Field Mouse, Holocaust & Friendship

I have had some enjoyable book experiences this summer. Too many to share, but a few blog-worthy.

I recently read Poppy by Avi in hopes of finding a new chapter book read aloud to begin the fall school year. I fell in love. A sweet and adorable field mouse does a nobel deed in standing up to Mr.Ocax the great horned owl. She is on the hunt for a better place for her family to live because they are running out of food at their current dwelling. As I encourage students to overcome things that may seem frightening to them such as going to a new place or beginning in a new classroom with a teacher they haven't met, I think this book will help me re-iterate that quite well. I expect Poppy to become a class read aloud hero. What I also love about this book is that there are other books in this series, so if my students really like it, we can delve into another story written by the same author. It's always nice to have that available. 

When I was in Israel in June, I got the opportunity to visit the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. I was impressed with the amazing tribute that the Jewish nation has put together to honor their people and the lives given during this dreadful time. I appreciate that so many high quality books have been written about this period of history because it is something that I hope we as a human race never forget. And it shows just how dreadfully evil man's heart really is if is is allowed to manifest any sort of prejudice. What I also appreciate about literature highlighting this period of history is that there are such a wide variety of perspectives to learn about when studying the Holocaust. Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf is a story about a girl from Czechoslovakia. She is taken to a special run German camp to be trained to be a good German girl to help grow this country that desired to rule the world. Throughout the story this girl does her very best to remember who she is despite all of the psychobable that the Germans are trying to brainwash over her. What a powerful story! I highly recommend this for fourth grade and up if you know a reader that is interested in this period of history.

The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg, I originally picked up because the spine was my favorite color. Then I noticed that it won a Newbery so I knew it had to be well written. Well I was not disappointed. This is a story about the friendship of four children despite their obvious differences from one another. It would allow for great discussion about divorce as so many young people have been through this terrible experience. It would also be a great book to help teach your child how to be a true friend when they might want to judge others based upon the way that they look. If you know a young reader that enjoys random facts, this book contains many. You see, it is appealing for such a variety of reasons! I recommend this book for fifth grade and up.