The book is about a girl coming of age in Germany during World War II, with Death serving as the narrator. In coping with the harrowing events of the time, Liesel and her Jewish friend Max resort to stealing books to distract themselves. the book balances reality and imagination by anchoring itself in historical events but having an unexpected narrator.

“The Boy in the Striped Pajamas“ blends reality and imagination by grounding itself in historical context with a fictional storyline that dives into human nature during a horrible time. The use of actual events and creative narrative allows the author to construct a captivating and emotionally impactful tale that has the reader contemplation on themes of morality, innocence, and the repercussions of hatred.

The story recounts the devastating events of the 1871 Great Chicago Fire. Through meticulous research and engaging storytelling, Murphy explores the fire's causes, its impact on the city, and the subsequent rebuilding efforts. The book provides a narrative, drawing on primary sources to show the human times during this pivotal moment history. It offers an insightful look at the things people went through in the aftermath of this historic disaster.

“Grand Canyon“ by Jason Chin is a visually stunning picture book that delves into the geological wonders of the Grand Canyon. Through captivating illustrations, it takes readers on a journey through time, exploring the canyon's diverse landscapes and the powerful forces that shaped it. This engaging book provides a concise and informative glimpse into the natural history of this iconic landmark.

“We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga“ by Traci Sorell is a picture book celebrating Cherokee gratitude throughout the seasons. With poetic text and vibrant illustrations, it follows a Cherokee family expressing thanks for nature, family, and community, offering a culturally rich perspective on gratitude for young readers.

this book beautifully explores the cultural significance of fry bread within Native American communities. Through vibrant illustrations and poetic language, the book celebrates the culinary and symbolic aspects of fry bread, connecting it to themes of resilience. It is a valuable tool for cultural representation in the classroom, fostering discussions on identity, family, and the importance of preserving cultural heritage.

Giant squid was a really cool nonfiction book. I loved how it was told poetically and exciting but it was still factual. When I think of nonfiction books I think of boring colorless pages but this book was so fun to read. I also liked how it had the fact pages at the end to reference. The only thing I wish they did was add the actual photographed picture of the giant squid as well as the beautiful illustrations.

This book is a great book to use for science for all ages. This is a great way to use integrated curriculum because you can work on ELA with poems and reading but it is all about a science concept. This is a fun and engaging way to teach elementary school students about amphibians. It has very fun rhythmic poems but also has a lot of facts about the animals in paragraph form underneath.

I really liked this poetry book because it is great to use for older elementary school students. Students can use this book to help them with aspects of their own poems. It also shows them how these different aspects are used in popular poems already. Some examples of terms are rhyming, similes, and metaphors that are often used in poems. I would love to use parts of this book in my fifth grade class.

Mother goose is a great poetry book for very young children. It helps model fluency and prosody before babies can even talk. It also creates a fun rhythm that they can follow along with and memorize. It helps with their speech development. These book can be fun and beneficial for all ages.

This was a very fun poetry book for many reasons. It told a story throughout the book while also being in poem form with different themes. Each poem talked about a different aspect of the farmers market. This could be a great read for younger students who might be going on a field trip to the farmers market or for a group of students learning about the farmers market and being a famrer.

This is a great halloween poem book. It has lots of fun rhymes and spooky stories throughout the book. The poem I liked best was The Jekyll Lantern. This one was very fun because it had a different rhythm than some of the other poems I had read. It had a rhythm that reminded me of a song that was 3/4 beat. I also really liked that it referred to classic literature Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This could be a great poem for students of all ages.

This poem book was a very fun read. Each page had a rhyme to it and there was a fun metaphor throougout the book. It was saying as if a poem was a tangible thing that was falling out of the kids pocket. It also had a very fun play on words with “poetree“ becasue it made a tree. Overall very fun book.

I really really enjoyed this book. It has poems about each different pair in greek mythology. The exciting part of this book is that one poem reversed says something completely different. It was so interesting to see how the change in punctuation but not the change of words is what really changes the meaning of the story. This would be great for students to read in many different aspects especially talking about the importance of punctuation.

I really enjoyed this poem. At first I was somewhat confused because of the repetition of the word imagine. I wasn't sure what it meant imagine. But then I realized if the author could do what he did, Imagine what the reader could do. Once I figured that out the book made a lot more sense. The pictures were beautifully illustrated and the repetition of the word imagine was very powerful.

“Six hours back. No talk, still, None. Except, My god. What have we done?“

I really liked this book. It has many different poems all about the second world war. Most of them are back and forth between perspectives. I read the poem called “Names“. It is about the code name of the bomb and the names of the pilot and crew on the plane. It uses different rhyming words ad the end of each sentence and flows with good rhythm. The poem was really good but especially the end which made me feel a gut wrenching feeling.

I really like this poem. It is a good story and has a good rhythm. Every other line rhymes and it uses very good describing words. It is also a classic story and movie so kids will really enjoy it.

Annemarie is a ten year old girl who lives in Denmark in 1943 while Germany was invading. Ellen, her best friend is jewish and has to flee. Ellens parents leave and have Ellen stay with Annemarie and her family. They go to Annemarie's uncles house and try to get Ellen out of the country with her parents. Annemarie needs to step up and help her best friend to get to Sweden. Annemarie finds a courage in her that she didnt know she had.

Angie started dating a girl named Casey but over the summer Casey broke up with her, her best friend Jason started dating her bully, her sister died in Iraq, and she gets beat up by the captain of the football team. After having a rough time Angie finds a note from her sister and decides to go on a road trip with some random people. They all get to know each other better and grow. Angie makes friends and finds herself.

Emma and her brother have been homeschooled their whole life. Emma is about to go into high school for her first time in public school. Emma's dad works a lot with animals and they found a rabbit and took it home to help it. She uses this rabbit as a symbol to help her get through her first time in public school.

It is all set up in poems and not chapters. A girl named Ellie is writing the poems and she uses these poems to help get through what she deals with. She is constantly bullied and her mom says things about her weight. She talks with her therapist about all of her issues and she learns that she doesn't need other peoples validation. The only thing that matters is what she likes and how she feels about herself.

Lucy, a girl going to the eighth grade is the narrator, her mom died when she was really young. This book can work well when talking about grief and death. Although the girl was 13 and had dealt with death before but when her best friend dies she is enveloped in grief. She has to find health ways to feel better like making new friends. Death is a part of life and it is important to know that it can be hard but it is possible to get through it.

“Most of us like scary stories because we like feeling scared. When there is no real danger, feeling scared is fun.“

The story The Green Ribbon which comes from Scary Stories to tell in the dark by Alvin Schwartz is actually based on a European folk motif. I loved this story as a kid because it scared me so much but I always wanted to read it again.

This book has seven short stories that are scary. The stories included are The Teeth, In The Graveyard, The Green Ribbon, In a Dark Dark Room, The Night it Rained, The Pirate, and The Ghost of John. My personal favorite is The Green Ribbon which is about a girl named Jenny who always wore a green ribbon around her neck.

Although I wasnt able to read this whole book I was able to research it some and see how it would be great for students. I personally think that this book might be a little mature than students that I will be teaching but it could be a great read for middle school age kids. This is a book that can really push a student towards the love of reading if this is the kind of books that they like.

The Graveyard Book is a speculative fiction book about a boy named Bod who is adopted after his family is murdered. Bod discovers he has supernatural powers and is able to see ghosts.

“All shall be done, but it may be harder than you think“

Harry potter and The hobbit are books that people dive into the world and learn more about it. The Chronicles of Narnia is another book that has a world with many different aspects. This book has been banned because of violence, gore, and mystical factors but what people might not know about it is that it is a huge symbol of the bible.

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is a story about four children who are sent away from their parents during world war two to live with a family friend who owns a large mansion. They stumble upon a magical wardrobe that is a doorway to the magical land of Narnia where they are forced into a war of their own that they have to fight in.

“If you were to be lost in the river, Jonas, your memories would not be lost with you. Memories are forever.”

This is a dystopian novel that some have to read in school. I was one who had to read it in seventh grade. I still remember my teacher explaining the difference between utopia and dystopia and how in most book that say they live in a utopia are actually dystopian. This book was one of the first school books that I really enjoyed and I hope to show my future students.

The giver is about a boy named Jonas who lives in a perfect world. Everything is the same for everyone so there is never any conflict. When it is time to get his job he gets “the receiver“. This is a very rare job that only one person gets every lifetime. Once he starts going to the giver to receive his training, Jonas' world changes completely.

“There was nothing in the corner. Nothing but the old door that opened onto the brick wall“

This is a very interesting book to me because I grew up fearing the movie and just recently learned there is a book. I am also a strong believer that books are better than their movie adaptations so I would be interested to see how that works with the book. I already know there are a few big difference and Im curious how or if it changes the story.

Coroline is about a young girl who moves and is drawn into a dark world parallel to what she knows where her other mother tries to get her to stay.

“The mouse moral: Knowing in part may make a fine tale, but wisdom comes from seeing the whole.“

This book is a fable for many reasons. It is based on the Indian fable of the blind men and an elephant. It has personification where the mice behave like humans. The number seven is also very common in fables and it stands for each day of the week in this story. Also it has a moral that you cant just look at parts, you cant see until you see the whole picture.

The seven blind mice notice something new comes to their pond. Each day of the week each mouse goes and says its something different. The last mouse goes and finds out it is something that entails what each mouse said.

“The water very soon overflowed the top of then roof, and the sun and the moon were forced to go up into the sky, where they have remained ever since.“

This story is a classic African folktale. It is a folktale because it explains why something has happened. It is also a story that was passed down through generations. It has traditional African drawings and came from Nigeria.

The sun must build a large home for water and his friends to come and hang out. The sun and his wife moon built a house for water and his friends but the water kept getting deeper and more friends kept coming. Soon the sun and the moon had to move to the roof. the water kept getting higher so eventually they had to move to the sky and have lived there ever since.

“And so for three months of each year Persephone must return to the Underworld. Hades welcomes back his queen, but when Persephone goes underground winter comes to Earth.“

This book is a retelling of the classic greek mythology story of persephone. It is a myth because it tells the story of the gods. It also tells why we have winter.

Persephone is a children's book retelling of the classic greek mythology story. Persephone is stolen by Hades to live in the underworld but her mom Demeter could not find Persephone and cast a curse on the Earth making it forever winter.

The sky is falling!

Chicken little is originally a European folk tale. It was originally know as Henny Penny. This story uses personification because it makes all of the animal characters talk and act like humans.

Chicken Little by Steven Kellogg is a retelling of the classic tale. Chicken Little gets a bump on her head from something that fell. She thinks the sky is falling and tells all her friends whats going to happen.

“Nobody believes a liar...even when he is telling the truth!“