The Girl from the Tar Paper School by Teri Kanefield

Genre: All Ages, Biography
Source: I received a copy for my classroom from the author

I received a copy from the author for my classroom.  I am always looking for quality books for my middle school classroom.  This is a book I am proud to put on my shelves. This is the story of Barbara Rose Johns.  She was a courage, young black girl, growing up in segregated America.  She chose to make a difference.  She didn't listen when people said no, or you can't do anything.  So why had I not heard of her before?  Barbara chose not to stay in the limelight once she set things in motion. There is so much I don't know about the Civil Rights Movement.  As a teacher I am well aware that back in the 1950's black and white schools were not equal.  They didn't receive the same quality buildings, books or other necessities.  Growing up white in a family that never mentioned skin color, I was oblivious to the issues of racism.  I grew up in the country, but the town where we shopped was very prejudiced.  I remember the fountains on the sidewalk and being pulled away because of signs on them my mother refused to let me read. Her response was, you don't need a drink right now, we are going to get a treat and have a soda.  That was something I got once or twice a year when on vacation. I didn't understand what racism was until my sister went away to college and her dorms were caught in the middle of a race riot.  It wasn't taught in my school.  I'd never gone to school with a black kid until I moved to Florida in my sophomore year.  I didn't understand what the big deal was that my best friend was black.  I was lucky in many ways.  My mind was not poisoned.
Barbara Johns saw the inequality because her school, unlike the white school were just wooden structures covered with heavy paper and coated with tar. They were leaky and very cold. When Barbara decided to make the issue known, she didn't get the results she thought she would. She managed to call an assembly where she dismissed the adults because she didn't want them to get in trouble.  When she wrote to the NAACP for help they refused to help them get a new school built.  Instead they wanted total integration.  This was not what she had started out trying to accomplish. I became so enraged with the attitudes of the whites within the pages of this book.  I guess if you never grew up hating a race of people it is often hard to believe that others could be so ignorant.  I am sure there are many that would read this review and be angered at me.  But, that is okay. I am proud to share and promote this book to my students.  Barbara's strike took place before we ever heard of Martin Luther King.  It is important that ALL students learn that there were other people out there just as important as MLK.  Most importantly it is very important that they learn that no matter how young they are, they can make a difference in the world.  They need to learn they can't do it by sitting by watching and keeping their mouth closed.  This is the second book I have read by this author and I love her work.  I am proud to promote her work.  Look for more reviews of her books by me.

Student Saturday: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Student Reviewer: Elizabeth B.

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

I really enjoyed the first book in the Maze Runner series. It really grabbed me with all the imagination and creativity of the author’s writing. I connected with it because I already heard if you read another series – Divergent – then you would like this one. I liked when the book just started that the kid Thomas was in some kind of box. I liked another part because Thomas had no idea who he was, just that he had that name. I felt secure when reading this part because I could relate to him; I also had no idea who he was, just his name. I felt connected because I would learn who he was with him – rather than have him tell me about himself. I was definitely drawn to the book. When Thomas thought, I thought even harder. This book is kind of like the Hunger Games, just not as violent. I was like that because lots of people died. That was the saddening part for me. There also were a lot of questions with no answers so the book left me dying for more.

Come Visit Scotland and Hungary

If You Were Me and Lived in Scotland by Carole P. Roman
Genre: children's picture book
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review, the opinions expressed here are my own.

Scotland is at the north end of Great Britain.  I didn’t know until I read this book that Scotland has more than 790 islands in the North Sea. The capital is Edinburg.  Many of its buildings were inspired by ancient Greece and Rome.  Common names in Scotland would be Ian, Connor or Malcom for boys and Kelsey, Aillen or Margaret for girls.  The word for mommy is Mathair and daddy is Dadadh. The official animal of Scotland is the mythological creature known as a unicorn.  They are well known for their lake the Loch Ness and its creature known as the Loch Ness Monster or Nessie.  They eat oatmeal called porridge for breakfast, tattie scones which are potato muffins.  They eat a lot of fish dishes.  They use oats for all kinds of things from stuffing to desserts.  One of their favorite sports is golf.  They have the Highland games.  They dress in kilts, tartans and plaids.  One of their most well known instruments is the bagpipes. I absolutely love these books.  It is a way for students to travel the world and learn about different cultures without leaving their home. I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed are my own.

If You Were Me and Lived in Hungary by Carole P. Roman
Genre: children's picture book
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review, the opinions expressed here are my own.

Once again we take a trip with this author to a new country. Today we explore Hungary and learn that the capital is Budapest.  It is fun to learn some common names such as Peter, Laszlo or Atilla if you are a boy; and Judit, Suzanna or Erzse’bet if you are a girl.  Mommy is Anya, Daddy is Apa and grandma is Nagy. The largest lake is the Balaton. It means mud or swamp. A popular food is goulash, which is a stew with meat and vegetables. It was interesting to learn that water polo is a favorite sport.  I learned that the Rubik’s Cube was invented there.  This is a wonderful way to learn about the country and culture of Hungary.