Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Marina

By Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Reader Response: The book cover, an enigmatic portrayal of a seemingly beautiful red rose, instantly caught my attention. In front of Chapter one, there is “A Note From The Author,” addressed to me, the Reader, admitting that the book I was about to begin was his very favorite. For some reason, Zafon’s ominous tone and stylistic obscurity, even in this initial letter, drew me in. From there on out, I was hooked.  The book begins with a powerful statement: “We only remember what never really happened” (Zafon, Pg. 1).  Zafon’s style is rich, complex and filled with vast imagery that paint images of the beautiful streets of Barcelona, the setting of the novel, for his readers. The plot follows the story of a young boy, Oscar, seeking a sense of belonging when he meets the mysterious Marina and encounters the adventure of a lifetime. Marina introduces Oscar to a particular mystery she is itching to solve. As the events unfold, Oscar and Marina quickly realize the complexity of the matter concerning issues way beyond their own maturity level and innocent imaginations. They form a bond with each other that only people who have suffered through so much together can understand. Their understated love story, along with the impending disaster of the unfolding mystery, makes this book one impossible to put down for teachers and students alike. I began this book in class as a way to spark my student’s interest in reading and my students took me by total surprise with their pure investment in the character’s lives. They ended up acquiring the book and finishing it before me. This book provides you with a timeless experience of heart-break, identity crises and loss. 

Evaluator Response: This story is incredibly engaging, yet it requires a solid vocabulary—or at the least the willingness to seek out definitions. One can definitely read the book without a dictionary, but if students are provided with about 10 words that Zafon uses over and over again, their experience will only be enriched by their solidified understanding. Every chapter ends on a sort of cliff-hanger that forces the reader to keep turning the pages. Chapter 1 begins with this idea that, “We only remember what never really happened,” and ends with, “We all have a secret buried under lock and key in the attic. This is mine…” (Zafon, Pgs.1,3). Students thus are told right off the bat to question the narrator’s validity; nonetheless, readers grow to trust Oscar and his memories. The story is told through Oscar’s eyes and the reader empathetically intertwines themselves with him. The reader is anxious to uncover the secrets of the successful mind behind the Barcelona medical company while impatiently waiting for Oscar and Marina to realize their love for each other. As the plot continues to twist and turn, the ending leaves readers shocked, perplexed and unsettled.  The story sticks with readers and makes them want to seek out Zafon’s other literary works.

Teacher Response: There are so many complex themes prevalent within this book that it’s hard to solely categorize this story into one particular genre. Although the ending involves some shocking imagery that justified the “Gothic” descriptions, I still believe that teachers could include this in a narrative writing curriculum or as a way to engage students at the beginning of class with a 5-minute read-aloud. The descriptions of the streets of Barcelona are ridiculously spot-on and historically accurate in accordance to the time-period. This book was translated from Spanish to English and thus involves some Spanish names that interested my students who come from Hispanic backgrounds. This book allowed my students to read about children who look like them and speak like them. It allowed me, as a teacher, to hold up a mirror for my students rather than instruct them to look out of an unfamiliar window. Students could definitely practice comprehension strategies through making personal connections with the raw emotions of the characters. Both Marina and Oscar experience immense loss, along with other typical teenage struggles of identity, beauty and fear of their own worth. With all the cliffhangers, students can make inferences as to what is about to happen next and compare their predictions with the actual unexpected events. Zafon keeps both the teacher and the students guessing. It was an extremely enriching experience to watch my students react to the dense concepts within the story.  Zafon also sends a simultaneously strong—yet subtle—moral message that death is a part of life and humans are literally incapable of controlling everything. The book is humbling and urges students to enjoy their life, demand what they deserve and live each day with gratitude and sincerity. Lastly, Zafon reminds students of the temporary nature of youth itself—once it’s gone, it truly is gone forever. The places of your youth will only seek to exist in your memories.

Literacy Coach Response: This book should be used to target stronger readers as a way to improve their comprehension and challenge their minds. It is often challenging to grow your advanced students, yet Marina provides teachers with the tools to do just that. There are many exercises that teachers could use to spark growth through vocabulary, comprehension, including inferences and synthesizing, as well as visualization tactics to accompany the vivid imagery of the novel. Moreover, since there is so much going on in the plot, teachers can empower students to self-monitor their own understanding through comprehension checks and personal journals that ask students to respond to various plot developments. The strongest way that this book can be utilized, however, is to draw thoughts out of your students. There are so many issues of morality that Marina brings up—what do you think? I want to know because your voice matters.  It allowed me to cultivate valuable discourse within my classroom— a rarity that I do not take for granted. Honestly, the opportunities are vast and I feel like I learned more from my students than I ever had through discussions of this book.

The Great Kapok Tree

 

Book: Cherry, L. (1990). The great kapok tree: A tale of the Amazon rain forest. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich

Reader Response: This story is quickly engaging and easy to follow because it is a children’s book. It does not require a high lexile level, and is beautifully illustrated. Any student should be able to pick up this book, and understand the central themes in the book, which are organism interdependence, and rainforest preservation. This advanced concepts are taught through a short story, and students can quickly pick up on the main idea.

Evaluator Response: This book would be great to use as part as a mini-lesson on biomes, environmental preservation, or interdependence. It is quick and to the point, so it would not take up a lot of time in class. However, this book is not deeply scientific, and is at a relatively low lexile level for middle school aged students. This book should be taught in conjunction or as an introduction to deeper levels of thinking about environmental preservation, and is not an in-depth enough resource to be used on its own.

Teacher Response: As a science teacher beginning a biomes or environmental resource unit, I would certainly use this book to hook students in. The characterization of different animal species gives students an introduction to the types of organisms and plant species that live in the rainforest, and how they depend on each other for survival. This book explains that concept of interdependence in a simple way, which is important because that can often be difficult for students to understand.

            I would not suggest this book to a student to include in any independent study on deforestation or interdependence because of the nature of it being a fictional story. It would not be considered academic enough to be used in research of any kind, but more to give students an overview of environmental threats to the rainforest.

            If I had a student interested in this story, I would direct them to watch the BBC documentary Planet Earth: Jungle, narrated by David Attenborough. This documentary is interesting enough for middle-school aged students, and is scientific enough to be a more legitimate resource material. Students will find the concepts in The Great Kapok Tree will be discussed at a higher level in this documentary.

Literacy Coach Response: I think as a literacy coach, I would recommend this book be used to read as a full class as an introduction to an environmental unit. This will hook students in and get them invested in the human aspect of environmental preservation. I would also have it included in a classroom library for my lower level readers, but would encourage students not to use it as an academic reference.

When You Reach Me

When You Reach Me 
By Rebecca Stead

Reader Response: As a reader, When You Reach Me, pulled me in to a somewhat mystifying yet engaging story line. The novel follows a 6th grade girl named Miranda, living with her mom in New York City. As Miranda takes on the normal every day challenges of a middle schooler, including what her new friends will think of her apartment, why her best friend Sal stopped talking to her suddenly, and why the annoying know-it-all girl in class irks her so badly, she also finds herself receiving anonymous notes that place her in a mysterious plot- one in which someone's life is on the line. I was not only sucked into Miranda's point-of-view, wanting her to resolve her issues with her friends, but also couldn't help but keep turning pages to find out who is pulling Miranda into this plot and why. The book is witty and entertaining, dealing with relationships that all can relate to. The ongoing thread of mystery, however, is what sets the novel apart and presents a fresh story to the middle school genre.


Evaluator Response: As an editor, this novel is a strong recommendation for middle school classrooms. The novel is written at a 6th grade reading level, but it would also be a strong choice for struggling readers in 7th/8th grades whose teacher hopes to place a matched grade level in their hands for independent reading. On a basic level, the story follows the life of Miranda, a spunky, clever, and relatable 6th grade girl. Given that the novel is based in NYC, it portrays characters from diverse backgrounds, both racially and socioeconomically. Students will have an easy time both seeing themselves in one of the characters yet still being stretched to look at how diversity affects the dynamics of Miranda and her friends. The novel depicts situations in which friends, including the white main character, stick up for their African-American friend who a store owner is suspicious of for no reason other than her skin color, and where Miranda becomes hyper self-conscious of her and her mother's apartment in comparison with some of her wealthier classmates' homes. In all, the novel presents rich opportunities to engage young readers.

Literacy Coach Response: My suggestion as a literacy coach would be that teachers stretch students' thinking by focusing on three areas: making connections, characterization, and prediction. Throughout the novel, Miranda is attached to A  Wrinkle in Time, as the concept of time travel becomes increasingly important. Teachers could use this as an opportunity to teach about how authors use allusions to other text, as students are likely to miss the full meaning of this connection on their own. I would also suggest that teachers use this novel to teach about inference and characterization, given the variety of characters who make an appearance in the novel's cast. Lastly, given the mysterious setting of the novel, students can be pushed to use what they do know from the text to make predictions about what they do not yet know.

Teacher Response: Students who thoroughly enjoyed When You Reach Me are likely to enjoy Rebecca Stead's newer novel, Liar & Spy. The novel maintains a similar style, following a compelling story of a middle schooler living in the midst of bustling city life, yet introducing deeper themes through a suspenseful mystery. In general, students who enjoyed the novel should be pushed deeper into the genre of mystery and thriller.

Mechanically Inclined by Jeff Anderson

Mechanically Inclined: Building Grammar, Usage, and Style into Writer’s Workshop

By Jeff Anderson
Critique by Aisha Elmasri

Reader Response

When I am looking for grammar help, I often find books that tell me what the grammatical concept is rather than show me its significance within context. This book makes the mechanics of writing meaningful for students. This book is separated into chapters based on related concepts—for example, pronouns and antecedents are grouped together the way they naturally should be. It includes short and daily instruction in grammar and mechanics within writer’s workshop with high-quality mentor texts. As a teacher, this book helped me understand the significance of proper grammar by clearly showing me what the precise misconception would be when the grammatical concept was misused. It also includes visual scaffolding with wall charts and visual cues I could use alongside my lesson.  It even taught me how to create lessons with step-by-step instructions and very thorough ideas. Moreover, Anderson provides helpful commentary and strategic insertions of what to tell students at particular instances within a lesson. All in all, students are empowered by teachers because this book provides them with lessons where students discover the significance of grammar for themselves. I am hooked.

Evaluator Response

Anderson created this book, culminating years of experimentation, aiming to merge the best of writer’s workshop elements with relevant theory about how and why skills should be taught. It connects relevant theory with practical skill-based lesson plans. Although this book is not the end-all-savior for those seeking grammar help (it covers fundamental concepts but does not cover specific concepts, such as gerunds, participles and infinitives.), it targets the fundamental skills of struggling writers. It is clearly organized through a natural increase in rigor and concept complexity. The chapters are student-friendly with interesting titles that partially touch upon the functions, for example, “Dependent vs Independent—Adding On Without Running On.” However, Anderson is clearly addressing teachers—the idea being that teachers have to transfer this knowledge over to their students successfully with creative execution. Nonetheless, this book provides teachers with all the skills they would need to implement a successful grammar lesson, including daily instructional plans, visual scaffolds and even short routines that allow students to revise their errors automatically and consistently.

Teacher Response

 As a new urban middle-school teacher, I found myself struggling to teach foundational grammatical concepts to my 8^th graders that I naively assumed they would already know. Beyond academic struggles, middle-schoolers are struggling with their identity. Their grammar struggles reflect their daily discourse—they struggle to develop an academic formality that doesn’t mirror the environment they are immersed in every day. This inconsistency creates a struggle for them within a classroom where their ability to convey their thoughts effectively is heavily based on their ability to seamlessly master their own grammar. This book makes foundational grammar accessible for students who may have fallen behind in a flawed system. As a teacher, I struggled to maintain rigor while meeting my students where they were at; however, this book allowed me to close those gaps. I feel like I am challenging my students and they feel engaged and empowered as they understand grammatical concepts versus memorize definitions. 

Literacy Coach

The format of this book is incredibly accessible for teachers— there is an explanation of the significances of a grammar concept followed by a mentor text and a solid lesson plan that allows the student to discover the meaning behind the concept for themselves. Overall, the accessible format allows for simple execution of the lesson plans that draw true meaning and thought out of the students. I would definitely challenge teachers to compile different mentor texts and recreate the concept of the lesson plan by adding their own personal spin on it. Teachers could also create a more enriching experience for students by pulling examples from social media where very public figures made terrible grammatical mistakes. This would increase engagement as students could draw connections to their own lives where they are constantly engaging with one another through social media. The more activities you incorporate with grammar instruction, the more likely you are to get students engaged and interested—overall, allowing the concepts to stick in their brain and directly translate to their writing.

City of Thieves

Reader Response: An action packed story that I could not put down for a minute. Seeing the evolution of this relationship between two total strangers over the course of one week was nerve wrecking. With a knife fight, some cannibals, and a war boss to take on, Lev has had an adventurous week. I fell in love with the characters and watched Lev change so much in just a few short days because of this incredible adventure he and Kolya had to endure. I did love to see how everything tied together in the end.

Evaluator Response: An incredible coming of age story that will keep your nose in the book. Perfect for young adults who are interested in action packed stories that will keep the anticipation going. The sarcasm that is tossed about in this sudden bromance will keep readers laughing nonstop. The steamy affairs that take place throughout the story will be enough to make even the toughest reader blush a little. Then watching it all make sense in the end will make it that much more enjoyable. 

Teacher Response: This historical fiction piece is an excellent way to incorporate a little bit of fun into a unit of World War II. For some of our young men who are very interested in action and less interested in what is going on in class, this is something that will build investment. For the young ladies that love a good story of friendship and (and girl drama), this will build investment for them as well. This will give them the viewpoint of people who are living during the time of the war. It can also be used to write some very controversial essays. 

Literacy Coach Response: This novel is filled with copious amounts of vivid vocabulary that will contribute to state test prep. It is perfect for high school students and advanced middle school students with a Lexile of 910.There are multiple climactic moments in the text that will keep the attention of readers for long periods of time. The book can be used to cover a variety of writing topics and has a series of common core standards that can be paired with it. Be sure to inform parents before you start reading it with student. Parents may respond like the ones talked about here. 

The Little Engine That Could

Reader Response: I vividly remember sitting in middle school science class listening as the teacher is talking about new concepts and discoveries for our new science unit. I was in 5th grade and I immediately knew that I was in a totally different ball game than my 4th grade friends. My eyes were glazed over and my mind in another galaxy. I also recall when it was time for my science tests. I could not engage, I could not find the silver lining. Science made me anxious, especially our unit assessments and I lost lots of confidence in myself and my ability to master science content and then execute on the test. The Little That Could is a great reminder, especially for elementary age students. In spite of great difficulty, whether self imposed or by unforeseen circumstances, The Little Engine That Could reminds children of their ability to overcome any obstacle. It is an easy read, even for lower readers and is entertaining, keeping the interest of the reader throughout the book.







Evaluator Response: This book includes lots of great imagery that helps the reader connect the emotions that flow throughout the story. The reader can view when the train is somber, sad and low on confidence. The reader can also see which will help them to feel the happy, vivacious emotions of the train when he is proud, confident and determined. Illustrations such as these help smaller children have a better understanding of the main idea, theme and meaning of  the text. This book is good for children who are beginning to read and for students that parents and teachers see struggling with confidence in the classroom.

Teacher Response: If I see a student who was a high performer on formative and summative assessments in some of the content and were a lower reader, I would give them this book to read and encourage them to know that they can do anything. Despite what is happening around them and amongst their peers, they can do whatever they put their mind to. I would especially give this book to a student struggling in literacy so that the student's confidence and performance can improve. If I were an elementary school teacher, and possibly even as a middle school teacher, I would read this book and others like it such as The Crown on Your Head  by Nancy Tillman and Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae, out loud to the class at least once a week.

Literacy Coach Response: The Little Engine that Could is a great book for our lower level reader's and struggling writers. I am immediately thinking of using this book to teach and practice creative forms of cultivating learning. Initially, I am thinking of having a lower level reading group during a guided or choice reading time to sketch-to-stretch. As I read and sometimes choral read with the students, depending upon their reading level, I will pause every two paragraphs or so and ask students to stop and sketch images that come to mind based on what we read. The Little Engine that Could, in this instance is simultaneously helping students to build self-confidence while also pushing their imagination and artistry to help them with comprehension.

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. 

Reader Response:

The Lorax is a childhood classic that engages readers through enchanting poetry. This book is a great tool to use in every classroom because Dr. Seuss is a very recognizable author and more students are likely to pick up the book to begin with. Every page of the book has bright and vibrant colors, which continues to pull the reader in. The book also tells a powerful story about how important it is to treat the environment with respect. I really enjoy how the entire storyline of the book flows while also allowing students to make connections to their own personal experiences, keeping students engaged until the very end.

Evaluator Response:

This text builds connections between Science and English standards. 7^th grade students in English learn about the different structures of poems so as students read The Lorax, they can identify the rhyme scheme and patterns. One of our 7^th grade Science standards is for students to learn about the impact humans have on our environment. While students are identifying the main aspects of the poetry in the book, they are also building knowledge on how humans can affect the environment. One struggle that I can see some of my students having while reading this book is understanding the imaginative vocabulary. For example, one of the main characters in the book is the Truffula tree. Many of my students are very literal thinkers so they struggle with thinking outside of the box. Before reading the text, I would definitely have to introduce them to some of the vocabulary terms and what they mean when used in context.

Teacher Response:

For a student who really enjoyed The Lorax, I would recommend them to read, One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia. After reading a fiction story about how the impact humans have on the environment, it would be great for them to read a book that tells a true story of an individual working to help improve the environment. In One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia, Isatou was determined to make change in her community and she found a way to recycle the bags that were negatively affecting her community, which led to incredible change.

Literacy Coach Response:

As I mentioned previously, I would definitely teach a lesson to my students about imagery and imaginative language before having my students read this book. I would recommend doing this by having students read another Dr. Seuss book or poem. This way they can become comfortable with the way he uses words so when they do read The Lorax, they can focus more on the purpose or lesson of the story, rather than focusing on how some of the words don’t make sense or have no meaning. To incorporate writing into this lesson, I would have students write a short passage pretending they are Dr. Seuss. I would give them an environmental issue to talk about to have them thinking about the Science content. They will be required to use poetry and a set of imaginative words that I will previously provide them.

"Serena Sees Her Footprints on the Moon"

Serena Sees Her Footprints on the Moon by Sean Reed
To download a copy: https://leanpub.com/serenasees 

Reader Response: This book is about a little girl who is exploring the moon and walking in the same steps that other astronauts have walked. Just as they did she leaves her mark on the moon and explores the moon and all the things that were left behind from a previous mission. The story also has Serena going to the far side of the moon where no one has yet to go and shows how Serena is the first person there. Along her walk on the moon Serena explains what all the equipment is used for. The illustration are cute and give an idea of what it might be like on the moon now and shows that nothing probably has changed since man landing on the moon.  

Evaluator’s Response: This is a great book to help build a library for a science classroom. This book is an ebook found at https://leanpub.com/serenasees. The purpose of the book is to have STEM books showing main characters of all different types of people. In this book the main character is an African American little girl who is imaging herself exploring the moon and then going the next step and exploring the far side of the moon. The great aspect of this book is that it sends the reader the message that you can do anything if you want to do it. It makes STEM cool! It also explores the machines used by the astronauts on the moon and that they were used for.  

Teacher’s Response: This book can be down loaded for free as an e-book. Since science related pictures books can be hard to come by therefore this could be a great resource to start a library in a science class. The best is that there is no cost which helps when funds may be limited. This is a simple book but it is a good read and could be used as an intro to a lesson on space or to encourage students to explore careers in STEM. 

Literacy Coach Response: This could be a good book to help with those who are ELL students since it is a simple story to read. It can also be used to help students practice making inferences by asking them what each machine the main character encounters is used for. Students can then take it beyond the book and research the first landing on the moon and compare what is in this book with the information they found in their research.