September 30, 2019

On My Bookshelf: Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli

In Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli, Misha knows nothing: where his family is, where he came from, not even his own name. He joins a group of ragtag orphan boys, most of them Jewish who roam the city, eating and sleeping where they can, until the Warsaw ghetto is built and closed off from the rest of the city. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
The basic plot from Amazon: He's a boy called Jew. Gypsy. Stopthief. Filthy son of Abraham.

He's a boy who lives in the streets of Warsaw. He's a boy who steals food for himself, and the other orphans. He's a boy who believes in bread, and mothers, and angels.

He's a boy who wants to be a Nazi, with tall, shiny jackboots of his own-until the day that suddenly makes him change his mind.

And when the trains come to empty the Jews from the ghetto of the damned, he's a boy who realizes it's safest of all to be nobody.

Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli takes us to one of the most devastating settings imaginable-Nazi-occupied Warsaw during World War II-and tells a tale of heartbreak, hope, and survival through the bright eyes of a young Holocaust orphan.

Why I liked it: I loved Jerry Spinelli's book Maniac Magee, so I couldn't believe I hadn't read Milkweed sooner. The narrators in the two novels are equally interesting, but Milkweed is set in the Warsaw ghetto (rather than my hometown Philadelphia; Spinelli grew up just outside the city). Similar to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, the narrator of Milkweed is a young boy confused by the events happening around him. However, Milkweed is much more historically accurate and realistic than John Boyne's book.
In Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli, Misha knows nothing: where his family is, where he came from, not even his own name. He joins a group of ragtag orphan boys, most of them Jewish who roam the city, eating and sleeping where they can, until the Warsaw ghetto is built and closed off from the rest of the city. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

At the start of the novel, Misha knows nothing: where his family is, where he came from, not even his own name. He joins a group of ragtag orphan boys, most of them Jewish who roam the city, eating and sleeping where they can, until the Warsaw ghetto is built and closed off from the rest of the city. Uri, one of the other boys in the group, takes Misha under his wing, names him, and makes up a story for him of what his past life was life. Uri thinks Misha is likely Roma (Gypsy) and as an adult reader, I inferred that Misha was suffering from extreme PTSD as a result of whatever terrible thing had happened to his family.

Misha becomes close with a Jewish family who has a young girl his own age named Janina. Before moving into the ghetto, Misha leaves food for Janina and her family. After the ghetto is closed up, Misha begins living with them in their quarters and sneaks out of the ghetto at night to steal food for them. Misha tries to save Janina when the ghetto is liquidated, but she is unwilling to leave her family. I especially appreciated the section of the book focused on Misha's life after he emigrated to the United States, in which he struggles to maintain his sanity and normal relationships as a result of the trauma he has experienced.

Classroom application: We chose Milkweed as one of the six options for our literature circles this spring. All of the texts were set during the Holocaust and WWII and connected to the theme of "decisions that matter." There is some violence and death, but because Misha avoids being sent to a concentration camp, the content was overall less disturbing than some other Holocaust books.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Milkweed for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

In Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli, Misha knows nothing: where his family is, where he came from, not even his own name. He joins a group of ragtag orphan boys, most of them Jewish who roam the city, eating and sleeping where they can, until the Warsaw ghetto is built and closed off from the rest of the city. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

September 27, 2019

#2ndaryELA Twitter Chat on Sunday 9/29: Social Emotional Learning

Join secondary English Language Arts teachers Sunday evenings at 8 pm EST on Twitter. This week's chat will be about social emotional learning.
Brynn Allison,  The Literary Maven, & Lisa Spangler, Mrs. Spangler in the Middle, host #2ndaryELA on Twitter every Sunday evening from 8 - 8:30 PM EST. #2ndaryELA is a weekly chat for secondary English Language Arts teachers focused on a topic. Every Friday, we post the topic and questions on our blogs to allow you to prepare for the upcoming Sunday evening's chat. Thank you to everyone who joined us last year and we hope that you will join us again.

We'd also love for you to join our 2ndaryELA Facebook group, even if you aren't on Twitter. 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, resource links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction.

On Sunday, September 29, our #2ndaryELA chat will be about social emotional learning.

Join secondary English Language Arts teachers Sunday evenings at 8 pm EST on Twitter. This week's chat will be about social emotional learning.

The Directions:
1. Log into Twitter on Sunday from 8-8:30 PM EST.
2. Search for tweets with the hashtag #2ndaryELA in the search bar. Make sure to click “Latest.”
3. Introductions are for the first 5 minutes.
4. Starting at 8:05 (@literarymaven or @spanglermiddle) will post questions every 5 minutes using the format Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. and the hashtag #2ndaryELA.
5. Respond to questions using the format A1, A2, A3, etc. with #2ndaryELA.
6. Follow any teachers responding and who are also using #2ndaryELA.
7. Like and respond to other teachers' tweets.

You can schedule your responses to the questions ahead of time using a scheduler like TweetDeck or HootSuite (but don't forget to use A1, A2, etc. and #2ndaryELA). Links are encouraged as well as using images is also encouraged when relevant.

New to chats? Here are the rules:
1. Stay on topic & stay positive!
2. Please do not post or promote paid products unless specifically asked.
3. If you arrive late, try to look through other posts before beginning.
4. Feel free to just read, like, and/or retweet.
5. Always use our hashtag #2ndaryELA, including in your replies to others.
6. Make sure your twitter feed is set to public. (Also keep in mind that Twitter is completely public – that means students, parents, and administrators can and will read what you tweet.)

You can also check out a quick video tutorial in this blog post.

Be sure to spread the word to any teacher friends who might be interested in joining us as well. We look forward to chatting with you Sunday evening and in our 2ndaryELA Facebook group!

Get caught up on past chats here:

September 23, 2019

On My Bookshelf: Hitler's Canary by Sandi Toksvig

Hitler's Canary is based on a true story and describes one family's efforts to help with the resistance in Denmark. The novel was filled with colorful characters who illustrate a range of responses to WWII and the treatment of the Jews by Nazi Germany. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
The basic plot from Amazon: My brother stood up so quickly he almost knocked Mama over. "Why aren't you doing something? Do you know what the British are calling us? Hitler's canary! I've heard it on the radio, on the BBC. They say he has us in a cage and we just sit and sing any tune he wants."

I knew I should be afraid, but I didn't know yet what of: the Germans? The British? The French? We were theater people. We didn't get involved in these things. It had nothing to do with us.


Bamse is used to drama―his mother is a famous actress and his best friend, Anton, is one of the most daring boys in all of Denmark. Should he follow his father's advice and not stir up trouble―or follow his daring brother into the Resistance and take part in the most demanding role of his life?

Why I liked it: Hitler's Canary is based on a true story and describes one family's efforts to help with the resistance in Denmark. I have always been absolutely fascinated with Denmark's resistance movement during WWII. 99% of the Danish Jewish population survived the Holocaust because 7,220 of Denmark's 7,800 Jews were evacuated by sea to nearby neutral Sweden. I get chills just thinking about it.
Hitler's Canary is based on a true story and describes one family's efforts to help with the resistance in Denmark. The novel was filled with colorful characters who illustrate a range of responses to WWII and the treatment of the Jews by Nazi Germany. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

The novel was filled with colorful characters and I liked that together they illustrated a range of responses to the war in general as well as the treatment of the Jews by Nazi Germany. The main character Bamsie (meaning teddy bear and pronounced Bum-sir) grows frustrated with his parents lack of action and he and his best friend, Anton, begin working with his brother Orlando and the resistance movement. The action culminates when Bamsie's family hides a dozen or so Jews in their home and then helps them escape to Sweden.

Classroom application: Hitler's Canary would be a great pairing with Number the Stars as both focus on the events in Denmark during WWII but one from a young girl's perspective and one from a boy's perspective. I used both in 6th grade this year as literature circle choices. All of the texts were set during the Holocaust and WWII and connected to the theme of "decisions that matter."

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Hitler's Canary for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Hitler's Canary is based on a true story and describes one family's efforts to help with the resistance in Denmark. The novel was filled with colorful characters who illustrate a range of responses to WWII and the treatment of the Jews by Nazi Germany. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

September 20, 2019

#2ndaryELA Twitter Chat on Sunday 9/22: Curriculum and Unit Planning

Join secondary English Language Arts teachers Sunday evenings at 8 pm EST on Twitter. This week's chat will be about curriculum and unit planning.
Brynn Allison,  The Literary Maven, & Lisa Spangler, Mrs. Spangler in the Middle, host #2ndaryELA on Twitter every Sunday evening from 8 - 8:30 PM EST. #2ndaryELA is a weekly chat for secondary English Language Arts teachers focused on a topic. Every Friday, we post the topic and questions on our blogs to allow you to prepare for the upcoming Sunday evening's chat. Thank you to everyone who joined us last year and we hope that you will join us again.

We'd also love for you to join our 2ndaryELA Facebook group, even if you aren't on Twitter. 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, resource links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction.

On Sunday, September 22, our #2ndaryELA chat will be about curriculum and unit planning.

Join secondary English Language Arts teachers Sunday evenings at 8 pm EST on Twitter. This week's chat will be about curriculum and unit planning.

The Directions:
1. Log into Twitter on Sunday from 8-8:30 PM EST.
2. Search for tweets with the hashtag #2ndaryELA in the search bar. Make sure to click “Latest.”
3. Introductions are for the first 5 minutes.
4. Starting at 8:05 (@literarymaven or @spanglermiddle) will post questions every 5 minutes using the format Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. and the hashtag #2ndaryELA.
5. Respond to questions using the format A1, A2, A3, etc. with #2ndaryELA.
6. Follow any teachers responding and who are also using #2ndaryELA.
7. Like and respond to other teachers' tweets.

You can schedule your responses to the questions ahead of time using a scheduler like TweetDeck or HootSuite (but don't forget to use A1, A2, etc. and #2ndaryELA). Links are encouraged as well as using images is also encouraged when relevant.

New to chats? Here are the rules:
1. Stay on topic & stay positive!
2. Please do not post or promote paid products unless specifically asked.
3. If you arrive late, try to look through other posts before beginning.
4. Feel free to just read, like, and/or retweet.
5. Always use our hashtag #2ndaryELA, including in your replies to others.
6. Make sure your twitter feed is set to public. (Also keep in mind that Twitter is completely public – that means students, parents, and administrators can and will read what you tweet.)

You can also check out a quick video tutorial in this blog post.

Be sure to spread the word to any teacher friends who might be interested in joining us as well. We look forward to chatting with you Sunday evening and in our 2ndaryELA Facebook group!

Get caught up on past chats here:

September 16, 2019

On My Bookshelf: The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson

The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson is a memoir that recounts the authors experiences during the Holocaust, first in the Krakow ghetto and then in a concentration camp. Leon survived largely because  he and his family were lucky enough to work for Oskar Schindler. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
The basic plot from Amazon: This, the only memoir published by a former Schindler’s list child, perfectly captures the innocence of a small boy who goes through the unthinkable. Leon Leyson (born Leib Lezjon) was only ten years old when the Nazis invaded Poland and his family was forced to relocate to the Krakow ghetto. With incredible luck, perseverance, and grit, Leyson was able to survive the sadism of the Nazis, including that of the demonic Amon Goeth, commandant of Plaszow, the concentration camp outside Krakow.

Ultimately, it was the generosity and cunning of one man, Oskar Schindler, who saved Leon Leyson’s life, and the lives of his mother, his father, and two of his four siblings, by adding their names to his list of workers in his factory—a list that became world renowned: Schindler’s list.

Told with an abundance of dignity and a remarkable lack of rancor and venom, The Boy on the Wooden Box is a legacy of hope, a memoir unlike anything you’ve ever read.


The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson is a memoir that recounts the authors experiences during the Holocaust, first in the Krakow ghetto and then in a concentration camp. Leon survived largely because  he and his family were lucky enough to work for Oskar Schindler. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
Why I liked it: I am a HUGE fan of Holocaust literature and find the story of Schindler's list absolutely amazing, so I wasn't surprised when I couldn't put The Boy on the Wooden Box down.

I loved the stories from Leon's childhood in Narewka and later in Krakow after his family relocates for his father's job. I was also amazed by the risks he took to remain with his family and his general bravery in the face of constant danger and potentially death.

Classroom application: I would recommend this memoir for middle school and up. I used it this year in sixth grade as a choice for literature circles. All six of our choices tied in to the theme "decisions that matter" and were set during the Holocaust and WWII.

The memoir would also be an excellent replacement for Night by Elie Wiesel. Leon's early life is more relatable to students and overall, the memoir is less dark and depressing.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of The Boy on the Wooden Box for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson is a memoir that recounts the authors experiences during the Holocaust, first in the Krakow ghetto and then in a concentration camp. Leon survived largely because  he and his family were lucky enough to work for Oskar Schindler. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

September 13, 2019

#2ndaryELA Twitter Chat on Sunday 9/15: Student Choice in the Classroom

Join secondary English Language Arts teachers Sunday evenings at 8 pm EST on Twitter. This week's chat will be about student choice in the classroom.
Brynn Allison,  The Literary Maven, & Lisa Spangler, Mrs. Spangler in the Middle, host #2ndaryELA on Twitter every Sunday evening from 8 - 8:30 PM EST. #2ndaryELA is a weekly chat for secondary English Language Arts teachers focused on a topic. Every Friday, we post the topic and questions on our blogs to allow you to prepare for the upcoming Sunday evening's chat. Thank you to everyone who joined us last year and we hope that you will join us again.

We'd also love for you to join our 2ndaryELA Facebook group, even if you aren't on Twitter. 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, resource links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction.

On Sunday, September 15, our #2ndaryELA chat will be about student choice in the classroom.

Join secondary English Language Arts teachers Sunday evenings at 8 pm EST on Twitter. This week's chat will be about student choice in the classroom.

The Directions:
1. Log into Twitter on Sunday from 8-8:30 PM EST.
2. Search for tweets with the hashtag #2ndaryELA in the search bar. Make sure to click “Latest.”
3. Introductions are for the first 5 minutes.
4. Starting at 8:05 (@literarymaven or @spanglermiddle) will post questions every 5 minutes using the format Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. and the hashtag #2ndaryELA.
5. Respond to questions using the format A1, A2, A3, etc. with #2ndaryELA.
6. Follow any teachers responding and who are also using #2ndaryELA.
7. Like and respond to other teachers' tweets.

You can schedule your responses to the questions ahead of time using a scheduler like TweetDeck or HootSuite (but don't forget to use A1, A2, etc. and #2ndaryELA). Links are encouraged as well as using images is also encouraged when relevant.

New to chats? Here are the rules:
1. Stay on topic & stay positive!
2. Please do not post or promote paid products unless specifically asked.
3. If you arrive late, try to look through other posts before beginning.
4. Feel free to just read, like, and/or retweet.
5. Always use our hashtag #2ndaryELA, including in your replies to others.
6. Make sure your twitter feed is set to public. (Also keep in mind that Twitter is completely public – that means students, parents, and administrators can and will read what you tweet.)

You can also check out a quick video tutorial in this blog post.

Be sure to spread the word to any teacher friends who might be interested in joining us as well. We look forward to chatting with you Sunday evening and in our 2ndaryELA Facebook group!

Get caught up on past chats here:

September 9, 2019

On My Bookshelf: The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

The Boy Who Dared is a novel based on the true story of Helmuth Hübener, the youngest person to be sentenced to death (by guillotine) by the Nazis during World War II. As Hitler rises to power, Helmuth becomes increasingly uncomfortable with what it means to be a German.
The basic plot from Amazon: Susan Campbell Bartoletti has taken one episode from her Newbery Honor Book, Hitler Youth, and fleshed it out into a thought-provoking nonfiction novel. When 16-year-old Helmut Hubner listens to the BBC news on an illegal short-wave radio, he quickly discovers Germany is lying to the people. But when he tries to expose the truth with leaflets, he's tried for treason. Sentenced to death and waiting in a jail cell, Helmut's story emerges in a series of flashbacks that show his growth from a naive child caught up in the patriotism of the times, to a sensitive and mature young man who thinks for himself.

Why I liked it: The Boy Who Dared is a novel based on the true story of Helmuth Hübener, the youngest person to be sentenced to death (by guillotine) by the Nazis during World War II. As Hitler rises to power, Helmuth becomes increasingly uncomfortable with what it means to be a German. When one of his brothers is home briefly from serving in the German army, he brings home an illegal radio, which Helmuth begins listening to in secret. Helmuth uses information from the foreign broadcast he listens to illegally to distribute pamphlets about the truth about the war.
The Boy Who Dared is a novel based on the true story of Helmuth Hübener, the youngest person to be sentenced to death (by guillotine) by the Nazis during World War II. As Hitler rises to power, Helmuth becomes increasingly uncomfortable with what it means to be a German.

Helmut is just 16 at the time of his arrest. As an adult (and a mother) it was painful to watch how idealistic and trusting he was. His actions were bold and daring, but also put the lives of others around him at risk. He foolishly thought be would be able to keep the names of his friends secret, but did not know how intense his torture would be to get him to give them up.

I especially liked that the novel did not have a happy ending. As we move farther away from these events in history, there can be a tendency to only focus on the good or romanticize the past. It showed how dangerous life was even as an "ordinary" citizen and illustrated the culture of fear during the time period that caused people to turn on each other. The novel shows how difficult it was to resist without also risking your own life. It also had great author's notes at the end.

Classroom application: I used this novel as part of my 6th grade literature circles this year. All of the book choices connect to the theme of "decisions that matter" and are set during WWII and the Holocaust. My hope was that this choice in particular would show students that you are never too young to stand up to what is wrong.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of The Boy Who Dared for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

The Boy Who Dared is a novel based on the true story of Helmuth Hübener, the youngest person to be sentenced to death (by guillotine) by the Nazis during World War II. As Hitler rises to power, Helmuth becomes increasingly uncomfortable with what it means to be a German.

September 8, 2019

Turning Students Into Readers with First Chapter Friday

If you'd like to add read alouds to your secondary English Language Arts classroom, but you aren't sure that you want to commit to reading an entire novel, why not try out First Chapter Friday and expose your students to a variety of high interest books? In this #2ndaryELA Twitter chat, middle school and high school English Language Arts teachers discussed how they select the books to spotlight, how it fits into their classroom routine, and what to do after reading. Read through the chat for ideas to implement in your own classroom.
If you'd like to add read alouds to your secondary English Language Arts classroom, but you aren't sure that you want to commit to reading an entire novel, why not try out First Chapter Friday and expose your students to a variety of high interest books? This #2ndaryELA Twitter chat was all about First Chapter Friday. Middle school and high school English Language Arts teachers discussed how they select the books that they spotlight. Teachers also shared how First Chapter Friday fits into the routine of their classes.

Scroll down to read through the chat. You'll get ideas about other read alouds to incorporate into your instruction and what do do with students during and after reading.  You'll also find out what to do with the books that you've highlighted and some highly recommended titles.

Hope you'll join us next week for another chat. We'd also love for you to join our 2ndaryELA Facebook group (even if you aren't on Twitter). 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction.



If you'd like to add read alouds to your secondary English Language Arts classroom, but you aren't sure that you want to commit to reading an entire novel, why not try out First Chapter Friday and expose your students to a variety of high interest books? In this #2ndaryELA Twitter chat, middle school and high school English Language Arts teachers discussed how they select the books to spotlight, how it fits into their classroom routine, and what to do after reading. Read through the chat for ideas to implement in your own classroom.

September 6, 2019

#2ndaryELA Twitter Chat on Sunday 9/8: First Chapter Friday

Join secondary English Language Arts teachers Sunday evenings at 8 pm EST on Twitter. This week's chat will be about First Chapter Friday.
Brynn Allison,  The Literary Maven, & Lisa Spangler, Mrs. Spangler in the Middle, host #2ndaryELA on Twitter every Sunday evening from 8 - 8:30 PM EST. #2ndaryELA is a weekly chat for secondary English Language Arts teachers focused on a topic. Every Friday, we post the topic and questions on our blogs to allow you to prepare for the upcoming Sunday evening's chat. Thank you to everyone who joined us last year and we hope that you will join us again.

We'd also love for you to join our 2ndaryELA Facebook group, even if you aren't on Twitter. 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, resource links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction.

On Sunday, September 8, our #2ndaryELA chat will be about First Chapter Friday.

Join secondary English Language Arts teachers Sunday evenings at 8 pm EST on Twitter. This week's chat will be about First Chapter Friday.

The Directions:
1. Log into Twitter on Sunday from 8-8:30 PM EST.
2. Search for tweets with the hashtag #2ndaryELA in the search bar. Make sure to click “Latest.”
3. Introductions are for the first 5 minutes.
4. Starting at 8:05 (@literarymaven or @spanglermiddle) will post questions every 5 minutes using the format Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. and the hashtag #2ndaryELA.
5. Respond to questions using the format A1, A2, A3, etc. with #2ndaryELA.
6. Follow any teachers responding and who are also using #2ndaryELA.
7. Like and respond to other teachers' tweets.

You can schedule your responses to the questions ahead of time using a scheduler like TweetDeck or HootSuite (but don't forget to use A1, A2, etc. and #2ndaryELA). Links are encouraged as well as using images is also encouraged when relevant.

New to chats? Here are the rules:
1. Stay on topic & stay positive!
2. Please do not post or promote paid products unless specifically asked.
3. If you arrive late, try to look through other posts before beginning.
4. Feel free to just read, like, and/or retweet.
5. Always use our hashtag #2ndaryELA, including in your replies to others.
6. Make sure your twitter feed is set to public. (Also keep in mind that Twitter is completely public – that means students, parents, and administrators can and will read what you tweet.)

You can also check out a quick video tutorial in this blog post.

Be sure to spread the word to any teacher friends who might be interested in joining us as well. We look forward to chatting with you Sunday evening and in our 2ndaryELA Facebook group!

Get caught up on past chats here:

September 2, 2019

On My Bookshelf: Sunny by Jason Reynolds

Sunny by Jason Reynolds focuses on the main character’s grief over losing a mother he never met, a woman his father was completely in love with and made all of his life plans with. Sunny feels that he is disappointing both his parents by not fulfilling his mother’s dreams. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
The basic plot from Amazon: Sunny tries to shine despite his troubled past in this third novel in the critically acclaimed Track series from National Book Award finalist Jason Reynolds.

Ghost. Patina. Sunny. Lu. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds, with personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team—a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics. They all have a lot of lose, but they all have a lot to prove, not only to each other, but to themselves. Sunny is the main character in this novel, the third of four books in Jason Reynold’s electrifying middle grade series.

Sunny is just that—sunny. Always ready with a goofy smile and something nice to say, Sunny is the chillest dude on the Defenders team. But Sunny’s life hasn’t always been sun beamy-bright. You see, Sunny is a murderer. Or at least he thinks of himself that way. His mother died giving birth to him, and based on how Sunny’s dad treats him—ignoring him, making Sunny call him Darryl, never “Dad”—it’s no wonder Sunny thinks he’s to blame. It seems the only thing Sunny can do right in his dad’s eyes is win first place ribbons running the mile, just like his mom did. But Sunny doesn’t like running, never has. So he stops. Right in the middle of a race.

With his relationship with his dad now worse than ever, the last thing Sunny wants to do is leave the other newbies—his only friends—behind. But you can’t be on a track team and not run. So Coach asks Sunny what he wants to do. Sunny’s answer? Dance. Yes, dance. But you also can’t be on a track team and dance. Then, in a stroke of genius only Jason Reynolds can conceive, Sunny discovers a track event that encompasses the hard hits of hip-hop, the precision of ballet, and the showmanship of dance as a whole: the discus throw. As Sunny practices the discus, learning when to let go at just the right time, he’ll let go of everything that’s been eating him up inside, perhaps just in time.
Sunny by Jason Reynolds focuses on the main character’s grief over losing a mother he never met, a woman his father was completely in love with and made all of his life plans with. Sunny feels that he is disappointing both his parents by not fulfilling his mother’s dreams. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

Why I liked it: Sunny is the third book in Jason Reynold's Track series and I'll be honest, it didn't grab me the same way the first two, Ghost and Patina, did. I still enjoyed getting to know all of the characters better and I'm hoping the fourth and final book in the series will pick up the pace again.

Sunny focuses on the main character’s grief over losing a mother he never met, a woman his father was completely in love with and made all of his life plans with. Sunny feels that he is disappointing both his parents by not fulfilling his mother’s dreams, but they are the dreams that she had for herself and Sunny finally takes a stand about his own dreams. I wished that Ghost, Patina, Lu and the rest of the track crew played a larger role in the book.

I did feel a personal connection with the plot since like Sunny’s mother, my grandmother’s mother died in childbirth. I loved that Sunny and his father did puzzles made out of photographs of his mother. I also thought Sunny’s homeschool experience was highly unrealistic. While Aurelia was an awesome support for Sunny, his schooling was completely unstructured. As a teacher I objected to the fact that there was no mention of any testing or how he would receive credit for courses.

Classroom application: Like the rest of the Track series, I would recommend Sunny for middle school and up.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Sunny for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Sunny by Jason Reynolds focuses on the main character’s grief over losing a mother he never met, a woman his father was completely in love with and made all of his life plans with. Sunny feels that he is disappointing both his parents by not fulfilling his mother’s dreams. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.