Historical Fiction Book Review: The Great Depression - An Interactive History Adventure

The Great Depression: An Interactive History Adventure

"Will you: March on Washington D.C., as a veteran member of the Bonus Army? Leave your home to find a better life by riding the rails? Help rebuild the country as a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps?" - The Great Depression: An Interactive History Adventure

Author: Michael Burgan

Publisher: Capstone Press

Copyright Date: 2011
Number of Pages: 112 pages

Reading Level: Grades 4-6

Genre: Historical Fiction

Cost: $6.26 (Amazon)

Rating: ★★★★★

What was it like during the Great Depression? We can read facts and historical information about it, but it can be difficult to fully grasp what it was like to live during that time period. Through the book The Great Depression: An Interactive History Adventure, you have the opportunity to live during that time and make some life or death decisions. You can choose to be a war veteran in the Bonus Army, a young teen trying to make money on the rails, or a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps, and you determine the course of the story! Which path will you choose, and will you survive the difficult times during the Great Depression?

The Great Depression: An Interactive History Adventure is a book that people of all ages would love! Students get to choose the path that they take, which will help them be more engaged in the learning experience. This book would be used while talking about the Great Depression, and one way it could be used is as a lesson introduction. There are three different characters and multiple paths to take, but it all revolves around the Depression, so it would help students get engaged in the content. As an introduction to the lesson, the students could choose one character and then the class would read through the book together. After doing so, they could continue with class instruction. This activity would help get the students engaged and they could take what they learn and relate it back to the events that happened in the book. 

Book Rating:

	★★★★★	★★★★	★★★	★★	★	COMMENTS
PLOT	Plot is well developed with all five elements of a good plot structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution).	Plot is developed, but lacking one of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a decent plot, but is lacking two of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a weak plot that is lacking three of the five elements of plot structure.	This book does not have a defined plot, and is lacking four or more of the five elements of plot structure.	★★★★★ I give The Great Depression: An Interactive History Adventure five stars for plot because every path that you can take in this book is composed of all five elements of good plot structure.
CHARACTER	The characters are well developed, have personality, and are believable.	Characters are well rounded, but lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	Characters are somewhat developed, and lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	The characters are underdeveloped, lack in depth and are not believable.	The characters are not developed   so the readers cannot connect to the book.	★★★★ I give The Great Depression: An Interactive History Adventure four stars for its characters. Each story has different characters and we get to know each character and the situations they are dealing with, but the characters are not fully developed.
PACING	The story flows freely and is not rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for the most part, but there are a few spots where it feels rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for about half of the book, but the other half is rushed or slow.	The story often moves too fast or too slow and does not move freely.	There is no pacing in the story, which makes it difficult to read.	★★★★★ I give The Great Depression: An Interactive History Adventure five stars for pacing. The different story paths in this book are engaging, which helps them flow freely throughout each adventure path you take.

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Historical Fiction Book Review: When Jessie Came Across the Sea

When Jessie Came Across the Sea

"'I have decided,' announced the rabbi. 'Jessie will go to America.'" - When Jessie Came Across the Sea

Author: Amy Hest
Illustrator: P.J. Lynch
Publisher: Candlewick Press

Copyright Date: 1997

Number of Pages: 40 pages

Reading Level: Grades 1-3 & 4-6

Genre: Historical Fiction

Cost: $6.99 (Amazon)

Rating: ★★★★★

 

After the loss of her parents, Jessie was raised by her grandmother. They lived in a small village, and, throughout her childhood, her grandmother taught her how to sew. The opportunity came for one person in her village to go to America, and Jessie was chosen by the rabbi; therefore, she had to go. Alone and scared, but gifted with the ability to sew, this book tells the story about Jessie crossing the sea, going to Ellis Island, and starting a new life in America. 

When Jesse Came Across the Sea is a book that could easily be used in the classroom to talk about people immigrating to America. When students are told about the process of crossing the sea to come to America, they may not fully understand what that experience was like. This book provides detailed illustrations and a story about a young girl who had to make that journey on her own. This was a difficult time for many immigrants, but coming to America gave many people better opportunities. 

After reading this book, the teacher could have the students think about what they would do if they lived during that time and had a choice between staying in the small village with family or going to America to seek better opportunities. After they think about it and decide what they would do, the students should write about their decision and explain why they would or would not go to America. If they decide that they would go to America, what one object would they choose to bring, like the tiny silver box that Jessie brought with her, and what opportunity they would seek when they got to America. This activity would help students better understand the events that took place during that time, because they would have to put themselves in that situation and make the decision to stay with family or go to America. 

Book Rating:

	★★★★★	★★★★	★★★	★★	★	COMMENTS
PLOT	Plot is well developed with all five elements of a good plot structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution).	Plot is developed, but lacking one of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a decent plot, but is lacking two of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a weak plot that is lacking three of the five elements of plot structure.	This book does not have a defined plot, and is lacking four or more of the five elements of plot structure.	★★★★★ I give When Jesse Came Across the Sea five stars for plot because it has a well-structured story-line that includes all five elements of good plot structure.
CHARACTER	The characters are well developed, have personality, and are believable.	Characters are well rounded, but lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	Characters are somewhat developed, and lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	The characters are underdeveloped, lack in depth and are not believable.	The characters are not developed   so the readers cannot connect to the book.	★★★★★ I give When Jesse Came Across the Sea five stars for its characters. Jessie is a young girl when she goes to America, and, through the story, her character is well-developed. We learn that she is hardworking, as well as other characteristics that give her personality and make her believable.
PACING	The story flows freely and is not rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for the most part, but there are a few spots where it feels rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for about half of the book, but the other half is rushed or slow.	The story often moves too fast or too slow and does not move freely.	There is no pacing in the story, which makes it difficult to read.	★★★★★ I give When Jesse Came Across the Sea five stars for pacing. This book has good plot structure and an interesting story, which helps it move freely throughout the story.

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Modern Fantasy Book Review: Ella Enchanted

Ella Enchanted

"...the fairy touched my nose. ‘My gift is obedience. Ella will always be obedient. Now stop crying, child.’ I stopped.” - Ella Enchanted

Author: Gail Carson Levine

Publisher: Harper Collins

Copyright Date: 1997

Number of Pages: 232 pages

Reading Level: Grades 4-6, Grades 7-8

Genre: Modern Fantasy
Awards: Newbery Honor (1998), ALA Notable Children’s Book, Arizona Young Reader’s Award, Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award, Iowa Teen Award, Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award, Publishers Weekly Best Book

Cost: $11.89 (Amazon)

Rating: ★★★★★

In Ella Enchanted, a fairy gave Ella the gift of obedience as an infant. The fairy, Lucinda, thought this was a wonderful gift because it stopped Ella from crying as a baby, but, in reality, it was a curse that Ella was forced to live with. This curse forced Ella to do as others said - no matter who gave the order or what the order was. Being subject to this curse put Ella in danger several times, and she lost much. Throughout this book, you will see how she tries to fight against the curse, and how it defeats her at times, such as when people steal from her or when she comes across ogres and is ordered to stay there. There is a way for Ella to defeat the curse, but it must come from within her own strength. Will she be able to overcome the curse, or will she have to live with it forever?

Ella Enchanted is a book filled with magic, fairies, ogres, giants, humans, and so much more, but, at its core, it is another Cinderella story. This story could be used in the classroom while talking about classic fairy tales and how people have retold or rewrote the stories in their own ways over the years. Students could read Ella Enchanted, as well as other Cinderella stories, then compare and contrast the stories. After reading the stories, they could write their own story, then everyone in the class could compare their stories to those that they read. 

This book could also be read by students individually, then have them do a literature circle where each student performs a different role, such as discussion director or illustrator, as they go through the book. 

Book Rating:

	★★★★★	★★★★	★★★	★★	★	COMMENTS
PLOT	Plot is well developed with all five elements of a good plot structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution).	Plot is developed, but lacking one of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a decent plot, but is lacking two of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a weak plot that is lacking three of the five elements of plot structure.	This book does not have a defined plot, and is lacking four or more of the five elements of plot structure.	★★★★★ I give Ella Enchanted five stars for its plot because it tells an intriguing story about Ella and the struggles she faces as a result of the curse of obedience that is placed upon her. This book uses all five elements of good plot structure to catch the readers' attention and tell the story.
CHARACTER	The characters are well developed, have personality, and are believable.	Characters are well rounded, but lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	Characters are somewhat developed, and lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	The characters are underdeveloped, lack in depth and are not believable.	The characters are not developed   so the readers cannot connect to the book.	★★★★★ I give Ella Enchanted five stars for its characters. The main character, Ella, as well as some of the other primary characters, such as Hattie, Mandy, and Char, are all well-developed and believable characters who each have unique personalities.
PACING	The story flows freely and is not rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for the most part, but there are a few spots where it feels rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for about half of the book, but the other half is rushed or slow.	The story often moves too fast or too slow and does not move freely.	There is no pacing in the story, which makes it difficult to read.	★★★★★ I give Ella Enchanted five stars for pacing because the story has no parts that feel slow or rushed. The plot is engaging and freely carries the reader throughout the entire book.

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Picture Book Review: The Butter Battle Book

The Butter Battle Book

"Then my grandfather said, 'It's high time that you knew of the terribly horrible thing that Zooks do. In every Zook house and in every Zook town every Zook eats his bread with the butter side down!'" - The Butter Battle Book

Author: Dr. Seuss

Publisher: Random House

Copyright Date: 1984

Number of Pages: 56 pages

Reading Level: Pre-K, Grades 1-3 and 4-6

Genre: Children's Literature, Picture Book, Fiction

Cost: $8.18 (Amazon)

Rating: ★★★★

The Butter Battle Book is a story about the conflict between two different groups of people, the Yooks and the Zooks. The Yooks eat their bread with the butter side up, but the Zooks eat their bread with the butter side down. This causes problems, so the Yooks try to keep the Zooks on the other side of the wall, but the Zooks begin fighting back. They start with a Snick-Berry Switch and sling shot, but, over time, the Boys in the Back Room come up with new ideas to keep the Yooks and Zooks separated. Written during the Cold War, Dr. Seuss uses a humorous conflict in this book to portray the back and forth manner of the war.  

The Butter Battle Book is a fun book to read and it could be used to open up a discussion with children about conflict, war, or the differences between people, depending on the age group. Students will see the conflict and differences in this book, but the underlying theme of war may not be as easily detected by young kids, which would make it a good book for children of a variety of ages. As with other Dr. Seuss books, this book could also be used to talk about rhyming words because there are a lot of rhymes within this book that could be used as examples. 

Book Rating:

	★★★★★	★★★★	★★★	★★	★	COMMENTS
PLOT	Plot is well developed with all five elements of a good plot structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution).	Plot is developed, but lacking one of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a decent plot, but is lacking two of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a weak plot that is lacking three of the five elements of plot structure.	This book does not have a defined plot, and is lacking four or more of the five elements of plot structure.	★★★ I give The Butter Battle Book three stars for its plot because, even though it is an engaging story, it has no falling action or resolution. I believe that leaving those elements of plot out was purposeful, but those elements are needed to have a good plot structure.
CHARACTER	The characters are well developed, have personality, and are believable.	Characters are well rounded, but lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	Characters are somewhat developed, and lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	The characters are underdeveloped, lack in depth and are not believable.	The characters are not developed   so the readers cannot connect to the book.	★★★★ I give The Butter Battle Book four stars for its characters because the characters are not well developed. They have personality and are believable, but the readers do not know much about who the characters are, besides being a Yook or a Zook.
PACING	The story flows freely and is not rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for the most part, but there are a few spots where it feels rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for about half of the book, but the other half is rushed or slow.	The story often moves too fast or too slow and does not move freely.	There is no pacing in the story, which makes it difficult to read.	★★★★★ I give The Butter Battle Book five stars for pacing because the story moves freely and does not feel rushed or slow at any point. Both the Yooks and Zooks are constantly coming up with new weapons, which makes the reader want to see what they develop next.

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