The Series and The Sequels-Books For Middle and High School Students

On this new blog post, I just wanted to give you guys a highlight of some great book series and sequels for middle and high school students. Preteens/Teens can be reluctant to read, it is awesome when we can find books that match their interest.  When we think of books for this grade level and age range, we realize that sometimes we have to introduced them to more books that are out of the norm.  

Mildred D. Taylor: The Logan Family Saga

Mildred D. Taylor is very famous for her literary works and her remarkable stories. The Logan Family Series has been a familiar series in some middle and high schools. Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry is one of my favorite books and movies, I watched the movie a lot as a child. I was also elated to discover that my favorite illustrator/artist Kadir Nelson has remastered her iconic book covers, take a look.

The Five Ancestors Series is essentially a graphic novel without any graphics. Five orphans are raised as foster brothers and Buddhist monks in 17th century China. The Grand Master has given the boys animal names and trained each of them into a martial-art style related to his titular animal's strengths.

Virginia Hamilton is one of my favorite authors. Most of her books were read during my childhood. She wrote stories that ranged from generational legacy to science fiction to folktales and more. Hamilton wrote 41 books.



A couple months ago, I read Rodman Philbrick's Freak the Mighty and Max The Mighty. In Freak the Mighty, both characters have disabilities and have a genuine friendship with each other. The two of them create a genuine relationship through fighting bullies and family problems. For the the two boys, they never imagine the big things that they would encounter. The sequel to this book is Max The Mighty,, which is similar to the first book.  Max and Worm also discover the greatness of a friendship through their difficulties. Max is a hero when he finds out that Worm needs saving from the harsh reality of school and her own issues at home.

 

Other Authors to Check-Out!

Lisa Yee
R.J. Palacio
James Patterson 

A Family is a Family-Books on Multiracial Families

"Families are like branches on a tree, we grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one."-Unknown

What does a family consist of? What does a family look like? Are all families small? Are they big? Are the parents in the family from the same culture, race, or religion? Do the kids look alike? 

These are usually the questions I ask my students during our thematic unit on families. Families do not always have to look alike, practice the same traditions, or be from the same ethnic group to be considered a family. Some people even consider their friends to be their family.  A family is about love, acceptance, and respect. There is not enough definitions to tell us what a family is or what it could be, but you can always see the beauty of a family in how they love and treat each other. I have selected a few books that contain multiracial/biracial/transracial characters and families.

(The post may contain affiliated links.)

Grandma Lena's Big Ol' Turnip-Book Review

"Anything worth doing is worth doing right."

-Grandma Lena in Grandma Lena's Big Ol' Turnip

Spring is when all things become new again, a natural piece of artwork.  During my childhood, I remember this time as sowing, planting, and tending in my maternal grandmother's garden.  I was her little helper and I recall myself trying to learn everything I could about the art of gardening.  Her garden was a getaway for her, an oasis for her thoughts, and a way to take care of her family/community.  This type of art was apart of her life and her gardens were always so beautiful.
Gardening has become one of my hobbies and my oasis for myself.  I would not say that I am as passionate as she was, but I do love the feeling when my plants begin to grow and I can eat my product.  I experience a type of happiness from the tiny seeds that make an entrance.

My grandmother was faithful to her garden. Whenever she had an abundance of crops, she would share with the community and the community would share with her.  During her conversations with others, her gardens were always a hot topic.  She was definitely proud of her gardening skills and people enjoyed her advice about her favorite hobby. It is one of the many reasons I enjoyed Grandma Lena's Big Ol' Turnip .   Author Denia Hester and illustrator Jackie Urbanovic take a old Russian folktale and switch it up with an African-American theme.  Grandma Lena, similar to my grandmother, was proud of her gardening skills and did not become afraid of a challenge. Before the story starts, Hester gives a little background knowledge about African-American cookery. She discusses how turnips are cooked in the African-American culture and served with cornbread. She gives small details about the different ways cornbread can be cooked. These details also reminded me of my grandmother and her cooking skills, I still own one of her cast iron skillets. 

In the beginning of the story, Grandma Lena is contemplating on what type of turnips she would like to grow.  There are many types of turnips and Grandma Lena wants to make sure she picks the right one. Grandma Lena was dedicated and believed in finishing the job she started. After her turnip grows, Grandma Lena is surprised that her turnip is enormous in size and she can not pull it out the grown. She utilizes her family's help to disengage the big turnip. The story demonstrates how Grandma Lena is involved with her family and community, and how she strives to help others with her "big ol turnip".