New Kid

Written & Illustrated by: Jerry Craft

Genre: realistic fiction, graphic novel

Awards: Newbery Winner 2020

               Coretta Scott King Author Award 2020

               #1 New York Times Bestseller

              Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature 2019

Summary:

Jordan Banks is a seventh-grader who loves drawing. Though he wants to attend art school, his parents send him to the prestigious Riverdale Academy Day School. Here, Jordan is one of few kids of color and struggles to fit in with the other students. His new school also causes issues with his friends from the neighborhood, furthering his confusion. Jordan takes a variety of classes, gets involved, in some sports, and of course continues to draw. He deals with racial stereotypes and a bully, along with the common struggles of school. Along the way, Jordan finds friends whom he can relate to and learns more about himself and life. 

Teacher Evaluation:

I would use this book for a sixth-grade class and add it to my classroom library for a secondary classroom. I would use this for a book discussion while reading. We would split the book in half and do two Socratic seminars. Students would create seven discussion questions (one for each chapter in the half) and present them to their peers. While reading, I will ask students to keep track of themes that stand out to them. At the end of the book, students will create a comic strip using one of the themes they noticed. Students will present their comic strips and explain their chosen theme in detail, using evidence from the book to support their themes. 

The Crossover

Written by: Kwame Alexander

Genre: realistic fiction, poetry

Awards: Newbery Winner 2015

               Coretta Scott King Honor 2015

Summary:

The story follows 12-year-old Josh Bell as he experiences life in seventh grade. He loves playing basketball and longs to have a successful time playing. Josh adores his twin brother, Jordan, and his dad, Chuck, and loves to spend his time playing basketball with them. Unfortunately, things begin to change when Jordan begins hanging out with other people and Chuck gets sick. Josh and Jordan's relationship further deteriorates when Chuck goes to the hospital. After their father dies, Josh and Jordan realize that they need to lean on each other in hard times. 

Teacher Evaluation:

This book would be best for fifth and sixth-grade classrooms. The story uses a variety of poetic forms, so teachers could use this for a unit on writing and analyzing poetry. I would use this book to study characterization and how language helps readers understand who characters are and what they represent. We would compare and contrast Josh and Jordan using a graphic organizer and find text evidence that supports our findings. For a group project, students would create a character snapshot for each of the main characters then share their findings with the class. 

The War That Saved My Life

Written by: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Genre: Historical Fiction

Awards: Newbery Honor 2016

               Schneider Family Book Award 2016

               Odyssey Award 2016

                Wall Street Journal Book of the Year

Summary:

Author Kimberly Brubaker Bradley analyzes World War 2 through the eyes of a disabled child. Ada has never left her small apartment home in London; her mother is very ashamed of her clubbed foot and treats her poorly at every turn. When her mother ignores the threats of a bombing in the city, Ada takes matters into her own hands. She leaves to board the train with her little brother Jamie, so they'll be safe from the bomb. In Kent, they stay with a woman named Susan Smith, who helps them overcome the challenges of their life in London. 

Teacher Evaluation:

I would recommend this book for grades four through six, and I think it would be fun for a cross-curricular unit in ELA and social studies. First, we would study vocabulary and determine how geographic location affects the language that people use. We would study the effects of descriptive language in this story and explore how it shapes the reader's understanding of the events. Students could complete a presentation that demonstrates the causes and effects of World War 2 on world languages. While reading this book, I would ask students to journal about their thoughts while reading so they can track how they changed over the story.