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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Contemporary Realistic Fiction Book Review: Emma

Emma

"She loved to sit and dream about the little village across the mountains where she grew up." - Emma

Author: Wendy Kesselman
Illustrator: Barbara Cooney

Publisher: Dell Publishing
Copyright Date: 1980

Number of Pages: 32 pages

Reading Level: Pre-K, Grades 1-3

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Cost: $9.88 (Amazon)

Rating: ★★★★★

 

Emma loves her family and always makes treats for them whenever they visit. While they are away, she feels very lonely with only her cat, Pumpkinseed, to comfort her. For her seventy-second birthday, her family gave her a painting of the village across the mountain where she used to live. She loved her village and dreams about it often, but the picture isn't how she remembers it, which makes her sad every time she looks at it. In this book, you will see what Emma does to bring joy to her life and to take away the loneliness that she feels.

Emma is a short book that could be used in the classroom to talk about favorite places. After reading the book, the students could think about their favorite place and draw a picture of it. Then the students could write a sentence or paragraph, depending on the age, about why the place they drew is special to them. The students could show the class their picture, then read what they wrote about it. This would be a fun activity to do at the beginning of the year to help the students get to know each other better, and to help the teacher get to know more about his or her students. 

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 Emma five stars for plot because, even though it is a short picture book, it contains 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 Emma five stars for its characters. The main focus of the book is on Emma, so readers get a good grasp of who she is as an individual and what her personality is like, which makes 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 Emma five stars for pacing. This story is short, but it has a good plot line, which helps it flow freely throughout the book.

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Contemporary Realistic Fiction Book Review: Junie B. Jones Is Captain Field Day

Junie B. Jones Is Captain Field Day

"'When I count to three, you can open your papers. One...Two...Three...' I opened mine up. Then I did a gasp. 'Cause I saw letters, that's why! 'MRS., MRS.! LOOK! MY PAPER HAS LETTERS ON IT! IT IS THE WORD CAPTAIN, I THINK!'" - Junie B. Jones Is Captain Field Day

Author: Barbara Park
Illustrator: Denise Brunkus

Publisher: Random House

Copyright Date: 2001

Number of Pages: 66 pages

Reading Level: Grades 1-3

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Cost: $4.24 (Amazon)

Rating: ★★★★★

It's the big day - field day in kindergarten! Room Eight will compete against Room Nine, but who will be the champions? Junie B. Jones has confidence that Room Nine will win. They have the fastest kindergartner in their class and a boy who has been throwing softballs his whole life, of course they will win! That is, until Room Eight starts winning all of the events. Junie B. Jones is Room Nine's captain, Captain Field Day, and with her red cape, a towel, she zooms around her teammates as she tries to cheer them on, but slowly the excitement fades for the whole class, and Junie B. Jones. Will she be able to save field day for her team and help them pull off a win? Or will someone else have to step up and help the team?

Junie B. Jones Is Captain Field Day is a fun and exciting story about a very important day in the life of Junie B. Jones. It is field day for kindergarten and everyone is excited, until they start losing. This book would be great to use in the classroom to talk about sportsmanship, especially if a class has an upcoming field day. They could read the book as a class over a couple days and talk about some of the positive and negative aspects in the book that relate to sportsmanship. After finishing the book, the class could work together to come up with a list of ways to demonstrate good sportsmanship. 

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 Junie B. Jones Is Captain Field Day five stars for plot because it is a fun and engaging story about a day in the life of Junie B. Jones. This book contains 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 Junie B. Jones Is Captain Field Day five stars for its characters. The main character, Junie B. Jones, is well-developed, has a great personality, and is very believable. The other characters in the book are explained by Junie B., which gives the reader a fun insight to who those characters are perceived to be by a young girl.
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 Junie B. Jones Is Captain Field Day five stars for pacing because it is a fun and engaging story about a day in Junie B. Jones' life. She is excited about her field day, and her actions throughout the day set a freely flowing pace to the book.

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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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Modern Fantasy Book Review: Zathura

Zathura: A Space Adventure

"A buzzing sound came from the board and, with a click, a small green card popped out of the edge right in front of him. He picked it up and read, "'Meteor showers, take evasive action.'" 
'Hey Walter,' Danny started to say, "what does eva-' when he was interrupted by a noisy rat-a-tat-tat sound coming from the roof." - Zathura

Author/Illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company

Copyright Date: 2002

Number of Pages: 32 pages

Reading Level: Pre-K, Grades 1-3

Genre: Modern Fantasy

Cost: $13.98 (Amazon)

Rating: ★★★★★

Zathura is the second book in the Jumanji series by Chris Van Allsburg, and it tells the story of two young boys who find a boring, old board game, but under that game they find another board. This board is about space, and the map goes from Earth to a planet called Zathura, then back to Earth. The younger brother, Danny, decides to play, and soon Walter is playing too. This game is unlike any other that they have ever played - the cards pop out of the board, and whatever the card says actually happens! The first event is a meteor shower, then Walter loses his gravity, and with every move the boys make, something different happens to them while they are in space. They continue to play in hopes of making it back to Earth, but things don't look good for them as the play continues on. To find out if they make it back to Earth or not, you'll have to read this book!

Zathura tells a fun, interesting, and creative story, and it would be a great book to use in the classroom. One way that this book could be used is for a creative writing activity. The teacher could read this book to the class, then tell the students to come up with their own game and write a story about people playing it, just as Danny and Walter played the game in the book. This activity would be fun for the students because they get to come up with their own game and tell a story about the adventures that occur as people play their game. It would also give the teacher a better insight about each student based on the games that they create. 

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 Zathura five stars for its plot because, even though the ending felt rushed, all five elements of good plot structure were included. Using those elements helped get the readers attention and keep them engaged throughout 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 Zathura five stars for its characters. Both of the main characters are developed, and the audience can relate to the relationship that the two brothers have throughout the book, which is what makes the characters 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 Zathura four stars for pacing. This book it a short picture book, but it felt rushed the end. The story caught my interest and I wanted to keep reading, but I felt that the story was cut short at the end.

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