Stargirlby Jerry Spinelli

Book Summary

Leo Borlock follows the unspoken rule at Mica Area High School: don't stand out--under any circumstances! Then Stargirl arrives at Mica High and everything changes--for Leo and for the entire school. After 15 years of home schooling, Stargirl bursts into tenth grade in an explosion of color and a clatter of ukulele music, enchanting the Mica student body.

But the delicate scales of popularity suddenly shift, and Stargirl is shunned for everything that makes her different. Somewhere in the midst of Stargirl's arrival and rise and fall, normal Leo Borlock has tumbled into love with her.

In a celebration of nonconformity, Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the fleeting, cruel nature of popularity--and the thrill and inspiration of first love.

          

          

 

Themes:

BullyingIndependence

ConformityComing of Age

Tolerance

Man Vs. Nature

A small Japanese village faces the fury of a volcano and a tsunami.The tsunami kills many of the fisherman and their families in the village.  Jiya is from one of these families but was able to escape before the tidal wave hit.  He is left to face the death of his father, mother and brother.  In their culture, the Japanese are taught to “learn to live with danger” and “enjoy life and do not fear death.” 

Peer Critic’s Review Anonymous

Good book but too short!

Posted October 22, 2008, 7:03 PM EST:

I read this book as a 6th grader and I loved it. The details were perfect and the characters were wonderfully portrayed. Pearl S Buck is a beautiful writer and her descriptions of Japan and Japanese culture are very appealing. The only problem with this book is that it was so short. When I was finished, I craved more...But still it was a great book!

Themes: Dealing with GriefSurvivalResilience

                                

                               

                              

                            

                                

                              

Jean Craighead George

ThemesThemes:: SurvivalSurvival

IndependencIndependencee

Solitude Vs. Solitude Vs. SocietySociety

Genre: Genre: AdventureAdventure

Every kid thinks about running away at one point or another; few get farther than the end of the block. Young Sam Gribley gets to the end of the block and keeps going--all the way to the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. There he sets up house in a huge hollowed-out tree, with a falcon and a weasel for companions and his wits as his tool for survival. In a spellbinding, touching, funny account, Sam learns to live off the land, and grows up a little in the process. Blizzards, hunters, loneliness, and fear all battle to drive Sam back to city life. But his desire for freedom, independence, and adventure is stronger. No reader will be immune to the compulsion to go right out and start whittling fishhooks and befriending raccoons.

Sneak Peak:

Catskill Mountains, NY

Everything in life is a circle. Fifteen-year-old Cole gets beaten by his father, just as Cole's father was beaten by his father. And now Cole himself is turning violent. In a fit of rage, he pummels his classmate Peter so badly that doctors question whether he will ever be the same again. Instead of feeling remorse and fearing the consequences of his actions, Cole blames everyone around him for the incident—his parents for being alcoholics who don’t care about him, and Peter for tattling on him in the first place.

When Cole is offered the chance to take responsibility for his behavior and heal himself and the community through Native American Circle Justice, he grabs it, but for all the wrong reasons. While Cole cons everyone who is trying to help him into believing that he sincerely wants to change, he fully intends to escape their brand of justice, and to continue being in control of his own life.

As he attempts to run away from the island in Alaska where he is banished, Cole continues to blame everyone but himself for the situation he is facing. He even blames the huge white bear for the attack which almost kills him—the bear should have run away. But it is this brush with death that ultimately saves Cole from himself. On his journey he learns to deal with his anger, to respect nature, and to take responsibility for his actions. Each action he takes has an impact on the world…Everything in life is a circle.

The themes are:1.Aboriginal Justice Circles2 Survival3 Elders4 Respect5 Empathy6 Behavior7 Character

Time to choose!

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

My Side of the Mountain by George

The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen