Books 9-16

Gabi, A Girl in Pieces

Quintero, I.  (2014).  Gabi, A girl in pieces.  TX:  Cinco Puntos.  Gabriela Hernandez otherwise known as Gabi is a senior at Santa Maria High School.  She enjoys writing and hanging out with her friends.  She is a bold lively girl who is a self confessed food addict.  She loves to eat!  This is the story of her senior year in high school.  Gabi is surrounded by chaos and drama.  The pregnancies of her best friend and her mom, the coming out of her male best friend and his family not accepting his life style, boy troubles, her meth addict father and sometimes wild out of control brother make for a dysfunctional last year of high school.   This realistic fiction novel is written in English but the author uses phrases in Spanish to capture the culture and language of the characters.  The author tells the story in diary entries written by the main character.  Another book written in diary entries about the coming of age of a young woman is The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot.  This was a required text.

Persepolis

Sartrapi, M.  (2004).  Persepolis.  NY:  Pantheon.  In the 1980s, the author Marjane Satrapi was a child growing up in Iran.  During this time, the Shah's regime was overthrown, there was political unrest due to the war with Iraq and the Islamic revolution caused many who did not agree with those beliefs to protest and face imprisonment.  The author writes about the day to day life that she endured growing up in Tehran during this time in history.  She writes about how her family struggled to bring some since of normalcy to the war torn time.  The author was a very out spoken young woman who boldly challenged teachers and principals at her school.  Ultimately at fourteen years of age, the author's parents thought it best to send her to live with a family friend in Austria for fear of her being sent to prison or ultimately executed for her boldness.  This black and white nonfiction graphic novel gives an honest, child's point of view of life in Iran at that time.  This was the first book in the series.  The author published a complete volume of the series in 2007 called The Complete Persepolis.  This was a required text.

The Hate U Give

Thomas, A.  (2017).  The hate u give.  NY:  Harper Collins. This realistic fiction novel is set in modern day and could have been taken straight from the headlines.  It is the story of Starr Carter, a teenage girl who lives in an urban area infested with gangs and drugs.  Starr's parents are determined to stay in the area and make a difference but opt to send their children to a prestigious private school across town so that they can get a good education.  One night Starr goes to a party with her best friend in her neighborhood and brother's sister  Kenya.  There she sees a friend, Khalil that she has not seen in a while and they began to catch up when a fight breaks out and shots are fired.  They flee the party in Khalil's car and what happens next changes Starr forever.  They are pulled over by a police officer and Khalil ultimately looses his life over a hair brush. Starr has to deal with loosing her friend and has the weight of her community on her shoulders when the cop was not indited for killing an innocent young man.  This is the debut novel of the author.  Here is the link to a book trailer by Lisa McDonough for the book.  https://youtu.be/MuCNYnt--sA  This was a required text.

The Playbook:  52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life

Alexander, K.  (2017).  The playbook:  52 rules to aim, shoot, and score in this game called life.  NY:  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  This beautifully illustrated nonfiction book gives life lessons using sports metaphors.  The author talks basketball to give inspirational wisdom on the journey of life.  He includes quotes from well known athletes such as Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, Bill Russell, Shaquille O'Neal, Abby Wambach Scottie Pippen.  He also includes quotes from Oprah Winfrey former talk show host and studio executive, Maya Angelou acclaimed poet, and Sonia Sotomayor U. S. Supreme Court  justice.  This book is full of stories of real life perseverance and pursuit of dreams, achievement and excellence from track and field great Wilma Rudolph to the author himself.  The author has written other books using the theme of basketball.  One such award winning novel is The Crossover.  Kwame Alexander was a required author.

Deadline

Cruthcer, C.  (2007),  Deadline.  NY:  Greenwillow Books.  Ben Wolf, Little Wolf they call him.  He was a cross country star until his senior year.  Ben got some bad news from his doctor, a diagnosis of one year to live due to an illness.  Ben decides not to accept treatment and gets his doctor to keep the diagnosis a secret.  Ben decides to live his life to the fullest.  He changes sports and joins the football team to play alongside his big little brother.  He spends time reading every book he can and goes after his dream girl, Dallas Suzuki.  Ben also spends time with Rudy, the town drunk.  As the football season goes on, Ben begins to feel guilty about keeping his illness a secret and ultimately decides to share his fate with them.  Chris Crutcher the author has written other young adult novels about young adults in difficult situations including Running Loose, Staying Fat For Sarah Bynes.  Crutcher was a required author.

I Crawl Through It

King, A.S.  (2015).  I crawl through it.  NY:  Little Brown and Company.  This is a magical realism book about four teenagers that are having a hard time maneuvering through their lives.  Stanzi, is a girl who loves to dissect and never takes her lab coat off.  Gustav is building an invisible helicopter.  China is a girl who swallowed her self.  Lansdale's hair grows when she lies.  They deal with daily bomb threats at their high school as well as standardize testing that causes high anxiety.  The students soon learn that the only way to get through this madness is to "crawl through it".  This is a book trailer for the book.  https://youtu.be/A_kzgcaNqio  A.S. King was a required author.

100 Sideways Miles

Smith, A.  (2014).  100 sideways miles.  NY:  Simon and Schuster.  Finn Easton suffers from seizures due to an accident that happened when he was seven.  He and his mom were walking under a highway overpass when a horse fell off a truck injuring him and killing his mother.  Finn's dad is a science fiction writer who wrote a book that has a character in it named Finn and has seizures.  Finn is an introverted teenager and always feels like he is stuck in his dad's book even though his dad swears the character Finn is not based on the real life Finn his son.  Finn falls in love with Julia, a girl from Chicago and is heart broken when she moves back.  Finn has a best friend named Cade who travels with him to a University in Oklahoma.  On the way the two of them spot a van in the river with two people inside.  Cade and Finn save them and they become heroes.  After this, the two of them decide not to continue on their journey to Oklahoma and instead head to Chicago to see Julia.  This realistic fiction story tells of friendship and love. This is a book trailer for the book.  https://youtu.be/qMakV34Gyb4   Andrew Smith is a required author.

The Fault In Our Stars

Green, J.  (2012).  The fault in our stars.  NY:  Dutton Books.  Cancer, it sucks.  Hazel has cancer, thyroid cancer that spread to her lungs.  She begins attending a support group at the insistence of her mother.  Augustus also has cancer, osteosarcoma.  He attends the same support group at the request of his friend Issac. Hazel needs oxygen everywhere she goes and Augustus lost a leg.  Their common bond is cancer but they soon learn more about each other and grow closer.  Soon they are spending more and more time together.  Augustus still has a wish from the charity that grants wishes to terminally ill kids and decides to share it with Hazel so that she can travel to Amsterdam to meet her favorite author.  Of the two of them the odds were that Hazel is the sickest and has the greater chance of dying.  It turns out that Augustus ends up having a cancer recurrence this time it has spread everywhere and is aggressive.  Augustus' condition ultimately deteriorates rapidly and he loses his battle. This realistic fiction novel tells of the horrors of cancer and the joys of young love.  Another book by this author about the adventures of young people  is Paper Town.  John Green is a required author.

Books 1-8

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Alexie, S.  (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian.  NY: Little Brown. Arnold Spirit (Junior) is a 9th grader who has had medical struggles throughout his short life.  He was born with “water on the brain” and had to have it drained when he was just an infant. Doctors were not optimistic about his survival.  Junior defied all the odds and although he wears glasses, has big feet and other physical issues that he is teased for he is a bright young man.  The story is written in a diary form from Junior’s point of view. He writes about a year in his life where one decision changes everything for him.  Junior decides that he wants more out of life than just living and dying on “the Rez” and decides to enroll in the all white Reardan High School in a near by town.  Junior ultimately ends up living in two worlds, his life at Reardan as a student and member of the basketball team and his life on “the Rez” the Spokane Indian Reservation.  The life of Junior the student struggles to fit in and keep up with the demands of High School and being the only Indian at the school. Junior’s life on the reservation involves poverty, sadness, death, alcoholism and abuse.  This book is on the challenged book list of 2018 for profanity, sexual references and its religious view point. This is a book trailer for the book https://youtu.be/p3shXStIESI

This was a required text.

Speak

Halse Anderson, L.  (1999). Speak. NY:  Penguin Group. Melinda begins her freshman year in high school ostracized.  No one will talk to her so she is forced to walk the halls alone and eat lunch alone.  Melinda has been through a lot over the summer and she can not speak about it. This constant silence begins to bother her parents, teachers and others around her.  She eventually is befriended by another freshman new to the area but is soon ostracized by her as well. Melinda’s strange behavior gets too weird for her and the new friends she is trying to impress.  The book is written in Melinda’s point of view and is divided into school marking periods, there are four in total. By the fourth marking period all is revealed as to why Melinda does not speak much and what she tries to do to free herself from the pain that she has been carrying.  This book is all about how when something bad happens to you, you should speak out and stand up for yourself and in doing so you just may help others. Laurie Halse Anderson also wrote another book called Shout.  This book is a memoir written in free verse and encourages her fans to continue to shout. This was a required text.

Lucky Broken Girl

Behar, R.  (2017). Lucky broken girl.  NY:  Delacorte.  Eleven year old Ruthie and her family leave Cuba and start a new life in the United States.  They land in Queens, New York. Ruthie is put in “the dumb class” at school because she does not know English.  Back in 1966 there were not English as a second language classes so “the dumb class” is where the put all those who could not fit into “the smart class”.  Ruthie soon proves that she can speak English and that she is bright so she is moved out of “the dumb class”. Ruthie’s life starts go very well. She becomes the Hopscotch Queen of Queens and her dad buys a new blue Oldsmobile.  One night the family is in a bad car accident, her dad’s beloved car is totalled and Ruthie is injured badly. She is placed in a body cast that she has to stay in for over a year. This is when Ruthie has to decide that she is going to fight for normalcy and her life as she wants it to be.  After the accident she discovers her love for reading and learns to paint thanks to the tutor sent to her home and the neighbors and friends around her. This story is historical fiction based on true events experienced by the author. The author was in a car accident and also spent a year in a body cast.  A book with a similar theme is Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson.  Both books tell the story of minority families making a journey from their home to make a new life in a new land and the struggles and heart ships young people face and how they overcome. This was a required text.

Annie On My Mind

Garden, N.  (1982). Annie on my mind.  NY:FSG.  Liza Winthrop is seventeen years old, is class president, and dreams of attending MIT to become an architect.  She lives in Brooklyn, New York and attends a private school called Foster Academy. Liza loves the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  On one of her visits to the museum she meets Annie. Annie is also seventeen but she attends a public school in Manhattan. Annie and Liza become fast friends and as time goes on they become closer and closer until their friendship blossoms into a romance.  Annie is sure about her sexuality but Liza is not so sure. Liza has seen what happens to those around her when they attempt to live in their truth and she is afraid to step out and do that. The books is told from Liza’s point of view through flashback. The book gives hope and confidence to those teens struggling with this type of issue.  Unlike other books of this subject matter, this one has a happy ending. Due to the subject matter, this book is considered a banned book and was once burned in front of the Kansas City School Board building. The author Nancy Garden has written other books about teenagers falling in love with same sex partners including this one Good Moon Rising. This was a required text.

Lily and Dunkin

Gephart, D.  (2016). Lily and Dunkin.  NY:  Delacorte.  Lily Jo McGrother is a girl who was born Timothy McGrother.  She is accepted by her best friend, mom and sister but her dad is having a hard time with Lily leaving her identity as Timothy behind.  Dunkin Dorfman, born Norbert Dorfman got his nickname from Lily because he is always drinking Dunkin Donuts coffee. Dunkin is bipolar, he hears voices and recently moved to Florida after his father committed suicide.  The two of them ultimately strike up a true friendship despite their differences and personal struggles. This story tells of having empathy for others who are different from you. It also shows that you can stand up and be you despite what others may think.  This book showcases diversity mentally, physically and through gender identification. Readers who have encountered these struggles themselves or know someone who has can relate to this book. Donna Gephart has written other books about middle school age students including How to Survive Middle School. This was a required text.

It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health

Harris, R. H.  (2014). It’s perfectly normal:  changing bodies, growing up, sex, and sexual health.  Somerville, MA:  Candlewick Press.  This is a good resource for children ten and up.  A textbook or reference for families. It teaches children about sex and all things related to it.  The author does a great job explaining and defining common and technical terms. The book also breaks down the origin of various terms making it easy for children to understand.  This book is “sex made simple”. Due to the sexual nature of the book, it is a banned book. This nonfiction reference book has illustrations done by Michael Emberley are graphic and realistic in nature.  They depict the reproductive human parts of males and females in a variety of ways that may be seen as obscene to some. Mr. Emberley has been quoted as saying about the book he illustrated and Harris wrote, “We felt the same way about the subject from the beginning.  Both of us have a strong belief in spreading healthy information rather than hiding it.” The two of them have collaborated on other books such as It’s NOT the Stork! And It’s So Amazing! This was a required text.

Monster

Myers, W. D.  (1999). Monster.  New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.  Steve Harmon is a sixteen year old high school student who is on trial for murder.  He is charged with being involved in a robbery where a pharmacy owner was murdered. Harmon is going through a lot with being in jail and facing the reality that he may spend the rest of his life in jail although he professes that he is not guilty.  O’Brien is Steve’s lawyer, she is trying to get the jury to see him as a human and not as a monster to avoid the death penalty. The story is told in two unique formats. When Harmon speaks about his emotions and daily activities it is written from his perspective in a journal or diary format.  The second format used is as a screenplay. Harmon writes in third person a screenplay to describe the trial therefore distancing himself from the crime. At the end of the story, Harmon is found not guilty and returns to his life in high school but what haunts him is why when he was found not guilty Miss O’Brien turned away from him.  This book gives readers a look into the American legal system it also shows how young African American males are seen and treated in American society.  Another award winning book written by Walter Dean Myers is Autobiography of My Dead Brother. This was a required text.

The Knife of Never Letting Go

Ness, P.  (2008). The knife of never letting go.  Cambridge, MA:  Candlewick Press.  Todd Hewitt is about to become a man in one months time.  He is very excited about this. He is the only boy in a town of 146 men.  Todd lives in Prentisstown. The town was infected with a germ that causes men to hear, feel and see visions of the thoughts of other men.  They call this noise. You can not escape the noise, if another male is around you can hear their noise even the noise of animals and other creatures can be heard.  Todd was told that this same germ killed the females in the town. One day Todd is in the swamp picking apples and discovers something he never experienced before, quiet.  He later discovers something else. Females do exist. They all did not die. Todd begins to wonder what other lies he has been told. Todd finds himself fleeing his home and being chased by the Mayor and a man named Aaron.  This science fiction novel creates a New World in which settlers take over a land that they thought would be an “Eden” for them but turns out to be a dystopia. This book is the first in the series Chaos Walking. The other books in the series include The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men. This was a required text.

Textbook Reflections 11-end

Chapter 11:  Realistic Fiction

• Realistic Fiction is also known as contemporary realistic fiction or modern realistic fiction because the stories are told in today's time or modern contemporary times.  The stories are set so that they are believable, consistent with what happens in the real world.
• Criteria for Evaluating Realistic Fiction for young adults includes:

1.   A story consistent with the real world in terms or speech, behavior, gender, cultural and every element.  It must be believable and reflect the real world.  
2.  It should  possess more than one theme that should emerge naturally from the story.  The theme should unfold slowly and consistently.
3. The subject matter should relate to its modern readers.  Today realistic fiction includes sensitive topics such as death, sexuality, changing family structure and many others that were once thought to be taboo but are a part of our world today.

When choosing book collections for realistic fiction, it is really important to know your students.  The librarian should focus on a variety of subject matters that include characters that are similar to them culturally and socially.

Chapter 12:  Nonfiction

• Nonfiction is an umbrella term of sorts.  Lots of forms and genres fall under it.  It includes narrative and expository approaches.  It includes biography, autobiography and memoir.
• Criteria for Evaluating Nonfiction for Young Adults 
• In nonfiction we are looking for accuracy of information.
1. What are the qualifications of the author?   You can find these on the back of the book, on the author's website, in the author's notes or in acknowledgments.  
2. Are the facts accurate?  Librarians should make sure the titles they pick have accurate information.  Students should be taught to check for accuracy themselves.  Here are some ways that can be done:  compare books from different authors to see if facts are the same, check the resources cited, check lists from specialists in the field who have vetted these books and choose books from those lists.
3. What is the purpose and scope of the book?  Should it be broad, narrow or both
4. How does the organization of the book assist readers in locating information?  The books may have a table of contents, an index, timeline, suggestions for further reading, glossary, illustration credits, notes or a bibliography.
5. What role do visuals play?  Visuals elaborate on the text, help break up the text into chunks.  They can be photographs, drawings, paintings, charts, graphs or graphic organizers.

Since nonfiction comes in different styles, genres and formats this ensures that a young adult could find their topic of interest written in a way that they would enjoy.  Librarians should make sure that the nonfiction collection is as diverse as possible to appeal to different preferred formats.

Chapter 13:  Fantasy and Science Fiction

• Fantasy fiction violates the laws of physical reality.  
• Science fiction is a subgenre of  fantasy.  All science fiction stories fall into the fantasy genre but not all fantasy is science fiction.
• Criteria for Evaluation Science Fiction and Fantasy for Children

1.   Despite the fantastic aspects of the story, characters must behave in consistent and believable ways.
2.   There must still be rules for the fantasy world.
3.   Authors must assist readers in the "willing suspension of disbelief'".
4.  The themes should explore universal truths.

There are many good books in this genre.  As a librarian picking a variety of different plots would be a good idea.  The collection could be created to capture the different interests of the students also keeping in mind stories in which students can see themselves as the main characters with this fanatical twist.  This would allow students to get caught up in this world and think critically in terms of what if this could really happen, how would this work, what would be the next step and so on.

Chapter 14:  Graphic Novel

• Graphic novels are a format/form. You can see these in both genres, fiction and nonfiction and in all of the subgenres.  There are graphic novels for all readers.
• A graphic novel is defined as any book in a comic format that resembles a novel in length and narrative development.  These books are read from left to right.  Dialog balloons are read left to right or top to bottom.

Graphic novels promote literacy through:

• motivation
• great for teaching mood and tone
• benefits special need students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties
• benefit ELLs
• contains all elements of literature
• content area literacy with historical fiction, science fiction and nonfiction

Some experts say that graphic novels are a good way to get those young adults who hate to read reading.  This is in part due to the graphics and visuals that drive the narrative in a graphic novel.  This is especially helpful for English language learners who are learning the language.  I read my first graphic novel this summer when I started this graduate program and I have to say that I was caught up in the story and captivated by the illustrations.  I really do think that the visuals enhance the story and make it come alive.  So I can see why one who does not like to read or finds it difficult to read would love graphic novels.

Chapter 15:  Peck's Questions

There are ten questions that Richard Peck came up with in 1978 to ask about a novel:

l. What would the story be like if the main character were of the opposite sex?

(helps diffuse sexual polarizations and stereotyping)

2. Why is the story set where it is? (Not where is the story set?)

(points out setting as an author's device)

3. If you were to film the story, would you use black and white or color and WHY?

(consideration of tone)

4. If you could not use all of the characters, which would you eliminate and WHY?

(characters which add texture vs. simplification for media translation)

5. How is the main character different from you?

(reader can identify without being like the main character)

6. Would this story make a good TV series? Why/not?

(ending focus and sequential nature of chapters)

7. What one thing in the story has happened to you?

(anecdotal response of recognition)

8. Reread the first paragraph of Chapter 1. What is in it to make you read on? If

nothing, why did you continue to read?

(hooks reader and awareness of author's intent in writing)

9. If you had to design a new cover for the book, what would it look like?

(deceptive packaging and consumerism) '

10. What does the title tell you about the book? Does it tell the truth?

(titles as narrative hooks vs. symbolic titles)

These questions can be used to evaluate a novel in a different way. The questions could be given to students so that they can use literary skills taught to think critically about building connections between their own lives or something familiar to them and the content of the novel.

Chapter 16:  Why Children Need More Diverse Books

This article was a question and answer with Dr. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education Literacy, Culture and International Education Division.  In this article they discuss the influence of personal identities in writing, the connection between racial/ethnic representation and children's thought process of race/ethnicity, and how teachers and parents can guide children to read books that are diverse and real.  

When the topic of the need for diversity in literature arises I think the first thought that comes to mind is about race, but diversity is more than just race.  It is culture, mental and physical abilities, gender, sexuality, social class and other qualities that make us different.  There is a need for young people to see themselves in the characters of the books they read.  Dr. Thomas states "If they get that narratives can be about different people when they are very young, when they are older, maybe they won't react so harshly to de-centering.  Overall if students have access to books about diverse characters doing all sorts of things in all sorts of situations true to life, stories students can see themselves in or see hope in then this would open their minds to a new way of thinking about who they are and who they can become.

Chapter 17:  We Need More Diverse Books

Website:  diversebooks.org

We Need Diverse Books is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) grassroots organization.  The mission statement is "Putting more books featuring diverse characters into the hands of all children.  The vision is a world in which all children can see themselves in the pages of a book.  The aim of the organization is to help produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people.

People have a sense of pride when they can see themselves and their experiences in a mainstream way such as in a book.  It makes them feel as if their stories matter, they matter.  It is very important to encourage and in power young people.  They need to be shown that they matter and what they are going through is universal and that they can get through it.

Chapter 18:  A Call to Action:  What We Know About Adolescent Literary Instruction

This document provides a research-based resource that acknowledges the complexities of reading as a ongoing developmental process and addresses the needs of secondary readers and their teachers.

Students need to master literacy practices unique to each situation.

1. Incorporation of disciplinary literacy instruction
2. Integration of multiple and social literacies
3. Orchestration of engagement and motivation
4. Appreciation of multicultural perspectives and cultures

Implications for the teaching of reading

• Effective teachers model how students access specific content-area texts.
• Conversations and discussions regarding texts must be authentic, student initiated, and teacher facilitated. Such discussion should lead to diverse interpretations supported by evidence of a text that deepen the conversation.
• Teachers need to acknowledge that we all have cultural frameworks within which we operate, and everyone—teachers and students alike—needs to consider how these frameworks can be challenged or changed to benefit all peoples.

• Learning is social and transactional.
• Learning is an apprenticeship to a community of practice.
• Learners move on a continuum from novice to expert.
• Teachers provide assistance to the adolescent.
• Good teaching is always in the learner’s zone of proximal development.
• Different students have a variety of needs, so instruction must be flexible.

What adolescent readers need

Practice thinking critically about how they engage with texts to include

• application of metacognitive strategies.
• recognition of bias and high-quality sources.
• argumentation with evidence.

Critical examination of texts that helps them to

• recognize the purpose of text structure and how the writer uses it to create effect.
• infer beyond literal interpretations.
• question and investigate various social, political, and historical context.
• understand multiple meanings and richness of texts and layers of complexity.

Assessment that helps them to focus on

• the larger purpose and big ideas of the curriculum, and on metacognitive strategies for thinking during literacy acts (Smith, 1991; Darling-Hammond & Falk, 1997; Langer, 2000).
• preparation for assessment (from ongoing classroom measures to high-stakes tests) that should focus on the critical components of multicultural perspectives, motivation, multiple and social literacies, and shifting literacy demands.

Choice and volume of reading

• Opportunities to read often from books of their own choosing
• Access to a vast library of books and texts that vary in levels and text structures (Miller, 2009)
• Dedicated time to read every day (Allington, 2009)

What teachers of adolescents need

Practice thinking critically about how they engage with texts to include

• application of metacognitive strategies.
• recognition of bias and high-quality sources.
• argumentation with evidence.

Critical examination of texts that helps them to

• recognize the purpose of text structure and how the writer uses it to create effect.
• infer beyond literal interpretations.
• question and investigate various social, political, and historical context.
• understand multiple meanings and richness of texts and layers of complexity.

Assessment that helps them to focus on

• the larger purpose and big ideas of the curriculum, and on metacognitive strategies for thinking during literacy acts (Smith, 1991; Darling-Hammond & Falk, 1997; Langer, 2000).
• preparation for assessment (from ongoing classroom measures to high-stakes tests) that should focus on the critical components of multicultural perspectives, motivation, multiple and social literacies, and shifting literacy demands.

Choice and volume of reading

• Opportunities to read often from books of their own choosing
• Access to a vast library of books and texts that vary in levels and text structures (Miller, 2009)
• Dedicated time to read every day (Allington, 2009)

Currently I am a ninth grade Biology teacher.  I have been teaching since before STAAR was instituted as a requirement for graduation.  One of the things I have seen over the years is a correlation between readers and passing the Biology STAAR test.  I have taught everyone, a variety of special education students, regular on level students, pre AP and GT students.  One thing that is true for all is if they are readers meaning I see them reading books of their interest they are able to think critically enough to pass Biology STAAR.  Now when it comes to my special education students their score may be lower compared to a GT student but they do pass STAAR.  Literacy plays a key role across all curriculum.  Even when there are deficiencies in mental cognition, if they are able to get great instruction in literacy they can be successful.  

I have  taken many professional development classes set for English teachers to learn techniques in literary instruction so that my students will gain the skills necessary to take them to the next level.  On my campus we do this across curriculum and it seems to spark interest in reading.

Chapter 19:  Finding A "Good Book"  What A Real Readers Advisor Does

A readers advisor or RA is defined as a someone who can help a reader find a book that they like.  Usually and RA is a reference librarian.  Mary Chelton the author of this article suggests that this may not be as easy as it sounds.  The ability to be able to help a reader find books that they like is a developed skill that takes practice and trial and error.  

As a school librarian this role of RA applies to one of the many roles that encompass the job.  When the school librarian plans a collection they are indeed acting in this manner.  Students come into the school library all the time trying to figure out what they want to read next and the librarian is a good resource for them.

Chapter 20:  23 YA and Middle Grade Books to Honor Hispanic Heritage Month

This is an article written by Della Farrell listing 23 young adult titles about Latin young people telling of various experiences.  This is a list of mostly fiction titles including a book of poems and a graphic novel.  The article also includes a few YouTube videos that spotlight authors.  This is a wonderful article to help librarians and readers alike learn more about the titles.