BABYMOUSE # 15: A VERY BABYMOUSE CHRISTMAS (genre 6 book 3)

It was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except for...Babymouse!

The holidays are here and everyone is excited to be celebrating with their own traditions but Babymouse has only one thing on her mind. Presents! Only one specific present will do and Babymouse will do anything, including tricking Santa to get it. Will she get the gift she wants or will she learn something more about the season?

Written and illustrated by the award winning duo of Jennifer and Matthew Holm, the Babymouse series of graphic novels are designed for the 3rd to 5th grade set. Comic style illustrations are paired with shades of pink as Babymouse goes back and forth from daydreaming to reality. Readers will identify with her antics in this graphic novel that serves as a great stepping stone from picture books to chapter books. Reluctant readers will enjoy the humor, adventure, and fantasy of Babymouse's world.


Review Excerpts:
"Fun, as always, will be had by all." -Booklist

"Nobody puts Babymouse in the corner!" -The Horn Book


Connections:
*Readers can research and learn about the different holiday celebrations referenced within the novel.

*Babymouse often daydreams. Have students identify how Babymouse takes an everyday problem and turns it into a fantasy situation. Students can also create their own Babymouse version of a fantasy from their own lives.


Holm, Jennifer L. and Matthew Holm. 2011. Babymouse #15: A Very Babymouse Christmas. New York: Random House. ISBN 9780375967795

LOOKING FOR ALASKA (genre 6 book 2)

Nothing exciting has ever happened to Miles. He lives an ordinary life with the exception of his fascination with famous last words. When he goes away to school for the first time to seek the "great perhaps," he is exposed to new, dynamic personalities such as his new roommate the Colonel and the alluring Alaska. Then everything changes and Miles' life will never be ordinary again.

John Green has been nominated and awarded multiple awards for Looking for Alaska.  The plot is written in a linear fashion and is told as the number of days before and after "the accident." This will draw readers in as it leads to the climax of the book. The raw emotions explored will touch a chord with readers and help the story make a connection. As the characters search for their identity, their struggles will be mirrored by many in the young adult audience for whom this is written.

This book does contain strong subject matter such as sex, smoking, and alcohol use. Because of this, it has been subject to numerous book challenges. However, Green deals with these real world situations tastefully, which will allow for readers to connect and expand their views of the world.


Review Excerpts:
"Funny, sad, inspiring, and always compelling." -Bookpage

"Like Phineas in John Knowles's A Separate Peace, Green draws Alaska so lovingly, in self-loathing darkness as well as energetic light, that readers mourn her loss along with her friends." -School Library Journal


Connections:
*Readers can address and discuss the reasons that this book is frequently censored.  They can also research other books that have been censored throughout history and discuss this issue of censorship.

*The various quotes within the novel can be discussed. Students can research other famous persons and analyze and share their most famous quotes.


Green, John. 2005. Looking for Alaska. New York: Dutton's Children's Books. ISBN 9780525475064

WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON (genre 6 book1)

From the award winning and bestselling author Grace Lin comes the fantastical journey, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Filled with adventure, humor, danger, and excitement, Minli embarks on a quest to find the answers to her questions from the Old Man on the Moon. Along the way she encounters a unique cast of characters such as a lost dragon and a goldfish salesman. Lin drew inspiration from Chinese folktales and weaves a plot frequently noted as reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz.  Her vivid descriptions color the setting for a reader as much as the color illustrations do. For example: "The fish in the Jade River were brown and gray like the village... The sun setting behind (the goldfish man) made him glow bright red and yellow."

The results of Minli's trek reveal a universal truth, changing her view of her family's fortune and her father's stories. This novel is an easy read for 9 to 12 year-olds but will also hold the interest of fantasy lovers of all ages. Lin provides her inspiration for the story in the author's note along with book titles for those interested in Chinese Folktales. This has clearly influenced the style of the novel resulting in a distinctively written fantasy.


Review Excerpts:
"With beautiful language, Lin creates a strong, memorable heroine and a mystical land." - Booklist

"The Author's writing is elegant, and her full-color illustrations are stunning." - School Library Journal


Connections:
*Ask readers if stories are important. How did the stories told to Minli change her and affect her actions?

*Have readers research Chinese folktales or folktales from a variety of cultures within the library.


Lin, Grace. 2009. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. New York: Little Brown. ISBN 9780316114271

DRAGON'S GATE (genre 5 book 2)

Fifteen year old Otter dreams of traveling from China to America to be with his father and uncle. Ironically, a terrible accident makes his dream possible but he is soon disillusioned with the reality. In the midst of the building of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1867, this 1994 Newbery Honor book illustrates the hardships of poverty, prejudice, and physical danger endured by immigrants of the time.

Yep's characters such as Otter's uncle, whom he worships are made believable to readers. The adventure of the dangerous conditions portrayed such as frost bite and avalanches will hold a reader's attention. However, it is Otter's emotions as he endures and becomes stronger which will touch the heart.


Review Excerpts:
"In a story enlivened with humor and heroism, Yep pays tribute to the immigrants who played such a vital role in our country's history." -Kirkus

"Told with humanity and compassion... a tribute to the survival and courage of these immigrants." -1994 Newbery Committee

"Yep uses the lively storytelling techniques of his ``Dragon'' fantasy-adventure novels to re-create a stirring historical event" -School Library Journal


Connections:
*Have readers research the Transcontinental Railroad. They can locate the railway on a map or draw their own. They can also write a letter home as if they were workers on the railroad including how they live and what they see.

*Have readers research when and how Chinese workers came to America. Key events and information can be noted such as locations involving Chinese workers, immigration laws, and labor laws of the time period.


Yep. Laurence. 1995. Dragon's Gate. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 9780064404891