Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream

Title:  Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream
Author:  Tanya Lee Stone
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Candlewick (February 24, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0763645028
ASIN: B004AYCXCK

Synopsis: When male pilots began training for the fledgling NASA in 1958 in the hopes of becoming the nation's first men to orbit the earth, the nation could not fathom the idea of women ever becoming astronauts. But Randy Lovelace, chairman of NASA's Life Sciences Committee, felt that women were just as (if not more) capable as men to be astronauts. Without approval, Lovelace began testing women pilots to see if they could withstand the rigors of the astronaut training. In fact, he put them through tests even more intensive than those the men faced, just to prove the women were resilient enough to handle the demands of being astronauts. In many cases, the women did better than the men, with 13 women making "the cut." Sadly, the attitude of sexism in America at the time doomed the womens' dreams to failure, leaving them as only a footnote in the history of America's space program.

Review: This book is very well written and presents the story of the "Mercury 13" in an entertaining narrative that will appeal to readers. The book is highly accurrate, well designed and organized to flow well and tell the story succinctly, and the author's distinct voice is clearly heard while one reads the story. The author's sense of outrage at the blatant sexism of the time can be clearly felt by the reader. My only caution to the reader is that they not see all the character's in history in this book through the lenses of modern policy, and instead view their actions in light of the times in which they occurred. This does not make what happened any easier to stomach, but it does serve to help one see their actions in the broader framework of the times in which they lived.

Awards/Reviews:

2010 Robert F. Sibert Medal Award
YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award
Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor

NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book

Bank Street Flora Stieglitz Straus Award 

An Outstanding Science Trade Book

CCBC Choices 2010

Kirkus Best YA Books of 2009

Notable Social Studies Trade Book

Horn Book Fanfare

Amelia Bloomer List

Richie's Picks

Chicago Best of the Best Books

Smithsonian Magazine Best Books of 2009

ALA Notable

Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA)

National Science Teachers Association Recommended Book

"This passionately written account of a classic but little-known challenge to established gender prejudices also introduces readers to a select group of courageous, independent women." - School Library Journal, starred review

"The chatty, immediate style (“Picture this”) and full-page photos make for a fast read, and the crucial civil-rights history will stay with readers. The long, spacious back matter is part of the story, with detailed chapter notes and a bibliography." - Booklist

"(A) fascinating, dramatic story...the author offers great insight into how deeply ingrained sexism was in American society...this empowering, impassioned story will leave readers inspired." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Connections:

Before even showing the students the book, the teacher should conduct the pre-reading exercise outlined in http://www.tanyastone.com/assets/files/AA%20Reading%20Guide.pdf. Ask the students in the class to draw or write a description of what they think an astronaut looks like. When the students are done, go around the room and look at all their drawings/descriptions. Make a chart of how many showed/described astronauts as women and how many as men. Introduce the book.

Teachers should pass out graphic organizer worksheets to the students before they begin reading the book to help them chart the obstacles to women in space during the 1950s and 1960s.

After reading the book, have students write a letter to then-Vice-President Johnson expressing their opinion of what happened to the "Mercury 13."

The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P.T. Barnum

Author:  Candace Fleming

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade (September 8, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375841970
ASIN: B004NSVEQE

Synopsis: The story of how Phineas Taylor "Tale" Barnum became P.T. Barnum, purveyor and exhibitioner of oddities and animals, and father of "The Greatest Show on Earth!"

Review: I loved this book; in fact, once I started reading it I could not put it down. It offers readers a fascinating look of how a shopkeeper turned himself into a "showman" known the world over.  Candace Fleming has organized the text brilliantly into chunks of information easy for children of all ages to digest, with clever sidebars containing information on Barnum's family, life and career, often in his own words. The information is well-documented, yet the story flows well and reads more like a story than a series of facts.

Awards/Reviews:

YALSA-ALA Excellence in Young Adult Non-Fiction Finalist
WINNER 2009 Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Books
WINNER 2009 Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the YearWINNER 2010 ALA Notable Children's BookWINNER 2010 ALA Best Books for Young AdultsWINNER 2010 Cooperative Children's Book Center ChoicesNOMINEE 2011 Tennessee Volunteer State Book Master ListSUBMITTED Junior Library Guild Selection
“The material is inherently juicy, but credit Fleming’s vivacious prose, bountiful period illustrations, and copious source notes for fashioning a full picture of one of the forbearers of modern celebrity.” - Booklist, starred review

"Audiences will step right up to this illuminating and thorough portrait of an entertainment legend" - Publishers Weekly
"An outstanding choice for all middle level and secondary collections." - School Library Journal

Connections:

Have students draw or write a description of what they'd include in a circus if they were P.T. Barnum. To incorporate multi-disciplinary subjects, tally up the animals/acts that students would use, then determine percentages of students who would have included each item.

Use the sidebar item "No Black People" on pp. 39 to launch a discussion on the Civil War (still ~15 years away when this item was published in the newspaper). Also discuss the Civil Rights movement to illustrate how little attitudes had changed in the 100 years between when the newspaper item was published and when the Civil Rights Act was passed.

Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia

Title:  Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia
Author:  Sy Montgomery
Photographer:  Nic Bishop
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 80 pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (August 17, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780618916450
ISBN-13: 978-0618916450

Synopsis: Tom McCarthy, conservation director of the Snow Leopard Trust, returns to Mongolia to see if he can accurately count and see just how many snow leopards are still living in Mongolia. The journey itself is arduous - most of the "roads" leading to the remote regions where snow leopards live are unpaved, and have little to differentiate them from the area around them. Once McCarthy and his team are up in the mountains, their tasks becomes even more perilous, as they will have to scale steep mountains and ridges in the hopes of seeing any snow leopards - a sighting that is rare. In addition to facts about their trip, the book includes interesting facts about Mongolia and chronicles how McCarthy came to work to save these endangered animals, including changing perceptions of the very people who hunted these animals to the brink of extinction.

Review: This book offers a fascinating insider's view of McCarthy's work, including anecdotes from McCarthy and the author and photographer themselves about their journey up and down the mountains of Mongolia in search of this big cat. The book is engrossing not only to those who are animal lovers, but also for those interested in learning more about the culture and geography of Mongolia.  Sy Montgomery relates McCarthy's work in an engaging style that hardly feels like non-fiction and instead feels like a well-written storybook.  Interesting facts about Mongolia's people, other wildlife, history and culture immerse the reader in the country's rich history. A nice bonus is the afterwords by the author and photographer telling of their own personal experiences leading up to and on this particular assignment.

Awards/Reviews:

Named one of the Best Books of 2009 by School Library Journal

One of Booklist’s Top 10 Environmental Titles for Youth published in 2009

Selected as an Outstanding Science Trade Book for students K-12 for 2010 by NSTA/Children’s Book Council

A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books of 2009

A Junior Library Guild Selection

"Reading this book is an extraordinary experience. It has an elegant layout featuring ornamental lettering, watermarks, and gorgeous photos; were it not for the delightfully exuberant text, it would be a stately coffee table book. But kids will giggle about the central role of scat or, as Montgomery often writes, "poo," in the research of snow leopards' habits." - School Library Journal, starred review

“It’s no easy feat to write a book about one of the most charismatic yet notoriously elusive creatures on the planet without a single sighting, but Sy Montgomery pulls it off with style." - Kirkus Reviews

Connections:

Go online to http://www.authorwire.com/s/sl_fieldjournal.html and read Sy Montgomery's field journal of what occurred while she and Nic Bishop were on the expedition to Mongolia.

Complete the author's suggested map activity (http://www.authorwire.com/s/downloads/MongolianAdventureMapSkills.pdf) with the class. See who can rack up the most points!

Read about some Mongolian ettiquette rules the author and photographer had to learn before visiting the homes of their hosts.  The teacher can also make Buuz for students to sample (check for food allergies first!)  http://www.authorwire.com/s/sl_makeBuuz.html

Spirit Walker

This is a digital trailer for "Spirit Walker" by Nancy Wood. This was my "big project" for the semester.

Hallowilloween: Nefarious Silliness from Calef Brown, by Calef Brown

Title: Hallowilloween: Nefarious Silliness from Calef Brown     Author/Illustrator: Calef Brown

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (September 6, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0547215401
ISBN-13: 978-0547215402

Synopsis: Welcome to a spooky, silly world of tongue twisters and crazy rhymes all centered around the creatures one might see in a Halloween-themed town. There's the Vumpire to ump the baseball games (but only at night), the Grim Reaper, a werewolf and even a witch or two in Hallowilloween.

Review: Calef Brown's fun, freaky verse is perfectly paired with acrylic illustrations to tickle the funny bone of anyone who loves Halloween. But the book is not only fun for kids; parents who have a broader reading base than their children will enjoy Brown's riffs on classical literature (The Portrait of Gory Rene/The Picture of Dorian Gray) and references to traditional Halloween ghouls and beasties.

Awards/Reviews:

A Junior Library Guild Selection

"A modern master of nonsense verse reaches new heights of giddiness with this Halloween-themed collection. . . . Nefariously silly indeed."-Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Brown's acrylic illustrations add to the creepy silliness: an artful mix of naive and stylized, whimsical details and vibrant color. Young readers will relish the wordplay and find themselves torn to choose a favorite among this wacky menagerie."- School Library Journal, starred review

Connections:

The teacher should connect his/her computer to the projector and go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n_b8_jN1l4. Here the teacher can show the class a video of Calef Brown reciting nonsense poetry, then reciting poems from "Hallowilloween." Ask the students how the setting the author chose complimented what he was reading/discussing.

So much of the impact of the poems in "Hallowilloween" comes from Brown's illustrations. Ask the students to pick one poem to illustrate their own way. After the students have finished, ask them to answer some questions. What elements and colors did they choose, and why? How do they think this contributed to the mood of the poetry? How would the poems seem different if Brown used bright, happy colors?

Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems, by John Grandits

Title: Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems
Author: John Grandits
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 48 pages
Publisher: Sandpiper (May 21, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0618851321
ISBN-13: 978-0618851324

Synopsis: Jessie likes blue lipstick, hates her brother (most of the time), doesn't like trophy-zombie jocks or pep rallies, can get a little cranky and loves her kitty. All these things are revealed in John Grandits' funny, sarcastic splice of high school life called "Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems."

Review: Grandits uses concrete poetry, poetry in which the words have been arranged in such a way as to form images, to both tell and illustrate the story of Jessie, a high school girl who marches to the beat of her own bagpipes (or cello, as the case may be). Grandits' use of letters and words to create images reveal his sly sense of humor and make the reader want to laugh out loud (especially the way he uses the word "bOObs" to illustrate the cheerleaders' "attributes" in the poem "Pep Rally"). Grandits' use of one long line of flowing, bouncing text to illustrate the movement of a volleyball in "Volleyball Practice" is inspired. His use of unconventional text placement really helps the reader see inside the protagonists head and see what she was thinking as she "wrote" it.



Awards/Reviews:

• American Library Association Notable Books for Children
• Nominated for Beehive Children's Poetry Book Award
• Nominated for Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award
• Nominated for Garden State Teen Book Award
• Nominated for SCASL Book Award

"This irreverent, witty collection should resonate with a wide audience." -  School Library Journal review

"Grandits playfully, and quite effectively, channels a teenage girl's dreams, anxieties, and pet peeves." - The Horn Book review

Connections:

Prior to meeting with the class, the teacher should transcribe "Bad Hair Day" into a regularly formed free-verse selection. Use the projector ported to a computer to show both forms of the poem side by side. Ask students which one they feel is more powerful. Why? How does the text "illustration" help tell Jessie's story?

Have students think about writing their own concrete poetry. What types of things would they want to write about? What images could they use to correspond with their poem?During the class's next computer group time, have students go to http://www.wild-about-woods.org.uk/elearning/concretepoetry/ and create their own concrete poem to print out and turn in. (Don't forget to remind the students to write their names and class periods on the paper!)

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies, by Sonya Sones

Title: One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies
Author: Sonya Sones
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (October 25, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416907882
ISBN-13: 978-1416907886

 

Synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Ruby's life has drastically changed. Her mother, the only parent she has ever known, has died of cancer. Now Ruby must leave her life in Boston behind to go live with her movie-star father in Los Angeles. Ruby documents her trials and tribulations in verse, expressing her rage, sarcasm and even humor through poetry.

 

Review: Sonya Sones mostly uses blank verse to tell the story of Ruby, who must leave behind her mother's grave, her friends, her aunt and everything she knew to go live with her famous movie star father - whom she has never met. Her mother and father divorced before Ruby was born. By using verse, Sones allows the reader to look between the linesRuby has written to visualize and feel Ruby's pain and anger. The only time Sones writes in prose is when showing the e-mails Ruby and her friends have exchanged, as well as the e-mails Ruby continues to send her dead mother. By using a free-verse style, Sones gives readers an intimate look into the life (and head) of this very true-to-life teen character.

 

Awards/Reviews:

• winner of the Tennessee Volunteer State Teen Read Award (2006)
• winner of the Iowa Golden Apple Teen Read Award (2006)
• winner of the Rhode Island Teen Book Award (2005 -2006)
• winner of the New Hampshire Isinglass Teen Read Award (2005-2006)
• winner of the South Carolina Mustang Book Award (2005)
• winner of the 2004 Cuffie Award from Publisher’s Weekly for the Best Book Title of the Year
• chosen a Popular Paperback for Young Adults by the American Library Association
• named an International Reading Association Young Adults’ Choice (2006)
• named a 2005 Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association
• named a 2005 Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers by the American Library Association
• nominated by the American Library Association to be a 2004 Teens’ Top Ten Book
• named an Honor Book by the Society of School Librarians International (2004)
• chosen a Kliatt Editor’s Choice: Best of 2004 Hardcover Fiction
• chosen a Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Teen Book List (2004)
• chosen a New York Pubic Library Book for the Teen Age (2005)
• chosen for the New York State Charlotte Award Suggested Reading List  2006
• chosen a Westchester’s Choice List: Best Young Adult Book (2005)
• chosen for the Texas Tayshas High School Reading List 2005-2006
• chosen a YASIG Best of the Best (Missouri)
• chosen a Kansas State Reading Circle Senior High School Titles Top Pick  2005
• chosen a Pennsylvania School Librarian Association (PSLA) "Top Ten (Or So)" Young Adult Books  2004
• chosen a PSLA Young Adult Top 40 Fiction List 2004
• chosen an Amazon.com Top Ten Editor’s Pick for Teens (2004)
• chosen a Top Ten Summer Read by Girl’s Life Magazine (2004)

          Nominated for the following state book awards:

• Arizona Young Reader's Award (2005 – 2006)
• Florida Teen Reads Award (2006-2007)
• Maine Student Book Award (2005 – 2006)
• Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (2005 – 2006)
• Missouri Gateway Readers Award (2006-2007)
• Eliot Rosewater High School Book Award (IN) (2006 -2007)
• Garden State Teen Book Award (NJ) (2007)

"Sones’ novel is an unusual combination of over-the-top Hollywood fairy tale and sharp, honest story about overcoming grief…It’s Ruby’s first-person voice—acrimonious, raw, and very funny—that pulls everything together, whether she is writing e-mails to her deceased mother or attending Dream Analysis class at a private L.A. high school…A satisfying, moving novel that will be a winner for both eager and reluctant readers." - Booklist starred review

"Ruby’s affable personality is evident in her humorous quips and clever wordplays. Her depth of character is revealed through her honest admissions, poignant revelations, and sensitive insights. This is not just another one of those gimmicky novels written in poetry. It’s solid and well written, and Sones has a lot to say about the importance of carefully assessing people and situations and about opening the door to one’s own happiness…Ruby’s story is gripping, enjoyable, and memorable." - School Library Journal starred review

"It is true that the mother dies, but this hilarious and painfully real novel in verse and letters is anything but hideous." - VOYA review

 

Connections:

Lead a round-table discussion on the book. Ask students to speculate on why they think Sones wrote the book in verse. How might the novel have been different if it had been written in prose? Would it have been as effective?

During the class's computer group time, have students go to https://penzu.com/ and click on "try it free". Ask to students to imagine they are Ruby and write what would be the next entry in Ruby's diary. The entry must be in free verse and at least 10 lines. Ask students to image what they think happened after the book ended. Ask students to make sure they title the piece and put their names on their entries at the bottom of the page with their class period, then print out their entries.

During the class's next computer group time, have students again go to https://penzu.com/ and click on "try it free". Ask students to write their own free verse diary entry over something that happened to them recently. It can be sad, funny, scary or angry. Stipulate that it must be at least 10 lines. Tell students to make sure their entries have a title. Have students print out their free-verse diary entries with their names and class periods on them and hand them in to you.