"The Giver" by Lois Lowry

The last time I recall reading this novel was in 7th grade literature. I never enjoyed literature, but I do recollect this was one of the few novels I enjoyed reading. One of the main reasons I enjoyed reading this story in 7th grade is because it created a realistically painted world in which everyone lived in a Utopian society. Such concepts regarding utopiastic societies sparked much debate in my classroom. Questions would arise such as "Can a society be truly Utopian, or no matter how hard we try will society always be socially unequal?" These questions and many more give middle school children the opportunity to use higher level thinking skills in order to fantasize and predict the consequences of different themes represented in Lowry's novel.

I thought Lowry does a phenomenal job in raising important questions regarding society and human nature - as he does it in such a way that makes it easy for students to comprehend. Other issues Lowry expresses through his novel regard how this attempt for social perfection/equity has not come without its consequences. Family life and the emotions that go along with our perception of typical human nature are actually atypical in this fictional society. In order to suppress these emotions labeled "stirrings," people take pills that essentially desensitize themselves.

One of the more interesting aspects of the story that intrigued me was the power that the Council of Elders had. It raises the question that the graphic novel "Watchmen" raised, which is "Who watches the watchmen?" This meaning, who oversees the decisions made by the men in power in order to keep them in check? Overall, I believe there are limitless discussions an educator could have with his/her student regarding the broad spectrum of themes in "The Giver." Thus, I believe this story should be emphasized in almost all middle school literature curriculum, as it covers a variety of unique themes regarding human nature and society.

"A Pig Tale" by Olivia Newton-John

This is another story that has an underlying eco-friendly plot throughout the story (although it was actually very hard to pick up until the last page). The story concerns a piglet named Ziggy - who constantly gets scrutinized by peers because his grandpa collects garbage. Throughout the story, his grandfather accumulates more and more useless garbage, which consequently makes their house look unattractive. However, towards the end of the book Ziggy finds out that his father was using all of this garbage to create a balloon. On the very last page, the author makes a note to recycle and "protect our dear earth." It would have been beneficial to the story's main plot if there were a bit more references to environmentalism throughout the story.

The text throughout the book was usually arranged in short sentences in rhyming patterns. I never really found much educational value in this story, aside from the last page where the author advocates a cleaner more eco-friendly earth. The illustrations were colorful, but there was nothing that "popped" out in my face about them. Overall, I thought this was an o.k children's book, definitely would not be my first choice if I had to pick a story to read to my students.

"Hot Hot Hot" by Neal Layton

This story about two prehistoric mammoths depicted in the changing seasons combines comedy with some factual information for children. Obviously, this story wasn't intended to be literal, but it does teach some preliminary science concepts. Throughout the story, two mammoths are struggling to find a cold climate as summer approaches. They travel all around, and are irritated by their inability to live comfortably in the ever changing climate. Interestingly enough, the last page of the story is dedicated to non-fictional information regarding the ice-age, so students that were interested in the story can read those facts regarding the Earth's history.

The use of bold and repetitive text in this story is fantastic. For example, if a Bee is buzzing, the words "Buzzzzzzz" will make a curved line following the bees path. Also, if the author wants to emphasize a certain word or phrase, it may progressively become more bold or larger depending on the tone he is trying to set. Overall, this is a fun fictional and informative story for children from first to forth grade.

"The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Suess

I haven't read Suess' popular "Cat in the Hat" recently until now, and it just reminds me at what a creative author Suess was. Interestingly enough, the version of the story I checked out had both Spanish and English text, which is excellent for bilingual students. Since Suess uses simplistic rhyming schemes and small words, this is an excellent children's book for young ELL students to learn English. In contrast, if English children want a challenge they may attempt to correspond which English words go with each Spanish word.

As always, Suess' illustrations are phenomenal at keeping any reader of any age engaged. Unlike other of Suess' books, he uses very minimal color in this story. However, he uses this to his advantage to keep the reader focused on the main aspects of the illustrations (i.e. the assortment of things The Cat in the Hat is juggling). I also love Suess' unique way to create expressions on each of his characters, whether it be a fish or a "thing." Overall, I see why this wild and crazy story has become a children's favorite - and the fact that it is in two languages adds an educational aspect to the story.

"Applebet Story" by Byron Barton

This is a creative alphabet story created to aid kindergartners in learning their letters. Each page has black and white images corresponding to a specific letter. The aspect of this story that makes it creative, is that a red apple is somehow transferred to the next page based on the word given to represent the letter. The apple is easy to follow, as it is a red color while all the images around it are black and white. The idea that children can easily follow the red apple from page to page helps them stay engaged in learning each and every letter, as they are anticipating where the apple will be on the next page. After studying alphabet/number genre books, I believe this book is an effective and engaging tool in teaching the alphabet.

"Kitten in Trouble" by Maria Polushkin

This story is a great easy read for children in kindergarten and first grade that are just learning how to form words with letters. The illustrations are fun, as they are comprised mainly of water colors outlined in a dark black marker to help the colors "pop out." As the story progresses the child constantly following the story of a little mischievous cat, who can't seem to stay out of trouble. Although many of the words are very short and easy for children to learn, some of the words may be a bit too complex for kindergartners - so teachers may need to aid them in reading. Children stay actively engaged in the story, as they are expected to anticipate the kitten's next mischievous move based on previous pages. The concept of repetition throughout the pages helps children stay active in the plot progression, and give them the opportunity to jump in at any time and read with the teacher.

"Watchmen" by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

"The Watchmen" started as a comic and has recently been reprinted into a graphic novel. It has recently inspired a movie to made based off of the original comic, but nevertheless has always been a superior piece of literature. In this novel, Moore has created an alternate universe where superhero's emerge in the United States, thus making the U.S. a fearless and seemingly indestructible force. However, over time the "watchmen" or superheroes receive scrutiny, and are eventually disbanded.

The imagery throughout the novel is very graphic (go figure) and entails quite a bit of fight scenes. The illustrations are typical of the DC universe comic book genre, thus imagery is similar to other graphic novels/comic books such as V for Vendetta, etc. Aside from some violent imagery, the storyline helps build the dark tone in this alternate universe. Many of the themes throughout the novel may not be appropriate or understood by young teens - as much of this book relies on some previous knowledge of American history in the 80s. Overall, I think this book is ideal for mature students in high-school and above.