Fever Year: The Killer Flu of 1918

Fever Year: The Killer Flu of 1918 by Don Brown

     Let me just begin by saying...Too Soon?  So, I ordered this book in the beginning of winter and it just showed up to the library.  Now, if you haven't heard, our country once experienced a global pandamic and NO I don't mean what we are experiencing in our world currently.  In 1918 people in Europe were hoping for an end to World War I with the United States joining France and Britain against Germany.  People were moving more across the world than ever before.  As always, diseases will travel as people travel, but for the most part nothing awful really happened.  Until 1918.  That winter people noticed that more people were getting sicker than usual.  People were becoming sick with the flu, but this flu was spreading faster than in the past and more people were getting sicker than usual.  Usually, a typical flu was worse for young children, the old, and the sick, but this flu was different.  This flu was going after young healthy adults and the number of deaths was higher than anything anyone had experienced before.  Before I forget, let me say that this was a very good book.  It was broken down in such a way that students can very easily understand  the science and the history of this time period.  I would have read this book regardless of the current global situation...especially since it's a graphic novel.  But, reading this book, knowing what's currently happening in our world with what the book it teaching us is very eerie.  Don Brown, the author/illustrator of this book, has done a number of great books during his career.  To learn about more of his books please visit https://www.booksbybrown.com/.  To learn more about the flu visit BrainPOP.  There are a number of videos that can explain topics that interest you.

I Survived: The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 (The Graphic Novel)

I Survived: The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 (The Graphic Novel) by Lauren Tarshis with art by Haus Studio

     Most people know the story of the sinking of the Titanic, the "unsinkable" ship that hit an iceberg and sank on its first voyage.  And while that, of course, is terrible, the real tragedy was that there were not enough lifeboats to save every person on board.  Over one thousand people died as a result while only a few hundred survived.  This book is a retelling of the events of the night of the sinking.  George and his sister, Phoebe, are on a special trip with their aunt and end up on the Titanic on their way home to New York.  During the beginning of the voyage George and his sister meet many interesting people, but not everyone will survive.  The question is who will live and who will die?  Like all the I Survive books, most kids will have a hard time putting it down, especially since this version is in graphic novel form.  I'm hoping more of the I Survive books will soon be available in graphic novel format.  But, I'll admit, as an adult my favorite part of the book wasn't the graphic novel format...though I really did love it.  My favorite part of the book was all the facts at the end.  So, this is where I would normally share a good website to learn more about the Titanic.  For better of for worse there are a number of "official" Titanic museums with good websites.  I've decided to recommend two.  The Titanic Historical Society is located not too far from us in Springfield, MA (https://titanichistoricalsociety.org/) and it's supposed to have a large collection of survivor artifacts.  The other website I'd recommend is Titanic Belfast (https://www.titanicbelfast.com/)  because the Titanic was built in Ireland.  If you like this books I'd recommend other books in the I Survive series by Lauren Tarshis.  You can find her books at https://www.laurentarshis.com/.

Don't forget:

• SORA (ebooks) has a HUGE number of books, both fiction and non-fiction, related to the Titanic.
• BrainPOP has a video about the Titanic and the science issues related to the sinking.
• There's even a YouTube video, provided Scholastic, about the book.  Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1GhqSf_MOk to watch the video.

My Survival: A Girl On Schindler's List

My Survival: A Girl On Schindler's List a memoir by Rena Finder with Joshua M. Greene

     April 1945 is a month that has gone down in history.  Adolf Hitler died and World War II ended in Europe.  It was also when the world began to learn what happened in Nazi occupied Europe while Hitler was in power.  Among many of the terrible things that the Nazi government tried to do was to kill every Jewish person (man, woman, and child) living in Europe.  When all the numbers were counted, over six million Jews had been killed in addition to millions of other people.  Rena Ferber was a child when the Nazis invaded her native Poland, and a young teen at the height of Hitler's power.  Her large Jewish family wasn't able to escape.  By the end of the war Rena and her mother were two of the few members of her family to survive.  But how were she and her mother able to survive when millions of others died?  That's where Oskar Schindler becomes important in Rena's life.  This is a true story.  While this book is aimed at 5th-8th graders it may be too intense for some readers.  That doesn't mean it's not a good book.  It's an excellent book and I highly recommended it to older students.  I just want readers to understand that these are not horror movie monsters.  These are human monsters who did terrible things to real people.  To learn more about World War II and what happened to the Jewish population in Europe please visit (with guidance from an adult) https://www.ushmm.org/


In addition to the above:

• There are plenty of books in SORA (ebooks) through the school and public libraries.
• BrainPOP has many student appropiate videos on World War II, it's causes, and aftermath.
• Visit https://www.nps.gov/wwii/index.htm to learn about the World War II Memorial in Washington DC.

Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Five paw prints

Tuesday, September 11, 2001 was a beautiful day. I wasn't too hot or too cold. There was a slight breeze.  There was hardly a cloud in the sky.  But in New York City everything was about to change. Sadly, Deja doesn't know about any of this.  9/11 was 15 years ago and Deja is only 10 years old. The only things she knows is that she and her family are homeless, she has to start a new school, and her father is never well.  Her old friends won't talk to her because she is homeless and she doesn't know anyone at her new school.  But there seems to be something that the kids in her new school know that she doesn't and when she learns the history of her home town of New York City she begins to understand why her father is always so sick.  The author of Falling Towers is known for her wonderful writing and this book is no exception.  I can tell you exactly where I was when the events on 9/11 took place and how many of my students lost family members that day.  I know too many people who think by not talking about these events we are protecting our children, but I disagree.  Children need to be taught our history no matter how painful and this is a wonderful book to start a conversation.  If you are interested in learning more about 9/11 then I suggest visiting the following sites with permission from an adult.  The sites are The New York State Museum at http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/exhibitions/ongoing/world-trade-center-rescue-recovery-response or the 9/11 Memorial at http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/exhibitions/ongoing/world-trade-center-rescue-recovery-response. An excellent video to watch (again with permission from an adult) is about the boat lift to evacuate people from the lower tip of Manhattan.  This video can be found at https://www.youtube.com/embed/MDOrzF7B2Kg?rel=0.  To learn more about that author and her books visit http://jewellparkerrhodes.com/children/.

Danger in the Darkest Hosue

Danger in the Darkest Hour by Mary Pope Osborn

Four paw prints.  The tree house is back and Jack and Annie are ready for a new adventure.  But, when they start their newest adventure they didn’t realize how much danger their lives would be in.  They land in England on June 5, 1944 and they are asked to enter France at night by an illegal parachute drop.  It’s World War II and Teddie has asked them to find and rescue Cathleen from inside Nazi occupied France.  This is an extremely dangerous job, probably their most dangerous job ever, and if they fail Cathleen could die.  Now, I usually enjoy all the Magic Treehouse Books, but I have always felt a little frustrated when the story ends.  The stories always feel too short to me and I want more.  Luckily, this is Magic Tree House Super Edition #1.  It is longer and more in depth and I’m sooo excited.  This has been by far my favorite Magic Tree House book in the series.  It probably helped that I love historical fiction, especially from World War II, but I already wanted “more” from this series and this book definitely didn’t disappoint.  To find more Magic Tree House fun, visit http://www.magictreehouse.com/#home.

Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan

Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan.

FIVE STARS!!!  The website dictionary.com defines music as an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color.  This is the perfect description of the book Echo.  This story is about seven children who live in different parts of the world during different time periods.  The bulk of the story revolves around the lives of Friedrich, Mike, and Ivy.  Each of the children has a special musical gift, but each has a crisis within their families that risks these gifts.  The one thing they have in common is a harmonica that may or may not be magical.  This is by far one of the best fiction books I have read in a very long time.  I’ll admit that I love music and that may be one of the reasons why I was so drawn to this book, but I really believe anyone (musical or not) would truly love this book.  Between the music references and the World War II history, I had a very hard time putting this book down.  At almost 600 pages I still read this book in less than three days.  I know the size will look intimidating to some, but just give it a try...you won’t be sorry.  To learn more about harmonicas visit http://www.pbs.org/americanrootsmusic/pbs_arm_ii_harmonica.html or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonica.  To learn more about Pam Munoz Ryan and her books visit http://www.pammunozryan.com/index.html.

September Roses by Jeanette Winter

Reviewed by Miss Dewey at Orenda

Four paw prints.  In South Africa there are two sisters who own a flower shop.  The flowers they specialized in were roses, and one year they decided they would share their roses with the world.  They did this by designing a beautiful display that they would take to the big flower show in New York City.  In September 2001 they took approximately 2,000 roses and their ideas to the other side of the world.  But, when they arrived in New York they learned something terrible had happened just before they landed.  Now, there was no flower show, no hotel rooms, and no way to get home.  The sisters weren't sure what to do.  Fortunately, all will end well for the sisters, even if the world as they knew it will never be the same.  So, why do I like this book?  This is an extremely good book that deals with 9/11.  The story itself is NOT about 9/11, but the events on 9/11 directly affect the story.  The pictures are simple and clear without being scary.  And, the story deals with the important events that happened as a result of 9/11 without getting in to the specifics of some very serious topics that may not be appropriate for younger students.  To learn more about 9/11, ask a parent or guardian to visit http://www.911memorial.org/ with you.
Fic Win

Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Reviewed by Miss Dewey at Orenda

Four paw prints. It's 2005 and Lanesha lives in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her neighborhood is called the Ninth Ward. She has a good life. She lives with Mama Ya-Ya, she gets good grades in school, and she gets along well with the adults in her neighborhood. But as happy as she is, Lanesha is also a little sad. Her biological family doesn't want her (Mama Ya-Ya was the midwife who helped bring her into the world and who has been taking care of her for 12 years) and she doesn't have many friends. Other kids don't like to be around Lanesha because she can see ghosts, including her own dead mother. The ghosts don't really bother Lanesha, but they are starting to change. There is a hurricane approaching Louisiana and it's BIG. It's so big, the local meteorologists are telling people to get out of New Orleans. Even the ghosts seem to be aware of the coming storm and they are warning Lanesha. But Lanesha doesn't know what to do. Mama Ya-Ya, who can also communicate with spirits, is also unsure what to do. The spirits keep telling Mama Ya-Ya that danger is coming, but it is NOT from the hurricane. Though this story is not true the events in the story are true. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana and the entire American Gulf Coast was devastated by the wind and water. New Orleans was especially hard hit when the levees broke and water poured into the city. And though I loved this book, and I highly recommend it to students, I still want to know what happens to Lanesha and her friends. To learn more about this author, visit http://www.jewellparkerrhodes.com/children.

Fic Rho

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Reviewed by Miss Dewey at Orenda

Four paw prints. Summer is almost over, she lives in a new house, it rains everyday, and Coraline is bored. She’s stuck in the house and there are no kids to play with. Since it’s an old house her parents suggest she explore the different rooms and meet some of the other residents. Since the other residents are old (and in Coraline’s opinion—a little weird) she decides to explore. She explores every room except one. One door won’t open. When she can finally open the door she discovers a hallway to another house. It looks a little like her house, the neighbors look a little like her neighbors, and her “parents” look a little like her parents. But something is wrong. The adults are all acting strange and Coraline’s “mother” doesn’t want her to go back through the door. Coraline is scared but she doesn’t know who to trust. Maybe she should trust the talking (talking?) cat. Finally, there’s a rumor this story is going to be a movie in 2009. To learn about the movie or find other books by this author visit http://www.mousecircus.com/ .
Fic Gai

Shen Kids Read!

Your Orenda Elementary School library teacher (Mrs. Manore) and her library mascot (Miss Dewey) want to share good books with you! Take a look at what we are reading and often adding to the shelves of YOUR school library! If you would like, post a comment, but remember to use only your first name and last initial and the name of your school in order to keep safe on the web. Enjoy your summer reading.