Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn books, which are forbidden, being the source of all discord and unhappiness. Even so, Montag is unhappy; there is discord in his marriage. Are books hidden in his house? The Mechanical Hound of the Fire Department, armed with a lethal hypodermic, escorted by helicopters, is ready to track down those dissidents who defy society to preserve and read books.

This classic dystpoian novel is based on the terrifying premise that books are illegal because they are the source of unrest both politically and socially. Bradbury is dealing with multiple underlying themes. The fun part of being a teacher is having students read this book and after they understand the literal plot, helping them to uncover metaphorical meanings. Students never cease to amaze me. We are all different and the real life applications of this book are innumerable. READ this book, and determine what warnings Bradbury is presenting to you. Burning books, destroying knowledge, limiting what can be passed on, what stands out to us as we read will differ as we observe this book through the lens of our own personal experiences. I have even known students who were so caught up in firemen starting fires rather than putting them out that entire discussions were held on this premise. When you read this book you are reading a story, but you are also reading a metaphor, one that your own personal experiences will mold and shape. Good luck and enjoy. 

I give Fahrenheit 451 5 out of 5 stars for educational use
I give Fahrenheit 451 5 out of 5 stars 
I give the audio performance 5 out of 5 stars 

Freek the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick

A hulking "retard" and a brilliant, crippled boy become strong as they undertake imaginary quests and fight all-too-real criminals. The only thing they can't conquer is time.

This is one of the most emotionally gripping novels I have read in years. The book is written for middle school aged students and does contain some mature content, but I assure none of it is more graphic, or violent than what they play on video games or see on a PG-13 movie, but in this case a lesson is being taught. One character has a learning disability and is extremely large, many are frightened of him because his father murdered his mother and is now in prison. The second boy in this friendship is a genius who has severe physical handicaps. The unlikely pair form an unbreakable bond, and life lessons are taught. I have encountered this book taught in a seventh grade classroom. The students could not get enough. They laughed and cried. I was amazed, as we passed out the books they groaned about having to "read another novel" but by the time we started chapter three many had already completed the book. They could not put this book down. This is not a book you read without being changed. No matter what your age you will be moved. You will laugh, get angry, and I guarantee there will be times you will shed a tear. Students who hate reading, love this book. There are so many aspects of this book they identify with, bullies, living in non-nuclear families, dealing with disabilities, struggling in school, wanting acceptance, and so much more. There is also an opportunity for cross-curricular tie-ins for science as you find out more about the characters disabilities and illness and interest in science. 

Even if you are not in a school setting, keep in mind this was written for school aged students, and pick up the book. I have read all types of fiction, but this is one book that makes me take a hard look at my own values every time I crack open its pages. 

Freek The Mighty 5 out of 5 Stars 

Freek the mighty 5 out of 5 stars for audiobook performance

Educational Content 5++ out of 5 stars

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

NARNIA...the land beyond the wardrobe, the secret country known only to Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy...the place where the adventure begins. Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor's mysterious old house. 

This is my favorite book of all time. This book was introduced to me by my 5th grade teacher and I have literally reread it every year since I was in the 5th grade. I now read this book with my own three children who love Narnia almost as much as I do. If you are an educator and you want to draw your older elementary students into the world of books this book has it all, magic, good and evil, action, adventure, mystery, myth, legend, and so much more! The book lends itself so well to teaching so many different aspects of literature. It can be used to teach figurative language, allegory, myths, and even history. It is a beautiful little novel and in my opinion one every family and classroom needs a copy of. Yes, I recommend the entire series, but if you do not want to commit to that much reading then please do your child's imagination a favor, turn off the tv, unplug the playstation, and step into the wardrobe. 

I give The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, 5 out of 5 stars
I give the audio performance 5 out of 5 stars

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Brian is on his way to Canada to visit his estranged father when the pilot of his small prop plane suffers a heart attack. Brian is forced to crash-land the plane in a lake--and finds himself stranded in the remote Canadian wilderness with only his clothing and the hatchet his mother gave him as a present before his departure.  
I first read this book in middle school, have re-read it many times, and now my own children love this book. Both my son and oldest daughter (12 and 9) are obsessed with this book. Brian is an evolving character. He begins as a middle school student suffering the effects of a divorce. He knows nothing about survival. This is territory students relate to!!! He goes through so many various emotions and experiences and nothing comes easy for him. Paulsen set out to make this as realistic as possible and he does an excellent job. Students will talk about this book. They will engage after reading this book. My own children each HAD to have their own copy of this book (Proud mommy moment). Three time Newberry winner says a lot for the book, Hatchet is emotional, eye opening and even I enjoy reading it again on occasion. 
Please keep in mind this book is target for middle school aged kids so the jargon is going to be a bit repetitive and descriptive.  This is not a defect in the book, this is a strength. We need books written on the level of our students, so they are engaged readers, and this book does that. Again, my 9 year old is enthralled by this book, so it is doing its job. It may seem simplistic to us as adults, I would hope so, but that does not entitle the book to a negative review. I was disappointed with many of the GoodReads reviewers for lowering their review of this book based on the language of the book alone. The language is adequate for the target audience. 

Educational content-4 out of 5 stars
Audio version 5 out of 5 stars
I give Hatchet 5 out of 5 stars

Soundless by RIchelle Mead

A city in the mountains of China, where everyone has lost their hearing and now they are losing another sense too!  As a special education teacher I loved this book.  The characters in this book did not let their "disabilities" become an excuse to be  labeled victims, instead they created an entire society. Admittedly, some became complacent, but enter our heroine.  The book was a simple read and did not have the complex world building I usually enjoy in fantasy novels, but I appreciated the level of determination in both the lead characters. Tenacity is what is needed to succeed in our world, with or without a disability, and these characters proved they have grit. It was also refreshing to see the back characters working in their community, finding ways to use the abilities they had, rather than focusing on their lack of abilities. This book has been given ratings across the board, because it is not a fast paced adventure, but it is thought provoking and has a beautiful story to tell. As an educator I recommend it to my older students as a story to empower them, to look past what they cannot do and begin to access what they can. As a reader, this novel is a nice easy read, it is predictable in places, but the themes and lessons are redeeming qualities and make it worth the read.

I give Soundless 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

This book made it on the 2017-2018 Battle of the Books list. I was a bit surprised. My son, a middle school student, was on the team and read this book. The book does have an interesting plot, with lots of twists and turns, but I felt it was a bit violent for a middle school student to be reading. The positive point the book does have is that it does seem to attract middle school and high school male readers. However, it does not have much educational benefit outside of getting students to read, and I would not want to be responsible for the backlash that would occur if this book was required reading in a classroom. There is not a lot of inappropriate sexual relationships but the violence in the book marks it for your more mature students. My son is a AIG student, he read the book, discussed his issues with the book with me, and went on to enjoy the plot and characters. He also shared with me that other members of his BOB team made jokes and cut up about the fighting and gore within the book. So this one is a toss up. It is good for young adults and mature readers. I would not restrict any child from reading a book, but I would caution students, this title gets gory. However, any book that gets a child to read is a good book!


Educational content 2 out of  5 stars
I give The Maze Runner an Overall 3 out of 5 Stars
I give the Audio version of this book 4 out of 5 stars

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

Hoot is a gem of a book! I love this book for multiple reasons. One it is funny. Two, where many books lend themselves to history discussions, this book has an awesome cross-curricular tie in with science, specifically environmental science.  Third, this is another "boy book"!  OK, one issue at a time, Hoot is funny, it is not laugh out loud funny, but it has subtle comical moments that make you smile. They are not forced and seem so natural that those around you want to know what you are smiling about when you are reading this book. Second, the science element in this book is so obvious and easy to work with. It is awesome. There are so many ways a teacher can go in the classroom from discussions to projects and the students get really excited about the issues. Third, boys and books! Again young males are the most difficult group for us as educators to get involved in reading. This is not only a factor I have observed in many classrooms, but a piece of information that has been researched and studied all over the globe. When I find a book middle school, and/or early high school males enjoy reading it is better than finding gold! I purchase multiple copies and even give them as rewards. This book is one that my students beg for. That alone says a lot about the book. If you have not read it, I highly recommend it. Better yet if you have a middle school aged boy in your life purchase this book and make it a back to school gift.

Educational Content 5 out of 5 stars
I give Hoot 5 out of 5 stars

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

Esperanza Rising is a beautiful book I have found appeals to many of my ESL students. Living in southeastern NC I have a lot of students whose families are farmers, they are here on work VISAs and these students understand the culture of this book. I like to implement this book within my classroom because it helps my other students become a bit more culturally aware of the lifestyle many of their peers are living. It may not be an identical situation to Esperanza's, but many of my migrant students can identify with parts of the lifestyle contained within the pages of this book.  This book is also a good reminder for me of exactly what my students are dealing with at home. It keeps me sensitive to their plight and so I like to use it as an easy read early on in the school year. It lends itself easily to cross-curricular instruction especially early in the semester. It is best suited for middle school students. I have found this is another book that easily opens the floor for discussions and students are readily willing to discuss issues within these pages. It is amazing to me the level of acceptance this book can create in my classroom.  That alone is a reason to adopt it in the curriculum.

Educational content 4 out of 5 stars
I give the book Esperanza Rising 4 out of 5 stars 

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

This book has its benefits in that middle school boys enjoy reading it. I would not recommend it for classroom use. It has a morbid background and can lead to religious debates that can make students and the teacher uncomfortable. As a piece of literature, and as a fantasy reader I enjoyed the book. It was not one of my favorite reads, but it was not distasteful. I would not let my son read this until he is older just because it deals with themes such as murder and of course death. You would not want an elementary student reading this book. I do not believe my daughters would read this book at all, unless forced to read it. My experience with girls is they usually shy away from the morbidity contained within these pages. Please do not think this is a book about evil and ghosts. This book has a well defined plot and the characters are expertly crafted in Neil Gaiman style. However after years in education, and parenting I believe this book is best directed at 7-8th grade boys as a pleasure read.

Educational Content 2 out of 5 stars
I give The Graveyard Book 3 out of 5 stars

The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leyon Leyson

If you want a historically accurate book to use for teaching the effects of WWII, the Holocaust, or even just the evils of racism this book does it beautifully. It also does it a bit less graphically than some of the other novels that cover these elements. Does that mean after reading The Boy on the Wooden Box you will not be disappointed in what humans will do to one another? No! However, this book does show that there is hope, and that one person can make a difference in the world. A true story based on the youngest person to be a name on Schindler's List, this book is powerful and lends itself to many cross-curricular educational moments. There are multiple themes covered in the book and it encompasses several beautiful literary elements. I recommend this book for younger audiences than I would Night, because it is not as graphic. I like this book for middle school or even low reading level freshmen. It lends itself easily to open discussions about difficult topics and students get drawn into the events as they unfold. I enjoyed reading this book for the first time as an adult and I think it has a lot of educational value. If you read many of my postings you know I love books that hook young male readers, I had to buy myself a second copy of this book because my son refused to relinquish my original copy when I let him borrow it. So it is a definite win at my house.

Educational Content 5 out of 5 stars
I give The Boy on the Wooden Box 4 out of 5 Stars

The Watson's Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis

Again, as an educator I would be amiss if I did not include some reviews of books that teachers and parents can appreciate. This book is appropriate for several audiences. I like this book because young males are particularly drawn to its characters. I have found that boys tend to be hardest to get interested in reading, but Christopher Paul Curtis must have know this when he added the comedy and real life brotherly banter to this novel. I also enjoy this book for its method of dealing with painful themes within the classroom and at home. Themes such as poor vs rich and racism are dealt with in a manner students and children can understand and empathize with. As a teacher I like the multiple historical tie-ins. Any book that easily lends itself to cross curricular content is a plus in my curriculum. The book also has many literary elements, using it I can teach almost any literary element I choose. I can follow common core lesson plans but apply them to this novel that students are actually interested in. I have found the biggest problem I have with this book is that many of my students read ahead of the assigned pages because they just cannot put the book down (keep in mind I deal with students who have learning disabilities) .
For those who need additional support I do provide the audio book and the audio of this book is the absolute best of any book I have ever listened to. There are sound effects, background music, and then there is the narrator LeVar Burton. Yes! Star Trek and Reading Rainbow's LeVar Burton. Enough Said.

Classroom Content--- 5 out of 5 Stars
Audio content--- 5 out of 5 Stars
I give the book The Watson' s Go to Birmingham 1963 5 out of 5 Stars

Night by Elie Wiesel

As a school teacher I would be amiss if I did not include some reviews of books I have read and used in my classrooms. Of those books this might be the most powerful novel I have ever encountered. This novel is not for the immature. The first time I read it with an immature group of students and a student laughed at the horrors contained within these pages I grew angry. I had to take a moment. This book may be a short read, but it is NOT for the faint of heart. For the educator looking for cross curricular material it has it all. It has multiple literary elements including imagery and symbolism, complex character development and multiple themes to deal with. You can have honest and open discussions about hot topics within the book and the students, in my experience are usually ready to engage and ask questions. There are also the cross-curricular historical tie ins and even science related content. A teacher can relate this book to almost every subject and in my honest opinion it is a life changer. No one should graduate high school without experiencing this novel and its life changing impacts.
Because I do teach resource students I used this book in my EC English class and purchased the audio version for some of my struggling readers. The audio content is beautiful and the students, as well as I, were hooked.

I give Night 5 out of 5 stars for educational content
 I give the audio version of this book 5 out of 5 stars
I also give the Book Night 5 out of 5 stars