, Family, Home

I Am Harriet Tubman

Written by Grace Norwich
Illustrated by Ute Simon

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This new addition to the “I Am” biography series allows middle grade readers to discover who Harriet Tubman was on their own. It is filled with realistic pencil drawings, maps, graphs and data boxes telling students about Harriet’s tips for survival, her fights for women’s rights and other helpful information about the times.

The format of this biography works well for educators involved with the common core. Students can find the meaning for words in the glossary, use the index when writing their own reports and check the websites included for further information. It is a quality non-fiction book written in an accessible narrative fashion that students will enjoy reading. They will find themselves deeply imbedded in the story and looking over their shoulders to see if they are being followed.

Teachers or librarians can use this book for read aloud time to introduce students in grade three or grade four to the genre of biography. Literacy skills strengthened include: reading for information, reading an index, using a glossary, reading maps and using picture clues to enhance comprehension.

  • Harriett TubmanTitle: I Am Harriet Tubman
  • Author: Grace Norwich
  • Illustrator: Ute Simon
  • Publisher: Scholastic, 2013
  • Reviewer: Elizabeth Swartz
  • Format: Paperback, 127 pages
  • ISBN:  978-0-545-48436-7
  • Genre: Nonfiction, Biography