Inspiration Book: 
Blended by Draper, Sharon M — Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2018 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.0. Piano-prodigy Isabella, eleven, whose black father and white mother struggle to share custody, never feels whole, especially as racial tensions affect her school, her parents both become engaged, and she and her stepbrother are stopped by police. NSSTB 2019.
Rationale: Once upon a time, a long time ago, my school had a class devoted to only reading. Everyday students came to that class to read. They read and read and read and kept a daily diary of the titles and number of pages read. In fact, part of their grade was based on the number of pages read. At the end of each week students spent fifteen minutes writing about one aspect of their weekly reading: characters, plot, style, mood, etc. And, I thought, “Oh, Mr. Westfall, what an easy class to teach.” What was Mr. Westfall doing during that class? He was reading and collecting books to share with the class. If a student really liked a book, he’d locate and recommend a similar book, and that book became available on his library table, set aside, at least for the week, for the student who needed or wanted the book. The table was always changing. Sometimes it featured an author; sometimes a theme; sometimes random choices. Based on comments in the students’ weekly writing, Mr. Westfall had individual conferences with each student, not weekly, but at least every other week. Mr. Westfall knew his students and the result was a very individualized class. Mr. Westfall created a love for reading and a class of readers. Perhaps some librarian should recommend that a class like this “once upon a time” class be re-established in middle schools and high schools.
Listed in the bibliography are books related to the themes found in Blended: divorce, race relations, racially mixed people. If I were Mr. Westfall, these books would be on my table for a couple of weeks, perhaps at the beginning of a new month or a new semester or new quarter. Whenever he had a library table full of themed books, it meant the topic was one that needed to be discussed from a variety of angles. And, that’s what Mr. Westfall had students do after two or three weeks of reading books about a specific topic. The students would stop and talk about the books for a day. Actually, the students became sales people for the books they had read and had a deeper understanding of a topic, often a controversial topic.
If you would like to do a more extensive and intensive study of Blended, check the Teacher Resource section near the end of this post. There is one excellent guide, “Reading Group Guide from Sharon Draper” http://sharondraper.com/bookdetail.asp?id=75, that is so well done that I would be wasting my time trying to develop a whole new unit. If you find a resource like that, take advantage of it.
Related Titles:
Jimmy Gownley's Amelia rules!. #6,True things (adults don't want kids to know) (Amelia Rules! Graphic Novel, Book 6) by Gownley, Jimmy — Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2010. 741.5; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 2.8. Amelia Louise McBride, having survived her parents' divorce and a move from Manhattan to a small town, hopes her eleventh birthday will mark the start to a good year, and while her surprise party seems promising, things quickly go downhill.
It's not the end of the world by Blume, Judy ( — Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2014 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 3.4. Originally published by Bradbury Press in 1972. When her parents divorce, a sixth grader struggles to understand that sometimes people are unable to live together.
How I, Nicky Flynn, finally get a life (and a dog) : a novel by Corriveau, Art — Amulet Books, 2010 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.0. Nicky Flynn's life gets all turned around when his parents divorce and he is forced to start a new life in a new town and school; but when his mother brings home Reggie, a former seeing-eye dog, from a shelter, Nicky begins to put his life back into perspective.
Olivia Bean, trivia queen by Gephart, Donna — Yearling, 2013 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.0. After overcoming a number of obstacles, especially in the subject of geography, Olivia is on her way to Hollywood to appear on Jeopardy! and, she hopes, to reunite with her father who left the family two years ago.
Double dog dare by Graff, Lisa — Puffin Books, 2013 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.2. When Kansas Bloom moves to California and joins the Media Club at school, he soon finds himself trying to outdo one of the other fourth-grade students in a "dare war" while vying for the job of on-air video homeroom announcer.
Bigger than a bread box by Snyder, Laurel — Yearling, c2011 p2012 : -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.3. Devastated when her parents separate, twelve-year-old Rebecca must move with her mother from Baltimore to Gran's house in Atlanta, where Rebecca discovers an old breadbox with the power to grant any wish--so long as the wished-for thing fits in the breadbox.
Lexie by Couloumbis, Audrey — Yearling, c2011 p2012 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.3. When ten-year-old Lexie goes with her father to the beach for a week, she is surprised to find that he has invited his girlfriend and her two sons to join them for the entire week.
Words with wings by Grimes, Nikki — WordSong, an imprint of Highlights, 2013 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.3. Gabby daydreams to tune out her parents' arguments, but when her parents' divorce, and she begins a new school, daydreaming gets her into trouble. Her mother scolds her for it, her teacher keeps telling her to pay attention, and the other kids tease her. Until she finds a friend who also daydreams and her teacher decides to work a daydreaming-writing session into every school day. With a notebook "thick with daydreams," Gabby grows more confident about herself and her future. FREE Teaching Resources available for download at www.titlewave.com
Lost! : a dog called Bear (Rainbow Street Shelter, Book 1) by Orr, Wendy — Square Fish/Henry Holt and Company, 2015. -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.4. When Logan's dog runs away as he and his mother are moving to a new home after his parents separate, a girl named Hannah, who longs for a dog of her own, finds him.
The year we fell from space by King, A. S — Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2019 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.4.Middle schooler Liberty likes to make her own maps of the stars, in fact she is obsessed with them, especially since her family is falling apart; her parents are getting divorced, her nine-year-old sister will barely leave the house and carries a stuffed tiger at all times, her father is suffering from depression, but will not talk about it, and the brothers down the street, once friends, have turned into bullies--so when a tiny meteorite literally falls in her lap it is like a sign, but a sign of what?
The blossoming universe of Violet Diamond by Woods, Brenda — Puffin Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), 2015 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.6. A biracial girl finally gets the chance to meet the African American side of her family.
Can I touch your hair? : poems of race, mistakes, and friendshipby Latham, Irene — Carolrhoda Books, 2018 : 811; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.6. Presents a collection of poems that looks at the experience of race through fifth graders Irene Latham, who is white, and Charles Waters, who is African American.
Absolutely almost by Graff, Lisa — Puffin Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), 2015 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.7. Ten-year-old Albie has never been the smartest, tallest, best at gym, greatest artist, or most musical in his class, as his parents keep reminding him, but new nanny, Calista, helps him uncover his strengths and take pride in himself.
You go first by Kelly, Erin Entrada — Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2019 : -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.7. Charlotte, twelve, and Ben, eleven, are highly-skilled competitors at online Scrabble and that connection helps both as they face family issues and the turmoil of middle school.
The Lost Boy's gift by Holt, Kimberly Willis — Henry Holt and Company, 2019 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.8. When his parents separate, Daniel very unhappily moves to a cottage on While-A-Way Lane, but neighbor Tilda Butter helps him discover he has a special gift like hers. FREE Teaching Resources available for download at www.titlewave.com
Anastasia has the answers (An Anastasia Krupnik story) by Lowry, Lois — Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.9. Anastasia continues the perilous process of growing up as her thirteenth year involves her in conquering the art of rope climbing, playing Cupid for a recently widowered uncle, and surviving a crush on her gym teacher.
The other half of my heart by Frazier, Sundee Tucker — Yearling, c2010 p2011 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.9.
Twin daughters of interracial parents, eleven-year-olds Keira and Minna have very different skin tones and personalities, but it is not until their African American grandmother enters them in the Miss Black Pearl Pre-Teen competition in North Carolina that red-haired and pale-skinned Minna realizes what life in their small town in the Pacific Northwest has been like for her more outgoing, darker-skinned sister.
How Tia Lola learned to teach (Tia Lola Stories, Book 2) by Alvarez, Julia — Yearling, c2010 p2011 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.3. Juanita and Miguel's great aunt, Tia Lola, comes from the Dominican Republic to help take care of them after their parents divorce, and soon she is so involved in their small Vermont community that when her visa expires, the whole town turns out to support her.
The great treehouse war by Graff, Lisa — Puffin Books, 2018 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.4. Fifth-grader Winnie, with notes from her friends, writes of turning her treehouse into an embassy after her newly-divorced parents become unreasonable, where she is joined by nine others with complaints.
Dear Sweet Pea by Murphy, Julie — Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2019 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.5. Thirteen-year-old Patricia, widely known as Sweet Pea, navigates her parents' unconventional divorce and finds herself in the unlikely role of her town's advice columnist.
Eggs over Evie by Jackson, Alison — Square Fish/Henry Holt and Company, 2014 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6. Evie feels unsettled and sad after her parents divorce, her father remarries and takes the family dog, and his new wife becomes pregnant, but a cooking class and helping the elderly lady next door with her cat give Evie a way to cope with the changes in her life. Includes recipes.
Teacher Resources:
Meet the Author Movie Collection https://www.teachingbooks.net//author_collection.cgi?id=52
If you’re a first time user of TeachingBooks, you may need to register.
Sharon Draper website http://sharondraper.com
Simon & Schuster The Book Pantry Interview http://simonandschusterpublishing.com/thebookpantry/sharon-draper.html
Interview Reaching Reluctant Readers https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/v36n2/pdf/johnson.pdf
Reading Group Guide to Blended http://sharondraper.com/bookdetail.asp?id=75
Audio Excerpt Narrated by Sharon Draper (5.05 minutes) https://www.teachingbooks.net/book_reading.cgi?id=15891
Vocabulary Lists for Chapters 1-15 https://www.vocabulary.com/lists/2969477/assign
Apropos since teacher Mr. Kazilly loved to assign unusual vocabulary words for the students in Isabella’s class to study and use.
