These are some of my favorite chapter books that are perfect for young readers.
Because of Winn-Dixie
Chapter Book
DiCamillo, Kate. Because of Winn-Dixie. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick, 2000. Print.
Summary: When India Opal Buloni moves so that her dad could be the new preacher at the Open Arms Baptist Church of Naomi, she is left with nothing beside her father. Her father, the preacher that kept to himself, shedding very little emotion, was the only family she had. Her mother left them when Opal was three years old and never came back, and the thought of her haunted Opal. She felt very lost in the new town until she met Winn- Dixie, a stray dog that she found running wild in the Winn-Dixie Supermarket. After meeting Winn-Dixie she had no trouble making friends, lots of them. Somehow, every friend she made was impart due to Winn-Dixie. She met Otis when she was at the pet store trying to find a leash and collar for him; she met Gloria Dump when Winn-Dixie ran into her yard. Finally Gloria Dump and Opal host a party for all their new friends and for the first time in a long time Opal feels as though she belongs in Naomi.
Evaluation: This beautifully written story evokes emotions and explains to the reader that everyone, young and old, rich and poor, has some sorrow in their life. Gloria Dump, who is an incredible woman, has her tree that symbolizes the mistakes of her past. Even Amanda Wilkinson, with her “pinched-face”, is sad inside from her brother’s death. The story also holds great knowledge, such as Gloria Dump telling Opal, “There ain’t no way you can hold on to something that wants to go, you understand? You can only love what you got while you got it” and “you can’t always judge people by the things they done. You got to judge them by what they are doing now.
This story also shows that everyone has something to offer, even the people that you least expect can become your lifelong friends.
I like this book because it is a heartwarming story that would help a troubled reader cope with the sorrow that comes with death, leaving, moving etc. It is also beautifully written and once I opened it I did not put it down until I was finished.
Uses: a) The south, the Civil War, friendship, pets b) What would be the hardest thing about moving to a new place for you?
Secret Letters From 0 to 10
Chapter Book
Morgenstern, Susie Hoch., and Gill Rosner. Secret Letters from 0 to 10. New York: Viking, 1998. Print.
Summary: At the beginning of Susie Morgenstern’s book, “Secret Letters From 0 to 10,” Ernest had no phone, no television and had never even ridden an elevator, but all that changed when he met Victoria. When ten year old Ernest Morlaisse meets Victoria de Montardent his world is turned upside down. Once a scheduled, colorless life, stuck in the house with his grandmother day after day who, “spoke rarely and little”, his world turned into a constant adventure as Victoria introduced him to a multitude of new things. Ernest and Victoria could not have been more different, his only family was his grandmother while Victoria not only had a mother and father but also thirteen brothers. Ernest begins to experience new things and feel things that he never thought he could. Along the journey he makes discoveries about his father and his estranged family as a whole.
Evaluation: At the start of Susie Morgenstern’s book, “Secret Letters From 0 to 10,” Ernest did not question his life or his father’s absence from his life. His grandmother told him that “as for his father, he had disappeared: an unexplained disappearance after his wife’s funeral, when Ernest was just one day old.” Ernest lived a solitary, boring life with his grandmother until the day that he met Victoria, who “had enough conversation for the both of them.” This book demonstrates the fact that one person can truly change your life. It also shows that it is never too late to change.
The tone of this book is hope. Ernest’s hope that his life could be made up of more than the same routine every day, the hope that he could find true friendship and the hope that he would one day meet his father.
I like this book because as I read it I felt as though I was taking the journey with Ernest, that I was seeing as the “firsts” through his eyes, and when the book was finished, I was happy for Ernest.
Uses: a) French culture, friendship, family, letters b) What do you think will happen when Ernest finally meets his father?
Esperanza Rising
Chapter Book
Ryan, Pam Muñoz. Esperanza Rising. New York: Scholastic, 2000. Print.
Summary: Esperanza had the perfect life, or so she thought. She lived on ranch in Mexico with her father, mother and grandmother. Esperanza had beautiful dresses and a beautiful home, her family even had servants. One day however, her whole world changes when her father is murdered by bandits. Her uncle soon gives Esperanza’s mother an ultimatum, trying to force her to marry him. When her mother declines his offer, her uncle burns down their house and asks her again. This time, her mother knew what she had to do; their family would flee Mexico to the United States in hopes of a better future. So, leaving everything behind, they fled to California as poor workers. Esperanza soon realizes that she will never again have pretty dresses and servants of her own, because now Esperanza was a servant herself. As she begins facing discrimination Miguel clues her in saying, “people here think that all Mexicans are alike. They think that we are all uneducated, dirty, poor, and unskilled.” For once in her life people would not see her as a “la reina” like Miguel had.
Evaluation: Pam Munoz Ryan delivers a tale of hardships through her strong use of language and symbolism. For example, while waiting for her Papa in the garden, Esperanza picks a red bloom and pricks her finger on a vicious thorn and she automatically thinks “bad luck.” Later we discover that bandits had killed her Papa and that her “premonition” was true. Also, while separated from her family, Abuelita has a premonition that something is wrong with Mama, “Then one day when she had almost given up hope, she found an injured bird in the garden that she did not think would fly again, but the next morning when she approached it, the bird lifted into the sky. She knew it was a sign that whatever had been wrong, was better,” and it was. This superstition and symbolism is prominent throughout the book and acts as a mechanism of foreshadowing throughout the book.
Ryan’s use of bilingual text in “Esperanza Rising” should not go unnoticed. The way in which she incorporates the Spanish language into the book by allowing the characters to use simple phrases such as, “Claro. Certainly,” is very smart. This style of writing allows the reader to understand that the characters are Spanish speakers but that the book is translated for English speakers to use.
I like this book because it acts as a window into Mexican culture. It allowed me to learn a lot about the values, superstitions and lifestyles of Mexican families of their time. It also allowed me to realize to what extent Mexican workers have been taken advantage of.
Uses: a) Mexican culture, Spanish language, superstition, symbolism, families, workers conditions, illness b) Why do you think that Esperanza’s mother declined Tio Luis’ offer even though she knew that it would leave her family with no money?
Tuck Everlasting
Chapter Book
Babbitt, Natalie. Tuck Everlasting. Square Fish, 1975. 144 pp.
Summary: When Winnie Foster stumbles upon a spring on her family’s property for the first time her whole world changes. Little does she know that if she drinks the water it will give her everlasting life and freeze her body in time. When the Tucks see her at the spring, ready to drink the water, they kidnap her and bring her home with them. The Tucks tell her of their immortality due to the spring and that no one must ever find out about it, they tell her that the thought of eternal life would be far too tempting to people. Winnie Foster is faced with decisions to make, whether or not to keep the Tuck’s secret and whether or not to drink the water that would give her everlasting life.
Evaluation: This fantasy-like story evokes emotions and brings about questions in the readers mind. Temptation is an ongoing theme in this story, for instance, Tuck said that if everybody knew about the water in the spring “they’d all come running like pigs to slops.”Also Jesse tempts Winnie by saying “how’d it be if you was to wait till you’re seventeen, same as me… and then you could go and drink some, and then you could go away with me!” Winnie Foster’s dilemma makes the reader think about what he/ she would do in the same situation. However, while this plot will catch a child’s attention it may not hold it because the story is not fast paced.
I like the way in which Natalie Babbitt leaves Winnie Foster’s future to the imagination of the reader. Throughout the story I found myself desperately wanting to know the ending but when I came to it many of my questions remained unanswered.
I like this book because it made me think about my own life and what I would choose if I was in Winnie’s situation.
Uses: a) Fountain of youth, fantasy, everlasting life, childhood b) If you were in Winnie Foster’s shoes would you drink the water on your seventeenth birthday or would you choose to live and die naturally?
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