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The Guests of War Trilogy; one of my first introductions to the world of historical fiction. Written by Canadian author Kit Pearson the trilogy consists of The Sky is Falling, Looking at the Moon and The Lights Go On Again. The books are about a siblings who get evacuated from the English countryside to Toronto during WWII.
I reread the books for this class and immediately remembered why I was so drawn to them as a kid. Norah, the main character in the first two books, has a strong, rebellious spirit that I always admired. She was a tomboy who often wasn't interested in the things that girls were "supposed" to be interested in. I struggled with this as a kid and I think it was a relief to read about someone else like me.
I loved that the books were based in Canada even though when I first read them I had only been to Ontario once and had been to young to remember most of the trip. It was still a connection that I enjoyed and this connection was stronger when I learned of my own family connection to the evacuations of British children during the war. My Grandad was a child in London during the Blitz. He was supposed to come to Canada, but while his ship was harbour preparing to set sail another passenger ship, SS City of Benares, was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-Boat. After the SS City of Benares sunk, the program of relocating British children to Canada was cancelled. My Grandad ended up spending the war in the Scottish countryside instead but I still felt as though the trilogy had a connection to my family. It led me to read more about the SS City of Benares and the Children's Overseas Reception Board which was responsible for relocating the British children.
The trilogy has themes of war, loss, adventure, family ties, coming-of-age, teenage rebellion and conflict. The writing is wonderful and the books give life to a piece of Canada's past that opens up so many channels for further reading.
I reread the books for this class and immediately remembered why I was so drawn to them as a kid. Norah, the main character in the first two books, has a strong, rebellious spirit that I always admired. She was a tomboy who often wasn't interested in the things that girls were "supposed" to be interested in. I struggled with this as a kid and I think it was a relief to read about someone else like me.
I loved that the books were based in Canada even though when I first read them I had only been to Ontario once and had been to young to remember most of the trip. It was still a connection that I enjoyed and this connection was stronger when I learned of my own family connection to the evacuations of British children during the war. My Grandad was a child in London during the Blitz. He was supposed to come to Canada, but while his ship was harbour preparing to set sail another passenger ship, SS City of Benares, was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-Boat. After the SS City of Benares sunk, the program of relocating British children to Canada was cancelled. My Grandad ended up spending the war in the Scottish countryside instead but I still felt as though the trilogy had a connection to my family. It led me to read more about the SS City of Benares and the Children's Overseas Reception Board which was responsible for relocating the British children.
The trilogy has themes of war, loss, adventure, family ties, coming-of-age, teenage rebellion and conflict. The writing is wonderful and the books give life to a piece of Canada's past that opens up so many channels for further reading.
I read a Kit Pearson novel on the weekend that was new for me. It was called A Perfect Gentle Knight and was about the children of the Bell family who coped with their mother's death and father's emotional abandonment by pretending they are Knights of the Round Table. The main character is an 11-year-old named Corrie with a wonderful imagination who has to navigate between keeping her family together and the make believe world she loves.
This book is great for preteens who are beginning to enter the complicated life of teenagers. Other than my love of Kit Pearson, I was drawn to the King Arthur theme. I love Arthurian legends and this book would have been right up my alley when I was young. Pearson's female characters are strong and real and I have no doubt they had a part in making me who I am today. Middle school students, and especially girls, will benefit from her writing and the beautiful worlds she creates. |
The Crazy Man by Pamela Porter
I really liked this book. I liked the format and the fact that it said everything that it needed to say without adding any fluff. It was so beautifully and simply done that it didn't need extra description or dialogue.
The simplicity makes it a good book for struggling readers but the quality of the story also makes it good for avid readers. The themes of prejudice and stereotypes are relevant in today's world and to today's kids. There is so much prejudice in the world and a book like this can bring up so many questions and discussions that are important to have in the classroom. i enjoyed the character, Miss Tollofsen. She reminded me of Miss Stacey from Anne of Green Gables. She was tough but fair and believed that every day has possibilities. I liked her determination and her no nonsense attitude. Emaline's acceptances of Angus is inspiring. I think it often takes the innocence of a child to remind us that people need kindness. The story also reminds us that ignorance is often passed on from parent to child. It highlights yet another challenge we face as teachers to change minds and challenge limitations. The Crazy Man by Pamela Porter is an excellent novel that would be a great part of any ELA class. |
Trickster
Native American Tales
A Graphic Collection
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Anthology of Native American Trickster tales. The Trickster is a character who disrupts the order of things. This graphic collection is done by a variety of different artists and depicts the Trickster in his many forms.
I am not a lover of graphic novels and this collection is no exception. I found a lot of the stories too simplistic and not very well executed. One of them even had a undercurrent of misogyny and sexism. The art varied, some of it was very good while I found others simplistic and almost crude, I could see a couple of the stories being used in the classroom as accompaniment to other First Nation's literature but I would not rely solely on the collection as a teaching text.
I find it hard to read graphic novels, my eyes never know where to focus and I don't get the flow of the story because I'm concentrating too hard on where I am supposed to be looking next. They are great for people who don't have this problem and I look forward to finding quality literature in graphic novel form.
I am not a lover of graphic novels and this collection is no exception. I found a lot of the stories too simplistic and not very well executed. One of them even had a undercurrent of misogyny and sexism. The art varied, some of it was very good while I found others simplistic and almost crude, I could see a couple of the stories being used in the classroom as accompaniment to other First Nation's literature but I would not rely solely on the collection as a teaching text.
I find it hard to read graphic novels, my eyes never know where to focus and I don't get the flow of the story because I'm concentrating too hard on where I am supposed to be looking next. They are great for people who don't have this problem and I look forward to finding quality literature in graphic novel form.
The Worm Family by Tony Johnston Illustrated by Stacy Innerst |
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Film
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...And Spring (2003)
-Golden rule
-capacity for harm, you may think something is funny but your actions could have repercussions for other people
-Punishment? Justice? - Have the students decide for themselves if justice had been done or if the kid deserved punishment
-consequences
-character building
-Golden rule
-capacity for harm, you may think something is funny but your actions could have repercussions for other people
-Punishment? Justice? - Have the students decide for themselves if justice had been done or if the kid deserved punishment
-consequences
-character building