Science Fiction

Journey: A Northern Lights Adventure is a science fiction book about five men who are teleported into Virginia at the time of the Civil War. This book is an easy read and very imaginative. I would use this book in a Creative Writing class for middle school grades. I would ask my students to write a paper on where and what time period they would want to be transported to.
Journey: A Northern Lights Adventure(2007). One Horse Press

Traditional Literature

Sense and Sensibility written by Jane Austen can be viewed online in digital format as well as the traditional book. Depending on the site, one can find the book broken into chapters or sections. This book can also be viewed as a movie through video. Jane Austen's first published in 1811 was Sense and Sensibility. The book is about two sisters and their encounters with the opposite sex. This book can be used in a high school British Literature class to describe and introduce the setting and culture of Britain at this period.

Picture Book

Henry's Freedom Box, written by Ellen Levine, is 2008's Caldecott Award Honor book. In this wonderful book are beautiful images illustrated by Kadir Nelson. This book has teaches students to not give up and that there is always hope. This book is appropriate for elementary grades and can be integrated into a Social Studies class when learning about slavery. Students can be asked to write a paper that puts them in the setting of the book.
Henry's Freedom Box (2007).Scholastic Press

Andrew Carnegie Award

Jump In, the Carnegie Award winner for 2008, is a movie/video that can be downloaded on the internet for a fee of four dollars, or can be bought/rented through Disney. This movie can be viewed in two different formats: digital or video.
Paul Hoen is the director and it was created in 2007. This movie can be considered to be a drama and comedy. This movie has a great message of following your heart, regardless of what others think. The Andrew Carnegie Award is given annually to a video production that is based in America that is geared for children. This movie is appropriate for all ages and promotes good morals. After viewing this movie in an English class, I would have my students write a creative response to the lesson learned.

Modern Fantasy

Artemis Fowl is about a 12 year old boy who actually believes and he found evidence that fairies are real. This book is beautifully written and easy to follow along. Artemis Fowl s a fanciful book and explores creativity and imagination. This book would be great in a Creative Writing class in middle school. I would have my students write an extended chapter of this book(before reading the others in the same series.) Colfer, Eoin. (2001). Artemis Fowl. Viking Press

Modern Fantasy

American Gods is a modern fantasty book written by Neil Gaman in 2001. This book is about a road trip with many characters and experiencing and analyzing the American Spirit. The journey takes place on the road and the plot thickens as many odd characters are encountered! This book is appropriate for high school creative writers. They could create their own short story based on modern fantasy genre!

Modern Fantasy

The Harry Potter books were written by J.K. Rowling and made into a series of fabulous movies. Harry Potter is an orphan who stayed with his mother's sister and was ostracized. He finds out that his parents were witches and he has potential to be a great witch just like them. He goes to witch school and meets two friends and the journey begins from there.

This book is an easy read and most students enjoy the fascinating stories in the books. I would have my high school students read this book in a Creative Writing class to inspire them to write. I would share the videos with them also and have them compare and contrast them from the books.

Fantasy

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) J.R. R. Tolkien wrote the novel and Fran Walsh wrote the screenplay. This video is rated PG-13 because of the fight and battle scenes. There are also frightening images that can scare young viewers. I would show this video to a Creative Writing class after reading the book. Hopefully, this would inspire them for their own writings. I would show this to high school students in a film class also because this movie won 4 Oscars. It was awarded another 76 wins & 83 nominations.

Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Shiloh, written by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, is a story about a boy(Marty) who finds a dog and tries to hide it from his mean, abusive owner. This book teaches compassionate and standing up for what you believe in. This book is appropriate for third grade and above and can be used in an English class. Students can create journal entries as a response from this book.

Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Paul Fleischman is the author of Seedfolks. This interesting story stresses on community involvement through the growth of a garden. People of all ages, ethnicities, and cultures take part in this garden and learn to be compassionate towards others. This book is appropriate for middle school grades and can be used in a creative writing assignment. Students can also learn about botany and biology because of the growing garden.

Historical Fiction

Sounder written by William H. Armstrong is the 1970 winner of the Newberry Award. This story is about a poor African American boy in the 19th century living in the deep segregated south and his dog named Sounder. This book is appropriate for fifth grade and above and is available on audio. This book can be taught in an English class where students can write responses to the book. This book can also be used in a History class to explore a typical African American family in the 19th century.

Sounder by William H. Armstrong, 1969. HarperCollins Publishers

Traditional Literature

Wuthering Heights was written by Emily Bronte and is a love story between the two main characters, Catherine and Heathcliff. They have an intense passion that eventually destroys everyone around them, as well as themselves. This book is appropriate for high schoolers in a British Literature class. The book's setting is in England and is told by two narrators creating flashbacks.

Bronte, Emily. (1847). Wuthering Heights. Bantam Classics.

Traditional Literature

Jane Austen's Emma (1815) is another classic book introduced to me by my older sister, Freya, who loves Jane Austen! Her impressive career includes: Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), and Mansfield Park (1814) among many others! These books are so much fun to read! The books have been made into movies over and over again-even though the books are better! This book can be found online and read digitally through various websites. If students want to read online, this is a great book to learn how to because it is divided into sections for the chapters.This book can be used in a British Literature class. High schoolers are normally surprised to hear that the movie Clueless was based on this book!

Bronte, Charlotte. (2003). Jane Eyre. Dover Publications.

Traditional Literature

Anyone who loves reading and can appreciate the classics loves anything written by Bronte Sisters (although Emily only wrote one novel). Jane Eyre was written by Charlotte Bronte and tells the tale of a girl who is orphaned at a young age and is sent to a school where the students are neglected. Her luck changes when she becomes a governess and falls in love. I was introduced to this book in my British Literature class, senior year of high school. The book is appropriate for high school students. Students are introduced to the culture and way of life of many different members of society. Jane Eyre. Dover Publications.

Picture Books

The Rainbow Fish is written and illustrated by Marcus Pfister (1992). This Children's Book has a great message to teach students about vanity and how manners are important. I was actually introduced to this book in my college Art Education course. The course introduced us to different media and resources appropriate for different grade levels. Art Education majors are certified in teaching K-12. This book was introduced to us at the elementary level. An Art teacher could use this book as inspiration or a resource for an underwater themed activity. This activity could be paired with a Science class and that could teach students what creatures one could find in the water.

Picture Books

The Velveteen Rabbit is a classic Children's Book in my family! My mother read this story to us so much because her mother read it to her! The book has a wonderful message about being kind to others and thinking about others' feelings. I would use this book in a Art History Course lesson in comparing and contrasting illustrations. I could also use this book in a Visual Art class and have students illustrate their own book. This book is appropriate for all ages.

Williams, Margery. (1922). The Velveteen Rabbit. Avon Books.

Picture Books

The Story of Ferdinand, written by Munro Leaf and illustrated by Robert Lawson is a wonderful Children's Book that has a good message/moral to learn. Ferdinand is a mild hearted bull who does not want to fight, but wants to stay under a tree and relax. Lawson created detailed illustrations and has depicted Spain and the countryside very well. This book can be used in a Geography course to learn about different cultures and locations. This book is appropriate for all ages.

Picture Books

This Children's book is a favorite with all of my siblings because our parents read it to us all the time! This book has a whimiscal feel to it and is funny to think about meatball raining on humans! Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is appropriate for all ages and is a good story time book because it is so creative! I could use this in a high school or middle school Visual Art class when explaining Surrealism. I would share the illustrations and then have students create their own Surrealism style artwork!Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (1982) was written by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett created the detailed illustrations.

Picture Books

Babar's Museum of Art is an exciting Children's Picture book that anyone can enjoy. In this story, Babar and his wife transform a train station and create it into an art museum full of beautiful artwork. The images are cute because the artwork is actual famous paintings, but with elephants instead of humans as subjects. This would be a fun book for a high school or middle school Art History or Art Appreciation course/class to see if they can name the works illustrated in the book. This book is appropriate for all ages.

De Brunhoff, Laurent. (2003). Babar's Museum of Art. Libri.

Historical Fiction

This is a gripping account of the 1859 slave auction held in Savannah, Georiga. Monologues and dialogues between slaves and their masters are present in this book. Day of Tears opens viewers' eyes to the painstaking lives of the slaves and their daily constraints. This book is appropriate for middle school grades and above. Day of Tears can be used in a History class as well as a Creative Writing class. After reading this book, students can write what it would be like for them to experience what the slaves experienced.
This book won the 2006 Coretta Scott King Award, which is given annualy to an African American author and illustrator who successfully promote cultural understanding.


Julius Lester Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue published by Jump at the Sun, an imprint of Hyperion Books for Children